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Madden who. YES! This IS the Madden killer!
Why?
1) In-game music - Rip your own music to your Xbox and play it during the game when you score a TD, get a safety, a FG, a first down and more.
2) VIP system - This allows you to save your friend's profiles so you can compete against them when they aren't available. Save your own profile and watch what your tendencies are and fix them.
3) Maximum tackle - If you are the ball carrier and you get wrapped up by a tackler, rapidly hit the A button to try and break it. If you are the tackler, rapidly hit the A button and try to bring him down. Now you have a chance to prevent that broken tackle, unlike last year's version when it was hit or miss (most of the time it was a miss).
4) Presentation - Wow!!! Much improved on top of what was already pretty excellent last year. You have a 3D Boomer previewing the game. Half-time shows video highlights rather than still photos with Boomer giving you the play-by-play. Suzy Kolber is the sideline reporter and does the post-game wrap up. It's great because she'll interview the player of the game. In my case, it was #88, Marvin Harrison. Mel Kiper and Trey Wingo also join Chris Berman to bring you up to the date info around the NFL.
One other thing where the presentation outshines Madden and last year's ESPN NFL 2k4 is when Boomer does the half-time show. In 2k4, he would call the scores out of order. For example, if the Colts had the lead and scored first, he would usually say something like "The Jets scored early. But, the Colts came back and took the lead" when the Colts, in reality, always had the lead. In 2k5, that has been fixed. He calls the scores in the order they happened. At the half, he calls what happened in the first half. At the post-game, he starts from the 3rd quarter. It just flows so well and brings so much more realism to this excellent game.
5) Franchise play - Now, every week, you can put your team to work through workout schedules, film breakdown as well as watching simulated games.
6) Celebrations - You can choose from dozens of outrageous TD celebrations and assign them to the buttons. Even the crowd gets into it with their fingers and terrible towels! Sometimes, they'll even show the crowd funneling into the stadium just before the game starts. A nice little touch.
7) QB Evade - Don't want to take that hit? The right trigger will put your QB in scramble mode. The right thumbstick will perform a QB evade behind the LOS.
8) DB and LB shifting is so much better this year. Instead of having to use the white and black buttons and the right thumbstick, you now use the left and right triggers and the right thumbstick. No more having to remove your left thumb off of the left thumbstick to move your D around. Also, you can choose to just move one defenseman by pressing the corresponding button over the players when you pull and hold the left or right trigger. You can even use this to call a double team after leaving the huddle, as well as put a spy on the QB. The white button assigns a blitz, while the black button assigns a delayed blitz.
9) First person football has been upgraded including the ability to swap between 1st and 3rd person mode, perform hot routes (on offense) and defensive shifts (on defense). The white button helps you locate the man you are assigned to.
10) Audibles - Pretty much the same stuff as last year EXCEPT you can now flip your running play in the opposite direction. Hit Y to bring up your audible screen, then push the right thumbstick left or right to switch your running play to that direction. No more having to flip the play and tip off the D on what you're doing. Kind of like Playmaker mode in Madden. Excellent addition and something that was sorely lacking in last year's edition of ESPN NFL.
11) Graphics and sound - Wow! The sound is awesome (including your own music during the game). The graphics are awesome. It's almost grotesque in how you can see the veins popping out of the arms of the players.
12) Upgraded Crib - New toys to play with in here. This is like Madden cards, but it gives you more interaction, including a dart game that you can play! Watch for the Celebrity Phone. It will ring when you are exploring through the game. Head back to the crib to accept the challenge. If you win, you get a nifty surprise, but I don't know what it is. I guess we'll have to keep trying to find out.
13) Online - I went online and unfortunately, it wasn't ready yet. Of course, the game just got on the shelves about 3 hours ago, so what did I expect? I just hope tonight there are more players online. I'm itching to play some pigskin tonight! Of course, ESPN had EA beat a long time ago with it's online play for the XBox. EA is just now jumping on the bandwagon, but it's a welcome jump. Time for some serious competition. Also, if you have an on-line league, if one your players is injured, then he's injured for everyone in that league. You can also trade on-line as well. Pretty cool!
However, there are a few small wrinkles that I wish were not there. First, the pre-season schedule does not follow the NFL's schedule this year. This was the same last year in ESPN 2k4 as well. The regular season schedule is matched up, but not the pre-season. It would have been nice to be playing the same exact pre-season schedule, but this is minor.
The other issue I have is, you have franchise mode but no "regular season" mode where you just play one season. Madden at least in the past has given you this option. It would have been nice if ESPN NFL 2k5 did the same.
But, these are just specks of dust in what I find to be the BEST NFL game out on the market to date. Madden 2k5 will be hard pressed to beat this game. And the price is actually too low for the quality you get out of this game. Do NOT let the low price fool you. THIS GAME IS WORTH MORE THAN IT COSTS! BUY IT! It will be money well spent and then some.
Again, I say, Madden who??? ;)
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video-games_xbox
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A fun innovative game. L.A. Noire is new territroy when it comes to video games. I've never played anything like it before. The game's content rotates around being a detective asking questions, determining if that person is telling the truth, and finding clues to catch people in lies and help your case. But don't be fooled while there are missions, 21 in total and 25 if you get the DLC, where you'll do just the latter there is plenty of shootouts, car chases, and fist fighting and tackling guys on pavement to amp up the action. The storyline is good but I preferred Red Dead Redemptions and L.A. Noire left you feeling a little empty by the time you finish unlike RDR where you feel fullfilled.
The motion captured faces and acting I thought was well done but I don't feel it's a necessity for the future of gaming but it worked here. Will you get bored playing this game? Probably at some point. I usually played only one mission a day which kept the game pretty fresh for myself and I would suggest likewise for others with 2 missions at the most per day. Your character Cole phelps will have his own wardrobe once he becomes a detective and you can unlock suits as you go up in level, up to level 20. This seems typical of a Rockstar esque game.
What I don't like is how badly Rockstar games tend to leave out details on how to do certain things such as in this game I had to look up online to find out that I could find more guns in my police car trunk by pressing A, have to keep the aiming reticule on a fleeing target with my gun out to get the suspect to stop, and have to continually press x and then A when I was close enough to tackle a suspect. These were all never explained in the game and reminded me of Red Dead when I had to figure out exactly how duels and gambling exactly worked bc there were no "tutorials" or such to help you.
So with all that said great game that sometimes drags out but otherwise has a descent story and is a fresh face on the counter if you want something different then just plain ole shoot em ups.
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video-games_xbox
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First time headset owner. I've never owned a pair of Gaming Headsets so I can't compare them to past experiences but for a first-time user the gameplay, whether it be a FPS such as Battlefield or Action/Adventure like Batman, is night and day. My homes floor plan is pretty open so I was never able to play games loudly when the wife and kid were asleep. With these I no longer worry about bothering them, so now I feel emersed in the gameplay; hearing people running in the rooms around the one I'm in, bullet casings hitting the floor, etc. It was pretty mind blowing hearing things that I never even bothered trying to listen for, but they make a huge impact in game play. I also use them while at work plugged into my laptop so I can listen to some music without bothering my fellow workers. I'm no audiophile so the music, compared the gameplay, sounds good to me; I would like a little more bass but I can live without it. I will say that they get loud.... and I mean LOUD!, especially with the "Super Human Hearing" turned on, which just amplifies the sound even more. They block out ambient noise pretty well, lets just say I've had the wife have to get outta bed and into the living room to tell me something because she was yelling my name for about 5min without me even realizing it.
The instructions for "before initial use" were clear and easy, took about 2min total to update the controller; once plugged into the XBox One with the supplied cord the system automatically recognized it needed an update. All I did was hit the "A" button to continue, and then on to enjoying the headset.
I've worn them for hours on end and they're super comfortable over the ears. I will say that I wish the headband were a little wider; I feel like it puts a little too much pressure on the top of my head and I've adjusted them multiple times. The build feels solid so I'm not worried about breaking them if I were to drop them or if my 19month old grabbed ahold of them and decided to toss'em. I was at odds for about a week before I pulled the trigger on buying these. I was between the XO4's and the XO7's; I visited a local store and tried on both and felt that the XO7's felt a lot better on my head than the 4's, and that warrants the extra $$ to me. Seeing as how I'm not planning on buying another set for a long time.
All in all, I'm satisfied with my purchase.
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video-games_xbox
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Simply the best. Xbox is, without a doubt, not only the best console current available, but the best console ever created. I also own the GameCube and PlayStation 2, but none of these comes close to Xbox. Microsoft developed the Xbox with gamers in mind, and let's see why. Xbox graphics and sound are simply amazing, even PlayStation 2 fans agree with that; almost all games support progressive scan and in game dolby digital. The hard drive is a very cool feature; i don't have to buy memory cards and can edit my prefered soundtracks in games like Project Gotham Racing 2 and Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, and download maps and patches for online games. The controller cords are very long, so i don't have to buy extension cables. Talking about the controllers, i can't understand why some people complain about them; honestly, i prefer the Xbox controller over the Playstation 2 Dual Shock 2, as it gets more confortable in my hands. Xbox has four controller ports, no multitaps needed. The Xbox online gaming service (Xbox Live) is, like the system, the best available, with scoreboards and friends list. Ok, and what about the games? Xbox has more than 400 games available, with much more coming (nothing bad for a 2,5 year old system). A lot of good PlayStation 2 games was also released on Xbox in enhanced versions (Silent Hill 2, Star Wars The Clone Wars, Metal Gear Solid 2, Fatal Frame, Dynasty Warriors 4, Onimusha, Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance, Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City, Tenchu, etc). When a game is released on all 3 consoles, i get the Xbox version, because is always the best (if you don't belive me, go check Gamespot, the "best" icon is 99,9% on Xbox Games; ok, you don't like Gamespot, go check IGN head-to-head feature). When a game is developed exclusively for the Xbox the differences are more clear. Go play Halo, Ninja Gaiden, MechAssalt, Star Wars KOTOR, Otogi Myth of Demons, Dead or Alive 3, Panzer Dragoon Horta, Project Gotham Racing 2, Moto GP 2, Top Spin, Crimson Skies, Jet Set Radio Future and you'll know what i'm talking about. Xbox future looks exciting with games like Halo 2, Fable, Dead or Alive Online, Dead or Alive Code Cronus, Otogi 2, Shenmue III, Jade Empire, Sudeki, Conker Live and Uncut, Perfect Dark Zero, Half-Life 2, Doom 3, Painkiller, Far Cry, etc. If you really like videogames, go get one.
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video-games_xbox
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Update firmware and they work (or did they) I start a raid with my team and everyone is making fun of me. Don't buy
1 Employees lie
2 Orders canceled without informing us
3 Pre order stuff still has not arrived after being told multiple different stories as of 11/26/2015
4 When a 300$ item does not work from day one, that company should foot the bill for shipping material and offer cross shipping. That is their problem.
5 11/26/2015 and I have had to use my stock headset since owning the Elites or people can't hear me or I can't hear them
Pre ordered these from turtlebeach via amazon checkout. My order was canceled and I was never informed. I called to check on the pre order stuff (I never got to pick my size and etc) and was told my order number was not valid and the rude woman pretended she had NO IDEA what I was talking about or why. After escalating it and speaking to numerous people I found out they canceled it because they were sold out. I now had to order directly from them (and no amazon financing and pay tax)
I got them on a Friday after 5pm and they did not work, I called and they were closed. Monday I call and find out I get a "special" phone number that they failed to included in the box. Update firmware and they work (or did they) I start a raid with my team and everyone is making fun of me. "Are those the 300 headphones you were talking about? You sound like you are in a can"
I call back and am told to remove the firmware and reinstall because an update just happened that day and it caused an error. Back in the party and still have mic issues. I call back several times, using the headset to talk via bluetooth (that is horrible as well) and still have mic issues. I just deal with it because it is now too late to return.
I start to notice that people can hear me but I can't hear them in party chat and realize it is my 300$ headphones. I am of course told it is MY fault that they MUST be turned on before accepting a game invite ( annoying but maybe it is xbox hardware) So I do that, nope, still have the issue. Finally I am talking to a guy on HIS and realize it and his work fine. I call back and get pissed and demand an RMA. I go and BUY a box to send them back, told to keep the cables, pads, etc and only send back the base and headphones.
I call back because I don't get the email and the woman tells me to send back the cables, I tell her I think she is wrong and ask her to confirm it. She refuses and says it is in the rma instructions (it is not) so I don't send the cables since the instructions state to do what the tech person said. They are still off in RMA land.
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video-games_xbox
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Not worth playing. I loved the Splinter Cell series--until now. Ubisoft has been one of the better developers in my opinion, but recently they have been going in a direction that I don't like. Instead of making games that are challenging, creative, and fun--they are predictable, boring, and without any imagination.
So what did I like about this game? Well, first of all, I only made it through the first 3 hours of this game before I couldn't take any more, so I can only speak for the portion of it that I actually played. The story starts off slow, but the intro was interesting. I did like the way Sam is given the next target by displaying it in the scene itself. It makes the gameplay smoother. I also like the 'mark and execute'. There was more shooter than stealth in the sections that I played, but I didn't get through enough of the game to decide if that was a plus or a minus. Beyond that, there wasn't much to like. As far as the graphics go, they are decent, but nothing special.
The dialogue is offensive and lacking any imagination whatsoever. Just imagine a lot of 'f...face', 'f...you', m...... f.....', and you pretty much know the entire dialogue of every NPC. Not much better was Sam's banal dialogue with Grim in what should have been an emotional scene. I also did not like Fisher becoming basically a thug. Sure, he feels the need for revenge, but couldn't they have thought up something a bit less predictable than just smashing everybody's face in? Perhaps they did and it came later in the game, if so, it came too late for me. As for the multi-player, I didn't play that so I can't give an opinion on it.
I see a trend in games that I personally don't care for. They are being dumbed down with over-the-top offensive language, more violence and gore, nudity, sex, and a combination of all of these, and being labeled 'M' for mature. What is the point? I see this as more juvenile than adult. Max Payne was mature and had mature themes, but it didn't use cheap tactics to achieve that. This trend is not just growing in the gaming world, but in movies and on TV. Seriously, I am getting a severe case of violence fatigue. I can't stand anymore. Fortunately, I don't watch TV, but giving up gaming is hard. Sadly, there are fewer games now where the developers actually spend the time and energy to make a creative game worth playing. There are some exceptions, like the makers of games like Portal, or Lucas Arts.
NOTE TO UBISOFT: Yes, I am in the minority. But I am one of those fortunate adults who have the financial resources to buy all the games I want and a butt-kicking gaming rig (or an Xbox) to play them on. And I actually PAY for all my games, unlike those little teens that this kind of game appeals to, who are busy downloading their pirated copies so they can play it. (I have nothing against teens by the way, I use to be one.) I just want some decent games to play where I don't have to make sure my windows are closed in case my neighbor's little girls are out playing on their driveway-like they were when I started playing this game. I forgot my windows were open at first, and only later freaked out when I remembered and ran to shut them.
In conclusion, if you want an intelligent, interesting story to go with some challenging action--look elsewhere or rent it first to see if you are going to like it. If story is not important, and you like oodles of mindless face-smashing violence, relentless profanity, repeated shooting of everyone in every segment of the game--then this is for you. Go for it!
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video-games_xbox
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Darkness rocks. Being possessed is blessed. Well i am here to say that i just finished The Darkness and i am impressed beyond words....... Never have i played a game where i couldn't put down the controller until now. I for one feel this game is ground breaking in its gameplay, presentation, and originality. 2K has out did them selves, once again. There also seems to be a lot of dissent between gamers that liked this title versus gamers that thought it was less than stellar. If you have been looking for a game that has something untried/new before now then you owe it to yourself to buy or at least rent this game, go ahead give it a try. If you follow the advise of the nay-sayers and follow the huge herd of sheep playing the same old tried and true cookie cutter games that have been rehashed a 100 dozen times with a 100 dozen different titles with the same generic hack and slash/wham bam thank you mam type game play then steer clear of this game, it's groundbreaking visuals and indepth game play will overwhelm you. And sadly my friends you will not know what you have missed.
The most excellent part, this is my opinion, was after witnessing the murder of your girl Genny. You turn around, look in a mirror, pull out your weapon and do your self...NOT!. You wake up in a hellish world still alive with the darkness telling you that you do not belong here, "here" is a W.W.1 battle field replete with trenches, Huns (Germans) and you. The world is dark with a blood color sky, when viewable through the clouds, you are behind enemy lines trying to complete a series of mini missions which will lead you to no mans land and eventually to the British, Canadians, Australians, and whom ever else make up this world of disbelief lines. Once your at the village take your time, look around, read the posters on the bombed out ruins of buildings, likewise in the beginning of the game, read the tomb stones, very beleiveable and chilling to say the least. The ambient mood of the game, the dark humor, the possession of your will and soul as well as the original score completes the overall package, but don't take my word for it, check it out yourself, you will be glad you did. I am a 49 year old gamer, i have played video games all my life back when mechanical pin-ball was the rage. Then we got Pong for Christmas, next Nintendo, and its been game on ever since and will be until i die. So with that being said i wouldn't steer you wrong, money is to hard to come by these days to foolishly waste it, so take my advise and rent it first, if it aint the best thing since sliced bread then take it back, no foul no harm. Remember, this is the same publisher (2K) that put out the critically acclaimed Bio Shock and we all know how freakin great that ride was. So .........GAME ON. Thanks.
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video-games_xbox
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Very buggy. This game really lacks the polish you'd expect from the Madden series. They tout the new "features" that were asked for by players, but this game doesn't really know what it is. It tries to be everything to everyone - a jack of all trades, and master of none.
Within the first 15 minutes of playing, I saw a number of obvious bugs that just shouldn't be in the finished product. Examples include:
* Very delayed reactions from the announcers. I can be kicking the PAT and the announcers will say "and he scores!"
* Announcers saying the same exact thing two times in a row (this is really bad when it's a long story)
* Announcers saying something like "he ___ again!" when it's the first time you've done ____ (whatever ___ may be)
* Field goal hit both uprights, then went in. Announcers said it went in, replay showed it went in, but refs said it didn't and it didn't count.
* The DEs will just sit there on a QB sneak
* During the end of the game, when you're trying to hurry - the camera will show players poking around while you desperately press Y or B; the players only actually hurry once the game has finished its little show, but by then 8 seconds or so have slipped off the clock. All the QB has to do is spike the ball, but he sits there and checks his helmet for 5 seconds and the clock expires. Why? WHY!?!?
Other examples of the game lacking polish:
* Difficult to navigate menus. Did anyone from EA play the game before shipping it? It takes 5-6 button clicks to do just about anything, including selecting plays during the actual game.
* Way too many "features" in non-gameplay, reduced features in actual gameplay.
* As the game loads, the screen dims and brightens seemingly at random.
* Lots and lots of wasted space. It's like all of the work is done in the menus.
* No ability (as far as I can tell) to speed up the game clock toward the end of the game if you're leading.
* Franchise mode is not immersive - I'm brought back to the main "play or sim game" menu after going into each sub-menu, even though the logical action would be to be brought back to the menu. Where's the dashboard? Why do I have to navigate 6 collapsible menus to do anything beyond "play or sim game?"
* The announcers will ALWAYS talk about home field advantage at the start of the game. "What's the key to this game? Home field advantage."
* In the first plays of the game, the announcers will ALWAYS say they've talked to the QB, and that he wants to get going early.
Don't waste your time with this one. I'm sending mine back.
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video-games_xbox
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Support terrible software, buy this game. I made the mistake of purchasing the XBox Music Mixer. It's terrible. First, let me get the good points out of the way:
-Jpeg Decode is quite fast and the transitions are pretty good.
-Karaoke would be ok if the Mic didn't suck.
-When you do manage to view a visualization full-screen, they look pretty good. I suspect that they are just a port of some WMP vizualizers.
Now, the bad points, of which there are many:
* The Microphone doesn't work properly. You have to cup your hand around it and nearly kiss the thing to get it to pick anything up.
* When it does pick up your voice, there's a distracting delay.
I didn't buy it for the karaoke, so if these were the only problems, then I could deal with it. but:
* In order to transfer music or photos, you have to have a passport account to download the transfer tool. This is annoying and unnecessary.
* When you transfer music, it doesn't allow you to recursivley transfer directories.
* If you transfer mp3's, it takes forever to "prepare" the files for transfer, I suspect that it's transcoding them to WMA -- lossy on top of lossy != good sound. This is also the only reason they require WM9 installed on the PC.
* There's no reason they shouldn't allow you to just play files off of windows shares, over the network.
* The back of the box plainly states HDTV output, but it does no such thing. It puts out 4x3 480p which is definitely NOT HD. (Neither is anamorphic 480p which Microsoft also touts as HD -- liars). This is inexcusable. They really missed the boat by leaving this out and misleading the customer.
* Photos look like... garbage on this thing.
* The UI is non-intuitive and poorly designed. For instance, in order to copy files from the PC, you first have to prepare the files on the PC. Once that's done, you have 5 minutes to start the transfer to the XBox. On XBox you go to the import menu, where the only option is "PC". In order to rip songs from a CD, the natural place to do it would also be from this "Import" screen where there should be another entry, "CD". But there's not. You have to go to the music playback screen, somehow find your way to the "CD" and click the hidden-in-plain-sight record button.
* The "Rave" mode is interesting for about 30 seconds then it's just dumb.
* The Visualizers for the music are ok (probably just ported from WMP), but after you select one, it takes you back to the tracklist, which you have to dismiss with two button presses to get the visualizer full screen. If you don't like it, you have to start over.
* There's no way to browse the photos that you've uploaded on the box, only view slideshows. When you change settings during the slideshow, it restarts the slideshow.
* If you log on the Live to check for downloads, it has to reboot the XBox before you can resume using the XBMM.
So please, don't buy this thing. I'd rather not encourage the developers to keep making fourth-rate software.
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video-games_xbox
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Innovative gameplay bogged down by horrendous story and AI. The Good first:
Graphically, the game is amazing, and what really makes the game stand out is the immense amount of environmental interaction there is. You can casually push people aside who get in your way, or you can roughly shove them. You can attack random people, which will cause a panic, and people react to what you do, such as remarking about you if you go dashing by, or calling you insane for bumping into walls or trying to climb up things or jump on top of random objects. Bump into an armed guard and they WILL chase you. Not only chase you, but chase you RELENTLESSLY! It's rather difficult to get them to stop, as you have to get out of their sight AND hide for a short time. Your character is agile enough to jump from rooftops with ease, hang on to edges, scramble up walls like a cat, and dive into stacks of hay to get out of sight.
The many options for combat and running around are impressive, as is the combat system when fighting people. It has some button mashing involved, but it's not mindless mashing. Your sword can even get red from blood, and horse riding is very realistic as well.
The Bad:
Oh wow... first, gameplay-wise, the AI is simply retarded. About the only time the guards are competent is when they're chasing you for causing havoc in the city. Once they surround you, or you're engaged in combat with them, they only bother to attack you one at a time. So far in my gaming, when engaging in fighting, I've never fought or killed men who didn't surround me like a pack of gangbangers coming at me one at a time. Even if I had no weapon but my fists, they wouldn't bother, and even if I were slaughtering them. It would seem the explanation being they're too cocky to attack you all at once when you're helpless, and they're too scared to attack you all at once when you're dominating. No middle ground.
Historically accurate it may claim to be, it fails massively in even the most menial, and yet telling of aspects: The main character, in a 12th Century Arab country, has an AMERICAN accent. You could nitpick with the whole "well they didn't speak english in Arab countries in the 12th Century" and it wouldn't matter a damn, because English DID exist at the time, but AMERICA did NOT. Not only is the American accent an annoying anachronism (which is inexcusable, because despite popular belief, Americans CAN accept protagonists with non-American accents) but has the stereotypical arrogant American swagger so hated by people of other countries, that not only makes him an unlikeable character, but gets him in trouble in the game, as within the first fifteen minutes of the game, he already breaks all three rules of the Assassin's Creed. Because he's "badass".
Of course, if you didn't know from the other reviews, this is all just the "memory" being replayed via some scientifically fragile theory of "genetic memory" in which a person's life experiences are recorded in their DNA, and passed on through generations. The main character is yet another American stereotype of the typical badass loner assassin who just wants to turn his life around by being a bartender. Not only is his dialogue so dull and listless as to make you not give a damn about him, but he is also very plain and ugly. Not really a valid complaint, but it's a physical manifestation of the person's mental state.
So awful was this game's story that I did not want to go on playing it after the first few missions. I simply could not tolerate it. I had to force myself into living the horrid story and AI.
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video-games_xbox
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New School Game, Old School Feel. Sunset Overdrive to me was the most iffy new IP being released exclusively on Xbox One. Earlier in year Titanfall was set to be Xbox's biggest new exclusive, but it did not meet our expectations. Then attention shifted towards Sunset Overdrive. The game is made by Insomniac who is usually partnered with Sony. However, they took their new game to Microsoft for they felt the game would work better and Microsoft and the Xbox division gave them the opportunity and took a risk on this game. That was a great risk. Sunset Overdrive was a pleasant surprise. I was on the fence, but when I saw the positive reviews I decided to pre-load it on my Xbox. It has been worth the purchase. SSOD has great fluidity. The game runs smoothly at a good fps. The game also looks great graphically with its vibrant colors. The gameplay is excellent with the traversal system. There is also a good selection of wacky weapons like the TNT Teddy and such. Not to mention the character customization is very good. Not as in depth as some games, but the outfits you can wear are nice and wacky.
In a game market bogged with games that are much more seriously tone, story driven, and such SSOD is a breath of fresh air. The game is not serious at all and I wish we could get more games like it today. The game even mentions in game that is just a video game and even makes fun of video game traditions. The game makes fun of the rule of free, and there is one part where you are climbing up two buildings and if you fell off the game would mention how it be pointless to make you climb back up and they would start you where you fell from. I grew up playing the PS2 with classics like Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, and Ratchet & Clank and Spyro (both of which were made by Insomniac). Sunset Overdrive honestly brings me back to those days. The game just have this old school gameplay type feel to it. It really brings me back to those PS2 days. I hope SSOD can show the gaming industry that the focus does always have to be about adult, dark, gritty, serious, and story driven games. This past generation had so much of that. SSOD feels fresh and thats why I like it.
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video-games_xbox
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Fun at first. Graphics are dated, but ok. I've seen much better on xbox 360 let alone the xbox one. The kill shot was an amusing surprise but got old soon and was just plain annoying after 100 times of watching the bones explode internally. A sniper should put the bad guys down, not as double as the Medical Examiner or CSI guy. There is a way to turn it off thankfully.
The AI logic in detection is just plain poorly thought out. But it is mostly workable. You pull the trigger once and you must retreat 35 yards and then can return and fire again. So long as you can retreat those few feet you can plink away all day. They sound the all-clear and resume their aimless wandering within a minute or so once you reach the magic distance. Rather than this being a 100% of the time activity it would have been alot more fun if there was a bit randomness to it. Sometimes they don't find you, other times they do and you have to try and escape.
The weapons you start with are predictably lame. Made all the worse by limited ammo amounts. For example, 16 rounds is all you're allowed for the only silenced weapon (a pistol).
The 3rd mission is the deal breaker for me. It is just no fun and there is no way to skip it. (spoiler alert)
You end up on the top of a thing which looks like a castle and are required to snip away 5-6 squads of Nazi's and Italian allies as they all spend 1000's of rounds trying to kill your informant (who is trying to escape). The enemy hides where you can sometimes not see them (meaning you can't find them at all unless you got lucky and followed them with the scope as they ran there). They will rapid duck and fire from this position eventually killing your assigned person to guard. 6 attempts to get past this point and off to the walk-throughs which were no help.
Designing a game which has at least one map which is designed to be no-fun is just not good game design. Look at Borderlands series. Some maps are easy, some are hard, but all are fun.
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video-games_xbox
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Better than the NFS Series. I am reviewing Split Second by Disney for Xbox 360.
If you like the Need For Speed games, then you'll love this game! Racing takes a unique turn when you race with explosive and interactive scenery. The graphics are phenomenal and Disney did not skimp on the visual effects... even allowing a "playback" prompt at times. The vehicles you race against are competitive but not impossible to beat. Towards the last races they sure give you a run for your money. It's not abnormal to retry a race multiple times before you finally win. Practice makes perfect, after all!
Using scenery to delay and knock out your opponents is tricky, but fun, once you master the timing in order for them to be effective. While you may race the same track multiple times, there are options to trigger large scenery objects that completely alter the course, throwing a curve ball into the race. Some tracks even have multiple route changers. This is one racing game that requires many different skills to successfully play. The different styles of races keep things interesting too: Elimination, Race, Survival, Air Revenge, etc. My favorite is Air Revenge... avoid the helicopters missiles to build your energy meter then launch retaliation missiles back at it.
Negatives: Rubber-banding, as mentioned in many other reviews, is pretty bad.... but look at this as a challenge to really hone your skills to kick your rivals bumpers. Also, the one thing that really made me angry, is that your opponents can spin you out fairly easily, depending on what you're driving. However, it is impossible for you to spin them... no matter how much you try. NSP games have the up on this issue.
The achievements have a range of difficulty from "easy to obtain" to "almost impossible". Some do require a Live Gold subscription for online play, but only a handful. I got this for Christmas and absolutely fell in love with it. You won't be disappointed with this game :)
NOTE: contrary to some tags, this is NOT a game for the Kinect hardware
SIDENOTE: For the 130G achievement to win first place in every race... practice practice practice. You won't win 1st place the first time you race each track. However, it is possible... I did it. And it feels awesome to complete this achievement :D My advice: try different cars and if you really get frustrated then just continue with the episodes/championship. You may unlock a car further into your career that has the potential to win races you could not win before.
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video-games_xbox
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Great ideas buried under a hunk of crap. The Good: Huge bosses, decent graphics, cool enemies, decent story
The Bad: Terrible level design, extremely difficult, lame weapons, weapons are never powerful enough, retarded healing system, story isn't done justice, there's going to be a sequel...
Legendary is yet another game this year that has been released and has totally let all of us FPS fans down, but what a surprise right? FPS games are probably the most prone to failing terribly due to lazy level design, bad story, bad physics and anything else you put in an FPS. Unfortunately, Legendary does almost everything wrong and hardly anything right, but you can still squeeze a few drops of fun out of this weekend rental. Legendary puts you up against Pandora's Box's creatures that starts taking over and destroying the world while trying to be controlled by the evil LeFey.
While the plot sounds semi-interesting it takes a face dive right into a mud pit once you start playing since you don't really give a crap after about thirty minutes. If playing the game is hard enough as it is the mechanics the game is built around are totally slapped together and not very well done. Even when I saw videos of this game I knew it didn't look complete and they actually shipped the game unfinished. First and foremost, the main culprit is the Unreal 3 engine. Now I'm not bashing the engine at all its just many developers tend to think U3 will MAKE the game for them and they just have to tell it what to do and that is not the case. There are a lot of similarities to BioShock, in fact, from the Animus powers shooting out of your hand (with almost exact animations), to the same glowy look on everything you interact with. While the game looks half way decent everything looks like it was copied and pasted into the game instead of built there. You're wondering around a war torn London and New York and you don't even feel like you're there since the game doesn't replicate the cities at all not even famous landscapes for Christ sake! On top of this the physics are way off and everything seems to stick like glue or something and it's just really weird. There's terrible collision detection to where enemies will go through walls and stick there and start flopping around like some kid with Down Syndrome.
This is also coupled with cramped levels, linear levels, and everything just looks the same. Turn this wheel here, kill these creatures here, shoot these wire suspensions here, bypass this keypad here. The game is very tedious and just completely retarded and put together so poorly. Even moving your character is even a pain since when you get hit on one side you stop moving that way for some strange reason and I have no idea why. You'll be strafing left and then get attacked by your left, but you just stop dead in your tracks and you have to jam the stick left a few times before even moving again. The guns don't feel powerful at all and are just completely retarded with almost no recoil, they are all standard such as shotguns, machine guns, a rocket launcher, and a weak pistol that does NOTHING. The most original weapons is probably an axe but even the more powerful weapons take awhile to tear down foes coming after you. The enemies are just absurdly difficult to bring down even on the easiest setting. For some unknown reason the weakest enemy (Blood Spiders) just swarm after you and you have to find the sac holding them and getting there can be a pain since this leads into the lame healing system. Other enemies range from werewolves, minotaurs, griffons you name it.
These are cool enemies and shouldn't have anything go wrong but it does anyways! They throw so many enemies at you and you never feel powerful enough to take them down so you're constantly scrounging your health with the difficult healing system. You have this power from your hand called Animus, so you take Animus Clouds from dead creatures and you use this for health. You hold down Y to take it, but it takes so long to absorb it all and this is NOT good when you have a ton of guys shooting at you or creatures clawing at you. You hold down Y again to heal yourself, but as you can see, using the same button to heal and absorb is not going to work very well. When you're near clouds you absorb them instead of healing and vise versa. If you double tap Y (why are we double tapping with so many buttons!) you can do an Animus Push to stun enemies and this does absolutely nothing. Now when it comes back to the combat you can't use any melee attacks, no cover system NOTHING, ZERO, ZILCH, SQUAT! You have to hide behind everything and peek out like a stupid old PlayStation game from 6 years ago. This makes things ridiculously annoying during the unbalanced levels that are badly designed.
This game just has so many things wrong you wonder what there is to like? Well its for the sheer epicness that game seems to pull off with 300 foot Golem, a HUGE krakan you fight in London, and even the giant Griffon's are cool to kill. If you can bear through this 6-7 hour campaign you can find some fun in this game. With a different story, decent graphics, cool enemies, and lots of big bosses you can have fun once. Legendary, this definitely, is not.
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video-games_xbox
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Battlefield 3 vs COD MW3: Un-Biased Comparison. Battlefield and Call of Duty (COD) are the two premier shooters for consoles and the PC. It is important to note that the PC will always run the game with better graphics and a higher frame rate. Personally, I have only played on XBOX 360. That being said, COD runs at a higher frame rate on the consoles than Battlefield and, consequently, allows for a crisper and more fluid gaming experience. That is my first comparison and is not really a huge deal, but something to consider for some. I also wanted to clarify that I am not biased to one title or the other (it may seem like it, but this is certainly not the case). These are just honest opinions by someone who is not caught up in the hype of the name of the game (as each title has a cult-like following) but as an enthusiast who enjoys a good video game. Here are some other data points to think about before purchasing:
GRAPHICS
One downfall to Battlefield is the inconsistencies in the graphics, mainly glitches and varied qualities in the different environments. One main glitch I found was in a mission where you are in a gunner seat in a Humvee and, if you turn certain directions, the driver completely disappears. During the campaign, certain structures are of much lower graphic quality while others look pretty decent. Once again, not a huge deal but definitely enough to notice. The characters during the cutscenes looks great but, in the missions, the words don't quite match up with the words each character is saying. In COD, there are some glitches as well. If you crawl too close to a fellow soldier in a stealth mission, for example, you will see inside the hollowed character model. However, the character models in game are far superior to that of Battlefield. The cutscenes are about equal. However, do to its consitent and superior graphics, COD wins this battle.
STORYLINE/CAMPAIGN
Battlefield has an excellent campaign that revolves around one American soldier while COD has several sub-storlines accross a couple different characters, a Russian and an American. Both are captivating and exciting and provide different merits and downfalls. I am not a fan of the loading menus and maps with commentary with COD as I would much rather see the conversation take place. This would allow for more cutscenes. This is one aspect where Battlefield excels. It only uses the cinematic cutscenes as opposed to pictures, maps, and grids during loading times in COD. As far as missions go, I thought each game had really fun levels to complete. Slighty, however, I favor COD simply because they had better stealth missions, which are some of the best missions in the game. Also, the interactive scenes where you get into hand to hand combat in Battlefield are boring and pointless. COD also makes better use of the slow motion shootouts at certain points throughout the campaign. In addition, COD relates back to previous installments in the franchise and provides a alternate point of view to previous missions. These flashbacks are really cool and show the thought put into the games. Don't get me wrong though, Battlefield is still a great game. These are really minor details that are being pointed out, thats how close these two games are to one another. Both games do the basics extremely well.
SOUND/GAMEPLAY
Battlefield is notorious for great sound and definitely edges out COD considerably. However, COD has improved after taking pointers from the Battlefield Series. But, its like how Honda and Yamaha try to emulate the Harley Davidson sound, its just not the same. The big exlosions are the best in Battlefield with the ringing ear affect and prolonged tunnel sound. However, I feel the weapons in COD have a more powerful sound to them. In addition, I strongly prefer the grenade throwing in COD as opposed to Battlefield. It seems more managable and like you have more control over the devices. As far as shooting and getting around the detailed environments, both games are pretty equal. One major advantage Battlefield has is the ability to sprint continuosly. It gets really old running out of sprint power in COD when you are simply trying to speed up a boring part of the game or if you are running away from an entire battellion of enemies. Its frustrating when you almost get out of harms way only to run out of sprint and get killed because of it. However, the purists who will point out the fact that you cant sprint forever and will appriciate the realistic nature of this aspect to COD. I, on the other hand, say if I was trying outrun bullets in a battle, I could spring for a long freaking time, not just 50 feet or so. Usually, the Battlefield franchise is known for its destructive environments. Even though it is still better than COD, Battlefield fails to live up to Battlefield Bad Company 2. Almost EVERYTHING could be pulverized in that game. It is simply not the case in this installment.
ONLINE
This is were personal preference is the deciding factor. If you prefer the simple, fast-paced shooting experience, COD is your game. If you prefer more team-oriented, massive scale battles with tanks, humvees, fighterjets, and helicopters, Battlefield is definitely your game. I find the user interface on COD to be easier to navigate but Battlefield's is still adequate and easy to use. They both offer a wide range of weapons and ways to customize them to make them better. I find it is wierd that when you add verticle grips to the assault rifles, the characters still hold the gun ass if the foregrip was not there. This is another minor attention to detail, but it still bothered me. It COD, your character uses them. Each has perks and other customizables to help build an immaculate class of soldier.
Overall, each game has its downfalls and merits. However, if I were to be able to choose only one, I would go with Call of Duty. However, it does get boring after a while. So if you have both, you can switch back and forth. This is what I do and I love both games. I definitely recommend getting both of them as they are completely different experiences. I hope this review was helpful, either choice is the right one.
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video-games_xbox
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What You'd Expect. When I got this last November I was instantly annoyed I had to complete the first mission along with a tutorial just to play online. I mean, it's Grand Theft Auto, who cares what their default characters are about? I just want to run people over and cause problems! Really I just wanted to try it online and that I did and it was fun for a night or two, however, after you buy something you really want all the magic is gone. In the beginning people were doing a whole lot of cheating which didn't really bother me because I played in closed sessions but after a race or anything else it would take me into a random server and I would have to rejoin my friends again. It seems like they fixed this issue in newer updates but content-wise it's just boring.
Like I said, a night or two with friends while you level up is really all it's worth. I got about halfway through the story line about 6 months after I bought it. Not that it took me six months to get there, just took that long to find any interest in it at all. At that point I played it off and on for about a month. The graphics aren't as incredible as people made them out to be. My favorite part of it was being able to take pictures on your phone and send them to the Rockstar website. Load times when first booting up takes forever but not so bad once in-game.
Taking control of three different characters was not appealing to me at all. The radio stations are terrible! There were a few songs you could actually tolerate until you got annoyed with them and just turned the volume off. Controls while driving were unique, such as changing radio stations and working your phone but on foot controls seem off timing and glitchy. Overall, it's what to expect from a Grand Theft Auto game yet a lot less humorous (such as radio commentary, company names/creativity). If you're a big fan of GTA you'll probably like this regardless. I know I was up until Vice City then it just got stale for me yet I can say it is a step in the right direction after the disaster that was GTAIV.
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video-games_xbox
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Fun at first...but really needed more work. K&L, started off pretty cool. The opening action scene was a lot of fun. Two prisoners being transported to another place, and then BAM, an escape occurs. You have cops and baddies blasting everywhere. You start off in a daze from the crash and you can barely move. Then you get your head straight and start booking it with Lynch and his members. You find a pistol inside a garage that gets swarmed with cop cars outside. All you can do is start blasting your way out. You finally get to another spot that gets swarmed also, but with a lot more cops. Your guys start screaming to just run for the building across from you. You have to run through a haze of bullets into a tiny doughnut shop which also gets surrounded and blasted at with windows getting shot out... and all you can do is wait for your get away driver.
Talk about fun.
Then there are even some more good missions after that, like a bank heist which ends up a lot like the movie 'Heat'. I was having a lot of fun.
But then after a few missions the story and scenarios just got...well..way off track. I mean seriously...you end up in a jungle for pete's sake.
Let me tell ya some goods and bad that I thought of this game.
Good:
1. The beginning missions. Lots of fun and made you feel like a bad guy. A transport escape, bank heist, running down some main streets shooting and trying to run from cops, a car chase scenario, and a few more.
2. The talking. Kane is a little more level headed, while Lynch is a little nutso. It was funny listening to Kane scream "WHAT THE (enter a bad word here) WERE YOU THINKING...YOU CANT JUST KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE LIKE THAT!!!" and then have Lynch respond pretty calmly with "Oh relax...we got out of there didn't we?", well...it fit just right for these two guys. Even though there was a lot of cursing (and I mean a LOT), it went well with supposedly two very bad men. Sometimes a little to much...even for a person with a sailors mouth.
3. The graphics weren't extremely bad. Sometimes it felt like PS2 graphics..then sometimes it looked much better. It never really did bother me.
Now for the bad:
1. The story. Wasnt hard to understand, but it just felt...really bland. It's like they wanted to do more with it than what they did. Felt really rushed.
2. The later missions. Even though they weren't...bad...they just felt incredibly out of place. I mean, come on...a jungle? And one time I even felt like I was in Iraq or something. Just wierd.
3. No sneaky sneaky. For instance, one time in the jungle I had to sneak up on a guy and tackle/kill him instead of shoot him. Well the guy would walk right up on me and not notice me. Or I could be in the same spot doing the exact same thing...and then he WOULD notice me. Also why in the heck would you give me a pistol with a silencer on it, but not make it where no one would hear it. I would silently shoot the guy and an army of men some 100 yards away would start blazing me down with fire. It made no sense.
4. The game is extremely to short and easy. I beat the game in 6 hours. SERIOUSLY. 6 hours. And I was playing on the second hardest difficulty. Sure I could try it on the hardest now, but I just don't want to.
5. Replay value. Maybe the first couple of levels are replay worthy, but after that...yeah...not really. Maybe if they had an option to play Lynch the second time through, I could see that being a huge boost for it...but sadly..there isn't that option.
6. The two endings. Hahahahaha. What a joke. At least I'll give them this. If you decide to take the ending where you can save some of your guys, you get to play another level.
And then the SO/SO:
1. The AI. Sometimes it was pretty good. You would have 20 cops just destroying everything around you trying to kill you. A haze of bullets everywhere. That was nice. But then, I could be running somewhere and out of nowhere I'd turn a corner and two cops would be standing there and never look at me. Just shooting at my buddies. That would make me roll my eyes.
2. Sorry...I had one more thing, and just cant think of it right now. Maybe I'll remember and edit this.
Also one last thing. I haven't played online (my router is jacked right now) and I haven't played Co-Op. So I'm not reviewing this portion.
So in the end, I would definitely recommend renting the game for a few bucks. It is not NEARLY as bad as some people are saying. When this came out, Assassins Creed and COD4 just came out a fews before it. Plus Bioshock was still a hot item. Buying is a no no though. Way to short and just so many better games out there to spend 50 dollars on. Sadly I bought it when it came out. Here's hoping Army of Two rocks way more than this one.
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video-games_xbox
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A solid entry for the 360. Okay, I have been playing this for a couple of days now. I have mainly played the campaign portion of the game. I tried to go online but there isn't many games to pick up on right now. Hopefully that will change as more and more people pick this game up. I am a die hard flight sim lover. I have several flight sims on the computer as well as several of the Ace Combat series. I wil say that the detail of the airplanes and armament on this game are extremely high and the jets look great.
There is bound to be comparisons of this game to the Ace Combat series. While comparing these two are like comparing apples and oranges, they each have their own sweet spots. Over G strives on more realism than Ace Combat. While you can fly on a novice level, it severely hampers your flight abilities. Once you switch over to the more realistic normal mode, you can enjoy barrel rolls and tight turns and the response feels great. The novice mode feels like your flying through mud.
You can set your plane up before each mission either with a recommended setup or choosing your own missile selection. There is a well appreciated range of missile and bombs to suit every mission. While yes, you can have a great view in the cockpit, I have yet to see a true 360 degree field of vision. It is more like 280 degrees.
The missions so far have been varied nicely. The main disappointment I have had is with the music selection. The Ace Combat series had great music and not only that but great chatter on the radio that really pulled you into believing that you were the one hero of the war. Of any flight game I have played, Ace Combat 5 has done this better than any other. Atleat with the 360 you can play your personal selection of music off the hard drive.
The explosions are decently animated with contrails visible after the jet or tank blows and the contrails move in the direction of the path of flight, which adds nicely to the realism. While flying, you can enjoy a view of your jet and you can notice the exhaust fumes as they exit the engine and also distort the view of the graphics behind the plane. This also adds nicely to the touch of realism.
While this is a solid entry for the 360, I can only hope that the next game improves on this one. If you are a hard core flight sim lover, you have to buy this. If you enjoyed Ace Combat, you may want to rent this game before buying it because it might not be exactly what you are expecting in relation to the Ace Combat series. Althought this game is on a console, it is more in line with what is available on PC's rather than what is previously available for consoles. Enjoy.
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video-games_xbox
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good for paddles, some issues make it annoying. So I've been using this since November 2016. After about 4 months of use, I can safely say a few things about this product. It works well for what it does. I bought it specifically for the paddle function, not so much for the mods. I'll play with those later. But strictly for the paddle use: the paddle position will take some time to get used to, especially if you've been using an Elite controller. I found the paddles felt weak and did not really click anything. I switched them out with the other pair that was included (these are a bit more angled for better reach), but they still felt the same as well. You have to really click it. I actually use them by clicking on the bent part of the angled paddles because that's where my fingers naturally rest. This works surprisingly well however as they feel like buttons.
Other issues: Installing it is easy, BUT there seems to be a design flaw with the cable that attaches to the controller to the XONE's USB connection. If you're holding it in your hands it works fine. However once you set it down on a table or something, the wire plugged into the controller itself is actually angled out of the controller, making the controller "disconnect" - the Home button is lit, but buttons fail, paddles fail, any attached mics will fail. It's almost as if it actually is disconnected but it's just lit up. So you have to unplug the cable, and plug it back in so the cable goes into the micro USB on the controller STRAIGHT (not angled which shuts it down) and then it all boots up again normally.
I also had an issue when I had to plug in another mic (a Turtle Beach one to be accurate). When I tried to get it to work, the back lights flash green for no apparent reason, and I'm unable to bypass it. This may have something to do with the mod feature, so I'm working on it. I found that if you unplug the Turtle Beach adapter out of the controller, plug in the USB cable to your controller THEN plug the adapter back in, it will work in that sequence.
I feel the biggest annoyance is the angled cable plugged into the controller. I put the controller down frequently and having to unplug/replug everything back in every. single. time. is a hassle.
The paddles work for me if I use the angled ones, and that's me pressing on the angled bit of the paddle.
I personally have little to no use for the mods themselves, so I'm not messing with that just yet.
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video-games_xbox
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Get Up Ricky-Boy. The Splatterhouse series isn't particularly known for its exquisite storytelling, and though the game was released back in 1988 in arcades, the original Splatterhouse had enough potency to it to allow this "remake" to occur, despite some minor issues with the game, having beat it thoroughly, i'd say this game does a good job honoring the original.
You play Rick, a recently murdered college kid who just wanted to go out on a date with Jennifer, his soon to be fiance' but, it all goes wrong when they meet Dr. West in his mansion, who sicks his hounds on the two, kidnapping Jennifer, and impaling Rick pretty badly. As he leaks out, he notices the Terror Mask, and is given a choice, die here, or put the mask on, and save his girlfriend. Without much thought, Rick chooses option B, becomes a hulking mass of muscle and becomes 110% committed to retrieving his Girlfriend, and will kill, maim, disembody, gut, cleave, and pummel anything unfortunate enough to get in his way. Rick's good to go, but will you want to play?
What's Good:
The Graphics:
The environments are well animated,and though the game has a slightly cartoony feel, it doesn't come off as unrealistic per say. The best description i can come up with is a realistic caricature of the characters, while maintaining a par or better version of realism for environments. With exception of the doors you get to feed.
Damage:
What i really liked about Splatterhouse is how much effort Namco put into the actual damage system, enemies can be cut limb from limb, decapitated, sliced in half, and Rick himself can be dismembered, all in battle, with no hiccups in frame rate. I like that Rick can be missing chunks of his flesh under normal play, i guess it gives me some sort of real showcase that though rick is the powerhouse he is, its still killable.
Violence:
Ok this game is excessively, brutally violent in almost every sense. Blood coats the walls, pours off and out of gaping wounds, and flows a neat little trail from corpse, up ricks leg and into the mask. Rick can do what's called splatterkills, which is even more violent than the usual beat you can disperse normally. Usually it involves literally tearing a enemy apart, in one case, you provide an interesting version of a fatal prostate exam. Basically the game offers up all of those things people swear they don't like to see, its a massive collection of gore, and its good at depicting it.
Controls:
As a whole, i liked the control scheme, X was attack, a jumped, used the triggers for different movesets, and with very minor touchy issues with certain things the controls worked, quite well in fact. The combination weren't obscure, if anything they might have been on the side of too basic.
Upgrades:
There are plenty of upgrades, purchased by BLOOD which is received through killing enemies, with more moves, health, mask power ups, special moves, and upgrades to the way you even use weapons, Rick is very customizable to the way you play most first. Almost EVERY upgrade is worth getting and will help you fight back the crowds easier, many platformers do not provide effective upgrades, it was nice that when i spent all of my BLOOD i saved up on a skill, I didn't feel like i was ripped off.
The Bad:
Jumping(sidescroll):
Personally i got used to jumping pretty easily, but it felt funky. Rick's jump is a really pathetic thing given what he can do. Its short, most cases, just long enough to get you where you need to go, but its a minor issue at best, especially since Rick jumps a lot early on and then it kind of just never happens in the side scrolling portions again.
Loading:
The loading screen, though decidedly creepy, and quite well conceived is ridiculously punishing. Though the game loads a lot once and then in very little snippets, really keeping you in game with only a few mandatory load screens througout the story mode, if you die, you will hate this screen. Make a minor error and die, you will be rewarded with a 40 second to 1 minute load. It SUCKS, honestly this one problem almost made me put the game down for a while during one part of the story.
Apparent Repetitive nature:
At first, the game seems fine, but you begin to feel you're doing the same thing over and over and over. This is true, about 30% into it, Splatterhouse begins to drag its feet. But, towards the last few phases, it begins to ask MUCH more from the player, forcing the player to open up his moveset me, dodge more, block and use different moves, so yes it does get a bit repetitive, but it fixes back up later.
The End:
I won't spoil it, but i didn't like the end, it fits the bill, but the way it was done i think could have been done more permanent than the choice they made to implement. If there is a S2, then i think i can forgive them for their choice, but without that, its not going to work.
All in all, Splatterhouse does have what it takes to be a good time, its challenging late game, its fun, it more or less does what it needs to with some frustration. But if you can look past what it doesn't do right. Its a good way to spend a few days.
**Note: this game is not in any way for children under its mature title rating, it contains excessive violence, vulgarity, and pornography. If you are not comfortable with this, or not comfortable with your kids' playing this sort of thing, you should not purchase this title. If you are unsure, rent it to decide.
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video-games_xbox
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My All-Time Favorite Xbox One Accessory So Far. When I first purchased this chatpad, I was actually unaware there was even a headset included (as the title never used to mention the headset) This was an unexpected, pleasant surprise from Microsoft. As there are two products included within the package, the review will be split up into two parts.
Chatpad:
The Chatpad features an entire QWERTY backlit keyboard with access to symbols (such as apostrophes) by using a button similar to a Fn button on smartphones or laptops. The buttons feature a more "clicky" feel than the chatpad on the Xbox 360, and it feels intuitive. The Chatpad works very well and uses little power to operate. As added functionality, it also streams stereo audio from the Xbox One to the controller for uses with any headphones with a 3.5mm jack, identical to what the normal Microsoft Stereo Headset Adapter does, even with the same volume and microphone muting controls built-in. So essentially, you're buying the Stereo Headset Adapter with a built-in keyboard and a $25 headset for $10 more. Very good value!
Headset:
One thing to know about the headset is it the exact same headset Microsoft used to include with the Xbox One, so it is not a heavy-duty gaming headset. Granted, it is a very good headset to keep as a spare or for guests to use when they come over. Also, it only streams chat audio, which is to be expected from Microsoft's history of entry-level headsets. The chat audio is pretty good, with sound quality comparable to talking on the phone. It is super lightweight and feels decent while wearing it. I say decent because the side of the headset opposite of the ear cup digs into my head a little, and my head is normal size.
Overall, this is a phenomenal bundle to purchase, and I'm happy to say I use the Chatpad every time I play my Xbox One. I would even go far enough to say this accessory is essential to truly experience everything Xbox One has to offer.
Some random Q & A's:
Q: Does it work with the Elite controller with the paddles on?
A: Yes it does; no problem in functionality whatsoever.
Q: Does the Chatpad require batteries or charging?
A: No, the Chatpad uses power from the controller and requires very little power.
Q: Have you noticed any decrease in controller battery life while using the Chatpad?
A: No noticeable decrease in battery life at all.
Q: Is the controller uncomfortable while playing games with the Chatpad on?
A: In all honesty, it takes around 15 minutes to get used to having the Chatpad on. After that, I really don't even notice it.
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video-games_xbox
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EA Sports Fails MISERABLY with this crap. EA Sports Fails MISERABLY with this crap!!!
I get the concept of saving some for next year but this game is even more stripped down from last years game.....What happened to small things like endorsements during Career Mode from fighters and sponsors that was featured in last years game?....Career Mode is a complete disaster especially if you are a female fighter... I did Career Mode with Ronda Rousey and was forced to "retire" after only 20 fights because I took "too much damage" yet building attributes like chin health and stamina was made to be insanely difficult and tedious....How can I protect myself better in fights if I can't build my damn stamina and chin health quicker than a 20 fight span?......The training modes are insanely set up and diffucult to score grades good enough to adaquately boost your attributes....You are shorted sessions because of crap like "missing a session because you were busy watching TV" or because your trainer "got injured and broken his collarbone" I mean seriously WTF? In what reality does that really happen?.....Yeah, I lost count of how many times Jon Jones missed training sessions because Greg Jackson was "busy watching TV".
And don't even get me started with how unrealistic the action is......I chose Robbie Lawler who supposedly has unbelieveable punching and kicking power and faced off against Damien Maia who is a 100 overall (based off what considering he's never won a freaking title in the UFC or had more than one title shot in his career?) and proceed to land litterally 20 headkicks to him in a 2 1/2 minute span only for him to knee me once in the gut and drop me and swarm me with punches to win by TKO......I'm sorry but 20 headkicks should trump a knee to the gut and two punches while i'm on my back trying to regroup. Just because comebacks like that do actually happen in real life in the UFC (once in a blue moon) doesn't mean it should happen in the video games when you are beating the crap out of a CPU controlled opponent.
I gave it a week but times up and i'm taking it back to GameStop shortly to trade in on a game that doesn't insult my intelligence
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video-games_xbox
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Razer Sabertooth. It seems like Razer improved upon all the complaints about the original Onza controller. The start and back buttons are back where they should be. The trigger buttons aren't awkward. The extra buttons at the top of the controller won't be pressed on accident while trying to press LB or RB. And you can assign your buttons to any of the six extra buttons. Whereas with the Onza, left buttons had to be assigned to the left extra button. And right buttons had to be assigned to the right extra button.
Also, it includes thumbstick grips that are grippier than the Onza's grips (which were already pretty grippy). Although if you take the thumbstick grips off, the Onza's grips are grippier than the Sabertooth. Increasing and decreasing the thumbstick sensitivities is done digitally in the Sabertooth. Whereas the Onza had a knob on the thumbsticks that you would turn. This is indeed flashier. But, there's not much of a difference. They both get way too slow if you try to lower the sensitivity beyond just a little bit. That's not to say lowering it a little doesn't help. I think it improves my aim in Halo and maybe even my moves in Street Fighter. But, increasing the sensitivity is pretty useless on both controllers. This is because controllers can already input at the maximum level. So, while you can definently lower that input, you can't increase it. All I've noticed with increasing the sensitivity on the Sabertooth is that it'll move wildly at random times. Definently not helpful.
The Sabertooth also is able to check if the X and Y axises of your thumbsticks are able to go to the maximum range of 100. This can be useful if you suspect that you have a slow turn controller. A slow turn controller will fall short of the maximum range.
I think I've covered most of the things worth noting. It comes with a nice carrying case. Also, unlike other reviews on here, mine was delivered in three days. I'd say it's better than a regular xbox 360 controller, an improvement over the Onza, and overall, it's worth the $80.
P.S. Some of the buttons on the Sabertooth and Onza click like a mouse and it's advertised that this will lead to faster button presses. But, that really doesn't matter. Because, even if if does click faster, you can just make up for it by pressing the button sooner with a normal clicking controller. Although, I kinda like that it sounds like a mouse.
Edit- It seems like I've spotted one downfall of the Razer Sabertooth. It only allows for two custom configurations (profiles) to be saved. This is a bit of a nuisance if you want to save different profiles for each game you play and you have more than two games. Although, still a step up from the Onza's one.
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video-games_xbox
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What happened here. What a let down... You can read other reviews to find that they're all basically on the same page.
Points of interest before you buy this game:
* The same areas are used OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER
* Tactics have disappeared completely from the complex battles DAO had. You now just fight waves of enemies until your characters put their weapons away. To clarify on the "waves", the enemies spawn out of thin air. The only times this would happen in DAO was when something was summoned, or something popped out of stealth.
* The quests basically have no meaning. You'll find yourself staring at the mini-map and just running from one location to the other to complete the quest.
* The main story-line has no sense of urgency. I really don't care what's going on in it. Nor do I know why I even should care.
* You no longer have a full control over what your characters wear/equip. Only your main character. And that is severely limited by class.
* The amazing character interaction from DAO has been shot down. It seems pushed only if you want it to. While dialogue would take place in certain situations in DAO, DA2 makes what may seem as an "important conversation" take place only when you prompt it. As an example: Visit so-and-so's house and talk to them... this will spark a conversation. DAO had the appeal by unexpectedly getting reproached by one character at a later time, for a bad decision you made several hours ago. It stuck with you and made you focus more on your decisions throughout the rest of the game. This is non-existent in DA2. Oh yeah, and the romance scenes are garbage. I mean, not that I thought those ruled in part 1 or anything ;)
* The strategy guide is useless. But what else could it be? The game is useless as well.
* Button mashing and RPGs don't mix. Unless it's a rocket launching RPG.
* The dialogue options are insulting to the player. Good, neutral, bad. Half of the time your character won't even say anything close to what you think he's about to say. It's just considered good or bad based on what you choose.
* In a role playing game, the player should assume the role of the main character. This ties in to the bullet point above, but if I'm taking on the role of a character, I want it to be understood that he says exactly what I choose him to say. I don't need to hear a voice. I already shot that voice out in my own head. Give me an emotional reply from another NPC instead. IE: Morrigan starting the game off sassy/snobby in DAO, only to hit you with a seductive infatuated reply late game if her "Like/Love" meter is maxed out. Forcing some other dude to complete a conversation for me makes me feel like I'm not even playing. It also reminds me that the game isn't WORTH me playing.
* The game feels like China. What I mean by that, is it feels like a knock-off. A counterfeit. A designer handbag made out of cheap plastic and painted on emblems. Bootleg DVDs with crappy home printed inserts. If you play Dragon Age 1 again after playing part 2 for a bit, you'll almost be tempted to email Bioware directly with your complaints(I encourage you to do so btw). It feels like a brand new developer team that knows nothing about the previous game read a 5 page powerpoint on "Dragon Age" and took over from there. The end result is pretty clear. The game feels cheap. It feels rushed. And I'm horribly disappointed.
Can you enjoy yourself playing through this game? Sure... But just about any other game out there would give you the same enjoyment. And as we saw with Baldur's Gate 2 years ago, you won't likely see a predecessor or similar game come out even nearly as good for another 10 years. Dragon Age 1 is a gem, to which we were fortunate. Dragon Age 2 is just "another game" and will be over-stocked in the used bin at your local gaming shop. You can always wait till then to try this garbage out.
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video-games_xbox
|
Decent, but not as good as the hype. The word of mouth for this game was pretty good, so I had high expectations. The game is definitely fun but did not live up to those high expectations for me.
The pacing of the game feels slow. You spend a lot of time running from place to place, and even worse, waiting for loading screens.
The inventory interface (and the interface in generally) is fairly clunky. Over time you will build up hundreds of items in your general party inventory and it will be difficult to find what you are looking for. There are filters so that you can just see new items or quest items, but it's not clear how the filters work (what's the definition of new? since the last time you looked at the new filter? which quest?) and I didn't find them at all helpful.
Combat is generally fairly repetitive. It's sometimes fun when you get a new Jedi skill -- the first time you see Force Whirlwind pick up an enemy droid and twirl him around mid-air, it's very cool -- but most of the time you just sit there and cast Cure repeatedly until the battle is over. It's even worse when the battle requires more management, since the quasi-turn based system proceeds in real time. You end up pressing pause every couple of seconds to change your party members' orders, which lends a very jerky and un-cinematic feel to the combat. I don't like this hybrid turn-based real-time combat. I prefer either completely turn-based (like Final Fantasy X) or completely automated (like Diablo II or Dungeon Siege).
The models are mostly fairly low-poly and repeat often. You will see the same NPC models again and again throughout the game.
The character movement system is a little glitchy -- there are a lot of cosmetic flaws.
The puzzles are mostly old chestnuts that many older players will have seen before -- the towers of Hanoi, the old one about using 3- and 5-gallon containers to get 4 gallons of liquid, etc. Younger kids or players who didn't read as many brainteaser books as I did growing up may find them enjoyable.
Despite all my complaints, it's still a pretty decent game overall and I did play it to the end... but I was relieved when it was finally over.
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video-games_xbox
|
Excellent! Works with enhanced keyboard & wheel mouse. I've been looking for years for a KVM switch that would work at DVI video resolutions up to 1920x1200 as well as with enhanced keyboards/mice. This one does so perfectly. I have a veritable graveyard of other devices that I purchased and discarded until receiving this device yesterday.
The issue with most (possibly all) other KVM switches is that they 'listen' in on the USB line for a key combination from the keyboard to initiate a switch from one computer to the other. In principle this is a great feature since you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard to switch PCs. KVMs typically listen on the USB line by decoding the keyboard commands. This is fine for old-style, basic 101/102 key keyboards but if you have an enhanced keyboard with extra buttons for things like multimedia such as my Microsoft Natural Keyboard 4000, the other KVMs don't understand the additional key presses and thus don't pass them along to the computer. This problem also impacts "enhanced" (ie extra buttons/wheel) mice such as my beloved Logitech MX Revolution which has seven buttons and two wheels. Other KVMs I've tried can't decode even the basic signals from enhanced mice, turning your enhanced function mouse into a non-function mouse. This is incredibly frustrating and led me to all kinds of arcane hookups including adding an external USB hub downstream of other KVM's generic USB port and not using the USB keyboard/mouse ports. At best this was a sub-optimal, partially functioning workaround - and this was the best I could do with products actually much more expensive than the Aten.
The Aten CS62DU, however, is properly designed and handles enhanced keyboards/mice perfectly with none of that rigmarole needed. I've also been happily surprised with the instant switching speed. The fact that the Aten is powered from the USB port and doesn't require yet another power brick is a plus as well. I'm also pleased by the tiny size of the Aten. I like to keep a tidy work environment (my wife claims this is to balance my frazzled creative mind), and the last thing I need is another clunky black box to hide somewhere.
All the cabling that you need is included with (and in fact is a part of) this Aten KVM. The cables are color-coded, nicely labeled and smartly configured so that multiple connectors are bundled into one wire and only split out at the end which reduces under-desk black wire spaghetti. I also like that it comes with an external switching button, however I didn't even need it since the USB keyboard and mouse decoding works correctly.
One thing to note is that the cables are permanently attached to the device. This allows the KVM to be as refreshingly small as it is but if one or both of your PCs are farther than typical from your monitor, you might need to add an extension cable. The attached DVI cable going to the output monitor is about four feet long and the two cables that go to the PCs are different lengths. One is about 18 inches and the other is roughly three feet. So if your farthest PC needs a total DVI cable run of more than six or seven feet to the monitor you should be sure to have (or order) a DVI male-to-female extension cable (or a female-to-female DVI gender changer adapter to use with an existing standard DVI monitor cable). Such cables are typically less expensive online versus local stores. This isn't even a quibble because some KVMs don't come with *any* of the needed cables and most don't include all the cables typical users need like the Aten does. Since the Aten is currently one of the least expensive USB KVMs capable of up to 1920 x 1200 DVI resolutions, the fact that a few users might need an extra extension cable to accommodate an extended workspace layout is a non-issue.
Bottom line: I highly recommend this KVM switch.
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video-games_xbox
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What happened?! Who ruined the Oddworld world. I loved the Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and the Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus games! The whole concept of puzzle solving raised above everything else, the idea that there is no life bar ("Do, or do not", there is no "I barely made it through, but I only lost half my life"), it's totally gutted from the game! Argh! Who took a great idea, an awesome concept, and pissed it all away by making it like every other game out there?!
Sure, they kept the same great world, with those great characters, and the same humor, but what happened to the fundamental elements that made Oddworld stand apart from all the other games?! Now it's more like the Ratchet & Clank, the Jax & Daxter, or the Sly Cooper games (but it's not as good as Ratchet & Clank or Sly Cooper). What happened to the challenging puzzle solving play concepts that made the previous Oddworld games so great?!
Whoever made the decision to be more like other games on the market, to stop being their own different and original game line, really screwed the pooch on this one. This new direction in the Oddworld games makes it nothing more than one of many generic games in an over saturated genre. It's really sad to see the great succession of Abe's Oddworld games come to this.
I played this as far as I could maintain interest in it, I really wanted to see more of the world, the humor, and the clips with the Glukkons (bad guys), but the game was just lacking. I found myself just running through areas, while just trying to avoid taking too much damage, and not really focusing on real game play. But that was the problem: There was a lack of that challenging game play that made the Oddworld series so great.
And the camera and controls were irritating.
I'm through with this game: for what it is, it isn't worth playing just to try to see the interesting clips and humor that might be in there. I might see what the next Oddworld game looks like, but if it's like this one (Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee) then I'm done with anything new from Oddworld.
I am really disappointed.
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video-games_xbox
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A polished, fantastic Batman game. I didn't play the earlier games in the series. As a child, Batman Returns was one of the first movies that I watched at the movie theater and I remember being very impressed by the dark atmosphere of the Batman movies. This is an incredibly fun game that captures that atmosphere.
Gameplay: fighting (no shooting), racing, tank battle, puzzles,... there is a bit of everything. I really enjoyed the tank battles and the fighting. I didn't collect all 230+ riddler trophies. That was a little over the top for me, but the puzzles were really cool. 9/10
Art: The game is beautiful and a lot of attention has been paid to the details. For example, batman's suit has some kind of armor, but rather than stretching weirdly, it has some mechanical parts that make the pieces on the chest that subtly move as batman moves around slightly. Don't even get me started on the bad-assness of the Bat-mobile :) Overall, the mood of the game, the sense of darkness, the effects,... this game has 10/10 artwork.
Acting: I know that people expect different things from super-hero stories, but I enjoyed the acting in this game. not just the voice acting, but the faces and the body movements too. For example, Batman, when breaking one of the militia checkpoint controllers, makes a very aggressive, bad-ass face, and punches the controller with his hand. (by the way, there are two other ways he breaks the controller). I thought Ivy was a particularly strong character. Alfred was a little off in the sense that he's always telling Batman what to do, which is not how it is in the movies. I don't want to give more spoilers, so I will just say that the acting is 9/10.
Sound design, soundtrack: this game has probably the best sound-design, and one of the best sound-tracks that I have ever seen in a video game. The Bat-mobile sounds seemed a little overwhelming at first, but it became better as the game got more intense. The sound-track is really stellar. Absolutely fantastic. 10/10.
Story: For a super-hero story, it's 9/10 and well-done. But I have to be honest, it's a silly super-hero story that has absolutely nothing to do with real life. So it's more of a 5/10 if you compare it to more story-driven video games.
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video-games_xbox
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Destiny Review Destiny is a game like many others that was expected to be a game . Destiny Review
Destiny is a game like many others that was expected to be a game of the year competitor and possibly even one of the best games in the past couple years. After playing the game pretty for the almost 2 months its been out I feel that Destiny was over hyped and definetley was not as good as I personally expected, and many others seem to agree with me. A few of the main reasons that I found this game lacking is its story, the PvP and the overall general gameplay.
The story of Destiny was one of the main reasons why this game did not meet my expectations. First off the story is very short compared to what I felt should have been, it could easily be done in 6 or 7 hours if you strictly stick to the story missions. Given an average game is usually 8 hours or more it still couldve been longer. Second, the story lacks a lot of depth, and what I mean by that is there is really no backstory to you as a character. They give backstory on the traveler but you get revived and just have no idea how you died the first time or why the ghost that revived you is just floating around. Finally the story missions seem to give you offsetting goals that feel like filler mission that don't really relate to the story too much. This made me feel that I was wasting my time when I could be trying to get the story done. The story probably was the most disappointing aspect of the game but was not the only one.
Another disappointing part of the game was the PvP or Player vs. Player aspect. Now its fun for a while but it cant be played for hours on end like other multiplayer games in my opinion. There are not very many maps and they try to make it look like they do by having the maps have a changed time, for example a map will be in day time or evening or night. The PvP also feels like a Halo or Call of Duty with the fact that there are only 4 or 5 playlists. Though this game was made by Bungie, the makers of Halo, the said it would be its own experience but it has a pretty similar feeling to Halo in some aspects.
The general gameplay of Destiny is one aspect that resembles halo in a few ways. The first being just how you move. It feels like halo with some added feeling like double jumping and being able to aim down sights. Another area is the setting, you are fighting multiple races of aliens in the future and humanity is on its last foot, this sounds a lot like Halo to me. They just added more alien species that are against each other but they are all against you as well.
Dont get me wrong, I think destiny is a great game and I have a lot of fun playing it but it was very much over hyped. With the story, PvP and general gameplay lacking in their own experience. They could have done a lot more to make the game fantastic but it is still a fun game to play and I do recommend it to people who like Bungie and their games.
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video-games_xbox
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An Honest Review. PARENTS DO NOT BUY THIS GAME FOR YOUR CHILDREN IF
A) YOU DO NOT HAVE XBOX LIVE GOLD, BECAUSE IT IS AN ONLINE "ONLY" GAME
B)DO NOT HAVE YOUR INTERNET CONNECTED TO YOUR XBOX
C)DO NOT WANT YOUR CHILDREN PLAYING WITH STRANGERS BECAUSE IT IS AN ONLINE GAME!!
D) EXPECTING IT TO BE A 2D TOWER DEFENSE GAME LIKE THE MOBILE VERSIONS, BECAUSE ITS NOT!
First off... I am sickened by how many people are cutting down this game solely based on the fact that it is an online game and it CLEARLY STATES THAT ON THE BOX! Lets think about that for a second... its not the publishers fault but your own for thinking that you are going to be able to play this game for free online. If you own an Xbox 360 you should know that it pretty much does nothing without Xbox Live Gold. (Cant use Netflix, Hulu... yada yada yada..cant play ANY games online so what makes you think this game is going to work without it?) So do some research before blindly buying something. All the negative reviews for this game are not even for the game itself, but because they were angry they had to make an additional purchase of xbox live gold. Now lets talk about the actual game.
Lets mention again.. YES you need Xbox Live Gold and YES this game is subject to servers being shut down in the future, but thats only if the game has a super low population of players.. (EA tends to shut down games that have a low population of players because it costs them money to run servers, I could go into a whole argument about this and why I hate it but lets not waste time on something I or nobody else can change.)
Positives:
The actual game itself is really fun... It play unlike any competitive game I have ever played online which is a nice change from the blood and gore. The "classes" in the game are all unique and all have different "weapons" So from a gameplay standpoint this game is one of the more fun online games out right now.
Theres lots of different game modes and something totally unlike EA is the notion of free DLC.. Hopefully they keep this up.
Lets talk about the negatives
The game takes a LONG time to load in the initial match and close to 2 minutes in the transition of a match... far from seamless but thats not the part that irks me the most. The part that is really frustrating is when the game finally loads... none of the textures are loaded in yet... invisible people shoot you.. your character floats across poorly rendered objects and you collide with what seems like absolutely nothing until the fence finally pops up in front of you and everyone around you laughs as you get slain by a pea shooter. Quite Bizarre really... not sure why someone over in quality assurance did not catch onto that one. Once stuff is rendered it plays just fine but that first couple of minutes causes many pointless deaths.
Another major letdown is hot being able to party up with your friends at the main menu.. EVERY ONLINE GAME SHOULD HAVE THIS, NOT ON BF4 and NOW NOT ON HERE??? The whole joining your buddies session in progress thing does not work half the time and is very frustrating when all you want to do is play with your friend... there should not be all of these hoops and ladders just to do something as simple as playing with your friend on the same team. Seems like this would be one of the first features on the drawing board in the making of a game whose only focus is online gameplay. GET IT RIGHT!
TL:DR
Game is fun and has great replay value due to its Mass effect 3 online like unlock system. (Have not played the mass effect series? Do it.)
Game has some issues when first starting out in a round and loading screens take forever.
Thanks for reading!
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video-games_xbox
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Horrifying...and that's Just Perfect. Left 4 Dead was a fairly innovative change of pace for the "zombie game" genre, and it came at a time when the zombie thing wasn't as popular as it is now. Left 4 Dead 2 does a nice job of expanding on the original while keeping the core gameplay that made it so much fun. This game playes like a first-person shooter (FPS) that emphasizes grouping and teamwork. Even if you're playing the single-player 'campaign', it really has the feel of a multiplayer map with bot allies. There are character archetypes you choose from to play, and each has slight differences but most of the gameplay is still down to your own level of skill.
If there's one thing I really like about Left 4 Dead it's that someone like me who is fairly poor at most console shooters (but a whiz on the PC) can still easily get hold of the interface and play well. One thing I like least is that there are times when you will get overwhelmed simply because you weren't aware of what was ahead--and a different decision next time or going a slightly differet way through the map becomes the difference between life and death. It's hard to complain about this though, because truly that's what the whole "undead horror" genre is all about.
Left 4 Dead 2 gives you multiple types of undead: these aren't just your shambling slow-moving horrors but instead we're talking about some zombies rushing at you trying to pin you to the wall, others 'spitting' acid/venom at you, and still other types ("Boomers") that run up to you and explode. The box art should make it clear to you that this game is rated 'M' for a reason: the gore is vivid and there is more splatter here than a Gallagher concert in fast-forward. John Carpenter and George Romero would be impressed. Like all good horror stories, there's humor woven throughout: characters crack jokes to ease the tension, and there are many objects in the world you can use creatively if you run out of ammo (or just feel like going nuts): baseball bats, chainsaws (of course!) and even frying pans can be picked up and used on the living dead (called 'the Infected' here).
The developers have also come up with what they call 'AI Director 2.0'. This intelligent subsystem creates 'procedurally generated' (read, 'dynamic') changes to the map as you play. Pathways are slightly different on one playthrough than they are on another, and the difficulty of the game seems to adjust itself to your level of skill, so you don't get too overwhelmed but neither are you quickly bored. Instead you're continually kept on your toes, because at times it seems like nothing is permanent. I'd read an article with the creators about how much easier the new engine made it for them to populate the environment with hundreds of bodies, all without crushing performance, and it shows: at times you feel like you're charging through masses.
If you like survival horror and you also enjoy fast action, Left 4 Dead 2 is an excellent choice. I find aiming and combat easier on the console than other shooters I have tried, and I found myself really falling into the storyline, getting immersed in the chaos and at times startled out of my wits.
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video-games_xbox
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Fun game, but not that good. There are lots of bad reviews on this game, but I actually enjoyed this game, that's not to say though that it's a good game.
Pros:
-New double zoom game mechanic, w/ new easy controls.
-Headshot indicators, became a little addicting to see it pop-up.
-New door breach game mechanics, again a little addicting to get headshots to unlock cooler breaches.
-DRIVING LEVELS, these were awesome, probably the best driving levels I've played, driving feels real, the levels are epic (driving through a sandstorm), actual usable car mirrors, really fun scenarios (like a stealth driving level), fun game mechanic of ramming and disabling enemies cars.
-New game mechanic of getting ammo from allies
-More fun good levels than bad.
-Story is bland, and not really convincing, but still gives you a good enough idea of what everyone goes through, ending was sad.
-Easy campaign/overall achievements
-Not a lot of ridiculous cod explosions
-Graphics look really nice
-Level settings are really cool, like going through a wrecked city in a hurricane.
Cons:
-Typical mw shooter, move to icon, linear levels, short ~7hr campaign
-Not much re-playability, maybe play one more time on Hard, replay levels 1 or 2 times, but that's about it.
-Copy paste mw slo-mo door breaches
-Typical mw story, kill some terrorist, etc
-AI isn't too good all around
-When you pick up an enemy gun and switch to pistol you drop the gun.
-The later levels I found to have poor lvl design
-One of the worst parts of mw shooters is the invisible trigger line, once crossed enemies stop spawning, this game is terribly guilty of that.
-Bad scripted events, walk to this point to trigger scene, kill these guys and run past invisible line for guy your chasing to keep running.
-Instead of chasing a guy, you can just shoot him in the leg and be done.
-Poor non-scope aiming, apparently zooming also makes your bullets go straighter.
-No customization in mp, also typical unbalanced no skill involved mw mp (watched gameplay). The mp, plays like cod for the most part, maybe with a bit more features taken from bf3. (I don't like either, so this is a con for me)
-Level destruction with the Frostbite engine could've been Alot better.
-Small glitches of sorts, guns floating, enemies floating and going through walls, etc.
-Over balanced enemy flashlights (too bright)
-Non-skippable cutscenes, minor annoyance, but there should be an option to do so in every game now.
-Not too much of a biggie, but if you give headshots importance by showing an indicator, why not give us an achievement for it? Or at least one for getting red indicators.
-Again, a minor problem, I know I put the new door breach mechanic in the Pros, but at the same time, it only takes 5 headshots to unlock the next one, so I unlocked all the door breaches a few levels before the end while getting pretty much all headshots in every door breach, they could've taken a cue from mmo's where in order to "level up", you need get more kills than the previous level. To even further this, once you've unlocked all of them you could get progression in something new, so it adds a bit more re-playability.
I actually had rented this game, I just wanted to post a review of it here so other people can read this review. So if I did actually purchase this game, I'd be REALLY angry, because in order to play the mp you have to sign up for origin, and I won't attach my gamertag to that malware service and especially ea and never be able to get it off. Big mental satisfaction points deducted cause of this.
Overall, I'd say rent this game, fun enjoyable play for a weekend, driving levels offer re-playability simply because you want to play it again, but this game isn't nearly good enough for a buy, especially if you don't like ea/origin so you don't want to sign up for it to play the mp.
mw = modern warfare
mp = multiplayer
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video-games_xbox
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Eh...nothing to write home about. I guess I fall into the same category as some of the other reviewers. I'm a casual gamer who'll play for a couple of hours on the weekend. I've always enjoyed the arcade versions of MK, but this is the first one that I've ever actually owned.
I guess I never really realized what it was that drew me to MK in the first place. After playing this game for a little while, I realize it was apparently the violence, which is definitely lacking in this version. I'm assuming it was done to appease DC, but its just not the same. Normal fighting has a certain amount of blood, but the fatalities really suffer. Granted, I haven't done any myself, but after a quick YouTube search, I was severely disappointed. They look just like regular attacks and don't have the dismemberment/disemboweling element that was pretty readily available in previous versions. As sick as it sounds, that's what made the previous versions really fun.
Another thing I feel is lacking is overall difficulty. Alot of the special moves seem overly simplistic and can really be accomplished by a similar combination of buttons across all characters. There seems to be an unnecessary focus on these much-discussed "pro moves" and "super moves" which really aren't any more special than combinations of normal and special moves. After trying a few in the Kombo Challenge mode, I found myself asking "Ok, so I just did 4 moves I already knew in a row, so what? It was overly difficult to execute and didn't give me any kind of a new move as far as a visual goes" Story mode is, as others have stated, a cheesy joke and on the default medium difficulty, I had arcade mode beat in the first night. I guess I was just expecting more.
Another minor annoyance is the new "Test You Might," falling combat, and close combat modes (whatever they're called). Maybe I should have read the manual but I just don't get it. I enter this mode and end up mashing buttons without any comprehension of what it does and I really can't figure out any kind of strategy rhyme or reason to it.
Don't get me wrong, though. The game is fun. Its really entertaining to play as the DC characters, even with my first reaction to some of the characters (Captain Marvel? Deathstroke? Who?). The graphics are very impressive. The characters all look great and settings are beautiful. Story mode is a little iffy in this category but its not too terrible. As annoying as the falling combat feature is, it is kind of cool to have that much interactivity with the scene. The combos (although easy and noticeably nonviolent) are pretty visual interesting for both MK and DC characters.
I guess I just expected more from the first MK on 360. Although the partnership with DC was a cool idea in concept, it seems to have hindered the overall experience of the game itself. Too much energy was put into those pro/super moves and alternate fighting modes and other areas suffer. Its fun to play, but I can't help but feel a little dissapointed.
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video-games_xbox
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Pretty good. I bought these headphones after deciding I needed bluetooth headphones, as I was tired of fiddling with a cord. They are very interesting headphones to say the least. One thing to note is the sound quality. While not magnificent, they do a really good job considering they aren't jammed down your ears. I have noticed that the sound quality and loudness get much better if you plug your ears, so if you're in a really loud location such as a plane, maybe spring for some soft foam earplugs. However, I am comparing them to a pair of 300 dollar bose earbuds, so not really fair. It is nice to be able to hear what's going on around you and still have music. Some people complained that the older models have sound bleed issues. If that's the case, they have certainly fixed it. I had to max the volume before others could barely what I was listening too. Battery life is pretty good, I have yet to kill them completely and get over the amount of time they say it'll last. Plus, there's the nifty bonus if you've got an iphone where a little battery level indicator displays next to the bluetooth symbol at the top of the screen. :D The size of the band is plenty big. I'm 5'11" and have a pretty large head with not fit issues. I actually opted to put in the added tighter fit band to help keep them from sliding around. As for placement, that's a person to person thing. Everyone is going to be a little different so I suggest you put something on, and move them around in front of your ear until you get the best sound. The controls are simple and easy to use, and the call quality got no complaints from others or me. I would have given it five stars, but they definitely take some getting used too. If worn too long the first couple of uses, they made the area in front of my ears a little sore. However, I can now wear them as long as I want and have no issues. These are all around good headphones and an interesting conversation starter.
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video-games_xbox
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Blown Away. The first game I ever demoed on the Xbox was NFL Fever at one of those kiosks in Best Buy. I thought NFL Fever was pretty cool but it didn't make me want to buy it that instant. For months after Xbox was released, I read reviews, watched videos and looked at screenshots of Madden & NFL Fever, trying desperately to decide between the two. Meanwhile, a third football game comes on the market. They did a decent job with 2K1, the videos looked tremendous, and people were pretty optimistic about 2K2. This long time fan of EA Sports (NHL, FIFA, & Triple Play) decided to abandon Madden and give Sega a try.
I am still blown away each time I play this game. I am so glad I decided to wait. I can't speak for Madden, but every aspect of 2K2 seems to be slightly to much better than NFL Fever. The graphics are lifelike, commentary is colorful and insightful, and the gameplay is the best. You can actually have a decent running game in NFL2K2, which has historically been tough to do in football games. How about an example that illustrates just how awesome this game is? I fumbled on the 20 yard line, picked up the fumble, and my running back takes it in to the end zone for a TD. The announcers actually made JOKES about how this could have been a designed play. I got a delay of game on the extra point because I sat there with my mouth agape. Even the instant replays are better than any other game I've seen. They swivel 360 degrees on catches and sometimes clip together several segments from different angles.
I also wanted to take a sec to respond to a few of the negative reviews about this game. Someone commented that it is a strange menu interface. Different yes, strange no. It isn't that hard to get used to. It doesn't take any longer to cycle through menus than other games. Regarding the other review listing a number of negative things... I question this person's authenticity, as they wrote their review well before the release date of this game. Perhaps they are reviewing 2K1? It is simply not true that there aren't big hit replays, but they must be on a big play (sacks, 4th down stops). Players DO grip the ball well, the best I've seen to date. And as far as the comment regarding no helmet popping hits... perhaps you need to learn where the turbo and tackle buttons are, because my controller rattles non-stop when I'm on D.
Get this, and prepare to be blown away. Now, my season calls...
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video-games_xbox
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Good game, some frustrating things (X360. I should start off by saying I had played guitar for 5 years prior to purchasing this game, I taught myself in high school. I started out playing Guitar hero and rockband rythem games when they came out and when my sister got a guitar for christmas she never used I picked it up and taught myself to play it in a year.
*Buying this game I had read about the problems people had playing it and took the chance for $30.*
I'll start with the features I don't like seeing as I only have a few (and that's the only reason people read reviews).
Cons-
1) The Menu. Upon starting the game you choose which you're playing, guitar or bass if you paid for the option to play it, you then move to a screen that tells you to hook the game up through a stereo or headphones via the audio cables. Then It brings you to a "Rocksmith Recommends page" This feature I initially liked, It gives you songs that it thinks you should play because it has skills you should work on, but this is not the main menu. To access the main menu you must hit start which brings up the options to choose a song to play, a riff repeater for practicing song parts, multiplayer(local only), and the song store. This is not so much a con as it is an inconvenience.
2) "Rocksmith Recommends". Though this starts out as a good idea the game constantly switches out songs making it hard to learn and remember those songs. They do give the option to set up your set list, because the rocksmith recommends works where you practice individual songs then play them all in front of a virtual crowd, however this changes every time you complete a concert and when you try to add songs they end up in a random order (ie. I tried to set up a set list to start in standard tuning and end in drop d but the set list changed to E,E,D,E,D,E,D... which isn't bad when i use an Epiphone but my Yamaha has a floyd rose and tuning it is annoying every other song
3) Note recognition. This is more of a problem You'll experience if your guitars harmonics are not set up properly and/or you have a dead fret/ fret buzz. My 1st fret on the 6th string buzzes due to the fret wire popping out a bit because of moisture, this causes a small buzz (barely audible) to occur and because of this my first fret goes unrecognized by the game and this gets a bit frustrating however this is a user problem not a game problem! I do wish that the game could have some forgiveness
4) Colours. After downloading some heavy metal song packs I've come to the conclusion that the colours get way too confusing when your in a solo and its best to learn them in the riff repeater(good luck) and ignore the TV. The colours are arranged in a way that makes no sense at first, seeing as i thought a ROYGBIV style would have been nice but now i see would have been more confusing. The Problem being is when you have a group of 16th notes coming at you its hard to see what fret they are lined with and at full speed this gets annoying but the riff repeater has a slow mode.
5) Riff Repeater. This Is a GREAT tool, only problem is the starting of any section you choose it goes through the section at full speed and every time you miss a note it stops and rewinds the song to the note you missed, which is great for slower tempo songs but in a shred riff its annoying because you just keep jumping back up to 15 notes every 10 seconds because you cant pick the beat back up. Once you get past this problem though its an awesome learning tool.
Pros-
1)The game. This game, flawed though it may be and late to the party with most rhythm games going under, is absolutely fun. I have no problem putting this game in and playing it 6-7 hours a session. The game learns to play at your level and adds things as it feels you can handle them. This is by far the best music game to come out ever and I am very excited for Rocksmith 2014
If you buy this game for xbox360 I recomend getting a cheap pair of turtle beach headphones and the audio cable adapter if your using an HDMI, If you play it through a TV you get an audio delay that causes you to fail because your mind wants to match the sound and your eyes want to match the TV .
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video-games_xbox
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Detail. I was honestly going to resell when I purchased at a higher price, but I thought well... "lets open it anyway, I can make it like it has never been opened, just a peek." After about 30 minutes of very careful unpeeling of the plastic adhesive strips sealing it, then carefully sliding the box cover off, then making sure the box's secure fittings were ready to slide out without damage, I pulled lightly, and the front end of the box just wooshed open, opening from the top with the crease at the bottom like a C-130 Cargo Door, and there it was, looking right back at me with its one big doe eye, love at first sight.
The attention to detail on the statue is absolutely astonishing. I did not think it was going to be as big as is, the box was at least 2ft by 2ft. There are scaled down warning lables like; "DANGER: Only Qualified Personnel are to operate this machine." That lable, is about 2x3 cm large, roughly 1/3rd the size of my pinky nail, not an underestimation, I zoomed in on the lable with my phone to 10x with the assist light on just to see if, at that size the text was readable, and I can say Ive never seen legible text so small in my life that looks that finely printed. Alot of the details like the chaki dirty look at the lower end of the Titan, and small scrapes give a real feel while also in some areas (where necessarry, like the ground,) have a handpainted look, giving a feel that your copy got individual attention and was not just another piece from an assembly line. The lights are really cool, changes from blue to red, I like the generator box that flickers like its got an electric problem the most though. Lights stay on roughly one minute before turning off, theres an extra hidden button located under the left foot of the grunt mounting the titan that I believe is a reset switch for the chipsets controlling the lighting incase something malfunctions. I plan to sit down and go through the art book soon and talk about it too.
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video-games_xbox
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What do you get when you breed a headphone company (Skullcandy) with a gaming company (Astro Gaming)? SLYR. Love this gaming headset. Its the only gaming headset I feel comfortable using OUT IN PUBLIC. The boom mic tucks away and is practically invisible from side view, plus the overall look is stylish and not super flashy. The audio quality is really up there for only costing $80. The 40mm drivers that come in these are really helpful if you're listening to every little thing happening around you. The 5.1 virtual surround sound is great when playing FPS games or watching movies. The mic picks up really well too. I use it at home when I'm on my phone because it's so clear. I prefer to use it (at home) over my Motorola S-11 Flex HD and Jabra Extreme 2 headsets. They are a little wider than my other headphones, so they don't look very low profile when on my head, but they are very comfy. The ear cups are a soft cloth material wrapped around memory foam. Same with the headband cushion. I imagine they did this to prevent sweaty ears / uncomfortable playing from intense gaming. In all, I think these would be a great headset to pick up for gamers on a budget, since not all gamers can afford $300+ gaming Turtle Beaches or Trittons. Great sound quality with or without the mixer, virtual 5.1 surround sound, comfy cloth cushions contributing to cranial contentment (say that 3 times fast ;D) and not something you'd be ashamed of rocking outdoors. I actually use these for school lectures. With the boom mic extended and my headphones on the table. All I have to do is put on my voice recorder, as well as a voice typing app, and BAM instant personal stenographer. These headphones do work with Wii U, Xbox One and PS4 as well as anything with a 3.5 mm audio jack. For the price, you'll be hard pressed to find a better value. The reason I gave these 4 stars is because of the small ear cups. They're tiny but comfortable. It may be a bit of a nuisance for those with larger ears.
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video-games_xbox
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Can't believe a 50 dollar Roku is better at streaming than this SuperComputer. UPDATE: If you're an XBOX MUSIC SUBSCRIBER, you now have music videos ad-free to go with that :D
Also forgot to mention an extremely neat feature...Play To. I guess it's sorta like airplay or whatever that iPhone thing is called. Basically any video playing on your W8 PC or tablet can be swung over to the XBOX ONE and you can just watch it on your TV. This works with most apps and also with the Modern IE as far as I can tell. Pretty Cool! Plus one more star.
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What I Like...
Believe it or not, I really like the voice commands. Even with my accent, it understands me well, for the most part. Of course, if there's noise in the background or your volume is too high on the TV, you're gonna have a problem. But it definitely works. It can turn on and turn off both the XBOX and my TV. Oh yeah, it plays games, I like that.
The TV thing. You can plug anything to it and then snap it. Put it to the side of your main window. It works fine on my Roku. I do have to use the Roku remote, which makes sense.
Don't Like...
The D-Pad on the controller. It feels pretty cheap. I play killer Instinct and the moves are done the same way as Street Fighter II, but on my PS3 it is just way easier to pull off. Anyways, I swear it's the same as the Xbox 360s, just hidden underneath(the circle thingy). Also don't like the bumpers. Seems like they cut cost on those things. What they say they spent...like 300 million on design? Maybe they should've used that money on the controller.
Streaming. ESPN, Amazon, work perfectly on Roku, but they stutter when I stream on the XBOX ONE! You could blame it on my weak 3Mbs connection. But hey, if it works on a cheap box like my Roku in HD btw, why not on a 500 dollar box?(Again where's the benefits in that all in one entertainment?)
XBOX MUSIC! I'm a music pass subscriber and on the 360 I was able to stream Music Videos through it. Not on the XBOX ONE. For a system that caters to be an all in one entertainment this is an EXTREME NO NO!
XBOX LIVE! You pay 60 dollars a year, but you're really not getting your money's worth. On the PS4, they're up to 3 games with I think Driveclub coming next month. On the XBOX ONE, that subscription gives me no benefits.
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video-games_xbox
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Takes some getting used to but a good bit of fun. When I first started playing BC2 I'll be honest, I didn't like it at all. The controls feel sloppy and foreign (compared to the MW2 controls), the graphics aren't that great (compared to MW2 graphics), the movement/presentation of the game isn't very smooth (compared to MW2 movement) and after getting to the point where I was ready to get rid of the game I made a startling discovery...this game isn't MW2...
Nor is it supposed to be. The two games are VERY different and you cannot approach them the same way.
Lets start off with what BC2 is. BC2 is a TEAM based game, it's tough to be a star player in the game. In MW2 I have a 2.12 kill ratio or so, in BC2 it's around 1.3 I believe. You MUST rely on your team to win games, and winning can be very tough. On the downside I can have a great game by myself on MW2, it can be frusterating playing with non-team focused people when playing with people I don't know. But when it does work correctly it is a blast.
The grahpics are not as sharp as MW2, but then again the maps are 10 times the size. Instead of going for high poly counts and great looking textures, DICE instead opted for scale. The draw distance is fantastic, there is SO much going on, and the destructible environments are a really cool touch. Instead of being able to hide inside of a building for cover you've got to watch out, a tank shell will blow the fall out of a building with ease, so you've got to watch out.
The gameplay mechanics aren't as smooth as I'd like. Running and moving feels robotic, gun recoil feels off. It's not bad, just a little choppy.
One place where the game blows MW2 out of the water is with the audio. The sounds of battle have never been better. Gunshots and explosions sound deep and realistic adding to the chaos of the battlefield.
The single player campaign is pretty good, but not great. The story is weak but the action is solid. The dialog adds a good bit to the story with each of the squadmates having very different personalities and backgrounds.
Then again you're not going to buy this game for a 5 hour single player experience, you're going to buy it for the multiplayer. I'm happy to say that despite a few issues the multiplayer experience is good. While I don't like the player progression as much as I did in MW2 it still works pretty well.
Players choose one of four classes and then customize their weapon/skill loadouts within those classes. Each class functions very differently but when working together each is equally imperitive to victory. Snipers to engage long distance targets and call in mortar strikes, Engineers to repair and destroy vehicles, Medics to heal and revive teammates, and Assault to...well...assault. I sort of feel like assault gets the short end of the stick here. They get the benefit of a 40mm grenade launcher on their primary weapon and their primary weapons have the best balance of stopping power and accuracy of the lot, but they have no good way to deal with vehicles nor a useful skill such as fixing vehicles or healing others. Maybe more skills are unlocked later on (I'm just over halfway through all the unlocks for the class) but I sort of feel left out. Then again there are times when I can outshoot a sniper with an assault rifle so I don't feel too handicapped.
The maps as mentioned are enormous and there is a nice variety of maps mixed in. From night-time arctic assaults to desert combat each feels different and plays well. There are a few different game modes but most people will end up playing Rush or Conquest. I prefer Rush with one team attacking and one defending. The object is for the attacking team to blow up a series of M-Com stations (just consider it a "target" as there's nothing special about them) in pairs. After each pair is destroyed the defenders have a few seconds to regroup and prepare to defend the next set. Defenders have an infinite amount of lives but attackers have a small set amount. When a pair of objectives is destroyed the attackers lives completely refills though. I've played matches where an attacking team hasn't been able to destroy a single M-Com station and I've played matches where they have plowed through the level with ease, in the end it is pretty balanced and comes down to who is the better team.
Conquest on the other hand is sort of a "multi-king of the hill points" gametype where there are a set amount of locations that each team tries to capture and hold. As you hold a point the enemy's troop counter slowly drains, the object is to essentially outlast the enemy by holding more points. I've only played Conquest once as honestly it's just not as much fun for me.
There is also Team Deathmatch type but I've yet to try it, the game just doesn't seem like it'd play well in a TDM setup.
Overall the multiplayer is solid. There are a few issues though, mostly related to connectivity. I have gotten error messages several times where it will not let me connect to EA servers. This is frusterating...very frusterating as essentially you cannot play the game you paid to play online for hours at a time. Hopefully this will be resolved soon but who knows. Also, there seems to be some bugs with saving your data both in multiplayer and single player. I played for several hours and unlocked a few items and was disconnected from the server. I reconnected later only to find that everything I'd unlocked was gone...bummer.
Overall I do enjoy the game quite a bit. Is it perfect? No. Could it be better? Certainly. Is it a good bit of fun and am I glad I purchased it? Yes.
Will it replace MW2 for me? Absolutely not, nor should it. They are very different games, I play both regularly.
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video-games_xbox
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Very Addictive. Makes GTA III look like Barney and Friends. After recently hearing all the hype about the first edition of GTA San Andreas, I had to check it out. Instead of buying the censored 2nd edition, I went to Ebay and got the first edition. While I do agree that games like this should not be played by children, what I don't agree with is that mature adults have to be forced to play a censored version of the game, just because some parent does not monitor what they buy for their kids and want to cause a big stink about it. Some idiot grandmother in New York wanted to sue Rockstar because she bought this game for her grandson and saw how bad it was. How can you sue them for the game when YOU BOUGHT IT FOR HIM! Why even have the rating labels on games if parents aren't going to pay attention to it anyway? Rockstar should not have succumed to the pressure and continued to sell the 1st edition. Like another reviewer suggested, if you want this game, get the 1st edition, and not the censored 2nd edition one.
While I really enjoyed GTA III. I thought Vice City was very boring and after playing it for a couple of days, I got tired of it. San Andreas is totally different. It took a couple of plays to realy get into it, but now I can't put it down. Rockstar has really outdone themselves this time. Your character, CJ can do almost anything. You can buy all types of clothes down to different color bandanas and chains, go to the gym, get haircuts, tattos etc etc.
Basically the story starts off when CJ returning from Liberty City, to bury his mother. As soon as he gets back, he is stopped by some crooked cops and is basically forced back into a life of crime. He meets up with his old friends and with them they start rebuilding their gang. One of your first missions is spraying over rival gang graffiti with your own.
All of the elements from the previous GTA games are back; carjacking, picking up prostitutes, beating up robbing people for no reason etc. But also this time around there is so much more you can do. First of all you can go to the gym and make yourself stronger. You start off pretty skinny, but after a while you are given the opportunity to go to the gym to build muscle and stamina. In addition to this you can get haircuts to pretty much any style you want, you can get tattoes all over your body, you can buy clothes and change them as you like. You can even go outside in nothing but underwear if you want. The game gives you so much freedom is amazing.
The voice overs are done amazing well. MC Eiht is the voice of one of the main characters (Ryder) and he does a very good job. Other notable voices in this game are Samuel L. Jackson, The Game, Ice T, and Charlie Murphy. One of my favorite things is that this game has so much more varieties of music while driving. As for me, growing up in the late 80's early 90's, a lot of these songs I remember playing in my own car crusing around with friends. A couple of song's from Dr. Dre's Chronic are on there, as well as the soundtrack from Deep Cover with Dre and Snoop. Tupac has a song as well as NWA. include Cameo, Isley Brothers, Rick James, Slick Rick, James Brown, ths list goes on and on. I don't even play my own CD's during the game, because there is such a wide variety of music.
The graphics are pretty good, but nothing spectacular. During the cut scenes you will see alot of pointed edges and the animation is sub par. However this does not take away from the game at all, the game is so fun to me, that I don't even pay attention to the graphics all that much. They are just good enough to keep you involved, and don't distract you at all. While walking down the streets of San Andreas you will feel that you are actually there. The scenary seems lifelike and the styles change depending on what part of the city you are in. The game even went so far to add the famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign in the hills. Although it does not say "HOLLYWOOD". Also the Watts Towers are in the game as well. The people you encounter as you are walking also change depending on where you are. If you are downtown, you will see a lot of people in business suits.
One of the downsides about the graphics is that its easy to get stuck in very weird areas and not able to get out. I recall I went to a club and jumped behind the counter where the bartender was. I ended up on top of the bar and couldn't get down. I finally had to turn the game off. I don't know if its because I enabled the "Hot Coffee" cheat, but that was pretty frustrating to say the least.
Another complaint is that it can be very cumbersome to shoot people especially when performing drivebys. There is just so much stuff you have to do to aim, you will find your hands fumbliing all over the place. Hopefully I'll get used to it as time passes.
One of the coolest parts of the game is just interacting with the various characters in the game. People are always walking down the street talking to each other and even to you sometimes. Outside your own home people are always hanging out with the occasional prostitute or bum walking by. Go to the wrong hood, and you will get shot at by rival gangs, if you are driving and stop, they will pull you out of your car and beat you up and/or kill you. I found myself in redneck country one afternoon and saw people driving tractors in the road. I even got in a fight with a couple of hillbillies because I hit their car with a pool stick. To top it all off, a cop in a cowboy hat got out of his Ford Bronco cop car and started shooting at me. While I enjoy the missions as well, the freedom to do anything you want is probably the most enjoyable part of the game.
After being dissapointed with Vice City, I didn't expect to like this game very much, but I plesantly suprised. It is very addictive, and I rarely even play my other XBOX games anymore. It is a very fun game but IS NOT FOR KIDS. There is a lot of cursing for one thing; every four letter word is said in this game, something I never even heard in a game before. I have a small child, so I only play this game if he's not home or has gone to bed for the night. This is the first game that I honestly can't play around my son. Like my title suggests, GTA III is nothing compared to San Andreas, but its still a very good game for mature ADULTS.
For the parents who complain about their kids playing this game, I have one simple solution. DON'T BUY IT FOR YOUR KIDS! DUH!
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video-games_xbox
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Now that most of the bugs are worked out. First of all, when reading reviews of this game, please consider the date. The initial release was pretty awful/glitchy/buggy, and left a lot of consumers FURIOUS(deservedly so btw). After a lot of patching, most of the substantive bugs are gone. There's definitely still some work to do, the difference now being that none of the current problems make the game unplayable. When you 1st install the game, you'll get a prompted for an ENORMOUS update(I've read as long as up to 90min for some). The graphics are pretty good, maybe a notch above Borderlands. Some have found the gameplay to be a bit monotonous, and this critique has some validity. I don't think it's so noticeable that you don't enjoy playing the game though. When you find yourself in an Arkfall battle, the large number of players(sometimes dozens) still does occasionally cause some frame-rate issues, although not on a regular basis. The real problem is this constant litany of world-class morons who won't turn down their tv/surround sound, and you have to alleviate it by going into party chat. The fun of playing the missions with your friends doesn't get old too quickly, and there are certain co-op missions you can join w/ anyone in multiplayer(a real blast btw). The PVP isn't my thing in this game(unlike COD or battlefield). I gave it a shot, but even after having played it awhile, I got whooped by people ranked MUCH higher(and in organized clans). The ranking/level-up system is similar others like Borderlands. You've got pistols, SMG's, AR's, LMG's, Snipers, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, and even another type that sucks life away from enemies/gives life to you/allies(let's not forget about frags or shields either). These weapons come w/ slots for mods, which can be purchased from the various vendors. You earn the ability buy these though completing missions/Ark-falls. These mods also have different levels to them such as accuracy, damage, mag size, etc. You also have EGO powers: Blur(speed), Cloak(invisibility), Decoy(obvious), and Overcharge(damage done). Then there's also a subset of perks to go w/ the EGO powers(too many to list like shield regeneration, etc.) The story-line itself seems like an afterthought, as you tend to lose track of it during extended gameplay. All in all, there are still some improvements that could be made, but there's enough depth/variety/fun to recommend this as a solid buy. If you enjoy shooters and are at all interested in the MMO aspect, at the very least this is a DEFINITE weekend rental or used copy pick-up.
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video-games_xbox
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Fun but Very Short. Aliens vs Predator Extinction is a StarCraft style game pitting the human marines against the classic sci-fi monsters Aliens and Predators. Three separate campaigns await!
There are 7 missions per group, and 20 maps that you explore. Sometimes you are the marines, trying to defend your base against the onslaught of nasties. Sometimes you are the aliens, carefully tending to your nest of eggs and developing a new queen. Each group has its own growth trees, its advancements and goals.
The graphics are good but not excellent. The maps are sometimes quite on the plain side - endless caves, endless jungles. The sound is reasonably good and does give you a spooky feeling sometimes, worrying what might be around the next corner.
None of the groups are easy to play, and the game is definitely not an arcade-style shoot-em-up. You have to lay down a well thought out strategy, using each of your unit types to its best advantage, if you're going to win. Anyone who has seen the movies knows that whatever side you're on, there are usually overwhelming odds stacked up against you that usually leave only one man standing. The game is no exception. Don't expect an easy mow-down-the-enemy game. Whichever side you play, you're going to have to play WELL to move along.
I realize that plots are usually rather transparent in these games, but I do still like them. I was disappointed with the plot and cutscenes in here - you get a brief 'do this' description in the beginning and if you win, you win. I would really have loved some cinematics to show what was happening and to give you a sense of satisfaction when you win the game. To just have it say "OK, campaign done." wasn't very much fun after many hours of playing.
Probably the most disappointing part was the complete lack of multiplay. We often have friends over the house to play games with us, and this one was a sit-and-watch game only. You can't multiplay in the same house. You can't multiplay over XBox Live. And since there are only 7 missions per group, once you finish those missions, the game is completely over. That's rather short for us - we enjoy games that we play for months and months, unlocking new features and missions and playing multiplay. To have a game that just ends after a week of play seems rather short.
A great game for a sci-fi and StarCraft style strategy fan, but be ready to sell it back to the game store for their used shelves when you're done.
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video-games_xbox
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Amazing game play experience. I finally decided to order Overlord for the 360 on Amazon for 6 dollars. I wasn't sure what to expect, having never really heard of it prior.
It came, I popped it in and well, I never looked back. I've been playing it almost exclusively for the past 4 days now and I am blown away by how much of a wonderful game this is.
As the game opens you (the overlord) is being woken up from a long slumber by some wicked little gremlins you'll later refer to as "minions". These creatures explain some of what happened to you, and start equipping you in Overlord armor, and after some more dialogue and a little training, you begin your quest.
As The Overlord, your goal is to be evil. Now that can mean a little evil, or extremely evil, it's up to you, and your choices throughout the game WILL have an impact on the story.
You control minions of different types, like red minions specialize in fire, for example. All in all there's brown, green, red, and blues you'll be controlling. You can make your minions fight for you, pillage and loot villages, and basically anything else, like opening doors and gates, etc.
In this sense, the game takes on an RTS quality, because you'll have to be strategic with your minions to solve puzzles and beat bosses. At other times though, it's an RPG the likes of Fable.
The graphics don't do a whole lot to show true next-gen visuals, but having said that the graphics are still nice and the world is beautiful to look at.
Now this game, although you play an evil character, is not a DARK game. It's more of a parody of other fantasy games/movies, the biggest example being Lord of The Rings. Your minions, as well as enemies and townsfolk all have incredibly funny lines and do funny things, and yes this game will make you laugh from time to time.
Other times it can be frustrating though. There is NO WORLD MAP, so you'll often get turned around a lot. The controls are also a little sloppy, and it takes a LONG time to get used to them, especially when you have to control seperate minion types at the same time, very quickly.
There's a lot more to be said about Overlord, but trust me when I say it's a FANTASTIC game that deserves to be played, and right now you can grab it for LESS than 10 dollars.
Aside from controls, this is truly a 5 star title.
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video-games_xbox
|
Excellent Basketball Game All Around Period. Let me start off by saying the camera is excellent period.
For those persons having difficulty with the camera then the follow cam is the way to go, it follows you from the back court and moves with you until you reach the half court. Graphics excellent, the more you play the more you will be amazed. I was playing with the Lakers and when they showed devean george's face he looked exactly like his real life counterpart with the green eyes same face and everything. Gameplay excellent but the controls take alot of getting use to if you are a beginner at the 2k series. Since you draw alot of charges with the isomotion, all you should do is press back on the right analog stick. The player movements are not stiff like some other reviewers said, the only thing i saw stiff about the game was the movement of the nets, you don't get that swish like in nba 2k. The freethrow system i have found to be easy, it takes only about 1 minute to get use to. Lineup the left and right trigger in the center to make a basketball shape then you will see the lines on the side turn white, when the ball moves up it will turn red, press the ball in the center of the shape. Sound is excellent with a tv broadcast style fans should be easily attracted to this title if you watch nba on espn fridays you will notice the commentators sound just like there real life counterparts. The passing game is put together very well, the passes are accurate and not like live's passing system while on a fast break they just stop and pass it to their teammate, in espn they would do a behind the back or around the neck pass. You even have the ability to throw a alleyoop to your man while he is running towards the rim. The only slight problems with this game is their is not much of an offensive playbook,but their is a lot of plays on defense. If you are a player that see the court well then this won't be an issue on offense. The other problem is this year they didn't put the player introductions in the game but that's not major because they show cutscenes where the players prepare for the game. If you don't have this game in your collection go get it. I'm not saying live is a stupid game, i'm just saying you should get this because it looks, feels, and plays like a more realistic game.
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video-games_xbox
|
In Short - Buy It. You begin with one of four armor types (classes), and are able to unlock another after a mission is complete (so, 5 missions in and you'll have them all).
Instead of leveling a character, you level your armor. I have my Battle Armor leveled to Rank 6 (with 8 being the max). It takes more XP to go from 5-6 than it does to go from 1-5. Fortunately, the harder difficulties give exponentially more XP.
There are 3 chapters, each containing 5 missions. They will take you around 15-25 minutes each. There is a surprising amount of variety in the missions - search for missing soldiers, blow up giant anthills, find a downed aircraft, etc.
The minimap shows your character's position, your 2 allies' positions (either friends or bots - after you beat the game once, you have the option of playing without bots), health drops, waypoints, and weapon drops (minibosses and bosses drop randomized weapons).
The loot is very enticing. In addition to leveling your armor (which provides you with more HP, class-specific abilities, etc.), there are around 200 weapons to purchase (ranked 1-8), and 107 weapons that are randomly dropped from bosses. After a playthrough on Normal difficulty, I had 22 of the 107. And unlike the recent Dungeon Siege III, the difference in loot (weapons) is massive and noticeable. A single upgrade to a weapon might double the damage, increase the turn speed, decrease reload times, and feature zoom as well. It's a great system.
One of the final bosses dropped a weapon called the "Air Tortoise." It fires 1 slow rocket and takes 10 seconds to reload. However, that rocket does 9,999 damage. Good stuff.
You're looking at 5-6 hours for the initial playthrough, and 50-70 minimum to level up all classes and get the best drops (and finish on Inferno!).
Pros:
- Lots of incentives to grind levels and gear, and it does not get old quickly.
- 3-player campaign co-op that scales difficulty and 6-player Survival mode (although your class is locked to Trooper for Survival).
- Decent mission variety.
- Ridiculously huge bosses. Like, square-mile big.
- Easy on Normal and hard as hell on Inferno. Something for everyone.
- Mechs, Turrets, Tanks
- Only 40 bucks!
Cons:
- All missions take place in the same city, and while there is some difference as to the districts they take place in, it's still a whole lot of "same" looking streets and buildings.
- The graphics aren't great at all, but it's a budget title, there's a ton of stuff crawling and blowing up all over the place, and the framerate is very smooth (I'd rather have that, in all honesty).
- The first half of too many missions basically tasks you with killing 300-400 ants until the good stuff gets started (again, not that bad considering they'll drop a ton of health to get you ready for the bigger bugs).
- While the bosses are huge and awesome (and aesthetically different), they all have the same weakness. After you kill the first boss, you know how to kill them all, and I'll bet that you could guess even before you play the game, haha.
Anyways, I'd recommend this game to pretty much anyone, but especially people who enjoy...
Too Human
Starship Troopers
Left 4 Dead
Massive destruction and explosions galore
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video-games_xbox
|
y all the fighting. i thought that this game was a big improvement over last years game wen i just simulated everything to get acheivments nd played games with my friends. my 360 is broken so i played this at a friends house and we made a quaterback and started campus legend mode. in the beginning we made our high school with the colors and were surprised to find one of our rival high schools in the playoffs with us as well. we won the playoffs (granted we had an amazing running back.) and by this time i was hooked.
the game is very much better thn the last years football games and i played the demo for about two minutes before i got the 3 red lights and it seemed like lasts years but this is defintly better
i haven't played dynasty but i never reely do i just usually import my campus legend into madden or sim through everything for the draft classes. i have heard from my freind tht it is time consuming but fun and in depth
i thought tht the games of tug of war and bowling were very random but very fun and creative and a blast to have if u want some quick fun with some friends
i also loved the simming in campus legend i would usually have to wait and would just flip on tv wen the defense was playing
another thing i love about campus legend is the need to gain a starter job i could have been thrid string on michigan and was intrigued by having to gain a spot but could also be an immediate started for the razor backs evn though they are very dull and i am a devoted wolverines fan. i liked this aspect because in 06 i wasn't tht all good in the tryouts and went to the minnesota golden gophers and had fun taking them to the top by my senior year. i did this in 07 by going to temple but i still had the ability to go to ohio state i just chose to goto temple instead
for the controls and feel being different i didn't really mind madden for the current gen consoles was getting to easy any way i had a rookie running back with a rating of a 95. so im glad it feels different and has more to do with reading a defense thn just throwin to huevr runs the farthest down the feild
the only cons i can think of is not four person although madden is supposed to be but y not just make it for both and the players seemed to move a little slow but i also thought i saw this wen i went from ps2 madden 06 to xbox madden 06 so it just might be tht way
and for this whole fighting over who makes a better game 2k or ea i dnt see why people are getting so defensive if u dnt like 2k buy maddenif u dnt like madden buy 2k its as simple as tht i buy madden and ncaa for football and 2k for baseball (which was crazy fun both 2k7 and the BIGS)
so just buy whatever one u want and stop comparing which is better they are meant to be different so people will buy their game who don't like the other just like ECW and WWE were different way back in the day and like how the phantoms are more exciting to me to watch then the flyers (mainly because more fights) they are made for two different types of people so just layoff of each lets hve PCE
and oh GO WOLVERINES And E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES
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video-games_xbox
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The d-pad performed a fatality on my thumb :O. Ive wanted one of these for years, but they were always too pricey. I got a good deal and was thrilled when it arrived at my door. Then things went bad, fast. I didn't even have to plug it instantly see its fatal flaw. This is the worse d-pad Ive ever seen in my entire life.
The d-pad is small and sharp. Amazingly uncomfortable. The sharp edges slowly irritate your thumb and soon becomes big a distraction. Its made worse because the d-pad is also rather small so its impossible to avoid the painful edges.
This may not seem like a huge deal, but remember this is a Mortal Kombat controller. The Mortal Kombats of this original Xbox era played best using a d-pad. This d-pad is simply unusable, especially for a fighting game.
Another disappointment is the button layout. The main reason I bought this controller was the 6 big face buttons, looking perfect for a fighting game. But I instantly saw the big problem with these as well. The buttons are laid out in the old Duke controller layout, not the S controller layout. Meaning the black and white buttons are on top rather than on the bottom. Most people, like me, are used to the S controller layout. So this badly threw me off my game.
Theres even a problem with the thumbsticks. The left stick is simply too close to the edge so you have to bend your thumb towards your hand too much, causing pain. I may be able to overcome this and maybe hold it a different way. But frankly, the other problems with the controller were already a deal breaker.
The good
Looks really cool
Comes in a cool box with cool little comics and things
Fatality performed on the front of the controller
The bad
Worst d-pad ever made
Bad button layout
Left thumbstick forces an uncomfortable angle
For hardcore Mortal Kombat collectors only. Leave it in the box, on a shelf and make people jealous. Never take it out of the box and attempt to use it, or you will regret it.
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video-games_xbox
|
Excellent Game! Excellent Cars! TONS of races. To feed my Forza Motorsport 2 hunger, I decided to purchase this game. I'm a big fan of Japanese cars. All my cars are Japanese. Import Tuner focuses on...you guessed it...import cars, mainly Japanese brand cars- Toyota, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Mazda, and Nissan. People ask..so where's Honda? Licensing issues prevented Genki developers from including Honda.
This game delivers TONS of customizations. You can basically calibrate and modify your car based on parts you buy. However, buying upgrade parts for your car isn't that easy. All upgrade parts are level-based meaning you need to beat a boss or win races against a few rival teams to get a new level of parts to purchase. Parts don't come cheap so just racing one rival after another won't get you the goods you need once you face a fully-modified car. You'll have to go back and find a rival team you already beat and race him over and over until you get enough credit points to purchase the parts.
The game requires a lot of patience since you'll be pitted against every import car. There are two ways of challenging rivals. You either hit the streets and challenge OR you can go to the parking area and challenge racers there. To beat the game, you'll have to challenge both street racers and those who hangout by the parking lot.
The tracks are based on real highways in Japan. All the the highways have been faithfully recreated in this game. Now...since this is a race along freeway, you won't be using much of your drifting skills here since you won't find any hairpin turns. Most of the turns are like the Exit ramps you take on our Interstate highways here in the US. This should give you an idea on what's in store for you. Majority of the tracks here are straightways, a few exit ramps turns will test your turning skills. Don't be fooled though. You'll be faced with traffic on the highways. There will trucks and cars driving merrily along the highway while you're speeding at 200mph. The traffic will sharpen your skills on avoidance and overtaking. The game is quite tough on errors you make. You hit a car or a railing and chances are the rival driver will be right on your tail.
There are two modes of races here: SP battles and Time Attack. SP battles are like health meters. The farther the rival is ahead of you, the faster your health meter goes down. You hit a railing or a car and that penalizes your SP meter. The object of SP battle is to run your rival's SP meter dry. That means you'll have to outrace him or punish him by trapping him on a lane where a slow moving vehicle is right in front of him and then you accelerate at high speed to leave him behind. You can use traffic to your advantage by nudging the rival car on the side and pushing him towards an embankment. I know it's bad but hey...you gotta win by any means necessary. Time attack on the other hand is simply a race to the finish line. Why it's called Time attack just boggles the mind. This game was made in Japan so expect some translation hiccups here and there. Poorly translated Japanese terms abound in this game so expect to see weird rival names like Betelguese of the Night, Mundane Omnipotent, Cornering Opera, Mundane Zeus, Astellion Flower, and my favorite... Cat X Cat.
Graphics was where I was a bit disappointed. Genki didn't use the full power of the Xbox360. Somehow it didn't look quite next-gen to me. Also, there are horrible frame rate issues. The game just grinds to a stuttering frame rate when you have three or four rivals on screen. There are a few drawing issues as well. Sometimes, while driving, you'll notice that there's just a black empty space at the end of the ramp. Fear not, the game suffers from redrawing issues. But these issues shouldn't deter you from playing this game. AI is something that's a so-so. You will find rivals who drive like Ms. Daisy or sometimes against a rival who drives like Mario Andretti, Nicki Lauda, and Colin McRae. Most of the AI seem to be afraid to take the risk of making sharp turns at full speed. They seem to brake quite a few meters too far from the turn's entry point. As a result, you can easily take advantage of this and cut in front of them.
So...what's a good gaming tip here. Like any other tuner games, there are three things you need to focus on to win in this game: SPEED, WEIGHT, AND HANDLING. That means you need to upgrade your engine, your body, and your suspension. Don't dwell too much on making your car look like Fast and Furiousque. Concentrate first on winning a few races and invest on the three main aspects of the car. ANy part that will make your car 100lbs heavier should be compensated by a body upgrade that will make it lighter. I've beaten this game by using just one car.
Here's what I did: I purchased the Nissan Fairlady (fastest among the cheapest starter cars). I raced the hell out of it and upgraded it. Then I began challenging several rivals over and over again till I was winning 500K credit points per race. Once I got to about 4 million credit points, I bought my favorite and possibly the fastest tuner car in the game: Mitsubishi Evolution IX. I then sold my Fairlady and then upgraded the engine to the highest possible level I could get. Slowly I began upgrading the three main aspects of the car. By the time I got to about 80% of game completion, I was beating every car and rival I was up against. The Mitsubishi Evolution is by far the best tuner car I have ever dealt with, be it Forza Motorsport or Import Tuner. Try the Evolution and win every race.
In closing, this game is highly recommended. It has it's own technical issues but the fun factor is definitely in the game. Go for it.
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video-games_xbox
|
Wish I had the same luck as other reviewers. I'm glad people writing reviews here are getting good results from this but I consider myself pretty lucky with most products I order. Not so with this one.
Pros:
-Cheap.
-Worked very occasionally on the first day and when it did it was brilliant gaming bliss.
-The exterior seems to be fairly well made.
-Extra long cord.
-Actually worked with Microsoft Xbox drivers.
-Didn't blow up my computer.
-Gave me something to do other than playing video games.
-Shipped fairly quickly.
-Installed and connected my PC fairly easily.
Cons:
-Never synced with my controllers after 1 day of use. Running Windows 7 64 bit.
-Let me repeat that, it doesn't sync with my xbox controllers. I have 6 of them. None of them worked with this thing.
-NOT a genuine Microsoft product, I hear even the real thing isn't that reliable anyways.
-Actual internals not well designed at all.
-Smashing this thing with a hammer is more entertaining and useful than the actual intended function.
I've done hours of research on how to fix this thing. Installing several different drivers, cutting the cord length down, bypassing fuse (which BTW is for the real MS receiver, I opened this thing up and there's no fuse to bypass). Perhaps my USB ports weren't strong enough, maybe I just had really bad luck. Who knows.
I'm a tech by trade and this thing simply did not work for me with my setup. I've tried everything to have this sync up with my controllers but nothing worked. But I would highly recommend just buying a wired xbox controller and save yourself a headache and a potential waste of hard earned money.
It seems like any negative review posted on this product is downrated but I am creating this review for the sole purpose of informing any potential buyer out there to just be careful.
If you absolutely MUST buy this thing please look for the real receiver first before getting this. The real ones have Microsoft written on the top. If you see XBOX 360 on top it's a fake knockoff that probably won't work at all. I dislike giving products low ratings unless I absolutely need to. I'm begging you, do not buy this product.
Just buy a wired xbox 360 controller if possible, it's not that much more money and it's an extra controller for crying out loud.
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video-games_xbox
|
Better than MW2. I bought this game for two primary reasons :-
1. I enjoyed the first Bad Company game
2. I was sorely disappointed with MW2.
So with that in mind how is this game? to me the single player game isn't actually as good as the original Bad Company game. It seems as though Dice has been looking at the Call of Duty games and tried to incorporate bits into their engine. The original Bad Company game had a fairly expansive battlefield that you could roam around on and do fairly much whatever you wished, whilst the game still pushed you towards your goals.
The battlefields in BC2 are a lot more restrictive. You don't seem to have the freedom you had in the original which was disappointing.
The single player game is also fairly short, taking roughly 6-7 hours to complete. It's also quite frustrating at times as you'll be playing along and suddenly there's a cut-scene. It takes the fluidity out of gameplay. The cut-scenes however are very nicely rendered and do add to the storyline. There's also quite comical remarks as you'd expect if you played the original.
Single player however is still fun and takes you through the maps that you will be playing in the multi-player/online game so it's good familiarity to play the single player game first.
Dice however seem to have focused their attention on the multi-player game and they have done an excellent job with it. Lots of hours of fun can be spent playing the different types of multi-player games available, with more maps and add-ons coming in the next few months.
If you're looking for a good single player game that lasts a long time and that you will come back to, look elsewhere, there's better ones out there.
If you're looking for a combination of decent single player game but will spend more time online then I'd definately recommend this.
Overall
Single Player
Gameplay : 8/10
Graphics : 9/10
Longevity : 5/10
Sound : 8/10
Overall : 7.5/10
Multi-player
Gameplay : 9.5/10
Graphics : 9/10
Longevity : 9/10
Sound : 8/10
Overall : 8.5/10
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video-games_xbox
|
Endless shooting, minimal thinking required. We own all the Lego video games, and this one is markedly different from the others. Previous games (Batman, Harry Potter, all other Star Wars, the original Indiana Jones) combine shooting and fighting enemies with challenging puzzle-solving. Clone Wars is basically non-stop action and shooting, with almost nothing else to accomplish as you move through the levels.
Some examples of the disappointments:
1. The split-screen options essentially reduce each person's point-of-view to half of what they need to see, totally frustrating. There are options for dynamic/horizontal/vertical on the split and they are all miserable. Numerous times during play someone would yell to the other player, "Drop out! I can't see what I'm doing!" In addition, there are some levels where the 2 players are forced into split-screen on completely different areas of the game (to accomplish necessary tasks separately). This function doesn't give you "cooperative" play, it's more like "dual" play where 2 players are using the game simultaneously. In previous games, players explored the levels together and had to work together to accomplish goals.
2. There is a lot of flying. Various air vehicles and they all handle differently---some are pretty annoying to maneuver.
3. Enemies constantly respawn once you destroy them. I don't mind having to clear the screen of 50 or even 100 of something, but the constant respawn leaves virtually no time to explore any area unmolested.
4. Levels are sometimes very long. Complete one section of the assigned mission (Example: destroy some certain amount of bases) and then another mission pops up---and it's pretty much like the one you just completed, except with different bases to destroy! Monotonous!
5. On the rare occasion when you come across a "puzzle" to solve, it's ridiculously simple. Example: 3 triangular Lego pieces are in plain sight, waiting to be forced into triangular slots immediately to the left. Wow--isn't that something that a 12-month-old baby can figure out?
Some good stuff also:
1. The game looks good, lots of nice details here and there. The little mini-films lend a little humor as well.
2. The hub has a lot of interesting places to go and things to do. I felt like staying there instead of getting to the levels on some occasions!
3. I didn't have any issues with glitches or freezes so I guess that's a bonus of sorts.
4. New attacks and weapon use (including cool vehicles and the ability to command troops)
This game was delayed over and over in release, and I can see why---the developers had a big bag of nothing. They seem to have paid a whole lot of attention to the "look" and the "function" details of the game without much care to the content of the overall story. Very disappointing, since the Clone Wars TV show is really entertaining and there could have been a lot more here than just show up and shoot shoot shoot. I suppose some gamers will love the mindless, endless fighting but even for the hardcore shooting enthusiasts in my household, they said "forget it" after playing 2 sessions and most of the levels. No one even cared that Free Play was open because we didn't want to suffer through playing the levels again! There are a lot of Gold Bricks to earn in this game and the idea of playing long enough to get them makes me want to fall on my own lightsaber.
Bottom line: might be almost tolerable for a single player who just wants endless shooting action, all others stay away!
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video-games_xbox
|
Worth playing. Star Trek fans have had some pretty funny luck when it comes to video games. For every good game like Starfleet Command or Elite Force there is an Star Trek: Encounters or Star Trek: Pinball. Luckily, Star Trek: Legacy is a pretty decent game, although it is clear that it had the potential to be a whole lot better. On paper, Legacy sounds like a great Star Trek game. Give the player control of lots of ships, cover every series, include the voices of every Starfleet captain, and tie it together with a storyline that would actually make a good Star Trek movie. And for the most part the game is pretty good.
You start the game off as Captain Archer in the NX-01 before moving on to the Enterprise, Defiant, and so on. The ships are modeled pretty accurately, and behave as you would expect. The combat offers a good amount of depth without getting absurdly complicated like the Starfleet Command games. The starship combat revolves around maneuvering your ships, either together as one task force or individually, into position to get your enemy into the firing arcs of your weapons, while trying to stay out of theirs.
Most ships have both phasers and torpedoes. Phasers are good against shields and they run off of energy which recharges after firing. The amount of damage they do increases over time, so allowing them to fully charge before firing again is a good tactic. Torpedoes are good against the hull of a ship and they do a constant amount of damage. However, you have a limited number of them, so you will want to make sure you have a good lock on the target before firing. The strength of your weapons lock depends on your position and distance from your target. And if you are able to get in close enough you have the option of targeting specific subsystems in the enemy ship such as weapons or engines.
You can also manage your speed. Besides going to warp, you can run at full, or impulse. Slowing down allows you to turn faster, but also makes you an easier target to hit. In addition to changing speed, you also have control over your power systems. Rerouting power can give you a boost to the system (engines, shields, weapons) that you need the most at any specific moment. For example, you can take power from your shields and route it to weapons for faster recharge and longer range at the cost of defense. Lastly, you can issue repairs on certain ship systems, but repairing will drain energy, making your ship less effective in battle while the repairs are underway.
There are of course other tactics that you can take advantage of such as hiding ships in nebulas and beaming away teams to space stations once the shields are down to capture it, but these are more mission specific and you won't find yourself doing them very often.
As you complete each mission, you are given points that you can spend on buying new ships for your task force. You can have up to four ships directly under your control at one time. Ships fall into different classes such as cruisers and destroyers, and it's up to you to decide how many ships you actually need and of what type. These points carry over from one mission to another, so it's a good idea to try to save as many credits as you can or you may find yourself facing heavy opposition with not enough points to buy more powerful ships to even the odds.
The missions offer a pretty good variety of things to do. They are not all "go here and kill everything" missions that you might expect. While some will task you with doing just that, there are also missions where you will be evacuating people from poisoned planets, sneaking across enemy lines in a cloaked ship to conduct hit and run attacks, and defending Deep Space 9 from the Borg. The game is at its best when it throws you into these huge battles. Seeing these beautiful ships fill the screen and explode is pretty exciting.
However, the game also has some low points. This is mainly the result of your inability to save during the missions. So if you fail, you are suck restarting the mission from the beginning. With some missions lasting nearly an hour, this is really unacceptable. At the very least the game should offer a mid-level checkpoint. Sometimes mission objectives are not completely clear, leaving you trying to figure out what it is that you are supposed to be doing. One mission where you save planets from falling interstellar debris proved especially annoying because of a rather narrow margin of error. Luckily this is the exception rather then the rule. I only had to restart one mission the entire time, although it did take three or four tries until I finally got it. But for the most part the mission design is fine.
The storyline is actually surprisingly good. It tells the story of a Vulcan scientist that discovers the remains of a Borg ship during the early days of the Federation, and figures out a way to become their queen. It's a pretty good plot device that ties all of the eras together, that is if you can follow it. If you find yourself feeling like the story is missing something, that's because it is. A few missions were cut, particularly from the end, of the game in order to get it out in time. You still get the gist of what is going on, but it's not as clear as it could have been.
While the storyline is pretty cool, the way it is presented is not. Missions often open up with long winded narrative by one of the captains while the camera just circles around the ship. This is a pretty boring way to tell the story, and it's surprising that they could not find a more interesting way to tell it. However, the voice acting is pretty good for the most part, and having all of the captains voice their lines makes these sequences bearable.
Online, the game doesn't have much going for it. There are only two modes of play available. The first is a deathmatch game where you simply try to destroy your opponents either by yourself of in teams. The second is a co-op survival game where you and your teammates try to survive wave after wave of enemy ships. Both can be fun for a while, but it's not something that will hold most people's attention for more then a few games.
Overall, Star Trek: Legacy is a good game. The starship combat is fun and has a good amount of depth to it, while the missions offer enough variety to keep you playing for a while. There is also a good mix of achievements that give some incentive to go back and play certain missions over again. Although it is a little disappointing to think about how much better this game could have been if they spent a little more time on it and added a few more features like checkpoints and more multiplayer options. Let's hope Mad Doc Software gets a shot at a squeal, and are given the time they need to make it amazing.
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video-games_xbox
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Rises above its shortcomings. This game is a lot better than the sum of its parts. That's because this game has what other games lack: an emotionally gripping story that makes you feel like the lead character in a gigantic feature film. You really become the character and get swept up into the emotions and drama of an epic space opera. Individual elements from other games might be better, and there are plenty of glitches, and lame aspects of the game. But in the end you plow through all the downsides and let your imagination take flight, identifying with the character and living the story in your mind.
I do have some major gripes that I hope the company resolves in future releases. There's WAY too much running around empty corridors and standing around in empty elevators. The interiors of all the various colonies, outposts, and settlements (aside from the those that feature in the main plot) are all the same. Literally, there are like, 5 architectural models used over and over again. There is a maddening amount of driving around endless rocky landscapes in a stupid APC. The landscapes of all the planets is practically identical. Sometimes you can drive around one of these awful landscapes, agonizingly scaling mountains with your big car, in pursuit of a mystery blip on your map, finally locate the "crashed escape pod" and uncover...a cache of some grenades you already have a zillion of! Arrgggghh. Stupid!
A lot of the combat, especially the combat you engage in during the side quests, is repetitive. Many of the side quests are completely lame and stupid. The NPC interaction with your crewmembers is a little shallow--for example, in KOTOR you had much deeper relationships with the various companions you picked up along the way. You could even coach some of them into becoming Jedi! Hell, back in Baldur's Gate II you could have a romance!
The money system, and the buying and selling, are useless. The only reason to even go to a merchant is to unload your excess inventory. You can get through the whole game on the total overabundance of free stuff you find in all the lockers, compartments, crashed probes, etc., etc.
But there are some major, major things to love here, as well. I like that the combat is more "hands on" and visceral than in KOTOR, but that there's still a tactical element to it. I really enjoy the combination of the tactics involved with leveling up, customizing weapons, choosing the appropriate weapon for the particular fight, pausing the combat to consider the various powers and weapon choices, choosing your companions and getting to do all the same for them. I like the fact that you can heavily manage the squad or let the AI do the work. (I wish sometimes you could leave the squad behind on the ship, though. Sometimes I just command them to wait way back while I do all the fighting myself...)
The voice acting is marvelous, including the work of the famous names like Lance Henrikson, Seth Green, Marina Sirtis, etc. I played a female, and her voice was just exceptional. The way the characters are animated, including facial expressions, is amazing. You really find yourself identifying with your character's facial expressions!
By the time I got to the end, I was really engrossed in this game. I played through every side quest and visited/surveyed/landed on just about every planet possible. Even though I found myself annoyed and frustrated by all the trudging around, whether on foot or in that stupid tank, and had to reload a bunch of times due to glitching and getting stuck on objects, I truly loved this game and am looking forward anxiously to the sequel. That being said, if I were to play this through a second time, I'd be really tempted to skip most of the side quests and stick to the main plot, even though that would mean missing out on a lot of leveling up.
One thought for everyone out there though: would you rather have this game, or would you just rather have had them "remaster", refresh, and update KOTOR I and II for this next gen console??? Or better yet, would you rather have them re-create a Baldur's Gate game for the XB360? Think about it...
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video-games_xbox
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Best. Game. Ever. Come and enter a world of Phantasy...
Quite a few years ago SEGA made an RPG named Phantasy Star for their Genesis console. I can't remember much about it but I do remember something about a hot chick with horns and something about an epic storyline. The game was apparently successful enough to spawn a few sequels that by my recollection, were actually quite good. A decade or so passed until SEGA finally decided to resurrect their seemingly defunct series and thus Phantasy Star appeared on the Dreamcast. There was a twist though, the game would be far more epic than the previous entries, so epic that it could only be contained in the online realm. Interestingly enough the game was successful despite the unpopularity of the Dreamcast console and thus a sequel was born. A year or so has passed and the game has found a home a next generation console. Now that it's actually on a system that sells, the world will be able to discover what so many people already know, that Phantasy Star Online is in fact one of the most impressive and addictive titles to hit the scene in quite some time.
Forget everything you know about the Dreamcast endeavor because those days of instability and shakiness are long gone. Let's say this as bluntly as possible, Phantasy Star Online is [highly addictive]. ... Your sessions will usually start out as "hey let's just play for a while to kill some time" and will evolve into "dammit, I need to level up just one more time! I'm so close!" Six hours later and you'll be wondering to yourself exactly where your day went.
Much of the game remains unchanged with the main change coming in the controller layout. You still have three primary buttons, two attacks but the communication button will not be in the Xbox version due to the Xbox Live headset.
As stated you have the two attacks, one is a quick attack while the other is a more focused attack. When you begin you select your character class (which basically boils down to easy, medium and hard difficulty). The easy class features warriors proficient in close quarters, medium has rangers that fire projectiles while the hardest features wizards. Obviously beginners shouldn't jump into the game with the third class as they will have their proverbial asses handed to them.
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video-games_xbox
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So Awsome, So Swift, So Innavative; 5 STARS. I just can't put into words how awsome this game is; but I'll try. There are so many moves, gadgets, details in every aspect...here goes:
The gameplay: Incredible! This game should easily win game of the year! Why? It's so realistic, so breathtaking, so nerve wracking at times that you really feel that you are Sam Fisher. Here are the basic moves: You can crouch, roll (to move quickly through one area without being seen), jump, double jump (jump off a wall to cling on to a pipe at the top), split jump (where your up against the wall doing the splits. You cant then jump down in surprise and knock out your enemy, or shoot him), cling to pipes (and move around, even hang from it while shooting down a guard). Those are just a few! You can knock people out, put a gun to their head and interrogate them. Use people as human shields, hide against walls, knockout anybody, slide down a wire, etc... So many moves, all so very cool, you'll really feel like a secret agent. Now with these moves, you must make it through dozens of levels to prevent a war from happening. If caught, the U.S. will have nothing to do with u. You're on your own.
Gadgets: Thankfully, with these awsome moves, you have perhaps the coolest gadgets ever thought up. You have gadgets to unlock doors, look under the door, climb walls, shock people to death, etc... So many cool gadgets! You'll need every one of them to get through this war. But that's not all! You later on get cameras that you can shoot into a room to see everything before you enter, giving you time to plan, think, etc... These cameras though (so cool) can also, when pressing the red B button, make a loud whistling sound that will attract guards. When they are close, push the yellow Y button, and a sleeping gas will enter the air, knocking the guards unconscience, and leaving your path clear. These cameras also have night vision, heat vision, and of course, regular vision. So many uses, these cameras may save your life more than once. Use them wisely.
The game: In the game, you must get through different levels, finding out secrets in various ways, and doing whatever is asked of u. U can read e-mails from hacked computers, listen in silently on conversations, hide dead or living bodies (you can either knock them out or put a bullet to their head). Sam is also equipped with heat and night vision goggles. So when you have been spotted, and several guards are coming your way, you can shoot out nearby lights, split jump and watch blind guards come in. Put your night vision goggles on, jump down, put a gun to one's head, and use him as a human shield. Shoot the others, knockout your hostage, hide the bodies, and move on. So many options of doing almost anything during gameplay, you'll be spoiled of how to beat each mission...or come back later and beat it on a harder setting. You can also pick up and throw bottles, coke cans, anything. The whole process of the game is very cool.
The graphics: In case you haven't heard, this game has some of the best graphics ever seen in a game. One of my friend's walked in, sat down, not seeing the controller in my hand. He thought I was watching a movie for a few seconds! That's how good this game looks. The lighting is fantastic. Knock out all the lights, pitch black. Leave a tiny bulb on, a lite glow fills the room. Very cool! Sam even changes. He rolls up his sleeves, breathes in and out, steadies his gun when running so as to not make a clit, clat noise. Etc... So much detail put into everything. Even things like when Sam's hands are busy (like hanging from a pole), he cocks his head up, then down, to get his night or heat vision goggles on. Sooooooooooo realistic!
Depth: Incredible! On the normal setting, you'll be lucky to beat this game in less than 30 hours. And the ability to go back and beat the game on hard later adds even more replay value! This game has it all!
Overall, this game rocked in every aspect. Even sound (perhaps the best ever in a game) is ignored because of how good everything else is. Voice acting is so realistic, as Sam always sounds confident, and yet sometimes doubtful, and even a bit nervous. You can hear how fast you're running, the footsteps of approaching enemies, the true reloading of your gun (which ranges from silencers and snipers, to machine guns at times), and the shells falling to the floor.
This game really showed off the power of the XBOX, and the kind of games it can support, and people may come to expect. This is a classic, a must have, and any gamer should feel left out never playing Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell!
(And oh, later on, you can download new levels from via XBOX Live. Even more replay value).
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video-games_xbox
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Excellent Headphones. Would definitely recommend. I don't know why everyone is saying bad things about these headphones. Yes, the instructions are wrong, but it is seriously as simple as pushing the receiver "pair" button first, then turning on the headphones. If you can't figure it out, I think you have some more serious issues than your headset not pairing. As for the people complaining that you still have to plug the headset into the controller, how else would that work? You have to do it for all Xbox 360 headsets if you want to voice chat.
Anyways, the sound in these is amazing. They don't have the booming bass like many of the headsets that I've tried did, but there is still plenty of bass. I feel like those other headsets actually go overkill on the bass and it takes away from the quality of the other sound around you. These get nice and loud, cancel noise wonderfully, and there are independent volume adjustments for in-game sounds and voice chat. You can also adjust the angles at which you receive the 3D sound from. I found myself hearing things in-game that I've never heard before, and was able to hear directions of enemies creeping up behind me, reloading their weapons, or firing a gun. It definitely helped me to step up my gaming to the next level, and noticed more kills and less deaths. I was astonished at how accurate the surround sound direction actually was.
The chatting was excellent also. I was playing with two friends. One of them also owns a pair of x42's and the other owns the factory-shipped headset and the difference between the quality of voices was a bit startling. My friend with the factory headset was muffled and full of static, and I found myself asking him to repeat himself several times. My other friend with the x42's sounded like he was in the room with me. My favorite part about the voice chatting is that they amplify your voice as you are talking, so it sounds like you are actually talking into a microphone, and kind of lets you know that your headset is working.
The build quality is excellent. They don't have any cheap components as far as I can tell, so you are actually getting 160 dollar-quality hardware The detachable mic and cord makes these ideal for watching movies or listening to music.
After about 3 hours of wearing them, I noticed a mild discomfort around my ears. It wasn't bad, but I certainly noticed it. I'm not used to wearing headphones for extended periods of time, and didn't really notice this until after I took them off. They feel very comfortable to wear, but you will feel it over a long time.
I didn't get that buzzing in the right ear that some people were talking about, nor did get the cracking and popping that others were talking about. I left my TV room to go to the bathroom, which put a few walls and about 60 feet between the headphones and receiver, but there was only mild popping from that distance.
Overall, I give these headphones a 9/10 because they could afford to be a bit more comfortable, which is kind of a big deal for headphones (especially ones for gaming). Other than that, these phones will get you more caught up in a game than ever before, you will be able to hear people sneaking up behind you, and your voice-chatting will go out and come through crystal clear.
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video-games_xbox
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Best by far. For the longest time on my Playstation consoles, I've yearned for a good racing game that spoke to me. Lots of people will say good things about Driveclub, Project Cars, etc. And they are decent, but they have nothing on Forza.
I played Forza Motorsport Apex on the PC and got introduce to FM6 that way. I bought an XBox One just so I can play 2 titles: Forza Motorsport 6 and Forza Horizon 3. And let me tell you those two experiences alone justifies that console purchase.
The ultimate reason why I love Forza is because of the rewind feature. On other games, if you mess up on a turn, depending on the difficulty level, you have to restart the race on all over again. Cause if you have it set up on a hard difficulty, one bad turn will take you from 1st position to 8th position in a snap. And there's no making up that time. But boom with Forza, not a problem, baby. tap the y button and rewind all the way to before the turn, and you get a second chance to handle the curve differently. How come other race games don't have this? Does Forza own the patent for rewinds in a race? If they do, that's genius.
The second reason but also an ultimate important feature on what makes Forza a Forza game, is the progression. That is severely missing in other racing games. A career mode. And a good career mode at that. A feeling of coming from poor no credit having, to earning credits from pole finishes to buying cars for different races, and upgrading those cars, and buying loot boxes that includes mods for your cars.
I'm just gushing at this game, it's so good. If I could just give a note to Turn 10, when they make FM 7, dude I love Brazil on this game. Guys.. put less emphasis on the raceways. Have like 25% of the tracks be legitimate raceways/speedway. Cause I'm fine with Sebring raceway and those other race courses, and I get that you have to have those races to make it a legit racing game. But I want to have lots of exotic locations to drive my cars in, I want to drive my Lambo, and see mountains, canyon, waterfalls, and other vistas. I mean how awesome would it be to drive in a race set in the Niagara Falls. Or you are driving in Japan, and you see Mt Fuji in the backdrop. The moment you decide to go in that direction, i'm gonna preorder Forza Motorsport 7 Collectors Edition, I'll throw $200 bucks your way to get the most expensive version I can find.
Anyways, this is an awesome game. Best racing game by far.
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video-games_xbox
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Life Among the Stars. Mass Effect - Circa 2010
GOOD:
- A third person shooting and cover system similar to that of Gears of War or Resident Evil 5 - like in the first Mass Effect. The combat system works better then it did in the first game and is still a blast to play while keeping it a more realistic gameplay experience (over then lets say a turn based RPG). While the combat system still has a few hiccups (its still not as flawless as lets say Gears of War 2's combat) it works well enough not to be a concern and feels like a great aspect to this title.
- A well thought out and well played story that rivals or bests that of games like Grand Theft Auto, Fallout or any Final Fantasy game for that matter. Much like the first game the story is it told through dialog (which you control the direction of) between you and other characters and because of the choices of make during the story it has a "choose your own adventure" feel to it. Much like other known Bioware games like Dragon Age or even Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
- Gorgeous graphics and effects that rival that of any action game like that of Assassins Creed 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 or Bayonetta.
- Much like the first title this one still has a great sound track that still has that movie like quality of the great Sci-Fi Space movies from the past like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, & Dune.
- You can port over your character from the first Mass Effect and all your story choices will carry over as well or your can start an entirely new character if you like.
BAD:
- The Mining mini-game is slow and tedious but necessary to unlock better weapons and upgrades. Now the way the Mining mini-game works is by scanning a planets for elements and shooting a probe in the area of a planet that has needed recourses.
- This game still has a more then a few loading sequences during gameplay that might upset impatient gamers. It should be noted that installing the game (both discs) to your Xbox 360 harddrive (if you have room) will make the loading a bit faster.
IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- The story of the game is mostly told through dialogs between yourself and other characters in the game, it should really be noted that your choices in responding to questions asked of you and your reactions to events unfolding around you is going to change the story of the game overall and attitudes of others around you as well. It should also be noted that during the games story you can make choices that either make your character into a brash loose cannon who cheats, steals and shoots first asks questions later or a by the book fighter for justice and freedom with good moral values and willingness to sacrifice personal wants for the good of others.
- Much like the first game, you travel to many different worlds/solar systems through out the Milky Way galaxy (the galaxy we all currently live in, in real life) with your own star ship the Normandy and its crew. During your missions you get to bring two of the total eleven other characters with you and these other characters (all eleven of them) have their stats as well as weapons be chosen by you.
- A Sci-Fi RPG with lots of Third Person Shooter (Camera behind the player) elements. The games combat has much quicker pacing then most other RPGs like that of Demon Souls on PS3 or Fallout 3. And now the over all combat has been sped up a bit more then in the first game and the controls have been improved more well this makes Mass Effect 2's combat gameplay very much like that of other main stream First/Third Person Shooters like Halo ODST or and Gears of War 2.
- Like the first game and like in many other "western made RPGs" (made in America/Europe/Canada and oppose to eastern made RPGs like Final Fantasy of Japan) like Dragon Age, Oblivion, or Fallout 3 this game has lots of dialog and story, which plays a very big role in game and setting the tone. This will turn will turn off those gamers looking for fast paced action title with little interruption like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
- No inventory or way to equip your allies with new armor. The long-standing inventory system you might see in a game like Resident Evil 5 or the first Mass Effect was removed completely in favor for something similar to something like an action game you get only one copy of each gun and armor (and you can not sell them), now you can buy upgrades for them as well as get new guns (but once you have them you can not sell those as well). The over all effect is something like a combination of a weapons cache of a FPS like Half-Life 2 (getting guns you cannot sell or lose) and an RPG since you can upgrade these weapons. Now this is streamlining was done for most non-RPG gameplayers, but the choice is a little disturbing to hardcore RPG-players.
- A new addition to the combat in Mass Effect 2 is of all things, ammo. This may sound odd to anyone who has not played the first Mass Effect since that game's weapons never needed ammo and could only over heat. The ammo system in Mass Effect 2 work feels very much like any other First/Third Person Shooters like Halo 3.
- Still no multiplayer or online gameplay.
GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Mass Effect (360/PC)
- Fallout 3 (360/PS3/PC)
- Gears of War 2 (360/PC)
- Borderlands (360/PS3/PC)
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- You do not need to beat the first Mass Effect to play or beat this title. But, doing so will give you a better understanding of Mass Effect 2's story overall and if you port over a character from the first Mass Effect you'll get more dialog options as well as a boon of in-game cash. Also the first Mass Effect was a great game to that should not be missed.
- In the limited collectors edition of Mass Effect 2 you will find a Cerberus Network pass code (more on this below) art book, the first issue to the limited run four issue Mass Effect comic (called Mass Effect: Redemption) as well as a bonus a DVD with a making of Mass Effect 2 video DVD also has PC wallpapers (of the Mass Effect 2 locations and new characters). The collectors edition also has a code to download from EA/Bioware home website a set new armor and rifle for the game (it's based on the new emeny you meet in the game and looks pretty cool) and this it all comes in a tin as well as paper case.
- Check out the Mass Effect novels called Mass Effect: Revelation and Mass Effect: Ascension these books have a great deal of background story for the two games.
- The Cerberus Network download that will enable future downloads for Mass Effect 2 via EA's and Bioware websites. The Cerberus Network download is about $15 on Xbox Live and free if you buy the limited collectors edition of Mass Effect 2. Bioware said that all Mass Effect 2 downloads will come via Cerberus Network and most will even be free.
- There is already free downloadable content for Mass Effect 2 (a new Shotgun and new Armor) and lots more on the way. It should be noted you'll first need the Cerberus Network download to access this.
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video-games_xbox
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Good way to pass the time, but VERY misleading. I waited and waited AND waited some more for this game to arrive. After logging 220 plus hours with Oblivion, games after that just didn't hold much appeal for me. So, I had some very high hopes (as did many of us) for Two Worlds.
For all the release delays this game offered us, it's engine was a buggy mess. The graphics were very poor, mostly they seemed to have a very jagged appearance reminiscent of older,low polygon count games. Many of the light effects were VERY obnoxious. Flames looked very unrealistic, light gradients were very mis-colored. Example; you would be walking through a otherwise dark cave, when suddenly the passage is a light blue color. No blue flames indicating the presence of supernatural activity, nothing. Just blue.
Shadows were very jagged looking as well. At times the shadows of a tree would make me wonder if I was interacting with some "Thing" instead of a shadow. Water was like a wobbly mirror.
One of the most annoying and near laughable features in the game was the "Inability" to control a horse. I soon discovered that wasting earned skill points points on my horse riding skills was...well a waist. If you had to stray from the beaten path, what so ever, your mighty stead was bound to get completely immobilized by a shrub or tree. Slight embankments and hill sides were also a major "No-No" for our stead. I can't imagine what the team involved in the actual design of the horse in Two Worlds, was thinking.
I'm thinking malt liquor and bong-hits were the sole inspiration for this one. Next was the (Now Legendary) horrific voice acting. The voice actors themselves sounded as if they had to perform nude in front of a stadium of giggling onlookers. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE SOUNDING. Not only did the characters sound scared, but there was simply not enough variety in the actual voices. You could speak to a close group of three people who all shared the exact same voice and greeting.
The A. I. was very funny. Very bad, but at least it made you laugh. For instance, I could interact with a character who absolutely hated my character and made it known by cursing and threating me. However, as soon as the interaction was over they would say in a totally different voice; Grand Day! Or Greetings Tall One! Or A Fine Day Indeed!
The menu looked a lot like the old Diablo menue system, right down to the barely readable fonts. It wasn't until my wife and I bought a HD t.v. that I could even read what some the menu items or instructions said.
The travel log was the worst I have EVER seen. It's crammed way over to the right side of the menu screen and written in tiny, black letters with some words being separated by an entire line width. It was absolute torture to try and follow.
The title music was also the cheesiest music I have heard in a long, long time. Anyone here remember that old song called "A total eclipse of the heart" by Bonnie Tyler? It sounded like that but with some generic, wannabe operatic woman singing. The in-game music was very unbalanced as well. It was either very quiet or VERY LOUD, so adjusting it in the controls menu was pointless. Not to mention, most of the time the music itself (When you could hear it) didn't fit the situation.
Now there were (Believe it or not) some redeeming qualities to the game. combining similar weapons to make a more powerful version was great. I had some massive sword called the Dragons Jawbone, that had a slashing power of over 3000. Basically I had a one hit wonder. One hit and most everything went flying across the screen and laid on the ground twitching . That was pretty satisfying.
Creating you own spells and so forth could have been cooler if you had some sort of guide to help you. Since you didn't, it was more or less a way to make room in your inventory or power up magical attributes for a weapon. Mostly it was just cumbersome. I beat the game without ever really using any magic.
I threw a few fire balls but why bother when you can smash the tar out of anything with a giant jaw bone? lol The Bow was great to. Once you got your skill level with the bow up to ten and it's damage abilities really high, you could wipe out an entire Orc Camp with it, no problem.
Sadly though, the game just ends up being a decent way to relax before bed, cracking Orc skulls and flinging Bandits into the weeds is alway's a joy.
For $60.00 to $70.00 though, it's just not worth it. Rent it, borrow it or wait until it's in the clearance bin. Whatever you do though, don't waste your money on a brand new copy and especially the Collectors Edition.
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video-games_xbox
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Dark Souls Review. First off I want to say that i'm a casual gamer, i've never been one of those guys who is naturally good at video games. Before buying this game I heard that it was super hard some said it was too hard and i have to disagree. At first it will seem hard because this isn't a game where you can bum rush into a room of enemies and kill them all without taking any damage like many games out there today are. You will have to be patient and try to pick off enemies one at a time, because even the weakest enemies can kill you if you don't take them seriously. Another thing to keep in mind is that dying is part of the game, you should view dying here like dying in an online multiplayer shooter game, its gonna happen, you just gotta keep going once you do die.
No one likes to die but there are things you can do to prevent yourself from losing too much when killed, don't expect to be able to breeze through a whole section of the game on your first try, take it easy and get yourself familiar with the enemies in certain areas. If you are running low on health then maybe its time to head back to camp and regroup, if you have a large amount of souls you should probably try to spend them before going into a new unknown area. You don't lose any equipment when you die so often times all you lose is a few souls which are pretty easy to come by.
Now some of the bosses are pretty tough and will take you several tries to get down the proper strategy to beat them, this is not a bad thing. Realistically most bosses are usually HUGE monsters about 10 times your size, they are supposed to be strong and tough to beat. (For those of you who have played skyrim I can use dragons as a comparison, dragons in skyrim are a joke, they are way too weak, there's no way you should be able to kill a monster dragon with a few arrows and a couple of sword slashes, it takes away from the fun when they are super easy to kill.)Many have the power to take you out in one hit so you always have to be on the move and most importantly KEEP YOUR SHIELD UP, if you have to take a huge shot just having your shield up takes a great deal of the damage off.
Overall I think the game is great, you will have to grind out in some places and level up your character to give him a better shot against some enemies. If you are stuck really bad in some areas you can summon players to help you out(if you are online) or even go out and read some strategy guides, there are many out there and they usually give you good insight(without doing all the work for you and taking the fun out of the game) Rent the game for a few days if you are on the fence, give it a shot, know that it will be a bit challenging as you get used to the controls but after that you should be ok.
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video-games_xbox
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Not what everyone says. I see all these post about everyone saying this is just another recycled COD game. To me, i have a feeling a lot of them might be BF fans. Because i have played every cod game since COD 1, and i will admit i was blown away by cod 4, then everything after it, just was average and nothing too impressive. In fact some of it was horrible. I hated danger close, and noob tubing, that just pissed me off. However they finally seem to create something that was closer to COD 4. I don't mean they took cod 4 and created a game off of that, i just mean it reminding me of the stuff i liked about COD 4.
The new additions which brought this series back to life for me. The new streak system. Love how they have the different versions, and how you can equip them based by class now and depending on what weapon you are using you can use a different style of streaks. Which fits really well depending on the mode and play style you are going for that match. If you are more of the player who likes to help their allies and play cautiously then support is the perfect streak class for you. There are a lot of benefiting streaks in that one to help you win most objective based games. If you are more focused on kills and getting higher kill streaks then assault is the perfect selection for you, since it will give you some of the more powerful kill streaks which are in terms harder to obtain then the streaks in the support section. The support streaks add up even after you die where the assault ones only add up as long as you stay alive.
Then there is the final streak set, which is the specialist streaks, which these let you pick 3 different perks to add in addition to your already chosen three. You unlock the first pick chosen by getting 2 kills and the second by 4 and the third with 6 kills. These are all without dying. Then if you are lucky enough to get 8 kills without dying you unlock every perk at once, which is just insane. Having all the perks unlock at once makes you extremely deadly and hard for the enemy to kill. I have this set up on 3 of my 5 classes and i think it is one of my favorite streak sets.
The other new thing to MW3 is the weapon proficiencies. These are very useful and help you based on your play style. There is kick, which reduces the recoil on your gun, making you more accurate. Then there is impact which helps with bullet penetration. then stability which reduces sway, attachment, which lets you have 2 attachments on your guns and doesn't take up a perk anymore. Then for the smg class they have a proficiency that increase your knifing speed. For lmgs and snipers they have a proficiency that lets you run faster with those weapons out. There are others too, i just can't remember them all right off the top of my head.
Then they have brought back spec ops, which now has a new mode, survival. This is my favorite spec ops mode, because it reminds me of the only thing i liked about halo, was the fire fight mode. While in survival mode, you gain money like in zombies, and can use this money to purchase guns, ammo, gear, or streaks. You also rank up, so the higher rank you are, the better guns, gear, and streaks you can purchase.
I have yet to try the campaign yet, so i can not give a review on that yet, but so far the new additions have impressed me. I finally don't feel like i am playing the same game that i did the last 3 years. Those who claim this is the same recycled game, have either not yet played it and are just judging this game based on looks alone. Or honestly don't understand the new systems enough to realize how great an addition they really are.
I will admit it looks identical to MW2, but from my viewpoint, i would much rather play a playable game, then a game with insane graphics and tons of lag. Graphics are not the most important thing in gaming, sure a lot of people think they are, but to me game-play and enjoyability are much more important in my prospective. A game could have the best graphics in the world, but if no one enjoys playing it, you might as well just watch a really good movie with great special effects its a lot cheaper and you will get your moneys worth instead of wasting 60 dollars on something that sits on your shelf, or just gets traded in and you lose 30 dollars off of it.
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video-games_xbox
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An exciting new property from Ubisoft, but a some missed steps. Published in 2014, Watchdogs is the first game of a new franchise developed by Ubisoft. In Watchdogs you take on the role of Aiden Pearce, a hacker vigilante seeking revenge against those who caused an unforgivable family tragedy (yeah I know, I know). Aiden must use the technology and environment of the city of Chicago to his advantage in order to bring the criminals to justice, his way. Here are my thoughts on Ubisoft's latest venture, Watchdogs;
Pros
+ Large and varied soundtrack and orchestral score. Stand out tracks I really enjoyed hearing were from Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/KE-A-H-Psalm-69/dp/B001OG3MTK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">KE*A*H** (Psalm 69)</a>, GosT - Cursed <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Skull/dp/B00E1VTZNM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Skull</a>, Lazerhawk <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Redline/dp/B0037B99G0/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Redline</a>, Daft Punk, Digitalism, Smashing Pumpkins and Johnny Fiasco.
+ Original game play ideas utilizing hacking as your main tool.
+ Extremely solid combat and cover system. One of the best I've seen in a game.
+ Plenty of interesting characters to meet and interact with. The world feels very active and alive.
+ A lot of mini-games and side activities to do alongside the main story line.
+ Online multi-player is challenging and well done, similar to post Assassin's Creed 2 games.
+ Many ways to approach the different missions.
+ A lot useful items to craft to aid you along they way.
+ Voice acting is very well done.
+ Ending left open for an obvious sequel.
+ Accomplished original score by composer David Kristian.
+ Free-roaming game play and mayhem creation was extremely fun.
Cons <Contains SPOILERS>
- Downgraded graphics compared to what was originally shown off.
- Hacking isn't quite as in-depth as it could have been and the mini games tend to get very tiresome.
- A lot of really annoying music on the soundtrack as well. I felt like they were trying to hard to appeal to everyone with the music they chose. Given the premise of the game, electronic and rock music felt more appropriate than many of the selected hip hop, blues or soul tracks.
- No jumping or melee skills at all, only take-downs. I found this utterly ridiculous for a game like this. Yet, NPC's can melee you which can make things a bit unbalanced.
- Side activities can become very repetitive and unrewarding. Some mini-games are also extremely ridiculous and detract from the seriousness of the story.
- Aiden's character is rather bland and lackluster.
- Some wonky physics and invisible walls.
- Cliche' and average revenge story.
- Disappointing ending.
Watchdogs is solid new release and an excellent addition to Ubisoft's long list of franchises. The concept of the game is familiar yet fresh enough to keep things original. While I didn't particularly care much for Aiden's character or story, the game was still a blast to play. Even though the game clearly doesn't graphically match what was shown before release, it still boasts some pretty beautiful graphics. The game play is extremely engaging and delivers an open world experience you're sure to remember. I did feel at times the game tried a little too hard to be Grand Theft Auto, but falls short due to game play limitations. However, that being said the game is sure to please the majority of fans of stealth based open world action games. While not perfect, Watchdogs is an exciting new franchise for Ubisoft to explore and expand upon and I look forward to any future releases.
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video-games_xbox
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Oh, which cooler to choose. I bought this item after we had RRoD on 2 XBOXes in our household, blamed on lack of circulation. After looking around at the various coolers we decided the following:
USB POWERED COOLERS
We did not want one of those as it posted in other reviews and on other sites that the extra strain on the units scarce power is cause for overheating itself. Secondly, most of the USD units only have enough power 5V or so (limited by the USB port), for 1 fan. Thirdly: most USB units take but do not add USB ports to your XBOX. Especially the one on the back is aesthetically the most important and therefore you'd not want to give it up if you not get an additional port back on that cooler.
AC IN POWER PORT COOLERS
The are plugged into the adpater AC IN on the back of the XBOX. I stayed away from these since they, over time, leave discoloration on the AC IN space and MS has been known to reject servicing XBOXes with that discoloration stating that unauthorized use of the XBOX AC IN was the cause. This discussed elsewhere on the web and happened to a friend of our sons as well. The good thing about these coolers is that they hae unlimited power so the fans can be strong. They al;so allow for the XBOXes to be used in horizontal mode. Final note: these apparently also cuase strain on the XBOX's limited power (the XBOX is HUNGRY!!! hence the heat).
SEPARATELY POWERED COOLERS
This is the category that this item falls in: it comes with its own adapter and power button so you do not have to use it when the XBOX is barely on and you can leave it on after the XBOX has been powered off to further reduce the heat.
Downside to some is that that this item needs its own power outlet but that is worth it to us for the fact that it can drive 6 large computer fans without piutting strain on the XBOX power source and innards.
It also does not take away any scare ports nor will it leave discoloration. I.e. it is invisible to MS in case something ever happens.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Some 'scientists' on here calim that they used all kinds of thermometers and methods and claim these coolers (all types) do nothing for the heat. The fact is that you can feel the housing cool down once you switch these on after your XBOX has been on for a while. It is logicale as well. Cooler air is forced in from the bottom and pushed the warner air out through the sides and top. I recommend this item for the pure piece of mind that you have done the best you can for ventilation and that you have leiminated one more possible source of RRoD.
PS: this item will only allow vertical use of the XBOX 360. Make sure you have enough space. And also, this does not mean you can cram your XBOX in a closed off poorly ventilated cabinet as the heat will start recycling and feeding warmer air in. Ventilate your XBOX!
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video-games_xbox
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Seems the reviews here are iffy at best, in my opinion. Time to do this case a bit of justice. Seems the reviews here are iffy at best, in my opinion. Hope this clears things up for people (no pun intended).
Quality of plastic: Better than XCM's cases for the original Xbox, and just BARELY under the quality of an official Microsoft case (to be fair, I am comparing it to the Halo 4 edition-- the only clear case officially released)
Difficulty of install: 7/10. There is more to the install than JUST taking a case off and putting one on. I have to say that because some of us (including myself) think "Hey, I know how to take these apart. I can put one back together no problem." Well... The complicated part is, you need to remove the power button (the ribbon cable AND the actual plastic button) from the original case and put it on the new case. This is tedious and is not for the faint of heart. It's also not ideal for those of us replacing a Limited Edition case. So if you have one and plan to buy this case (or ever feel like switching back to your old case), buy an original replacement faceplate and rob the power button from that instead.
Case fit and feel: No doubt, it's a tight fit. You have to apply more force pushing the pieces together than the original. You *can* trim a little bit of plastic off the hooks/clips to make it snap together easier, but do so at your own risk. I personally opted to do this, and now it fits much better for me.
Clarity and transparency: Some clear cases are a little foggy despite being "clear". Not this one. The smoke color is crystal clear, however it is a bit dark of a tint. In standard room lighting, when you look at the put together case, you can glance at it and not know it's translucent. However if you hold it up to the light, or light it up with the included light kit, light easily shines through it. Although it's dark, it's not too dark.
Completeness: Aside from the previously mentioned power button issue, this case covers every base except for the rubber feet. Expect to either transfer feet from your old case, or try to find aftermarket feet from an online retailer. Despite this minor complaint, remember that the case IS entirely translucent, including the top and bottom vents, as well as the hard drive cover! Personally I find this to be pretty impressive. The spring action on the hard drive cover is on par with the original. I should also note here that the back AV panel plastic is also translucent. Hell, even the fan shroud is translucent! The fan shroud is an extra in my opinion-- they had no obligation to include it as technically speaking it's not part of the case itself.
Conclusion: this is a perfect case for the translucent case fan and the fearless modder. If you give up easily, or are scared by minor challenges, this case is probably not for you. Personally, I love it!
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video-games_xbox
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FIFA World Cup 2010 - All over again. I am a big World Cup fan. The thrill of your country or any other country I'm rooting for, seeing them play is just awesome.
So here this game came out yesterday and it feels like I'm playing the same game that I played in 2010. Now this can be good and bad. To me it left a bad taste in my mouth.
World Cup 2010 was an awesome game at the time. Everything was pretty much perfect.
Hearing about World Cup 2014 as how it was going to be made to the limits of xbox 360, made me excited again to get this game.
After playing this version though, it looks like they reached the xbox 360 limits in 2010. The game does not bring anything significant to the table to make it worth getting.
Now if you have never played any previous World Cup games or skipped the 2010, I think this will be the game for you, as you will get to learn how to play the game with mini skill challenges that the game offers, which is kind of nice.
So let me put this in a pro and cons list.
Pro:
-Up to date team members of each national team.
-Great same gameplay as 2010
-Has mini games(skill challenges/training). Great for beginners and skilled alike.
-Now you can listen to commentaries from 2 radio world cup shows, or play EA sound track instead during training or while at the menu list before your next match. (Kind of cool.)
Cons:
-While FIFA 14 was available on all platforms, this one is not. (Xbox One version would have been great and should have been made)
-Graphics are the same and possibly (not noticeable) slightly worse than 2010 version.
-Road to Rio, does not work as the servers seem to be screwed up.
-Servers seem to not be able to connect to players on launch day. (You don't always get what you pay for)
-Commentaries have pretty much not changed at all during game. Just a huge disappointing port of voices over from 2010. (I thought this was a new game that hopefully was worked on for 4 years... looks like not at all.)
-EA
-Fun facts on each country or any other info are completely gone.
-Common weird glitches with players colliding and flying like balls themselves.
More thoughts:
The biggest disappointment is that they were so lazy and probably late on the game that they did an eh job so they didn't make this game available for Xbox One or PS4.
That alone, right there is not worth the $60 for an older console.
If this were like $40 at launch it would have actually be more appealing.
I say wait till World Cup starts, you'll be able to pick up a pre-owned copy of it for $40 or less.
EA just continues it's fails with inability to release new games.
From what I heard this happened before with another FIFA title.
I think it was the FIFA13 that looked and worked exactly the same as FIFA12, just had a different number on the title.
Now I don't want to focus on EA as a company, but to keep this as a game review.
This game should have been more and could have been, but this one does not deserve the price tag or the 5 stars.
You might as well go play FIFA WC 2010, the servers don't work in either one.
UPDATE(4/19/14):
After playing for quite sometime now, here are a few more things I'd like to update on.
I did a little image comparison between the FIFA WC2010 and FIFA WC2014.
- This version does have a slight improvement in graphics, but it is minimal.
- Every single game I play, I get at least 2-3 offsides each match. This is ridiculous and makes gaming extremely stupid. The offsides is too sensitive and also the players tend to do it a lot.
- In order to auto progress during qualifying (like skipping training and friendly matches), you have to press A at the current match, then press the right thumb stick, then you have a choice of advancing one match or going till the next match that you actually get to play in. This is annoying as after you finish your match it takes you to the regular calendar from where you can only view upcoming matches and just select advance. If they could just give us the ability to do all the autoplay and skipping on one calendar, playing the qualifying would have been so much more fun.
If you have any questions, let me know and I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities.
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video-games_xbox
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Official Xbox Remote Overpriced: Get This. I bought this remote because I habitually use my Xbox One to watch shows and movies on Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. I saw the price of the official Microsoft Media Remote and said "nope". Seriously... $50 for a remote?! Being the reasonable person I am (and that you are since you are looking here), I went with this remote.
I am well pleased with the Talon Media Remote. There was absolutely no setup involved aside from placing the batteries inside it. I have read some reviews complaining that they had troubles with the remote's infrared getting to the console. Personally, this remote is working better than my Vizio TV remote. It may also help that my Xbox is on an open shelf of the TV stand with no interference such as cabinet doors.
The remote itself feels well-made. The material feels soft but has more than adequate grip. The entire backing comes off in order to add or replace batteries, which can be annoying to some, but it really makes the remote look nicer and it feels nicer to hold.
The remote also has a nifty backlighting so you can see in the darkest of times. Others have complained that the backlighting needs to sustain itself for just a little bit longer so they can find their desired button. I had experienced no trouble with that until I really needed the backlighting, and I couldn't agree more- hence the 4 stars instead of 5.
The Xbox "Home" button on the remote can turn on your Xbox which has completely eliminated my need for a controller when I just want to watch a movie or show. And the remote doesn't have to constantly be turned on and connected again when you haven't touched it for so long, unlike the Xbox controllers. That has been most handy for me.
If you want to use a simple, cheaper but well made remote to watch your shows and movies instead of your controller, this is an excellent option!
Hope I could help you with your decision. Godspeed.
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video-games_xbox
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What hath Bioware wrought. It's difficult to know what to say about Bioware's newest offering in the Dragon Age series. The style of the game has shifted drastically, and it's entirely possible that a lot of that will just come down to personal preference. One thing is certainly true though: this game is far-removed from it's predecessor.
The first game received a large quantity of DLC post-release. I mention this mostly because of a common criticism of content such as Awakenings, Witch Hunt, and so on -- that they seemed short or rushed. This could often be explained away as they weren't full-length releases, and some issues in dialog or character development are to be expected. Origins itself had many bugs and issues. In fact, if you're playing the 360 version as of now (shortly after the release of DA:2), there are STILL broken elements in the ending which were never patched and don't accurately reflect your character's actions. Therefore, it perhaps bears mentioning that Bioware was seemingly in the habit of continuing to release (rushed?) content while failing to patch the original game.
That aside, Origins was monumental achievement in world creation. The amount of lore poured into the game was nothing short of astounding. One of the better elements is that every weapon/item you found had a nice paragraph type description. The titular origins personalized your character, and described your place in the world (whether elf, human mage, dwarf noble, etc.). Conversations took place through a dialog tree, where you selected a sentence spelling out your characters response (with the option to attempt skill-based options like persuade/intimidate interspersed). The extent of choice was not always what it could've been (in-world choices were almost always dichotomies) and your character origin often didn't have the impact it probably should have. The original game's combat emulated combat from Baldur's Gate series in attempt at real time tactical play, but that interface worked poorly for consoles, which resulted in what "appeared" to be a third person action type game. Of course, it wasn't an action game, and combat seemed slow comparatively and suffered from pathing issues and the like.
Dragon Age 2 had a lot to live up to. A giant world of potential had been created, but there were issues too. I think most players hoped that bugs in the original wouldn't be present this time around at release (things like glitched weapon damage, pathing issues, occasionally broken or poorly balanced combat) and that the promises of the first game would bear more fruit this time around (better integrated origin stories, more choices, etc.).
What we have received is a mixed bag.
The combat no longer has the same pathing issues, as you can manually run up and whack someone, a la . However, the tactical element has gotten worse, if anything. Most of the larger battles in DA2 seem to consist of endless streams of opponents appearing out of nowhere till the encounter is over. Gone is the aspect of setting traps or sizing the numbers of your opponents (because reinforcements will literally fall from the sky). Everything is sped up, but this seems to do little but make managing multiple characters more difficult. The combat animations have become comically ridiculous. A warrior with a two-handed blade leaps across the field like one of the jedi in Knights of the Old Republic, he wields a comically-over-sized sword in the vein of Final Fantasy, he swings it like it's weight-less, and can do this repeatedly to the same enemy giving the appearance of rapid wiffle-bat style attacks. Mages handle their staves like pole-dancers/band-leaders twirling back and forth as they fire blasts. The result is that the supposedly physically weak mages come off as half-acrobat. This is a gigantic style shift. Both the animations and graphics follow a comic sort of aesthetic devoid of the realism championed in the first game. The resulting characters seem less real, more like comics. The combat is now a less thoughtful and more button mashing sort of affair, and even on the higher difficulties - the combat fails to have the tactical requirements of even a game like Devil May Cry (on a low difficult).
The origins were announced to be out earlier on. Instead, the only playable option is a human noble (who starts out without any current claim to wealth). It seems painful that the nuanced variety from the earlier title has been replaced by the oldest possible cliche - a human from a noble family in a bad place. The story is less about impending doom, and more of a character study than the previous game.
The dialog system has shifted to a more simplistic one, instead of actually telling you what your character will be saying - a large symbol representing the nature of the response (halo, red fist, laughing mask, etc.) is shown on a wheel. The wheel format is fine; the dumbing down of the selections is somewhat insulting though.
The locations are generally pretty, but are repeated constantly. It's difficult to state this strongly enough. You will revisit the exact same areas time and time again. I don't mean you'll visit Al's Bar many times, but rather that if there was a map/area called Al's Bar, the exact same map would be seen again but called a smuggler's hideout, friend's house, etc. but maybe with different rooms closed off (but not altered) for the different areas. Oddly, the game's mini-map will always be the same for these locations, so you'll recognize the map easily, but the map gives no indication that a certain area is closed off this time. Basically, the area re-use and selective portion cut-off renders the mini-map pointless and misleading.
Your ability to customize your characters is more limited this time around. You can equip them with whatever sort of accessories you like, but their armor is fixed. You can find "upgrades" to their armor (which are added with no visible change). This has an interest side-effect. All the armor-type loot you find is only usable by your character; so any armor not made for your class or wearable by you is utterly useless. Armor in this game has been given two ability requirements (as opposed to what was the prior game's single requirement), and they're largely class dependent. Mages use willpower/magic, rogues use dexterity/cunning, and warriors use strength/constitution.
As an aside: The former title armor was occasionally class-restricted, but usually there was only a strength requirement. So, rogues didn't wear heavy armor, because it was heavy and their strength was probably too low. Heavy armor could also restrict ability use. An interested character in the first game could probably divert the statistics to raise strength to equip armor though, regardless of the wisdom of such a move. The second game effectively prevents characters from that sort of experimentation. By requiring TWO stats for equipment, the game effectively tells the player: "your stats need to go here". A mage attempting to wear warrior armor for example, would have great difficulty diverting points from magic (Even ignoring willpower) to both strength AND constitution.
The story generally seems less deep, and more like a collection of side-stories. The recycled nature of the environments don't help when it comes to pulling you into unique locations. Most of the party members are likable, though they suffer in some ways from the new art-style in my opinion (compare the relatively modest females in Dragon Age Origins with the ludicrously over-sized breasts of a character like Isabella (or Bethany in the intro)).
So, what are we left with? The game isn't the RPG it's predecessor was. The design seems to have focused on a younger and perhaps more mainstream audience. Much of stat/customization elements have been pared down. The dialog is more basic and represented by large pictures. The art/combat/graphic style has received a comic-book makeover. The game plays more like a action RPG with less tactics. The story is less engaging, more fragmented, the reality and gravity seems to have been kicked down a notch (if only by the art-style, the incongruity of the combat with "reality", and the considerably more cliche story). In short, this is a game that seems more like a side-story/spin-off produced by another studio as a quick cash-in than an actual sequel. It's worth mentioning perhaps, that yes, this one has plenty of bugs too.
However, this game was actually made by Bioware. The changes are incredibly perplexing. The first game was a huge success, why did they change the formula so much? Perhaps these were decisions that had to be made to get the game out in a rush (writing all those origins might've been hard? Making different areas is hard? Allowing you to customize more than one character is hard? Giving you more choices is hard?). The result is a thoroughly average game, made worse by the fact that it's so clearly rushed, and that it's made by one of the largest names in the RPG world/published by one of the wealthiest publishers out there. I could see people that didn't play the first one, that like more mindless games, and don't really care about story getting some enjoyment out of this game. It's not for me.
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video-games_xbox
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What lies at the bottom of the sea. Bioshock - Circa 2007
GOOD:
- Beautiful graphics with a very unique art style.
- Unique and original story that is mature, in not only the great story telling way but the bloody and violent way (think Edgar Allen Poe meets Rob Zombie or Gattaca meets Saw), To make a long story short this game is not meant for kids (also note this game has some foul words).
- Use genetic powers to great effect like shooting a hive of hornets from your arm or freeze/burn people and objects or even trick enemies with life like decoys. Also get several different types of not only guns (like the Tommy Gun, Shot Gun, Grenade Thrower and Chemical Thrower) but also different types of ammo (like Armor Piercing, Explosive Shot, Freeze Shot and Electric Shot).
- Interact with the environment; electrocute water (and the people standing in it), use telekinesis to throw and move objects (even throw a rocket back at its shooter, this effect works very much like the Gravity Gun in Half-Life 2), set up booby traps like electric trip wires, land minds, as well as spring pads.
- Great A.I. that not only can really fight back and set up tactics (like flanking and covering) but also stalk the player to sneak up and try to kill the player. Also note that the enemies will not always try to kill you but sometimes try to kill each other, seeing as there are many groups that are at war with each other in this game. Another noted effect is that the enemies will flee when losing a fight and go to an ammo/health pick-up machine in order to even their odds (you can also ahead of time booby trap said machines).
- Great and realistic sounds effect, which really help drive mood as well as theme, also note that the music ranges from period pieces that drive the games theme (like Papa loves Mambo, and Unforgettable) and mood pieces that help establish the horror/action atmosphere of the game.
- Top notch voice acting that really drive home the games story, setting, era, and mood, note that some voice-overs are not only passionate and memorable but will creepy you out.
BAD:
- Some might feel that the endings (one good and one bad) are a lack-luster compared to the rest of the game.
- System hacking mini game (which plays like the old game Pipe Dream on Game boy) might get old/annoying after a while.
- Game is fairly linear, which will make replays of this game less enjoyable to some players.
IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- A unique style which is a mix of Art Deco, industrial, and something all its own.
- The game takes place in 1960 but a Sci-Fi theme runs through out, with things like flying robots and underwater cities. It should be noted that nothing here feels out of place and tacked on (think something like the movies Dark City or Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow).
- Most of this games story comes in the form of spoken dialog from either audiotapes you pick up and listen to or people who talk to you over your short-range radio, this is how most of this games story is played out and told, although you can skip the audiotapes if you want, but you will also be skipping most of the story (the story brings to mind books like The Shining and 1984).
- Fight characters called "Big Daddies"/"Mr. Bubbles" who are huge monstrous creatures that look like they got on heavily armored diving suites from the 1930's; these guys/things are tough and will take all your power and skill to defeat (think the Nemesis from Resident Evil 3). After you beat them you get either kill or save another creature called the "little sisters" which are these 5 year old looking little girls, it should be noted that these "little sisters" are filled with a power source (a genetic material called ADAM) that your character needs to level up.
- Switching between plasmids or weapons on the fly can be a bit frustrating in combat unless you hold down the Left/Right bumpers (think of theses like the Xbox 360's versions of R1 and L1), doing this will pause the game and left you pick your weapon and plasmid.
GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- System Shock (PC)
- Fallout (PC)
- Condemned: Criminal Origins (360)
- Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion (PC, 360, PS3)
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- There is a demo out for this game on Xbox Live Marketplace.
- In the limited collector's edition you get a "Big Daddy" figure (they are one of the more noted characters of the game, who look like they wear those old time diving suites) you will also find a DVD that has videos with the "the Making of Bioshock" documentaries and it even comes with Soundtrack.
- Originally the "little sisters" characters were supposes to be a type of sea slug, but it was change to look like a little girl so the player (you) would have a conflicting emotion about if you should kill them (the "little sisters") and take their power or let them go and not get much power.
- The books and ideas that inspired the story of this game came from the novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand.
- This game is also on the PC.
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video-games_xbox
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Oh man. I have not played this game on PC2 but it sounds like what I am about to say for Xbox is even worse in PlayStation2 mode. Mafia The Game for PC is my favorite game of all time. I spent a year of my life all day and night playing this game. I was going through a divorce and this was a GREAT escape and I loved it. I spent 6 months just on Free Ride and never got tired of it. Then the missions, the shootouts, the wild chases, criminals and police all coming after me, not even GTA could match this. Then my new computer had some sort of video glitch and even after trying 2 video cards, my processor kept burning up (so no matter games on the PC. I recently got an XBox and thought I would take my favorite game for a spin. I would have to say honestly this isn't even the same game. The graphics are not good, very fuzzy and not clear looking at all. Worse, on Free Ride, suddenly all the police have vanished from the streets. The police were an intregate part of the game before and made things exciting. You didn't just have to worry about speeding, or the criminals, but the police were always watching you and on your tail. Part of the fun was trying to get away with 4-5 cars full of police and 4-5 Mafia cars chasing you, in and when you get out of the car and try to run, shoot, hide, etc. Also, I noticed it was very easy to run over the bad guys dressed in black. They seem to go down like a sitting duck. And to shoot them was the same, even a bullet somewhat close they were dead. Also the pedestrians act differently, and whole groups of them get into same positions (almost overlapping one another) and you cannot accuratly fight with them, shoot them, or whatever. The accuracy of the game is not even close to the original Mafia PC game. I also noticed as I started some missions, the police are barely noticable even if you speed around the whole city at 100 mph. The game has to reset EVERYTIME you go over the bridge and if you finally did get the police to chase you, the XBox will crash right at that moment. Also, the characters repeat the same lines over and over again endlessly. There are a few new lines they read, but they repeat the same ones sometimes 3,4,5, times in a row. The accuracy, innovation, realism, and precision of the PC game is not evident here. I can understand now why this company decided not to make a Mafia 2 and decided to shelf the whole Mafia francise plans. You have to make a great game GREAT on all flatforms. The other games I have tried on XBox are awesome (even better then the PC) because my screen is bigger, on a grander scale, and better looking then when you view it on a 15 or 17 inch monitor. But with Mafia, this game looks like a copy of the original. Even their new RACE mode has spectators clapping that look phony as a $3 bill. That sums it all up, I doubt the same people who made the PC game were even involved with this project. if you have ever played Mafia on the console and wondered what all the hype was about, you are right. But get a PC version and play it on a good computer with a good graphics card and you will see why this game ranks RIGHT UP THEIR with GTA and actually as far as accuracy, animations, action, and AI it can't be beat. Again that goes for the PC version, XBox, don't waste your money.
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video-games_xbox
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It's a great game with playability issues. I personally haven't played a Tony Hawk game since his Pro Skater 2 and 3 for the PSone/2. For those that haven't played this series for a while but have in the past, don't worry, the controls are all essentially the same as back in the day. You can still use the d-pad for the entire game, you still have to pull off unbelievable tricks and rack up a god-awful amount of points to beat "goals". Most of the aging hippie line-up you remember from THPS2 are still there, only looking a lot older than before. Overall, this should have been called Tony Hawk 2007, because there isn't anything revolutionary beyond the slo-motion trick mode that caught my eye.
You start off with a stock skater you build on your own that is desperately trying to be ranked within the top 8 skaters in the world. This person has the chance to be Tony Hawk's maidservant on his pro skate tour. You get to talk to people around your area that give you quests to do, like retrieve golf balls, do an amazing trick off a fence or ramp, or chase a guy around that videos you while you do tricks. All the while, you are trying to build up your reputation and rank against a group of 200 faceless other skaters all competing for the same prize. This becomes a recurring theme throughout the game.
Project 8 is all about trial-and-error gameplay. If you screw up a trick, get back up and do it again. You'll end up doing a trick over-and over up to 100 times just to land it exactly the way the game tells you to. And when I say exactly, I stress that in the highest. You also have a time limit on some quests to complete a set number of goals. If you can't get all of the goals completed, you get back up and keep going over and over till you get it right. If this doesn't sound like fun, then this game isn't for you.
The open-ended gameplay of being able to skate on virtually everything (even water) and just bust out crazy tricks and bone-crunching bails to your hearts content makes the game fun on its own. You can run over people you skate by style without any penalty to you, or try to grind on that unbelievably high pole in the air. Nail the trick mode was an interesting part of the game, as you try to bust out a timed board move in mid-air, in slow motion. This was probably the best feature I found in the game, as it gave you a chance to invent your own tricks.
That is unfortunately where the fun ends. If you want to progress anywhere in the game or open up new areas, you must complete somewhat easy, but then ludicrously hard goals. These goals are pretty much the same thing from every other Pro Skater game that's hit the market in the past. Collect letters, find the secret area, wallgrind the posters, rack up 50,000 points etc. The gameplay of Project 8 felt no different than GTA3 now except you're not packing heat and bustin'a cap on the locals. Your character never talks, never gets to make decisions on their own, and ultimately seems pretty shallow in that their only goal in life is to be recognized by Tony Hawk.
According to Activision, this game was made "with great care" for the XBOX 360 and is considered the flagship version of the game. So why am I experiencing slowdown when going into certain areas? Why can't I get to build my own skate park like I could in Tony Hawk 2? What happened to being able to place your own stats where you wanted them, rather than having to do the same spin move over and over to build your character up?
At the core, Project 8 is a great game because it gives you a skater world like no other. It will always be a good game because busting out crazy tricks like you can in this game will always look cool to spectators watching people play. You will find no game with greater accuracy to trick names, board styles, and celebrity endorsements. All the clothing, skateboard logos and the latest emo fashions are available, with a great punk/hip-hop soundtrack. I just don't get why the game feels so shallow and bugged after all these years, especially on a next generation system. Hopefully Activision will work out the kinks, and maybe finally give the Tony Hawk series a 2008 name. Then again, skaters never like to conform to the norm.
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video-games_xbox
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Good graphics, good guns...not so great story line though. Halo was my first x-box game ever! my parents tricked me on christmas by hiding the wrapped up x-box, and leting me open halo first! Well, I beat the game on easy, normal, and finally heroic, and I loved the game! the weapons are preatty good, the enemies are very interesting, and the graphics were preaty good. the story line of halo one was good: A UNSC space ship was on the run from covanent cruisers, and find this interesting ring! they find out that halo is a super weapon, built by alien forrunners, and that it will eliminate all life in the universe to keep the flood from spreading. The goal of the game was to destroy halo, and get off it before you too (the master chief, spartan 117, who is a superhuman soldier) are destroyed. The end of the game was good, because halo was mostly destroyed, and the master chief got off alive! the second game, however, lakes greatly in story line! the first level is when the chief is recieving awards for destroying halo. Cortana, the AI with you in the first game, got an upgrade, and you see captain keyes's daughter. Well, the covanent attack earth, and the chief has to protect the station your on. you get oriented with te new weapons (the assault rifle has been replaced by the SMG and the battle rifle, and the pistol is much weaker, with no scope) and you basicaly defetat all covanent in space! then you go to earth's surface, and destroy enemies there. But next, you board marand keyes ship, the amberclad, and jump with a prophet's space ship. now you and the marine crew aboard find the second halo! the rest of the game takes place there.
On a few levels, you play as an elite who failed to kill the chief in the first game. he becomes arbiter of the covanent forces, and has his own missions.
The new weapons are not better: their mostly down graded. for example, the sniper no longer has a scope light, and the shot gun is weaker. the covanent weapons though got better. needealers shoot much faster. you can also use two one handed weapons at the same time (duel wield).
Buy the damn game...It kicks ass!!!!
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video-games_xbox
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Very Gripping Campaign. The only games I own by Ubisoft are the AssassinsCreed series (all 5) but I've never tried any of the other titles until I bought this one. Open world games are extremely fun in my opinion, and the ability to "free roam" and do quests in any order you like is a major plus with me. Let me start off by saying that I was been blown away by the amount of content this game packs ...... there is just so much to do here. What's also great is what so many other reviewers have mentioned already, you can strategize in so many different ways to complete your objectives. Stealthy ? .... then sneak around and throw rocks and take your enemies out w/a close range takedown, or go in full bore throwing grenades with guns firing away. My favorite style is using the Sniper. I would say the most satisfy part of the game is doing the Out Posts, what a blast !! I think someone wrote about this already, but being able to hide crouched in the bushes and shoot open an animal cage, then watch the predator maul everyone in camp is pretty cool stuff. Ubisoft did well in this area, just a great job.
The hunting can be very rewarding and I compare it to Red Dead Redemption & Assassins Creed 3. What separates FC3 from those titles is the 1st person perspective. The predators strike w/o warning sometimes ... I've been attacked by alligators, sharks, snakes and EVEN some dogs !! Because crafting is such a vital part of upgrades, and the "need" to carry more ammo becomes more important, devouting some time solely to hunting every now and then is beneficial.
I've put in many hours already and I have not dug very deep into the campaign but the story pulls you right in immediately. Being captured on a remote island and being put into a position to rescue your friends and escape may sound like its been done before, but the story writers really know how to draw you in and make you CARE and get after the bad guy .... he's heartless and I look forward to taking him down.
Controls: If you've played any of the Assassins Creed games you'll notice a familiar feel with certain parts of the game. In AC you do all of the viewpoints to open up the map and reveal locations, in FC3 you need to do Radio Towers to do basically the same thing. I had some issues with the controls because I've been playing Halo 4 recently. Grenade controls and Melee attacks are opposite, I'm finally geting used to it now !! Driving can be a little quirky at times but its not bad. I cannot comment on the multiplayer because I have not tried it yet ....... BUT I have not even finished the game and I already bought the DLC, that should tell you how much I like this game.
I am so glad I got an email from Amazon when they had this as the deal of the day. The delivery was fast and it arrived earlier than expected.
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video-games_xbox
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Wherefore art thou, content. If you order this, I do hope you like a good deathmatch--because that's what this game is. It's definitely made for multiplayer. I think my first hint to this effect was when I tried to start a new game and realized the only levels here were training missions.
After a little initial uncertainty--after all, wasn't Shadowrun always an RPG?--I finally realized what I was in for. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't all bad. It's just that I felt a little like I was playing a demo for a full version out there somewhere, not yet released. I felt like I was getting a taste of what the game would be like when it was finished--but what I did get tasted good.
Basically, there are only two modes (boo): capture the flag and standard CS-style fragfest. Pretty simple there.
The magic and gear is where it gets fun. You have a number of spells and tech you can purchase during rounds, using money you earn through kills and captures. Teleport lets you blink through walls, Strangle fills an area up with damaging crystals, Smoke turns you temporarily invulnerable, and so on. Using these adds an extra element to the gameplay--each player can customize which spells they'll use, so every opponent is a unique challenge.
You can also buy extra weapons, but there are only a handful to choose from. That was a little disappointing.
Other than that, there's nothing to this game. (Really.)
The graphics were good character and effects-wise, but level-wise they weren't so hot. The walls and floors are the same large cut-and-paste wallpapering we put up with on the Xbox but didn't expect to see in the current gen as often; no details here. Just giant chunks of identical concrete, one after the other. The one spot the level graphics do shine is in the distant backgrounds, where you might see a pretty cityscape or two.
I'd comment on the music, but there isn't any.
While Shadowrun is good for a bit of quick fun, there's no substance here. I feel like I got a repackaged shooter with the skins on the characters changed and little else. I definitely didn't get any kind of satisfaction out of playing it.
Don't let this title dissuade you from playing other Shadowrun offerings, though. The venerable SNES title is especially fun.
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video-games_xbox
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More games please. Wow, all of a sudden it's been a year since the Xbox One released. After this long it's probably fair to rate the console accurately.
I'm still frustrated about an extra $100 for a Kinect that I never wanted in the first place. One thing I will say though is that the voice commands work extremely well, and it's fun to record clips every time something cool happens when you're playing. You can still do this without the Kinect but it involves going to the home screen and suspending play. Not ideal for online shooters, but it's still possible. Some of the other functionality like linking your cable I have not done and haven't had much desire to. The Kinect also logs you in automatically based on facial recognition, which is handy if you have multiple users in the house. It's a ton more accurate in general and while not worth $100 on top of the price of a PS4, I will admit that it's part of my experience now every time I turn the system on.
I like the new layout based on what MS has been pimping for a year or two now. The content I'm not crazy about. We still don't have HBOGo, which my Xbox 360 has. That's inexcusable. They don't give much pub to new downloadable games, demos, etc. What you see most of is ads for full retail games and buying movies and TV shows on your Xbox One, which I have never had any intention of doing dating back to the 360.
I never thought the controller would be much improvement over the 360. Boy was I wrong. It's amazing. Same layout we're familiar with, but better sticks, better triggers, WAY better battery life, and vibration feedback from four different motors that actually feels awesome. Guns, missiles, rockets, and explosions all feel different. Revving the engine of a sports car in a game never felt this great. I cannot state it enough: the controller is the best to come out since the original DualShock.
As for the games......well I'm still waiting. Thank god I love Titanfall as much as I do, because otherwise I would have a $500 Netflix machine on my hands. At launch I purchased Dead Rising 3 and Forza. Dead Rising 3 is highly recommended and I got a good 2 months out of that game, playing almost every day. Forza I keep giving a chance to but I just don't see what all the hype is about. I traded it for Titanfall, and I'm still waiting for my next Xbox One game. Don't get me wrong there are good games on the system, but frankly nothing else that screams next gen and has the quality to back it up. With the holiday season approaching and some potentially killer titles on the horizon I have hope for the future, but both the Xbox One and PS4 need to start churning out quality games on a regular basis. Like I said, it's been a year. If Evil Within isn't as good as I'd hoped I'll be waiting until February for Evolve.
It's a nice system with a few things that bug me including a few niggles not worth mentioning given all that I've typed. It's just.....give us some games! Destiny is a polished-looking turd, and other than that we're left with mostly ANOTHER Madden, ANOTHER Lego game, ANOTHER Assassin's Creed, etc. etc. etc. Both consoles have a ways to go to and in a hurry to justify a day one purchase the next time around.
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video-games_xbox
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Fun, unique Kinect game. This is a fun, unique Kinect game that offers tons of variety and replay value, either alone, or with others. It is important to note that this is a collection of mini-games, not tied together with any story. If you are looking for depth in gaming, this isn't for you.
The games are fun and easy to learn. The Kinect controls are perfect, and I rarely noticed any mistracking or errors due to the Kinect sensor. The games utilize the full ability of Kinect: there's some stomping, throwing, bending, noise making -- in essence, if there's something you can do with your body, this game will require you to do it. Some of the games will have you a bit winded, and if you play this game for quite some time, you're getting an effective workout.
The game makes great use of augmented reality to actually put you and your room in the game. One game in particular has you dodging bombs, lasers, and traps as they appear on your room's floor -- along with you. Even the opening title sequence places your room into the window of an apartment. It's a great touch and attention to detail.
The real fun occurs when more than one player is involved. The single-player games are modified for multiple players to make use of more than one player -- depending on the mode you select, it either requires cooperation or competition. The teamwork modes force you to think quickly and beat the clock, since most of the mini games are two or three minutes. It's great fun for family, especially since the game snaps photos during the sessions and displays them on-screen. A lot of times one player can't really see what the other player is doing, but the photos end up showing the "whole picture".
The game has incredible replay value due to several creative Xbox 360 achievements. The more you play, the more you'll unlock. In this game, it's about quantity and time -- the developers made sure you'll come back again and again.
Overall, this is a great game that will make you smile often. It's the type of game that you can play for either a few minutes or for hours at a time, whenever you want to play something that doesn't require too much thinking. I recommend this as a great Kinect game that's really fun for either a single player or a small to large groups.
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video-games_xbox
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Poor Quality for the Price. I like that the Turtle Beach headsets have the built-in sound, since I work at night and this way I can turn off the TV volume and not wake my husband up when I play/chat. That's about the best thing I can say about this product.
When I got my headset a little over a year ago, the cable did not work properly. I had to turn it a certain way to get the mic to work, and if I moved the mic function would cut off. This seemed to subside after awhile and got better, but now the chat function refuses to work at all unless I push part of the cable in towards the volume control unit. Basically I need to buy their replacement cable. IMO this should not be happening after a year. It's not like these headsets are inexpensive by any means.
The worst thing about Turtle Beach headsets, as many others have noticed, is the BUZZING. Whenever the mic function does decide to work, there is a constant, annoying buzzing sound in my ear. It ranges from loud to quiet depending on the day, but it's always irritating. I thought it was a defect until I read so many complaints about the same thing and realized all of these headsets are like that.
The headphones are bulky and hurt my head after awhile. This is a minor complaint next to the poor quality talkback cable and the constant, annoying buzzing sound.
I sort of compare these to Beats by Dre - poor quality, but they sell like hot cakes for an expensive price due to their brand name.
***Edit***
As of October 2014, I am completely fed up with this product. I bought a $14.99 replacement talkback cable, which fixed the problems I mentioned earlier. That cable had less buzzing also. Now that cable has also failed (or some other aspect of the unit), and I can no longer hear the game sound through the earphone. I can hear other players talking, but not the game's sound itself. So I can either drop another $14.99 on another cable which may or may not work, or just accept that this headset is a POS and stop using it altogether. What a waste of money. DO NOT BUY.
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video-games_xbox
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Huge dissapointment. The first horizon was a much better game by a long shot. In this one the graphics are okay, I've seen much better graphics on the 360. I think the graphics in the first game were better. , on this version everything feels a bit unrendered and bland. The graphics in this game are quite different from the first game as well, you see a lot more reflections on your car and the colors are slightly darker and more vibrant. This SOUNDS good but when at dusk or dawn everything is all dark and has a lot of glare. And at night you see EVERYTHING reflect off your car which is cool but not realistic. The car control in the game is not NEARLY as realistic as the first game, the first horizon had a perfect mix between an arcade and a sim, this one however, it doesn't have that mix right, you get the worst parts of each. As far as bugs go....... THIS GAME IS TERRIBLE WHEN IT COMES TO GLITCHES... In the final race in one of the corners, if you take it wide you hit an invisible wall that pops up out of nowhere and occasionally fall through the ground, the driving line is completely useless... It's completely inaccurate more often then not. Most of the time it tells you to brake way to early or WAY to late. And many times it starts telling you to brake and then starts to tell you to swerve left and right until you lose control, this affects the AI drivers a lot which makes winning the final race much to easy. There are many buildings that have parts that can be driven through, one that is floating in the air. And every once in a while your car will begin to bump around and waddle and then you will lose control (This usually only happens in low AWD cars though). As far as the storyline goes, well...... It sucks terribly compared to the first game. You have to feeling of accomplishment like you do in the first game. In the first game you can become the most popular driver, race famous drivers, race for pinkslips, etc. But in this game, the classes are designed so you never actually have to buy a fast car. You could literally beat the main storyline by just driving a bone stock Fiat 500. And probably the biggest problem of all is how difficult it is to make money! SPOILER ALERT: By winning the Horizon final in the first game you get 5,000,000 CR in the second game you get 27,500 CR!! WHAT THE HECK WERE THEY THINKING!? In conclusion, I like this game, but Turn 10 and Playground Games should NOT have let Sumo digital (Who I had never heard of until now) make another one of their games. They had so much to live up to with the first Forza Horizon that this game was bound to flop (At least on the 360) So would I recommend this game? Not really, but it's not entirely intolerable.
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video-games_xbox
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Can d/l this game for $25 don't buy $50 disc. Wow, I feel bad for all these 1 star disc buyers. Not only did they get charged 2x what the game was selling for if you simply downloaded it, but on top of that seems like the disc copy sucks.
Anyway I bought chapter 1 back in July (?) and finished the game with the last chapter this month. I give this game 5 stars for sheer originality. There are AAA $50-$60 rpgs out there that only dream of reaching the level of immersion this little gem from an Indie producer has done with TWD. The tension between the characters as the game progresses gets so thick you feel like it's sitting right next to you in the room, watching you play. But before I go into that... the story start off almost like the start of a TV drama series. Lee (Somethingorother) is being hauled off to jail for a crime of passion that resulted in murder, the state trooper bringing him to the pen. doesnt see the homeless looking stranger wander on to the highway...an accident ensues...the game begins.
Lee is befriended by a girl who's parents spent the weekened in Macon...together, they come across a family of 3 and together they have a plan to find a boat and wait this thing out just off shore. From this point forward, the game does an AMAZING job of character analysis, though the use of voicework, assigning you to give out limited resources to the group and having the NPCs remember your actions (you fed this person, you backed up that person's story, you saved this person's life over that one's).
Each chapter links to the one before and after it. Your decisions on matters are remembered by the group, people of like-mind will side with you, people who aren't will speak up. There could be (and most likely will be) some heated discussions, maybe some fisticuffs get thrown...you can feel the pressure of the ZA getting to everyone, fraying their nerves, people start nipping at each other over small things.
TL;DR - If you like zombies; a great story; a TON of unexpected events and something totally out of the ordinary, then try this game out
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video-games_xbox
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Great Media Device. Before I say anything else I want to say. I waited WAY too long to get a remote for the Xbox One. If you recently got an Xbox One as a gift for someone or for yourself. Buy a remote! especially if you didn't get a play and charge kit, you will be a lot happier overall. It will be worth it later.
I've also included photos of this remote and comparison photos to my other two remotes (Tv remote and Cable remote) along side the MS Media remote.
Quick non-wordy breakdown:
Pros:
- Easy to use.
- Battery saver.
- Great for Media (Netflix, blu-ray, youtube, etc..)
- Backlit for night time visibility (lights up when moved.)
- Comfortable in the hand.
- Didn't cost 25 bucks...
Cons:
- Buttons are very "Firm".
- Backlighting only lasts a few seconds
- Button arrangement/layout leaves something to be desired.
I like the feel of the remote and how brightly it can glow. I also appreciate that it came with a pair of batteries. However, it only stays lit for a few seconds and it dims in like 2-3 seconds leaving you little time to find buttons in the dark if you happen to be looking for a specific button. The top most button "dashboard" button does not light up at all and neither do the A, B, X, and Y buttons. They do have a nice bright paint on them though which is great if you do have light to see them...
It's super easy to use. Just point and click once the batteries are in.
I like the idea that this remote is an all in one including the normal controller buttons. However, I'd really like it if the 'back' button or the B button were closer to the radial selector. I feel like the Microsoft remote has a better overall layout in this regard. It's a lot more like a normal TV remote in the layout making a bit more intuitive to use. I'd also like to say that the buttons, especially the radial selector are a bit firm. By that I mean the force needed to actually press the button is more than I'd like it to be. Feels like I have to press through the layer of silicone or rubber material in order to press it. In comparison, the Microsoft remote while similar is still much easier to press the buttons on. (Not a huge problem but definitely something I'm not a fan of.)
I like how it feels in my hand and the material feels the same overall as the Microsoft Media remote. If I was to break this down into a price basis. You technically get a lot more for the same overall quality and feel as the Microsoft Media remote. However, I do not have my cable hooked up into the Xbox One so I cannot test that portion and I'm not sure how useful the added buttons like the number pad really are. Apparently, I cannot even turn the volume up or down unless this is done. A huge drawback.
I will update this later when I route the cable into the xbox and try using the media controls that way.
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video-games_xbox
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Waste of time and money. I tried to like it, I really really tried, but it's so badly made I couldn't like it. But I wanted to, don't get me wrong here. Some of it was fun.
-Camera control was awful, really it's some of the worst I've seen. Likely much better on the PC.
-Movement was again awful, even to simple things like walking up a fire escape, became annoying, Again probably better on PC.
-Cover system, was really bad, plus the camera control mixed, made it all bad.
-Weapon aiming, again some of the worst ever, PC would be ok, I'm sure.
-Weapon selection, is so bad, really? Left or right on the d-pad? With this many guns, why not hold a button and select from a weapon wheel, or something.
-Driving was bad, so very bad, sloppy steering, the cars are all over the place, and the motorcycles are un-drivable. I like the driving in Red Faction Guerilla, that was slickly done, or maybe just done right.
-Graphics are not really that good, not even for when the game was released, but graphics don't make a good game, so I over looked that fact.
-Mission selection, where are my check points? Ok so I drive all the way across the city and try out a mission, I die, ok that's not bad, I'll just try again, but when you have to restart you have to drive again all the way back across the city and hope you don't fail again. Not all missions are like this, but it seems like the hard ones are. Why can't there be check point throughout the mission? Like every other game out there.
-The story was ok I guess, but didn't interest me, I suppose I like sci-fi games, and that seems to do it for me.
So all in all, as this was my first GTA game, it will probably be my last, because over all I have never been this pissed off at a game, ever. Oh and I tried to trade it back to at least get some of the money I paid for it, but they said "no we have to many of those we can't take it" I think that says a lot about the game when they refuse to take a trade in.
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video-games_xbox
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It Took a Few Tries to Love It, or, How to Pinball to Godhood. You may enjoy this game if:
-you like fantasy and sci-fi
-you enjoy developing a given character to make it more and more effective
-you are willing to try something new and put some time into it.
You may hate this game if:
-you need to have constant control over your point of view
-you need very clear directions on how to do things to enjoy them
-you are committed to single-player games - co-op is a lot of the experience
-you need a lot of variety in enemies and scenery rather than development of your character
Like many games, Too Human follows the idea the core concept of a game's interest is in the development of the most enjoyable character, not the wide variety of situations that you are thrown into. It's more an RPG than an action game, yet it's far more of an action game than most RPGs. For that reason, it's one of the most enjoyable games on the 360 for me, falling only behind Fallout 3 and possibly Borderlands for sheer enjoyment.
Once you get the mechanics of the game down and begin to understand the game, it becomes a flow of threat-assessment at high speed. For most of the characters, melee trumps ranged combat, and it really becomes a 3D game of pinball as you launch a brightly-colored Norse "god" (he's really an enhanced human, so, yes, he dies) at various enemies. It is an absolute blast to begin to speed up as your hit meter fills up and you whirl intelligently across the screen, moving to quickly eliminate the enemy vanguard, double click the stick to "juggle" a tougher enemy up into the air, and then vault into the air for a little mano-a-mano with a three-hit finisher. As the last hammer strike knocks the unfortunate mechanical into a wall far off to the side, a click of the right stick zooms you down into the next baddy, and the controlled riot continues.
Of course, all this comes to a painful end of you go crashing into a group of exploding enemies.
What Too Human lacks in overall variety of enemies and scenarios, it makes up for it with the sub-varieties of enemies. Put basically, there are about 10-15 sub-varieties of each type of enemy, color-coded for your convenience. Know which ones to plow into and which ones you have to suddenly back away from and "plan b" while hordes of goblins lope closer and the spider-like dark elf leader launches another spinning plasma arrow from the left and the troll's hammer slams down and oh, crap, it's a softener so everything is going to hurt for the next five seconds roll back roll back roll back and fierce the sword at it . . .
It really does get that hectic, but is also that fun due to the variety of abilities and the sub-varieties of enemies.
The drawbacks are the lack of camera control, a steep learning curve, and the repetition of the massive four levels. However, the co-op aspect (strategizing with two is even more fun) and the frenetic yet focused aspect of the combat make it much more enjoyable for me than the radial-menu detachment of Dragon Age and the waves of completely identical and predictable enemies in a Dynasty Warriors/ Kingdom Under Fire game.
Simply (too late, I know), I love the game. It took me a few tries to even like it, but if you enjoy the intricacies of character and item development, this $10 gem is a great buy.
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video-games_xbox
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I'm a zombie baby, so why don't you kill me. This game is really something else. I mean, technically speaking we've come a long way. Up until now, I didn't think I'd ever see so many zombies on screen at once. I'm talking hundreds. So many in fact that you literally have to walk on their heads and shoulders when they're filling up a service tunnel wall to wall.
I love the fact that you can use pretty much anything you can find in the game's shopping mall setting to end these miserable creatures lives. Believe me, you haven't lived until you beat the living crap out of a zombie with a giant salmon. You can dispose of these rotten carcasses in dozens of different ways and at the very least, it never gets old even after you've killed over fifty thousand zombies. The control scheme is well mapped, even though it could get a little haphazard when you have to do something in a hurry. Fatal Frame fans will love shooting pics with the camera, which adds a pretty fun element to the game.
Graphics and sound are top notch. The cinemas use the in-game engine and thankfully, the game has top-notch voice acting that won't make you crings like Resident Evil. When you're standing in a zombie infested area, you can hear them growling all around you thanks to some superb surround sound. All the weapons make great sound effects that sound pretty accurate to what they should or would sound like.
Now, while this game is a lot of fun, it's not without its problems. It may get frustrating to some because of its ill planned save system and game clock. It's hard to explain but sometimes you can make a lot of progress, only to literally ruin your entire game because you weren't at a certain place at a certain time. And the save system should've enabled some sort of autosave function, which it sort of has but not the way it should. Also, the AI of the survivors can be pretty clunky sometimes and will do questionable things when you're trying to get them to safety.
There's one problem that this game has which I'm not sure if it affects everyone the same way. The in-game text is really small. Now, I don't have an HDTV at the time of this writing so I don't know if that's where the problem lies but the text is so small that it's really hard to read. Couple this with the fact that a lot of the time, important information is conveyed to you through these text messages and it's entirely possible to miss vital points of info because you just can't read it. Regardless, it's still an inexcusable goof on the part of the developers.
In the end, this game is a lot of fun but I think that people won't fully grasp how to play the game correctly until the first run through. After ending the game, I was able to enjoy it even more the second time around, not to mention that I've saved nearly everyone.
This game is a definite purchase and has great replay value. I didn't even mention the unlockable infinity mode, where you try to stay alive for as long as possible.
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video-games_xbox
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Accurate and FUN, but replace the kick pedal. For the serious Rock Band drummer, these drums bridge the gap between the video-game plastic drums and a real electronic kit. Each 4 pads and two cymbals (a third can be added, sold separately) can be adjusted, tilted, moved, and spread apart to feel more like playing a real drum kit.
PROS:
-Spot-on accurate with no missed notes or any kind of crosstalk between the parts
-velocity sensitive in Rock Band 2
-wide range of positioning of all main parts
-good build quality and solid for $300 e-drums (except *)
-assembly was quite easy, albeit intimidating and lengthy with the numerous parts (between hour and 90 minutes)
CONS:
-HATE the *kick pedal... noisy and cheap feeling.
-velocity doesn't have much dynamic range between light tap and hard bang -- minor point
-somewhat noisy, especially the high hat yellow cymbal
-customization/positioning can lead to confusion and frustration
On that last point: there's a reason the stock Rock Band drums are positioned the way they are... the 4 pads close together makes it easy to play the game, especially for non-drummers. This kit allows moving all the parts around, which is nice for creating the feeling of playing a real drum set -- but once back in the game, it becomes harder to play. Plus, adding cymbals makes additional (albeit optional) targets that take getting used to, so there some "swing and a miss" to overcome. Having a closed high hat cymbal "yellow" to the left of the snare pad "red" is cool to play crossed arms, but during the game yellow is always to the RIGHT of red. Also, the reach to hit "open high hat" on the blue tom is far from yellow cymbal, and it doesn't feel quite right.
There is a learning curve to get used to, and it takes a couple hours of playing and adjusting to get everything just right. Once all the parts were where I wanted and I replaced that awful kick pedal (a high-hat controller on other kits! ...minus 1 star) with a Pearl "Omega Pedal" (mini to 1/4" jack needed), this kit becomes INSANELY FUN in Rock Band 2!!!!
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video-games_xbox
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Deeply flawed, but still a lot of fun. First off, if you're a hardcore simulation fan and are looking for a wheel to enhance the realism of your games, this is not for you. Think of this more as the offspring of a normal Xbox 360 controller and that tiny steering wheel that came with the Wii version of Mario Kart.
In a nutshell, this is a motion-sensitive controller intended to be used for driving games. And by "driving games" I mean Forza 4. Pretty much anything older than that will only recognize it as a generic driving wheel, which may or may not limit your ability to configure it. I've also tried it with NFS: Hot Pursuit, Dirt 3, and Forza 3, and it works reasonably well for steering, brake, and throttle, but you may encounter issues with getting the buttons set up the way you like for anything else.
The greatest flaw with this controller is that it totally lacks the shoulder buttons (LB and RB), meaning that even in Forza 4 you can't navigate certain menus, and any game that relies on those buttons will have problems. This design decision was just plain stupid, and I'd bet good money that if a Wireless Speed Wheel version 2 ever comes out, they'll include these buttons.
That said, I do like this controller. It's cheap enough that I can still geek out and pretend I'm really driving without spending $500 on some crazy driving rig. It's also nicely responsive, and the triggers used for throttle and braking (LT and RT) are vastly superior to those you'd find on a normal controller. It will take a few races to get used to, but once you've figured it out you won't want to play with the normal controller any more. With Forza 4, it also does a nifty thing where the tops of the "U" light up as your engine RPMs increase, the clutch is depressed, and other things. Very nice.
Still, it's flawed. Lacking LB and RB is the most significant problem, but there are other niggles. For instance, if you sit it on a table, it doesn't sit flat. The triggers extend beyond the base, so the only way to sit it down is with the triggers depressed. Fine if you put it on an armrest, but poor design. The vibration is also quite weak, making it almost pointless to have it turned on.
Also, if you have your Xbox set up so that your controllers go to sleep after a certain time period, it may cause problems. At least with Forza 4, a WSW that turns itself off is recognized only as a generic wheel when you turn it back on. This can be a pain, as the default for a generic steering wheel is quite unlike the default for the WSW (if this happens, you may be able to go into controller settings and change it to a similar setup. #5 worked well for me).
While I've focused a bit on the problems with this controller, the truth is that I quite like it. It is what it is, and what it is is a relatively inexpensive approximation of a steering wheel. It's far from perfect, but it's nowhere near as expensive as the real steering wheel controllers, and it's still fun to use. If you want a real steering wheel, save up and buy one. If you want a cheaper alternative, this isn't a bad one, despite the frustrations.
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video-games_xbox
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My review for 7 Days to Die. Ok, first things first. If you're into games like MineCraft then you're going to love this game. If you're not into survival or creation based games then you'll hate this game. I've owned the game for several months now so I have a firm grasp on the game and the things you'll experience while playing. I'll try and use a good amount of detail to let you know whether this game is a good choice for you or not.
Like I said above, this game is a survival based game that also has creation tied into it. When I say a survival game I mean it, too. You can die of starvation, food poisoning, freezing to death, dehydration (or even die from drinking from a bad water source), being mauled to death by a bear, or even being killed by zombies. Yes you read that right, zombies. You can turn off the zombies in this game and just worry about survival but it adds an extra element of difficulty because the zombies in this game can be a bit hard to kill, at least when your first start out.
I also mentioned that it's a creation based game and I'll go a little bit into detail about that. You can make many things in this game and you'll need to if you want your character to survive. Need food? Then you'll have to hunt for it, or grow your own (yes you can farm in this game too), then figure out a way to cook your food. Need water? Then you'll have to find a water source and then find a way to boil the water to kill whatever impurities it may have. Need shelter? Then you'll have to find a place in your travels (there are plenty of places if you know where to look) or you can build your own. You can also make your own clothing, make your own home, or create an underground home if you'd like. You can also make your own weapons. One thing to note is that some weapons require a schematic before you can create it and you usually just find them by chance, although you'll increase your chances if you choose to loot the right stores that relate to the item you want to make. For example, if you want to make a chainsaw you'll need a schematic and you'll have an easier time finding one in a hardware store than you will just finding one randomly laying on the floor in the middle of nowhere.
The game is not without it's problems though. It'll freeze sometimes and just reset itself. Nothing happens to your data, though, it's just an inconvenience is all. Or sometimes, especially if you're playing two player split-screen co-op (yes it has that too) it'll sometimes pause for a second or two while it saves your game. The game is constantly ongoing and it saves every few moments and when this happens it'll usually slow down or pause for a second or two. It's noticeable but it rarely gets in the way. I play with my girlfriend a lot (we built an underground mine type of base, also an underground farm) and although we experience the problems I mentioned above it doesn't stop us from playing it. If you play alone it's still fun because of how challenging it can be.
I hope my review helped you decide on whether or not this game is right for you. I'll say it again, if you're not into creation or survival based games then stay away from this game. If you're into those type of games then by all means give this a go. You won't regret it.
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video-games_xbox
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Good, reliable, easy to set up adaptor, needs two things. I purchased one of these units about 4 months ago and have had reliable performance with this unit when connecting to an old 802.11b router.
Over time I noticed that the router was having problems with signal strength with this adaptor and with other wifi cards. I purchased a D-link WAP 2100AP which did not work due to compatibility problems (see my review for that unit), and then a Linksys WAP54G. It was a bear getting the two units to talk together, so I thought the problem was due to a firmware issue with the adaptor.
Trying to upgrade the firmware on this MN-740 adaptor was next to impossible. Eventually I found info on a newsgroup which said that the firmware upgrade would fail if started on a PC with an ATI video card. After finding a newly built machine with an NVidia video card, the firmware was upgraded easily. However, the problems still persisted.
After much troubleshooting where the Xbox network adaptor
(MN-740) would drop the network connection as soon as I attached the XBOX itself to the network adaptor, I realized that the reason this was happening was the MAC address filtering. In order to have the network adaptor actually join itself to the network, you need to add BOTH the MAC for the adaptor itself AND the MAC for the XBOX into the MAC address filtering ALLOW table for the Linksys access point. I am surprised that this information was not in the user's manual for this unit.
Right now I'm working fine with MAC filtering enabled and 128bit WEP turned ON as well.
= = =
The two things that this unit lacked are:
1. Poor reliability of firmware upgrades and lack of documentation speaking to incompatibilities with ATI video cards.
2. Lack of any documentation speaking to the need to add the MAC address of both the Xbox and the adaptor itself into the allow table of a WAP if using MAC filtering.
Other than those two caveats, I would highly recommend this unit.
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video-games_xbox
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A good upgrade from the original. Ok, I recently bought a 360 again after my PS3 got fried by lightning. I decided that getting another PS3 wasn't an option, since it's still $249 and the PS4's will only be about $150 more when it's released this fall. Until then though, I wanted to get a current generation system to enjoy. After having it now for about a week, I feel comfortable saying this is a heck of an upgrade from the core system I bought after the 360 was originally released.
There are so many positives to highlight for me here. First and foremost has to be the general setup of the 360. It garnered to all things gaming and entertainment. Not that PS3 isn't, but to me, the 360's execution of this makes it the superior overall entertainment console. I particularly love being able to stream Netflix, Hulu and Youtube flawlessly(again PS3 can also do it, but Xbox does it better to me). One particular problem however for streamers like me is you have to have the Xbox Gold Membership in order to stream. Not a deal breaker for me, but some might not like it, since Playstation Network is free to stream through.
I also love how much slimmer this console is in comparison to the original core model. Seems a lot more slim and compact overall. I love the sleek black color and new vent at the top to prevent overheating. I didn't remember the first one being able to open and close the disk tray with the remote(another feature I dig compared to PS3). Plus, when you are close to the power button on the front, you can use the sensor to turn the console on or off(I didn't remember the first one doing that but it's been a while since I had it). All of which you can't do with the PS3. Some might see those as trivial features, but it's a difference maker for me with it being $179 vs. the $249 PS3. For it to be $70 cheaper still than PS3, you sure cannot tell quality wise. If anything, it superior in my opinion for the price. I know the PS3 was way more memory(I think it had 160 gb vs. 4 gb for 360), but I rarely use all the memory anyway.
So far I have been impressed with the overall presentation of the new 4 GB 360. Hopefully I won't encounter the disk drive or power supply problem like some have had. I know on the original, I wound up trashing it after the RROD rendered it useless and bought a PS3 in favor of getting another defective system. I'm hoping that mine will be an exception this time, cause I wouldn't shell out another $200 to get it fixed(rough estimate based on a few reviews here). The risk so far has been worth it and I hope to be playing it well after PS4 and Xbox One are released. If it doesn't, maybe it will last me until then...
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video-games_xbox
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It was a fun game, but I'm still waiting for the plot twist. I do not believe this game is as good as it was hyped to be. I really enjoyed the first game because of the new world and mystery story. After playing the first game, I really expected a lot from the sequel, so this is why I have been re-evaluating the game's overall score. From start to finish, I was paying more attention to the audio messages and looking for clues that might give me an insight of the new plot. I have to admit this was not my strong suit in the first game, so I was hoping to figure out the plot twist before it would happen. There were times when I thought I had it figured and realized I wasn't even close. The game never had a plot twist like the original and I finished the game quite suprised by this fact. The game was rather linear and rushed at times. At any rate, I felt cheated by the ending. Overall, I enjoyed returning the the crazy world of Rapture.
Good Points: I loved the duel welding ability, and I enjoyed the upgrades for the plasmas. Telekinesis was always my favorite plasma in the first game, so it was great to upgrade it to a point where I could pick up living splicers and toss them. As far as weapons go, I liked the new additions (rivet gun, drill etc) and my favorite weapon is the spear gun. My wife thinks I'm crazy.
This game required more strategy (protecting the little sisters) which I rather enjoyed.
Investigating the splicers has always been one of my favorite parts of the game. The video recorder is much better than the camera. I found myself attacking a recorded splicer with creative combinations of plasmas and fire power. From throwing splicers to barrels of gas, I never got tired of this.
Bad Points: I felt this game limited your creativity. For example, you have the ability to pick up the dead splicer, but you can't pick up and move an adam filled splicer that your little sister has identified. There are many times in the game where the little sister has selected a splicer that is in a horrible location to protect. I understand the designers attitude toward this, but I don't like it when a game is not consistent.
I understand the idea to have splicers show up in areas that were previously cleared, but this game had a bad approach. It became apparent rather quickly that a splicer can just materialize anywhere, whether it makes sense or not. In a game that requires you to strategize, it leaves you hanging in the common sense department.
Overall, I'm glad I played the game and I hope to see another continuation in the future.
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video-games_xbox
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Ninja Down. The Short
Graphic :1/10 - Graphics are low poly, outfits look terrible, in cutscenes gear goes from low poly to high and back and forth
Controls 2/10 - Tugboats handle better. there is some nasty input lag and awkward moments when your character refuses to attack. It's like it is trying to get between two different animations and decides to do neither.
Gameplay 1/10 - Enemy bosses have very cheap mechanics more so than the enemy, often your swings with pass thru targets with no damage because they are pretending to ninja dodge (even with the sword passing thru their torsos (star fox could take a lesson)); also, pointless enemy grind portals, and "Oh god my arm is on fire so I'll walk really slow" moments.
Story 0/10 - this is by far the dumbest excuse to murder everything in sight.... hell a store run for milk would of been a better story
Audio 4/10 the music is meh at best, but character (English) voice acting is bad .... and all the enemies are voiced by British
Online Coop - Fun when the servers work (currently don't)
Online PvP - Really cool to level up and pick different looks for your ninja, gameplay however will not be fun/fair for low level players due to higher leveled players have better weapons and items.
The Long:
This game is a massive embarrassment to the once proud Ninja Gaiden series. The production values are damn near pre Xbox levels across the board. (lazy port aside) there is no excuse for the low poly count visuals. The story is all over the place with every past Ninja Gaiden story merged into one for no reason what so ever (Skip will become your best friend). The audio is just strange enemy shouts sometimes make no sense and the dialogue does not adjust to your character, so in trials mode if you use any of the female ninja's be ready to be hear enemy looking for a male ninja. The controls are a mess! Sometimes they respond and other times they just do whatever and you will get hit ... .a lot! Camera still hates you and many times in tight spaces you will be fighting 20 guys and the camera at the same time. So its just safer to always press the dodge button no matter what every 2/3 seconds because there will be a rocket guy spawning very far away to shoot at you. While I go on about combat I will discuss a MAJOR flaw, walk 5 ft encounter 30guys, walk 5ft encounter 30 guys, arm goes red "OH NOES" transport to another dimension and fight 40 guys come back arm on fire health depleting by the second and walk forward (pointlessly) for a cut scene to unexplainedly cure your condition. Combat is also droned on by the fact that EVERY ENEMY IS RECYCLED from previous games, nothing new to see or stab/slice here just endless corridors of drab pointless slashing. OH, dismemberments do happen, but there is no rhyme or reason for it, some mobs take a tons of strong attack combos to dismember them and others one dab will do it. I will say, I do enjoy the kill animations, it gives me a sac or two to recover from the horrid dodge dodge dodge stab dodge dodge dodge dodge stab combat. I am currently playing back thru the game on a harder difficulty setting using the different characters to see if anyone else other than Ryu is better per level.
ONLINE - Figured I'd move this out of the main review. When the online coop did work it was fun. But somehow the game server fell apart and I can no longer join or create a solo/coop mission room. However, the pvp part still works and happily points earned there carry over to solo/coop mode so my char will be leveled up whenever that mode decides to work again. PvP combat is fast and confusing, expect the get decimated until you level up and get more powerful gear. Also modes can change on the fly in game (default 4v4) but every once in awhile it will switch to free for all.... This left me on more than one occasion on the ass end of an ass kicking as I was lvl 11 at the time and others were 25+. You do have a bunch of stuff to unlock with points earned in the match from health to cosmetic gear. (Weapon customization adds bonuses to your weapon so don't forget to do it when you unlock them per weapon)
Final thoughts:
Team Ninja needs to get their act together quickly or they will destroy the Ninja Gaiden franchise. Maybe they should give Tomonobu Itagaki a ton of money as a consultant?
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video-games_xbox
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Ezio Trilogy Review. AC Review:
Assassin's Creed II -
First off, I was trembling on the pros and cons people were making about the Trilogy. What got me into the Trilogy was when I became a fan of Assassin's Creed III and got into the storyline way too much that it made me crave for more historic, made-up Sequences (levels). So I took my chances and went to explore the Ezio Trilogy:
To start, you can tell the graphics were developing and were still in progress the minute they show Desmond's face (protagonist) at Assassin's Creed II; more cubical blends than linear blends, but simple psychology says you'll adapt to new changes. I usually want games with better graphics but the gameplay is what matters.
You get to battle in historical sites (as Ezio Auditore), like the fortress of Monteriggioni - the Villa -, or explore Assassin's tombs in majestic places such as the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and even meet Leonardo da Vinci (even though his flying objects never confirmed to have flown, it's good to have a feel of them flying, but you get to use them in BROTHERHOOD). The Assassin's Tomb of Torre Grossa is the last and easiest tomb once in the game.
Assassin's Creed II even foreshadows a main event and/or place for the next game in the pack (BROTHERHOOD) involving the Pope (A.K.A., Rodrigo Borgia, responsible for killing Ezio's parents): this is the Basilica di San Marco, head center of the Christian church, beautifully designed with Byzantine architecture (P.S., here in the Vatican is an Assassin's Tomb: a Seal to get as side mission).
POPE: Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI), nemesis of Ezio in, again, killing his parents - as mentioned before - and leader of the Italian Templars, wages war against anyone opposing the Templars, and continues killing when becoming Pope (Alexander VI), though this histrionic event is irrelevant to historic documents. But the first Vatican is a walkthrough, especially in the Cappella Sistina (residence of the Pope before remodeled).
Venice in this game even let's you have a peek of the church, Santi Giovanni e Paolo, dedicated to Saint Catherine of Sienna.
What's best than visiting San Zaccaria, a shrine built and dedicated for the father of St. John the Baptist? Here!
P.S., I didn't received the case where it had all the three discs stocked in a pile; they had their plastic page locks, which I'm very thankful for (maybe because they modified it inside).
If the first game is missed, it gets summerized. At the end, Dr. Warren, leader of the modern Templars, explains his needs of the Apple of Eden, and of his obsession with testing people using the Animus to travel back in time, but for evil purposes, assumed (if it's correctly stated for owners of the first piece of the Assassin's Creed series).
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood -
Starting like a conjunct DCL, Ezio continues in the Pope's personal chapel! - Cappella Sistina! followed by exiting from St. Peter's Basilica, just as succeeding another adventure from where it came the epic conclusion of Assassin's Creed II.
Equipment and currency (500K florins) is left similar as when finishing the last sequel of Assassin's Creed II: 15 diamonds of health, 6 bullets of palm pistol, 15 poison knifes, 15 medicine bottles, 3 smoke grenades, and 15 throwing knifes (sword, knife and others included).
What's new: the achievement of collecting feathers turns from 100/100 to 10/10 ever since AC II (but a new collection of Borgia's flags are to be found of 101 by choice)
The Assassins' Tombs change to being called "Shrines," and you get to burn towers (Borgia Towers) to synchronize (save game) - something added from AC II other than just raising up a viewpoint and go save progress there before doing a 'leap of faith' to jump back down to the street level.
The archers (crossbow-men now) have better accuracy of hitting you (unlike regular archers), as you climb.
My favorite move? Grabbing a foe by holding X during a combat and then press any button for each to make a different killing move, such as using the side arm-pistol without wasting a bullet as one of the commands.
Leonardo da Vinci is missing for the most part on this stage of the Assassin's Creed chronicles, but you get to use his inventions of war only (sadly not other innovations, like his machine for digging trenches). His military weapons - never used in his time - are: his Machine Gun, Naval Cannon, flying Bomber, and Tank.
You can exit the Animus anytime, call horses once you fix a stable around the area, buy a crossbow for 12k florins or enforce your palm-pistol, and recruit Assassins to give you money and also give them XP: and serve you on assassinations with a click of the LB button; it's the best part in the BROTHERHOOD, and more 'Assassins Guild' bar meters stack down to call on them, or also going to Pigeon Coops to assign your assassins missions (but they won't be available if you assign them all missions - until they are done); and after you burn your next Borgia Tower, it will turn into an Assassin Tower so you could manage your assassins there too.
But what's better than returning a hero on a friendly place? That would be the in fortress of Monteriggioni, as well as reuniting with the manager of the city's income (whom she actively deposited you income in Assassin's Creed II): Claudia Auditore.
More about the story?
In the heart of the fortress, Villa Auditore, the stage is set by using it as a battleground with the details unfolded as Ezio's great-grandfather designed it to be: a mechanical fortress other than an architectural setting. A place of good activity for continuing the game, a place to fight with mercenaries, (though mercenaries were historically compulsive). Better yet, to test cannons.
The fortress is run by Niccolo Machiavelli, leader of this Villa (the fortress), and Caterina Sforza (Ezio's temporal and personal new mate), who is also a leader of the Villa's defense system, sequestrated to Castel Sant'Angelo were he discovers Borgia's daughter (the Pope, Rodrigo Borgia, who escaped): Lucretia Borgia, and Borgia's personal aide seen on the trailer of the game: Cesar Borgia: "Captain General of the Papal Forces."
Assassin's Creed - Revelations:
Desmond is subject to murdering one his allies, Lucy, by the unpredictable powers of the Apple of Eden at the end of BROTHERHOOD; Desmond is found in the beginning of the game, inside the Animus, without explanation.
Graphics improved!
Controls/Modes:
Eagle Vision changes from the "Y" button to the top analog stick (the vision looks better in graphics, similar to the "Shadows of Mordor" video game), the life meter turns from diamonds to tally-mark bars, the weapons you pick up and use are not dropped down after using them, and there is a separation between primary weapons to secondary weapons.
Will keep the rest a surprise since I'm into suspense....
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video-games_xbox
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Perfect! A50 or A40? Read my review and I hope I help you make your choice. . This headset is everything you'd expect it to be. I bought these babies when they were $225.00 on Amazon and I'm glad I did. The sound quality is amazing! I was playing on a cheap set of turtle beach xo ones (also bought when they were on sale for $45 on Amazon) and the difference was night and day. I now have the ability to hear a lot more than I was able to when I was playing on the xo ones. It made Halo 5 a completely different game for me. I haven't had any problems with my mic and also have not experienced any popping sounds. The mix amp can take some time to get used to because it's on the right ear cup.
I know a lot of you are trying to make the decision between the A50's and the A40's so I'll say my two cent to try to help you out. I think the biggest thing you should take into consideration when picking between the two is battery life. The A50's need to be recharged every 8 to 10 hours, and the recharge can take up to 2 hours to complete. The A40's are simply powered by your controller, meaning you can play as long as your controller is charged. So if you're an avid gamer and you play for long periods of time, I would say to go with the A40's. You can charge your A50's while you play but you'll need to find a long cord to do so. The battery on the A50's will diminish over time so you'll notice that it'll hold less of a charge over the years. (That may be quicker if you use them a lot) Astro does replace the batteries in the A50's but you'll probably have to go weeks without your headset when you send it in for a replacement.
The reason I went with the A50's was because I don't game much. Also because I'm a huge Master Chief fan since my first Halo game was Combat Evolved and my favorite is Halo 2. If I had to make this choice when I used to play H2 competitively and online everyday, I would go with the A40's. Although the Dolby 7.1 sounds stupendously good, I would not make that my selling point because the stereo output sounds great too. Having the cheap XO ones is great because I can use those if I forget to charge my A50's as I do not like charging them while playing.
Last tip: Be patient. Watch the prices on these. They go down every once in a while especially during the holidays. I bought my XO ones during Cyber Week/Black Friday and my A50's recently, so Christmas time, I suppose. I got good deals on both of these!
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video-games_xbox
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Worth the 3 year waiting period. Bioshock Infinite brings you back to that original Bioshock environment, a creepy vibe where everyone seems content and perfect in their world--like in Rapture--. The game is beautiful and the story is very engaging. You immerse yourself into its lore by observing the moving environment. All the civilians of Columbia are active and you feel that you are really in a new world, most notable moments are the singing quartet in the beginning of the game, where Elizabeth is dancing with a crowd to a jig that a pianist is playing, and when you interact with a guitar and Elizabeth begins to sing along. As a precaution there ARE alot of mature content that involves racist content. Now don't be a baby and cry about why this is in the game but think about it, the games religion is set on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln as the Fathers of Columbia. 1 favors slavery while the other abolishes. 2 factions, 1 is a dominant pure race while the other is trying to break free from suppression from the other. You can fill in the dots yourself. Gameplay is straight forward and all you do is pick up and play. The combat in this game is just like standard Bioshock controls where you click on the right thumbstick to aim down the sight--might be awkward for a few minutes but you get use to it-- and I highly recommend playing this game on Hard difficulty for the added challenge. This game is way too easy if you are not the kind of person who wants to know about the game universe and explore all the knooks and crannies of the game.
Also for the full benefit of the game and story, its really worth picking up the audio logs--Voxophones as they call them-- and learning about what the story is and how its connected to the previous games. Once you acquire enough information you can kind of make out what the Ending is telling you. The ending by the way is a refreshing story of vengeance and liberation. At the end you think there are multiple endings but there is not, it concludes itself on 1 solid path and keeps you wondering. Stay after the credits! I left alot out such as the perk system where you wear different sets of clothing(you don't see it) to add different minor abilities such as dealing elemental damage with melee attacks or earning Silver Eagles(ingame currency) for finding audio logs, the handful of "Plasmids" that are available, and the different types of weapons you can equip during the game(can only carry 2). I left this review a tad short so that you can go experience the game yourself without giving too much away. I will definitely highlight the pros and cons!
Pros:
+ Same Bioshock feel through controls and environment(If you don't mind little changes to gameplay)
+ An amazing storyline that is sure to keep you wondering and talking about it
+ Creative perk system and new plasmids
+ A solid 5-7 hours of gameplay on Hard Difficulty while keeping an eye out for Audio Logs and learning about the game
Cons:
- Most of the graphics are kind of outdated and some of the images are notably horrid. For instance when you reach an area where there are bushes examine the rose buds. Its all pixelated and messy. But from far away it looks normal so it shouldnt bug you.
- Alot of gunplay involved. Most of the time I forget I have plasmids on hand to use.
- When you die you can come back to life(also gives enemies alittle more health back as well) and gives you some ammo and removes some Silver Eagles from you. This is kind of broken and offers no strategy when you dive into a group of enemies. You can literally just keep dying without worrying about much other than your Silver Eagles.
- The game is alittle glitchy and buggy during some parts of the game. When you try to collect resources there are no options to collect it and it just sits there. When Elizabeth is locked in her speech and has to activate a door or lever she stand there indefinitely.
Overall I give this game a high rating of 5 out of 5 stars, It should be 4 out of 5 due to the long wait period and lack of new features and extra content. But I figured, its the best game Ive played so far in the year 2013 and it definitely belongs in any Bioshock Fans library and top 10 list.
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video-games_xbox
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Another weak Need for Speed title. EA's mediocre machine has churned out another snooze-fest with an abnormal amount of product placement.
You are a potential client of many corporations. Electronic Arts lets you know this from the very first time you pop in the ProStreet disc. Yes, there will be pandering. Of course there's stereotyping of the "import culture". It's got everything you expect in a modern NFS game from an annoying announcer that won't shut up to a music selection consisting of only current pop songs. It's obvious that the game was developed by a committee of suits who are using it simply as a mechanism of further sales.
I suppose there's an in-ad game in here as well. I'm not sure what EA was attempting to do in the game when it comes to car control and physics. It seems like the developers played a game with decent physics like Forza 2 and then emulated it in the worst possible way. There's a poor mash-up of arcade and simulation physics in here and the result is an unsatisfying "feel" when driving. FWD cars will oversteer when you increase the throttle after turning off all the assists (to do so requires a trip down a few menus). Light to moderate braking doesn't lighten the tail of the vehicle as expected. Unfortunately, your choices for control range between simple button mashing and an uncontrollable mess.
Some of the race modes are unfairly designed (such as Sector Shootout). This is because whoever sets the fastest time on a particular section of the track gets all the points for that section. The problem is that you will always start at the pack of the pack and thus the lead AI vehicle will consume most of the points on the first run around the track. There are times when you will compete against vehicles significantly better or worse than your own car which makes the game feel cheap all around.
There's a nice selection of cars but winning races doesn't earn you much money and thus you won't be able to afford them using in-game currency. Which brings up another issue: Micro-transactions in-game. When your car is damaged you can spend real money to repair it. If you want a new car or more modifications you can buy it using real money. I believe it's fairly obvious why EA made it hard to earn in-game money. They want you to reach into your pocket and pull out a little bit more green. Apparently, shelling out the money for a video game up front isn't enough as now we are expected to pay to enjoy the game as well.
I'd avoid this stinker and select something more enjoyable.
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video-games_xbox
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An awesome sequel to a great series. The Good: Engaging story, great audio/visual package, squad based gameplay keeps it separated from the rest, decent length
The Bad: Still WWII..., relies too much on knowing other BiA games, pointless slow-mo cams, must...be...patient...
I never really liked BiA back when they first came out because 1. I didn't have a PC that could run it or an Xbox. 2. I preferred the run & gun aspect like in Medal of Honor and Call of Duty, and 3. I was too impatient back then for the tactical gameplay. I have changed since then and am not an impatient little teenager with raging testosterone. I have picked up Hell's Highway expecting a bit of a mix and thankfully there was. BiA has been known for it's tactical squad command gameplay with great AI, a great non-fictional story around the fictional WWII setting, and that's here, but it's even better.
The story goes a little something like this: You are Baker who goes through an emotional roller coaster ride with his squad mates and you really feel what the soldiers are feeling...and even tear jerking at the end. The only problem is that you have to have played previous BiA games to fully understand the story from the beginning. The story does one of those looping plot twists where it starts out at the end and goes 3 days back, then goes forward after that. The plot holes are jerking when they are filled and you really get pulled into the story. As far as I know this is the only WWII story like this. I guess you can say this is my favorite WWII game story wise and it makes me want to pick up the other two original Xbox games.
What really counts though is the game play in one of these types of games right? Well the impatient should steer clear because you CAN NOT, I repeat, CAN NOT run out and go Rambo and their Kraut @$$es. You WILL be shot down almost instantly, and this is not good if you want to restart constantly (and experience the almost too long long time). You have to position your squad mates around the various cover on the battlefield and slowly have them pin the enemies down so you can go around and flank them with...whatever you want, no you can't melee in the game so that's out...sorry only Call of Duty 3 lets you do that. Each batch of enemies has a red circle above them and when it's red they can blow your beehiney apart if you run out, but if you command your squad mates to suppress them with fire it will turn gray and you can run out...for a few seconds. The game gives you plenty of ammo so don't worry about wasting shots. I mainly used single shot rifles since head shots were mostly needed due to enemies taking cover. That's what also makes the AI so great, so say for instance you run up to the cover the enemy is behind they'll run away and hide somewhere else. Throw a grenade and they'll boogy on out of there even if their on a Flak 88!
Now you can command four types of squads: Bazooka, Base Fire, Assault, and MG. Go figure on what those all do, but they are all essential to keep you alive. Another thing that makes you REALLY think is that if you send your squad out in open fire they'll die to (but only until the next cut scene because they are all main characters...) so you have to have one squad pin the enemy down while that squad runs, so it's a leap frog type thing. This is really great and keeps things from being boring since you have to think...psh yeah who woulda thunk that a WWII shooter would make you think! Of course you have grenades, but you get a grenade ring and it's basically an auto-lock thing so just hold RB and the grenade will fly over to the enemy on it's own.
Speaking of all of that something new here is the "action cam" thing. It's kinda cool since BiA is the only game that seems to realize there was actually blood and guts in war...they don't try to purty it up for kids. Sometimes when you make a cool headshot you get a cut-a-way cam of the guys head getting all bloodied up and his helmet falling off. The same goes for explosions so you'll see guts go everywhere (get a clue EA and Activision!!! Stop being sissies!!)
If you've been wondering about the audio/visual experience this whole time it's because its good or I would have said something! The game uses the UT3 engine (you know the same one in BioShock and Gears of War?) Its nice and all yet still seems like the game came out last year. Maybe that's because the game was delayed almost a year (yet I have NO idea why). The game has great lighting effects, explosions, fire, concrete, rebar that blocks your view sometimes in the 3rd person cover...it's good but not amazing. The voice acting is really great and the whole game feels like WWII (you probably wouldn't give a damn at this point though...)
If you want to know about multiplayer don't come here because I never bothered playing it since it was a rental. I'm sure it's great and has all the multiplayer goodness that most WWII shooters have. I highly recommend this game since it has a pretty long campaign (takes about 8 hours to beat) and really concentrates on Operation Market Garden instead of the whole damn war!!! So, you really get a good idea of what that battle felt like. Don't spend $60 on this though just rent it or wait for a price drop...please...get Fallout 3!!!
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video-games_xbox
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Nothing new, and everything you remember and love from BF3 is worse. Do not buy for current gen systems. BLUF: Don't buy this game for current gen systems.
I will continue to update this as I play more, but at this point, several hours into playing the multiplayer, I just can't recommend this game. I love love love Battlefield 3, my first exposure to the franchise, but this game just sort of limps along, like it's older brother's reputation alone will ensure its success. So far, it's failing. It feel svery incomplete, the graphics are surprisingly poor and fuzzy, the levels small and unfinished (and unfurnished), and the damage models just atrocious. There are pros, but there are cons, and I'll try to list them out quickly and concisely and then apply more detail later on. I thought it looked bad in the Beta, but assumed they would clean it up for the actual game. I was wrong.
Pros:
1) Sound. It's excellent. The weapons, the footsteps, the scream of the A10 as it pulls away from a strafing run are all deep, tangible, and real sounding. They did a great job with this aspect.
2) The COAX machine gun on tanks and APCs looks pretty close to the way it does in real life when the tracers go away. It's pretty cool.
Cons:
1) Maps: BF3 was known for big, beautiful maps that gave all sorts of freedom of movement and plenty of room for air power to figure itself out. The maps played so far (I'm playing a lot of conquest, known for big full vehicle maps) are all cramped, and if you're flying an attack jet, be prepared to turn it around real quick or risk getting timed out out of bounds. Frustrating. The "Levolution" isn't all that great either, and we played some level where the water kept rising, and it just got kind of stupid with the LAVs floating around lobbing rounds at each other and all the players essentially holing up in whatever building they started in because to try to swim to the next was sure to be met with a hail of gunfire. You could level buildings in BF3 just fine, we don't need to cut the grass here...
2) Soldier equipment layouts: There is no real incentive to advance your weapon of choice as you start with some pretty good kit. That motivation to evolve drove a lot of playing and varied playing style in BF3, and it's everybody running the same load out so far and I imagine will be like that as players evolve. This will make it much harder for new players to join when vets discover the magical weapon combo that is surely out there.
3) Weapons: I don't know what the designers were thinking when they made the rocket that all engineers start out with, but it's horrible for game play and I'm unsure of how or why it was necessary. It's part SMAW/RPG and part Javelin, so basically if you throw a rocket anywhere near a vehicle, it will "lock on" adjust in flight, and execute a top down attack. This is cool and all, but removes the fun of dumb-flight rockets and the skill needed on the anti-tank soldiers part and on the player who is being targeted in the vehicle. Several weapons are seriously overpowered, and then there's the vehicles....
4) Vehicles: Apparently, a main battle tank can't travel faster than about 10 miles an hour. This is against all my understanding and experience gained as a Tank Platoon Leader in the Army. The good thing is that the vehicles can actually take some damage and survive. This is of course, vital, as everybody now has magic rockets that they can throw in your general direction and achieve hits. The bad thing is that it takes over 5 rockets to kill an APC, which is really stupid. I've actually run out of ammunition firing on an APC, registering hits the entire time, and had to reteat while the vehicle sat there oblivious and shooting away in the other direction.
This has been a terrible experience, and the only reason I'll keep it on hand is to level up for when it does show up for the XBOX ONE. I just hope about 300 patches and fixes also show up with it. I'll never pre-order a game like this again after this experience, and I do mean it. This has been a big disappointment.
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video-games_xbox
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I'm not seething, just heatedly disappointed. I do not understand why this product has such high reviews. As a proud owner of the Gamecom 780 from Plantronics, I felt it was time to replace this headset with something of presumably higher quality. For $30 more that the current price of the 780s, I was led to believe by this and the reviews that Plantronics raised the bar once again. Not even close. Plantronics tripped and fell with the bar, utterly destroying it. I am really upset with the headset. Upon first inspection, it seemed to have good build quality, better than that of the 780s. Putting on the headphones was...well...uncomfortable would be an understatement. They felt terrible on the ears and the top of the head. It squeezes too much and there is a lack of padding on part the rests on the top of the head, leading to what I would consider actual pain after just a few minutes. I tried to look past it, but then I spoke with the mic activated. Big mistake. Their feedback system (which cannot be disabled) has a pesteringly noticeable latency, providing me with not only a reverb effect of my own voice, but a slight hiss as well. I then started to listen to music and watch some videos. The bass was nice, mids were alright, highs were a bit weird, and just quality-wise, it could beat the 780s for sound. The problem, and of course there was one, was the fact that these are stereo headphones. It did not just feel like a downgrade from the spacious bliss that the 780s produce, it felt like a tiny step up from earbuds. Maybe the 780s spoiled me and brought up my expectations unrealistically high, or maybe Plantronics really screwed this one up. I think it's a bit of both. Don't buy the Rig unless you like a fatigued scalp after a few minutes of use and settle for mediocrity at a premium. It took 10 minutes in between unboxing and reboxing for return, and I think that must be some kind of record.
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video-games_xbox
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Not The Greatest in the Franchise. I want to start off by saying that I am a huge GTA fan, but could not give GTA IV a 5. If Amazon would let me rate it a 4.5 I would. However, as it stands, the title is closer to a 4 than a 5 star rating. It is far from the perfect game all the developer-lap-dog review sites gave it. San Andreas to me still reigns as the most fun sandbox game of all time.
Everyone has already heard how great this game is and how it is the first true real next-gen game. This is only the case for a few attributes. There are some "old-gen" functionalities that could have been dramatically tranformed to next-gen, but were not.
Graphics - For the scale of what was accomplished, the graphics are high quality. However, pop-is just as bad, if not worse than San Andreas - at least on the XBOX 360. This can be forgiven as the game does exhibit groundbreaking detail.
Sound - Voice acting and environment sounds are truly second to none. However, the sound tracks are not up to GTA standards. In fact, San Andreas and even the PSP's Vice City Stories track lists are superior to the one in IV.
Game-play - The shooting and driving mechanics are superb. I like the fact that vehicle controls are less "arcadey". Shooting functionality is visceral and satisfying. However, I cannot believe Rockstar made virtually no improvement to the game-saving mechanic. Yes, you can redo a mission if you fail it, but it still brings the player to the beginning of the mission sans the cut scene. Also, it will strip you of your armor if you lost it and any ammo utilized, as well as money spent on a hospital visit if you died. Therefore, most people will just redo the mission from the very beginning just like we did 7 years ago in GTA III. That is quite lame, very "old-gen", and definitely takes away from overall game quality. It is like having a Ferrari Enzo, but have a govenor keeping under 55mph. That's I felt at times playing this game.
Fun -As far pure fun, San Andreas is just so much better. Parachuting, stunting in the mountains with various off-road vehicles, the absurd and funny missions, various airplanes to fly, and that netherworld feel that is omnipresent in every GTA game sans IV makes it the best. CJ was also a tougher and more enjoyable protagonist (or antagonist depending on your opinion) to play than Niko Belic. I will say that Niko is more likeable than Tommy Vercetti or No Name.
Conclusion - There is no denying the GTA IV is an epic production. It should be purchased and played to completion. You will enjoy a mostly positive game-playing experience. However, San Andreas remains Rockstar's finest opus and one of the greatest games ever produced. In the future GTA V could be a true perfect 10 if they refine the GTA IV engine, significantly improve the save mechanic, and bring back the awesome sound tracks.
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video-games_xbox
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Max Payne: Old Memories, Some Modern Frustrations. I'm not one to write a super lengthy review. Personally, I skip the ones that are longer than 2 or 3 short paragraphs just for the fact that if I wanted to read a blog, I would, and that is why most people read reviews and not blogs. Anyhow, this game is definitely a nostalgic piece of gaming art. As for the single player perspective, this game is very much like the other 2 that preceded it. Blood, gore, unique shooting angles, and a pretty damn tight storyline are to be expected with this latest instalment. The voice actors are great and at times I feel as though I'm watching a movie opposed to playing a game, this is something I rarely see, and has left me figuring all games have terrible story lines. There's just way too many games with sloppy story lines and boring scenes, so much that I don't even watch if I can opt out of it -- just keep pressing "B" is usually how I address story lines. The scenes can be choppy at times and rendering can lag causing the definition of the environment to take a few seconds to catch up. However, when scenes are rendered smoothly this game is a visual masterpiece.
As for the gameplay, it has a nice forward moving pace that keeps the player interested and not feeling like they are unable to control the games outcome. You will die a lot, you will run out of bullets, and you will fail timed missions. The AI is somewhat moderate compared to other games, the "bad guys" will try to figure out ways to kill you, yet they are quite robotic at times. One cool thing I want to point out is that I've noticed that when one of the guys dropped their gun, it fired on the floor like a real life scenario, so realism is definitely part of this game more than in others.
Online play is horrible in my opinion. It's a lacklustre, archaic, boiler-plate of almost every third-person shooter. For such a revolutionary game, I would expect there to be some sort of creativity featured in the online portion, yet thats a big fat NOPE!
Overall this game is well worth it's asking price, though I got it for $19, I would be willing to pay its normal price of when its not on sale. I've played all Max Payne games many times, and beat them over and over, with this addition to the trilogy I plan to do the same. Online gameplay will most likely be never used due to its horrible gameplay and I would not recommend it to anyone who enjoys using Xbox Live for other shooter type games --trust me you will be disappointed with this. I highly recommend this game in it's single-player form. Get it, you won't regret it!
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video-games_xbox
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Another LEGO Hit. Gameplay in LEGO Star Wars: The Clone Wars is very similar to LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga: characters with different abilities work together to solve puzzles and progress from one story segment to the next, lampooning Star Wars canon and characters along the way. There's "only" 21 story levels in The Clone Wars (as compared to The Complete Saga's 36+), but they are packed full of the same fun as the previous iteration. All told there's 40 to 50 hours of single player and/or co-operative gameplay because of the neccesary multiple level play-throughs to collect all of the hidden items. There's enough variety to keep things interesting and even though there's a wide range of difficulties in the challenges, very few of the puzzles are so difficult you have to resort to looking for a solution on the internet. The most common reason I've had to resort to a walkthrough are the hidden mini-kits that occasionally can be devilish to unlock.
One of the defining features of the LEGO games is drop-in/drop-out cooperative play, which The Clone Wars has as well. A second player can drop in to an existing game at any time, play for a while and then drop out all without affecting the primary player's flow. It's a neat feature that allows me to pick up a controller and help my son out with a tricky part of a level and then turn it back over with no muss or fuss.
The Clone Wars doesn't stray too far from the established LEGO game method, but there are a few surprises in here including a Real-Time Strategy base building/conquering aspect in some levels. You start out on one side of a level and have to conquer enemy bases on the other side to achieve mission goals such as shutting down shield generators, destroying special buildings or simply to take over all the bases. There's some repetition here in all honesty. The RTS vibe is never fully implemented and even though you're required to destroy bases to progress, you are almost never required to build anything to increase your own strength on the battlefield. One Jedi or Clone Trooper can pretty well raze an entire level without ever having to build anything for reinforcement. There are special silver and gold unit types which require specialized weapons to bring down, but one or two structures and you're lighting up the sky. There are many structure types available, but most of them have limited utility in the game proper. I can't help but feel there's a wasted opportunity to add some depth and challenge by not fleshing the RTS gameplay out a little more, but I realize at its heart The Clone Wars is a kids game so this design decision ultimately makes sense.
The only time there's any real challenge in this RTS-esque game style is during a 2-player "arcade" match where two human players square off to see who can dominate the other by conquering a base, razing statues or meeting other goals to win a match. Unfortunately, there's no Xbox Live capability, so you can only play 2-player "arcade" games or play cooperatively on the local console. Kind of a bummer. My son would love to play this game over Xbox Live with his cousin in Texas, but can't as there's no mechanism for doing so.
On that note, when you're not playing against a human opponent (which you will not be most of the time), the AI opponents never make it too much of a fight. Most of the enemy characters are cannon (or lightsaber) fodder that come in wave after manageable wave until you reach the end. Even if you do get overpowered, your character simply falls apart into its component LEGO pieces only to pop back in a couple of seconds later. Some in-game currency is lost on death, but it has little impact on the game overall. During the base building/destroying levels, the AI is more inclined to harass your characters than your buildings, adding to the list of disappointments about the RTS gameplay. Enemy units will sometimes take on a building, but don't seem to have their heart in it. In the all the hours my son and I have put into The Clone Wars, not one building has been lost to the AI units. For younger players this is a blessing, but it would be nice if difficulty setting were scalable for a bit more of a challenge.
Overall we've been as happy with The Clone Wars as we have with every other LEGO title we've purchased. They're top notch family games that deliver a lot of fun and excitement.
As a side note, even though the game is rated E10 (primarily for cartoony violence), there's nothing offensive about the game and I have never had any reservations about letting my under-10-year-old kids play the LEGO titles.
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video-games_xbox
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