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GREAT game - bad design on drumset. Ok - I bought this game 70 days ago (JUST past their 60 day warranty) with the drums. I've played mostly on medium but lately have been doing all hard. I am a drummer and play mostly with the drums and hardly ever with the mic or the guitar.
First I feel compelled to comment that this game is amazing. It is very fun and challenging yet playable for people of all skill levels. My friends and I have a blast with this game and can play literally for HOURS at a time. It's also a GREAT party game as you can switch people out in the band and the music is GREAT - in my opinion the songs on rockband are far better than the ones included in guitar hero. So I'd give the game a 10/10 hands down.
That said - I'd give the drumset's design a 3/10. The first few weeks I had it the bass drum kicker pedal broke. This is a VERY common issue. I thought to myself "No big deal, I'll just buy a third party metal replacement." While that cost me an extra $40 - it has last far past what the original one did (and under much more stress as I'm playing harder modes now).
Now I'm also experiencing my drum pads giving out. Their sensitivity is going WAY down and although I'm playing the songs better and better with practice, I'm getting lower and lower scores becuase my drumset pads are dying on me. I have taken VERY VERY VERY good care and have not beat on them very hard at all. And they're breaking after a little over 2 months. So if you plan on buying a new set for $40-$80 every 2-3 months and you're fine with that, then this set is perfect. If not...then you'll be highly disappointed. Especially seeing how their replacement plan only covers up to 60 days.
So in short - game -- 10/10 - AMAZING!!
Drum set itself - 3/10 - VERY Faulty and breaks WAY too easily for the high cost.
If you don't believe me - just search the internet for rock band drumset mods, rock band drumset fixes, and rock band drumset broken. You'll see A LOT (and I Mean a whole hell of a lot) of people experienced the exact same things I have.
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video-games_xbox
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An RPG That Doesn't Get Boring. Not only has Eternal Sonata provided me with some RPG fun on my Xbox 360, but it is one of the best games I've played all year! (Edited: I mentioned that I was disappointed with Blue Dragon, but after getting into the game the past week I have to say Blue Dragon is much better than I thought.)
Most importantly, this game looks incredible. Played in 720p on my 23" LCD TV, the game is stunning. Every location is so stylized and beautiful in Eternal Sonata, filled with vibrant colors, intricate designs, and great lighting. Lately video games feel so rushed, as if the developers adopted a "good enough" attitude and push a game to retail as fast as possible. Eternal Sonata does not feel this way in the least. You can tell Tri-Crescendo spent a large amount of time making every environment. The attention to detail is very refreshing.
Battles look good, too. Animations are always smooth, and special attacks look great.
Eternal Sonata's soundtrack is also above average, which is fitting with it being so heavily influenced by music style-wise and thematically. One problem is that many tracks start to sound almost identical. The composer clearly didn't differentiate them enough. You can also unlock piano solos of some of Chopin's pieces throughout the game and play them whenever you like.
The story is fairly average, although as the game goes on it becomes slightly confusing and weird. I found the voice acting to be good, but not great. This is partly due to some of the awkward monologues the game forces in some scenes.
Eternal Sonata is so great because it's easy to pick up and play. The battle system that becomes more difficult and powerful as you progress is one the best parts of the game, although even it can become repetitive. I know for me, I usually lose attention in many RPGs after a while because they just become too mundane. Fortunately Eternal Sonata (usually) provides enough content to keep you playing until the end.
(Review edited March 28, 2010 because my perspective on the game has changed with recent game releases)
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video-games_xbox
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A Zombie Game Done Right. This is the zombie game I've been hoping for. While it isn't the best looking game out there or even remotely polished, it gets a lot of things right. You will run into a lot of glitches, but once you dive in and experience everything the game offers. You won't even think about it. It's highly ambitious and makes me appreciative of its effort at such a relatively low cost. My previous favorite zombie game was Dead Island, but after playing this game. It fits more of my preference. To best describe what makes it great, I will highlight the ideas and aspects it incorporates.
-It's Open World: Having any zombie game made in this manner gives it the most potential. The kinds of missions and gameplay that opens up are limitless. While this game leaves more to be desired. It offers a believable desolate setting where our characters can engage and survive. Some missions consist of finding medicine for wounded or rescue other survivors who are being overrun. You have various areas that range from towns, farms, countryside, to suburb, fairground, and military zone. There's even a city if you purchase one of the add-ons for a separate story. Just having the ability to free roam and drive around an apocalyptic setting running over zombies beats out most games period.
-It's about Survival: Not all zombie games have to be scary or about killing. While you will be doing lots of it, the game is all about surviving and finding a safe zone. There are various areas to find shelter to fortify yourself from the hordes. The game lets you decide what's best for you. You have resources you need to scavenge for to keep the base running and functioning. It will require maintenance, upgrades, and protection. Zombies will try to overrun your base from time to time. On top of that you can find survivors to help build a community within the compound. The bigger your community, the more resources you need to keep it functioning and everyone happy. Yes, you will be required to keep people from causing trouble or losing hope. How you deal with it is up to you which leads to the next aspect
-Controlling More than one Character: Probably my favorite aspect of this game. It makes me feel like everyone in the community has to do their share and contribute. Characters can get tired, sick, or hurt. So when that happens, next man up. Don't get too heavily invested in a character because if they die, they die for good. There were moments I felt crushed when one of my stronger characters got killed on a night scavenge or trying to rescue someone. Zombies are not difficult, but when they are in hordes and consist of some of the stronger ones like the juggernaut and feral. Your hopes of surviving is very bleak. There is no co-op play, but you can ask other survivors to watch your back. Co-op play would be a great addition, but I don't mind it not being included. The AI does a commendable job. Another fun aspect you can experiment with is if a character is giving fellow survivors a hard time. What will you do when you control him or her? Did I mention deaths are gruesome? Maybe they can prove themselves?
I'm sure I can talk more about the game, but those points I highlighted are good for curious people who want to try it out without spoiling too much. The game is a bit more slow paced, but it is addicting. While it can feel a bit repetitive, everything you're doing makes sense. You need to search for medicine, weapons, food, and supplies to survive. If you did a good job, zombies will rarely attack your base. This game succeeds at doing the little things. For example, when scavenging, each character can only carry one load when returning back to base. When I found an extra bag of ammo, the game gave me an option to radio in for a runner. While returning back to base, I passed a runner actually heading to the location. It's these little details that make this game awesome. They can also run into trouble on their way back.
At a budget price, the voice acting and soundtrack are quite good. This game didn't feel too long or too short. It feels just about right where a replay doesn't feel like a chore. I've already replayed it 3 times. This game deserves more support and a bigger budget. An extra bit of polish can go a long way. I can imagine it being bigger and better. I just wish I didn't have to buy a new console to play it.
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video-games_xbox
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Good game - not great. SPOILERS
I'm a fan of anything Wolfenstein/DOOM/Quake. So I was excited about this release, especially on Xbox One. I have to say I was a little disappointed. The game is not bad, just not as good as it could've been.
For starters, this is an FPS - from one of the franchises that pioneered the FPS. So you expect firefights, gun battles and the like. Sadly, this game promotes, sometimes forces, you to sneak around with a knife. It also forces you to rely heavily on a laser cutter. Not the kind of FPS experience that I was hoping for. There's also no multiplayer or coop.
In all fairness, the laser cutter doubles as a very cool laser shooter - though with limited capacity. All of the weapons are a lot of fun to shoot, when you do get to use them. I wish there was a "BFG" somewhere. I really miss having a weapon that will lay waste to everything with one shot. The variety of weapons is nice, as is the dual wielding for some. There are some rare opportunities to fire larger artillery weapons, but it's done sparingly which was a little disappointing (one sequence takes you to a cutscene when you pull the trigger).
The story is nothing spectacular. The Nazis won WWII and are the ruling class of Europe. You join forces with a group of resistance fighters in Berlin and lead the charge to take down Deathshead. The dialog is a little cheesy and there are a few too many cutscenes for my taste - some that you can't skip. The ending is very predictable. There are actually two slightly different storylines, depending on how you play the game. The enemy AIs make for fun, challenging targets. The bosses are also pretty cool, but the actual battles were a little boring. There's a VERY cool throwback to old school Wolfenstein within the game (hint: take a nap on the top floor bed when you get to the safehouse). The graphics on Xb1 are very clean/clear with no frame rate issues that I could see. The unlockables are very disappointing (I thought unlockable concept art died out in first gen console games??).
I did enjoy this game, though it fell short in a few aspects. I plan to keep it and play through a couple more times.
+Weapons +Graphics +Enemy AIs +Wolfenstein-like gore +Side game of original Wolfenstein
-No multiplayer/coop -Missions rely too much on knife and laser cutter -Too many cutscenes
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video-games_xbox
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GTA IV All Flash no Thrill. OK everyone Grand Theft Auto IV is given a perfect 10 rating by Gamespot and IGN. This perfect 10 rating should not have been given... It most likely deserves a 7.5 to an 8.5. Don't get me wrong GTA IV has stellar graphics and a great storyline but from there everything goes bad. The new highly hyped up aiming is some of worst i've ever played with in a shooter game. Once your locked on and your target is dead your still locked on, you have to disengage and then find another target, this becomes extremely annoying and hard when you're pinned down against 10 bad guys, who are all firing their weapons at you at the same time. I made a huge mistake and should have rented this game first. When you play GTA IV for the 1st time you will be amazed by the realistic feel of driving and how RockStar games have made Liberty City look like my hometown of NYC. But after about 5 to 10 hours of driving around, doing missions, and getting further into the storyline all the hype of why you bought the game wears off and you find yourself with a semi fun video game. Another extremely bad flaw to this game is Driveby shootings. you have to be right next to the fleeing car or person on the street because there is no aiming in drive bys. Seems realistic that you can't aim during drive bys but for a game you should be able to. If your far away in a car and your chasing someone while they're in a car and your some what far back good luck in shooting them down because you will hit nothing. This game is not worth 89.00 dollars let alone the regular price of 60.00. The Special Edition has a carry on money bag not the advertised Duffle Bag. It has a Licencse Plate which can only be used in certain states... New York is not one of them. The art book is a little 15 page flip through of early art of what the characters and places were going to look like, the art book is nowhere near as good as a Mass Effect Art Book with real detail in the Art chosen to show off. The only good thing about the S.E. of GTA IV is the Bank Vault Case which is good for show since all the locks are the same and if you know someone with the same case then you can say goodbye to w/e valuables you have in there. Rent the Game first, that's all i can say really. If you're happy with it 50 hours later then this review is not for you, but if you find yourself playing the game for a short time and quickly discover it is all Flash and No Thrill then you will find that Rock Star Games has some how paid off Game Spot and IGN to give Perfect 10s. When you play games like Gears of War or Bio Shocks and they don't receive 10s and you wonder why GTA IV gets a 10 then your as lost as I am...
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video-games_xbox
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An Awesome Multiplayer Experience Somewhat Marred by an Extremely Linear, Lackluster, and Generally Overrated Campaign. Just to state it vestigially, I'm a bit surprised I'm writing this review; usually I steer clear of writing reviews on the most heavily promoted games, as they tend to have so many other reviews written about them and I would expect mine to get overlooked, (especially considering this game's age) and I generally have the mindset that quality yet obscure games deserve my focus more often, as they often require someone to vouch for their quality more so than the biggest named shooters. Upon reading both a critical and favorable review of this game roughly a day ago though, I thought neither represented it very accurately, and so here I am...
Of course this is a review of Gears of War. I'm sure anyone reading this already has at least some broad knowledge of the franchise, as it's become Microsoft's secondary flagship franchise next to Halo, and possibly the most flagship this gen specifically. Those reading this who haven't played it probably want to know, "does it live up to its hype"? Very broadly, yes, though at least by my standards that is not to say it isn't sorely lacking in some areas.
What I have to be most critical of is the game's plot, or even more broadly the singleplayer experience as a whole. My personal experience thereof was a bit ironic; I bought the game under the impression - based off other gamers' testaments - that if I were going to only like one mode, it'd be the campaign/singleplayer... That couldn't have been less true... The plot elements involved with the campaign are extremely bare; that's pretty standardized with reference to shooters - especially big-name shooters at that - but a lot of players who are major fans of the franchise often describe the mode as a "must-play", and just being totally honest I didn't even play fully through (I played roughly halfway through, so I'm assuming I have enough experience with it to provide an objective take on it).
In addition to the weak plot, most of the characters are depicted incredibly flatly and/or prototypically characterized, The only exceptions per me are Kim and Baird... The former, while he is a bit bland, comes off iconoclastic as he's Asian yet still very capable of holding his own in a fight, and the latter proves genuinely funny a few times during the campaign (albeit this humor comes off a bit unrealistic considering this nightmarish universe the characters inhabit). Fenix and Dom, the game's protagonist and deuteragonist respectively, can very simplistically be defined as general tough guy prototype, and probably blandest character in the game respectively (which says a lot considering none of the characters - as already mentioned - are that well fleshed out). This is also a trait standardized as far as shooters go, but the gameplay is also extremely linear... Linear gameplay works well for some games, but the extreme nature of this game's coupled with the very bare plot and paper-thin characters grants this game almost no replay value only encompassing its singleplayer mode...
So I've been thoroughly critical thus far, and yet this game will receive a reasonably high score by me anyway... Why is that? The multiplayer gameplay is awesome. There's a lot of arbitration to some weapons' power levels (most notably the shotgun) but otherwise the multiplayer is really concise, generally fun, and very much in a league of its own with reference to innovation (third-person format, no respawns, the nature of downs and/or revives, really unique weapons, active reloads, etc.).
This might come off pedantic to some people, but I myself am especially partial to the Hammer of Dawn as far as power weapons go... You aim a beam at any surface outdoors, and after a bit of time having satellites align, said satellites fire a vertical energy blast from above... Generally the initial blast is enough to kill whatever enemy one means to target, but if that isn't enough the player can also keep the blast continuous for 10 - 20 seconds while dragging it along the ground to deal just a bit more damage, often that deciding an enemy's fate... I don't mean to come off ludicrously specialized focusing so much on that, but until you've used the hammer, you can't fully know how awesome and unique it is contrasted with most shooters' weapons sets. The boomshot also feels both familiar and unique at the same time, being essentially an amalgamated grenade and rocket launcher... Despite it often being able to grant players an instant kill, it also seems like a balanced part of the game as it only allots the player two shots (which encourages calculated and conservative use of it as opposed to the "blow up everything in sight" mindset that other shooters might imply).
Overall the sound is worthy of praise... Just to get it out of the way, with reference to the protagonist being very dull and prototypical, per me John Dimaggio's acting is the weakest in the game. I'm aware his natural pitch sounds similar enough to his voice in the game, but for whatever reason he sounds like he's trying greatly to come off hardcore, which per me comes off pretentious ultimately. Overall the rest of cast is great though... Of course there's Robin Atkin Downes as Kim, (you have to respect an actor's versatility when they're an Englishman voicing an Asian American character) Fred Tatasciore as Baird, (his voice and style of speech are always so dynamic hence the praise there) and Michael Gough as Carmine (I was amazed to find out he was also the voice of Tassadar within Starcraft; he's got an incredibly broad range and so of course I have to grant him praise). To reference the Locust, the primary antagonistic forces, they're wholly voiced by Dee Bradley Baker, (who else can achieve that perfect guttural pitch) and their queen is voiced by Carolyn Seymour (I don't have an extensive knowledge of her voice acting, and from what else I've heard her style of acting within this game is exactly the same as others... That upper-class English accent is both hot and fearsome at the same time, hence her acting being good by me too though).
The score judged by its own merit is possibly a bit overrated per me, though it's utilized within a very intelligent fashion within the singleplayer (only becoming more prominent while in the midst of an actual firefight). Some of the sound effects - notably the sound of chainsawing an enemy - also give the game some very distinctive character contrasted with the ultra-realistic trend of a lot of other modern shooters.
Anyone broadly familiar with my reviews knows graphics are what I generally focus on the least, though this game's graphics are nice... They fit the modern quality of this gen, and yet the lighting isn't too harsh (generally) and the textures all look very smooth and realistic (the graphical nature of Halo 3 for instance, is a major reason I actually preferred Halo 2 over it, despite featuring "outdated" graphics). The character design is pretty thorough, and generally things just look nice.
To summarize, anyone expecting a singleplayer experience that's a lot of fun, features a compelling plot and/or characters, and offers a lot in the way of replayability, will probably be disappointed (despite what most other gamers will tell you). However, anyone expecting a shooter with a multiplayer mode that's truly unique, somewhat competitive worthy, still active online, (even after four years, which by console standards is very lengthy indeed) and truly fits the definition of "next-gen" needs to pick up this game.
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video-games_xbox
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Clash of the Titans. There's been a sad trend in multiplayer FPSs lately. It seems that games like Call of Duty and Battlefield have taken a page from the Apple playbook and decided they could maximize profits by playing it safe and offering customers more of what they're used to with minor updates to provide incentive. That's not necessarily a terrible thing in every case (look at Madden for instance, same thing every year with a new coat of paint), but it is for the shooter genre which has infinitely more creative potential. That being said, Titanfall is a breath of fresh air for myself and many other fans of the genre. It's a bold new take in a market that's been stagnant for too long. And though it does have it's faults, it has more than enough strengths to tip the balance in it's favor.
I've decided to focus on the NEW features of the game for this review, since basically everyone is familiar with the core elements of an FPS (aim down sights, put bullets into things that aren't you until those things are dead).
[Titans]:
These 30 ft. tall mechs are the real stars of the show in this game and after playing it, it's easy to see why. The Titan gameplay is definitely a refreshing and somewhat relieving change of pace for an online multiplayer shooter. Some have wondered why the addition of Titans in an FPS is a "gamechanger" for the genre. Here are the 3 biggest reasons.
1). Durability
Playing as a Titan is in stark contrast to the COD/BF formula, where your soldier feels about as fragile as tissue paper against your opponents. In a Titan you no longer have to worry about "campers", "spawnkilling", "noobtubers", C4 or even lag! There are really no cheap deaths with Titans and everyone gets a fair chance to live for more than 10 seconds.
2). Survivability (is that a word?)
Titans are also different compared to vehicles in other games, like Battlefield, because Titans don't explode instantly when they're finished and they can also eject players. Basically that equates to being able to survive a vehicular destruction and continue playing on the same life. In most shooters with vehicles if the vehicle goes down, it's taking you with it. Or even if you manage to hop out at the last second, what are the chances that whatever destroyed your vehicle isn't going to blow you up as well? Thank you eject button!
3). Customization
Pretty self explanatory, but it's still a first. In BF or Halo you simply find stock versions of vehicles scattered around the map. Now you can tweak these walking tanks to your liking in a variety of different ways to suit your playing style.
[Bot Reinforcements]:
This is something that may need some tweaking to reach it's full potential. Bots, or "grunts" and "spectres" as they're called in-game, populate much of the battlefield in Titanfall. They do a surprisingly solid job at creating a full scale war illusion. It takes a humble 6 vs 6 scenario and turns it into a massive conflict. They definitely bring something to the table, but for the most part they behave like they haven't really decided what they're supposed to do with they're gun yet. At times you'll encounter them and they'll simply stare for a moment before shooting you with what must be a pellet gun, because it awkwardly takes it's time sweet time to kill you. They can be dangerous in groups, but that's pretty much it. It's bad enough to make you feel embarassed when one kills you. But it's still plenty of fun to take them down. Everyone loves a free kill, and these guys practicaly gift wrap it for you. Perhaps they deliberately went for the brain-dead behavior so little kids or your golden retriever can take pride in the fact that they made something dead.
[Multiplayer Campaign]:
This is where the game falls short the most, but since this is a multiplayer ONLY game, it's hard to really be too disappointed about it. Even after playing through the campaign with both factions, you'll most likely have no idea what the story was about. There's simply too much going on in-game to pay attention to the talking heads that pop up intermittently. If they wanted to present a story, they should have done it in cutscenes, not while a Pilot is riding your Titan like Seabiscuit trying send it to robot heaven.
[Burn Cards]:
Burn cards are little bonus perks that are one life use only. You get them frequently, but you can only use 3 per match. Truth be told, they just seem very unnecessary and slightly unbalance an otherwise pretty well balanced game. For example, some of these cards will straight up give you an enhanced version of a gun that does more damage. That doesn't quite feel like an even playing field, but there are probably many who would disagree. However, there are also cards like Double XP that feel perfectly fine. So it's obviously a mixed bag here.
[Jetpack]:
You can finally double jump in a FPS... and it's beautiful. No, but seriously, it makes getting around so much easier and it's a lot of fun. Don't know why this is the first FPS to do this, platformers have been doing this for decades.
[Parkour]:
Overall, the parkour elements of wall running and wall jumping are pretty hit or miss. It's not that these moves don't work, it's just that there are numerous times where it can feel a bit clumsy and imprecise, resulting in maneuvers that can only be described as a fail.
Pros:
+Titans
+Mentally Challenged Bots
+Jetpack/Double Jump
+Vehicle Customization
Cons: (All Very Minor)
-Story Campaign
-Burn Cards
-Occasionally Clumsy Parkour
Overall: 9.5/10
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video-games_xbox
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A Fun But Short Lived FPS. Snowblind is a First Person Shooter .Your player has advanced Biomodifications. You get these particular mods as you advance in the game. These upgrades include Infared Vision, Reflex Boost which slows down time and increases your speed,Ballistic Shield which is an energy shield that decreases damage taken,Cloak which turns player invisible,Electric Storm which is a tracking ball of lightning ,for a total of 5 upgrades. All of these upgrades use a certain amount of bioenergy which is replenished by finding bioenergy refills. I wish the biomods lasted a little longer they seem to run out of energy a little too fast .You can get replenished from certain droids for both health and bioenergy. You also have a vast array of weapons and they all have an alternate fire mode such as sticky bombs and sticky emp grenade. There is a total of about 12 of these handheld gun weapons which include shotgun,sniper rifle,rocket launcher,silenced pistol,carbine rifle,mine launcher,rail laser,flechette which shoots electricfied rounds and its alternate fire shoots flying attack drones which resemble a hoard of fireflies that swarm the enemy,a H.E.R.F gun thats shoots EMP beam,a security slicer called an Icepick,and a finally Kinetic Kicker gun that pulls or pushes items. You also have various grenades such as frag,flash,gas,emp.also the Riot Shield is a kool feature you throw a riot grenade and a brief plasma type shield deploys and will protect you for a period of time ,but enemies can simply walk around it sometimes. You can Drive certain vehicles simular to the Halo2 warthog, and you can control robots simular to mechassault walkers that fire bullets and missles. This game plays like a linear Shooter there are different routes and sometimes you backtrack but mostly its linear FPS all the way. The graphics are PS2 quality I wish they wouldv'e made the graphics a little sharper sometimes there's a haziness like effect too the levels and its a little grainy. With the Xbox being such a powerful machine they couldve made the graphics cleaner. But the designing of the levels are descent and there is alot too look at. There is a stealth aspect to some of the missions but its not required and its not really a stealth game. Snowblind is an easy game to beat,I finished it in 2 days .Its a quick game with easy enemies and there's no difficulty settings. You really don't even need all the weapons or the biomods to beat it ,I found that you could just use the carbine rifle and kill everyone,but it wouldnt be as fun without using all the different weapons and biomods. This game really is a straight forward shooter that would be easy for most gamers of all ages. There's lots of ammo and health pickups along the way. Snowbind might be too easy of a game for veteran shooters and the graphics aren't Xbox quality,and theres no real big difference in this game compared to other FPS.Not to mention its very a very short game. Keep in mind Ive played every (FPS),First Person Shooter, the Xbox and PS2 has to offer .Snowblind would be a good starter FPS shooter game because it is easy to beat and has a simple story line with descent cutscenes.
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video-games_xbox
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Fun Co-op Multiplayer; Generic Single Player Campaign. I got this game for the co-op multiplayer and it does not disappoint in that regard. The AI intelligence is good and the "boss" characters are difficult to take down. You will need to work as a team, especially since you can't see your health bar, only the ones of your teammates. Constantly healing each other and working in pairs is a must. If you try to run-and-gun or go lone wolf, you will die (CoD players, you have been warned). There are 9 co-op missions in total and you have to finish one to unlock the next one. There are also several difficulties for each mission so there's replay value in that regard. There is no competitive multiplayer. My friends and I experience some freezing and server lag last night however. Hopefully, EA will have it sorted out soon and it's been reported that StarBreeze is already working on a patch.
If you're looking for an immersive single player campaign with a deep story, look elsewhere. The single player campaign is short, around 5-6 hours. The story is pretty generic and the action is not as fun as when you're playing with your friends in co-op. It's not terrible, but it's not great. It's kind of like Battlefield 3 where the single player wasn't that good, but the multiplayer was amazing.
The presentation is definitely similar to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, especially when you're indoors. Blade Runner also seems to have a big influence in the level design. Relying heavily on the cyberpunk genre, this game looks great, especially when it's raining.
I would value this game at around $40 and Amazon did just that with the $20 credit. I would say it's only worth it if you want to play co-op multiplayer. I put the $20 towards a preorder for Mass Effect 3, which comes out in two weeks.
***Edit: If you're experiencing periodic crashing while playing co-op, it is recommended that you do not use Xbox Party Chat. Use the in-game chat instead. Apparently, the lag from Xbox Party Chat makes the game freeze up while playing co-op. After using the in-game chat, my friends and I have not experienced any more game freezes.
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video-games_xbox
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Pretty good game, good use some work. Well to begin, I've been a huge fan of the Call of Duty series since Finest Hour. That was the first time I was introduced to online play and I've been hooked ever since. CoD2 was a great game and I was expecting a follow up by the same company. Well, Treyarch was given the project but I gave the game a chance. In fact, I've given the game many chances but I'll get to that later.
The graphics are among the best I've seen. Everything is extremely detailed. The lighting effects are amazing among other things. The one thing that really impressed me, this may seem odd, but the explosion effects were really good. But overall, the graphics are really good.
Let's start with the story mode. I was so used to CoD2's type of story mode with different campaigns. That game was great, so when this came along with one campaign I figured a change in the scheme of things is good. The story is ok but to be honest, its like a John Wayne movie, kind of a stereotypical WWII if you know what I mean. And no offense to John Wayne but the story behind this game is well, mediocre. Also, in between levels there are the cut scenes obviously. Well guess what, YOU CAN'T SKIP THEM. That made me angry.
Then there is the multiplayer. I've had no problems with the offline splitscreen, but online play is a whole other story. At first, it took me a good 15 minutes to join a ranked match before any patches. After the patch that was supposed to fix these problems, it still takes me a good bit of time. Also, the American weapons have an obvious advantage of the German weapons. The German equivalent to the semi-automatic M1 Garand is a bolt action Kar-98k. Obviously, if you aren't that good with making killer shots, you're outgunned. What Treyarch should have done is put the semi-automatic Gweher 43 against the M1, makes a lot more sense if you ask me.
The glitches in this game are pretty annoying. I've gotten stuck in corners, shot at through not 2 but 3 solid walls, I've encountered invincible Nazi soldiers, and I've done this thing where I've gone into prone and then I fly scoot across the level as if I were sprinting. Along with that are floating objects. I've seen a frying pan and a tank in the air so far.
Overall, this game is OK but I probably would have rented it before I bought it. I recommend to anyone and everyone to rent this before you buy it. I still enjoy the game, but it could have been much much better than it is right now.
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video-games_xbox
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If you do not care about accessories $399 is a steal. I find the XBOX 360 to be a pretty decent machine. The games that are available far surpass the PS3 catalog and if you really do not care about all the extraneous crap which you really do not need you can get a decent gaming system for $399 plus the gold membership. You don't need the HD DVD player, the wireless connection (go to Radio Shack and get a 3 way splitter off your main cable line and bring your modem to where the XBOX is and plug in which would cost you, what? $20 tops); Live Camera thingy is not really useful is it? So if you look at the cost:
$399 for console
$50 for XBOX Live membership
$20 for splitter
=$469.00
Or if you could care less about XBOX live. $399.00
You also could save more money by renting your games instead buying them.
The PS3 seems to have a lot of features that I cannot envision using:
BluRay? Who cares? I am buying a system to play games not watch movies. That's why I have a DVD player, and believe me the quality is not THAT great, well not $1,000.00 great.
Free online gaming? XBOX Live has set the standard for online gaming in a console format and I will gladly pay the $50 a year for the service. I have never had a problem and have no complaints plus the content is growing. If Sony wants to stay competitive they will have to start charging. And they will.
HDMI is not that great either, I have both component and HDMI I do not see that much of a difference. Plus component cables are cheaper because they been around longer.
The XBOX 360 is really not that loud as people say. Keep in mind that this is basically a CPU with a really fast drive so it's not unusual to hear something whirring.
I have to admit that Microsoft should have taken the designer of the XBOX 360 out to be shot. Though the PS3 hasn't much going for it in the looks department either. And what is with this customizable issue. Are you playing a game with this thing or are you sleeping with it?
But in the end it all comes down to product loyalty. If you are an XBOX fan then this is the console for you. If you're a PS3 fan then it's not.
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video-games_xbox
|
so much to love, yet so much that is frustrating. before i start picking it apart i'd like to say that i'm glad i bought it and am getting enjoyment from it for the most part, .....BUT
i just can't begin to describe JUST how choppy the game plays!
ESPECIALLY the hand to hand combat!!!
i mean, that's the whole meat and potatoes of the game right there!!!
though while not completely unplayable it's hit or miss, and i do mean that literally!!!
this games big draw is the HUGE amount of Boss battles and when you face off in a very long drawn out battle where split decision precision timing means the difference between winning and having to restart a level all over again, it gets very VERY frustrating!!!
speaking of restarting from the beginning? IF you DARE try 'i am the night' if you die it's game over and you to have to restart from the VERY beginning of the game! highly increased difficulty coupled with faulty gameplay, this mode is only recommended to the most hardcore or those who want an ulcer?
but if you actually DO complete 'i am the night' mode you'll be rewarded with a very cool Batman 'Arkham Origins' Avatar.
somewhere along the way i also unlocked a 'Joker' Avatar, but i don't recall exactly how and when i did it?
the broken non-responsive controls in this game are a sin and really hold it back from that greatness that it could have been!
but besides the faulty controls there are glitches A PLENTY!
i think my favorite moment was in challenge mode when an enemy was holding a crate over his head to throw at me and i couldn't attack him.
he just stood there till the match was over still holding the crate over his head!
another instance my character went inside an elevator, and as the elevator rose my character didn't rise with it.
but more frustrating is when your game freezes and you have to restart your console
or even WORSE if your game save corrupts and has to be deleted!!!
that was probably the most glaring example of lack of quality control and gameplay testing!!!!
from a design point of view, visually and cinematically the game is a masterpiece!
the story is intriguing the voice acting is VERY good! and though it was at first jarring not to hear Kevin Conroy voicing Batman
i really grew to enjoy the vocals Roger Craig Smith provided! there are moments he sounds truly intense and powerful!
and then he also knows when to bring it back and play the cool and calculating Batman!
the Back and forth between him and Martin Jarvis as Alfred are a pleasure to behold.
a decent amount of voice cast return from Arkham City,
but a real thrill was to hear Robert Costanzo from Batman the Animated Series reprise the voice of Detective Harvey Bullock!
i'm still adjusting to hearing Troy Baker voice Joker. he's doing a decent enough job of it (not many would dare follow in the shoes of the AMAZING Mark Hamill)
but i think Baker's best Joker moments are when he makes the roll his own and has fun with it, rather than the moments where he sounds like he's trying to emulate Hamill. but that's just my own personal thoughts. even still, i think he did a good Joker and i hope to hear him voice the character again in the future.
one thing that really was frustrating was the new branching upgrade ladder!!!
i honestly DO NOT see the point of why you can no longer just immediately chose the combat boost upgrades instead of having to upgrade your armor first?!
when i'd play 'Arkham Asylum' or 'Arkham City' i'd upgrade every combat boost available before leveling up my armor even in the highest difficulty setting.
both games had such tight fighting controls, you could avoid taking damage with enough practice.
not being able to upgrade my special takedown boost from 8 hits to only 5 hits right away really made me notice how broken the combat really is.
even after i purchased the upgrade, the combat is vastly improved but overall control issues continue to be tiresome!
grapnel boost/gliding through the city also feels a bit disjointed and not as fluid as it was in Arkham City.
it seems there are less areas on the building to grapple and launch from?
soaring through the city just seems a lot less fun than it was last time!
the City is much larger than previously and while environments are reminiscent to there previous version, they are fresh and new.
the model of Gotham City is Gothic and it is beautiful! and seeing the city and hearing the powerful Musical Score is a wonder to behold!
despite all the glaring issues and flaws, there are things to enjoy here.
and Batman fanatics are in for a REAL treat! .....especially if you are a real Comic enthusiast!
***************************************MINOR SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!!!!*************************************************
***************************************MINOR SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!!!!*************************************************
***************************************MINOR SPOILER WARNING!!!!!!!!!!*************************************************
*************************************************************************************************************************
*************fans of 'Killing Joke' and 'Mad Love' will just love what happens with The Joker!!!!!!!*************************
*************************************************************************************************************************
***************************************************END SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!*************************************************
***************************************************END SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!*************************************************
***************************************************END SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!*************************************************
everything else aside the big question is - WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS GAME?????
my answer to that would have to be, if you are a Batman fan? then.... YES!
but be warned ..... there is a LOT that needs improvement!
and although it's nowhere near as BAD as 'Batman: Dark Tomorrow' but the game requires a lot of getting used to it's flaws and hiccups.
so here are the pro's and con's
Pros-
beautiful environments
fantastic character models
great musical score
engaging story
brilliant voice acting (for the most part)
excellent cinemas
plenty of missions
lots of Boss battles
return of most fan favorite moves
return of most gadgets
Cons-
game freezes and needs to be restarted
awful collision detection in combat
non responsive controls
combat does not flow as smooth
aim of quick-fire gadgets is terrible
some of the special moves are now inefective
camera issues
difficult to navigate city
'game plus' mode not as good as 'Arkham City' IMO
upgrades locked in set sequence of availability
dark knight system challenges locked in set sequence
game save files will corrupt from time to time
i am enjoying Arkham Origins for Batman experience it delivers
there is so much potential here!
but the true shame is that with all the issues, the game is only a 3.5 when i know that with more polish it could have been a 4.5 or even 5.0!
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video-games_xbox
|
Eternal Bliss. There aren't a lot of JRPGs on the XBOX360 and what ones there are aren't as special as promised. Eternal Sonata is a different story. It's a grand game that hits all the right notes. It has a few minor issues, but nothing that keeps it from being fantastic.
Fredric Chopin is terribly sick and dying. As he lies unconscious in bed he has a dream where he is in a world unlike any other. In this world, those who are sick with incurable diseases can use magic, but is it really a dream? Or is it another reality? This world has its own problems, however, the people are being taxed and a man named Count Waltz is slowly enslaving everyone. It doesn't sound like much, but the story is surprisingly deep and is full of several themes. There are also many music references throughout the game. From the characters who have names like Allegretto, Polka and Beat. To some of the places you'll be going like the Chrous Plains.
The story is told through cutscenes voiced by the characters. The voice acting isn't the best in the world. They've got the right voices for the job, but a lot of the actual voice acting is dry. Luckily, if the English voice overs are annoying you, you have the option to switch the voices to Japanese. The story jumps between Chopin's life and the dream world which the gameplay centers in. Also, throughout the game, you'll get to learn a little about the real Chopin. The game gives you some historical accounts and during these moments will play his beautiful music. This is all great, but sometimes these historical segments come up at inappropriate times. The good news about these historical segments is that they do relate to the overall story. Also, as good as the story is, it's rather slow to start. On the bright side, the cast of characters are really likeable.
The game isn't all that different from your traditional JRPG. There's a field mode and a battle mode. Outside of battle you'll run around on the field gathering treasure and talking to denizens. Battles are contact based which means you can easily avoid battles you don't want to bother with. Battling in Eternal Sonata is quite fun, though.
The battle system is perhaps one of the most inventive battle systems in the genre. Your characters and enemies have what's called an "action" gauge. When a character takes his or her turn in battle they'll have what's called an "action gauge" on the left hand side of the screen which will count down. Within the allotted time, you can pretty much do anything you want. Either attack normally, use items or special attacks. You'll have to plan well, though. It's a simple battle system to grasp, but it's hard to master. This is because the battle system never stays entirely the same throughout the journey. You have what's called party levels, and the higher your party level the more difficult battles will be. For example, at Party level 1 the action gauge decreases only when you move, and stops decreasing when you stop. When you hit party level 2, however, the action gauge never stops. Just when you're positive you've mastered the battle system, it throws another twist at you, via the party level.
The battle system works well because it relies not only on real time, but strategy as well. Special moves are an important part of combat. There's no limit to how often you can use them, but even here there's a twist. Your party has what's called echoes. The more hits you score in battle the more echoes you get. These will increase the power of your special attacks and are shared by the whole party. While it's tempting to end every combo with a special attack, it's even better to save them until you've acquired enough echoes. Just the same, Eternal Sonata will give you quite a challenge, especially in the boss battles. You can also block your enemies attacks by pressing B at the right time. This doesn't mean you can just mash on the B button when the enemy attacks as your character will guard prematurely and take the full extent of the damage. These timed presses take a long time to master.
Another really big aspect of the games battle system is the use of light and dark. Special attacks change based on whether or not you are standing in light or in shade. That's not all light and shade have an impact on. Some enemies change form depending on where they are. Some enemies will also throw you for a loop because they can provide their own light. The game is very touchy on this as even standing in the enemies shadow will cause you to use a dark special attack instead of a light one. It's pretty amazing stuff.
The only major issue with Eternal Sonata is that there simply isn't much to the game. There's a sidequest where you can collect and play musical pieces, but for the most part, it's quite linear. There's no overworld map either, so there's not much of a chance to really explore anything throughout the game. Another big issue with exploring the environments is that the camera is at a fixed angle and you can't shift or rotate it. In some moments when you're traversing behind scenery, it'd be nice to be able to shift the camera to see what was in front of you.
Another smaller issue involves the story itself. While it is good, there are moments when it rambles and even (to a certain extent) preaches to you. A lot of the cutscenes are long, but that shouldn't be much of a problem. You can skip them.
Those issues aside, the game is absolutely gorgeous looking. It's not the greatest looking game on the system, but it's beautiful and artistic nonetheless. This is one of the most beautiful looking cel-shaded games out there. It also doesn't suffer from terrible load times or framerate issues. The best part about Eternal Sonata is its beautiful music soundtrack, which sounds nothing short of fantastic. It's absolutely remarkable. The fact that they also play some of Chopin's music is also really nice.
Eternal Sonata is easily the best JRPG available on the XBOX360 at the moment. It has a surprisingly deep story and is a burst of creative energy. All minor problems aside, it's an enjoyable game.
Pros:
+Surprisingly deep story
+Very well defined characters
+Some historical background on Chopin's life
+Very inventive battle system
+A good challenge, and the game only keeps getting harder as you go
+Very gorgeous game
+Remarkable soundtrack, some of Chopin's actual music is also used
Cons:
-Very linear
-Historical moments sometimes show up at inappropriate times
-Slow story
-Bad voice acting
-There are moments when the game is just all out preachy
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video-games_xbox
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Good, but with flaws. Modern Warfare 3...where do I begin? This game is quite sub-par, at least to me. It has so many good ideas, yet fails to execute many of them.
Campaign: Same as CoD4, WaW, and MW2; "Yuri, go there! Yuri, do that!" yada-yada. The story is non-existant, but the gameplay is very thrilling, with many action sequences, much like it's predecessors. (except Black Ops, which had a very enthralling, and not too "action-y" campaign) I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I'll end the campaign review here.
Spec Ops: Same as MW2, but now they've copied Zombies mode from the Treyarch titles, with "Survival." Basically, you kill enemies, get money, spend the money on weapons and killstreak rewards, and kill more enemies. I believe it is endless, however, I've only made it to 32, so I wouldn't know.
Multiplayer: The saving grace of this game. Although it LOOKS very similar to past titles, it plays very different. While the core gameplay and "feel" stay the same, they changed quite a few things. For example: Pointstreaks take the place of killstreaks. They assume the same role and there is three different packages; "Assault," "Support," and "Specialist."
Assault is the closest to the old system of Killstreaks. Here, getting a series of kills without dying sees you unlocking offensive skills like an Assault Drone or a Predator air strike. Die, and you'll lose any potential benefits, and go back to the beginning of the cycle.
Support caters to more casual gamers who find kill/death ratios a little harder to balance in their favor. They often benefit the team, rather than individual players, giving access to air drops of ballistic vests, or recon drones to sniff out campers. Rather than focussing on your ability to kill, Support rewards can be unlocked by completing objectives (capturing a Dom. flag), and continue to stack, even if you die. :D
Specialist is tuned for the hardcore player. Rather than opening up air strikes or support drops, you activate extra Perks as you rack up kills, giving you as many as seven Perks running simultaneously compared to the standard three. It's an all-or-nothing approach, making you more deadly if you're able to keep the kills coming, and sending you back to square one should you die, much like Assault.
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video-games_xbox
|
One of the best DLCs EVER. Note: The product I'm reviewing is not a retail copy of Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. It's a code for 1200 Microsoft Points so you can buy the game through the Xbox Marketplace. Regardless, I felt the need to review this great game.
This game is incredibly awesome. It's a wonderful throwback to 80's action movies, and many hilarious references are in the game for you to discover and laugh at. You play as Sergeant Rex Power Colt, a Mark IV cyber-commando. You can run faster, jump higher, breathe underwater, and survive a fall from any height. The game plays pretty much the same way as Far Cry 3, using the same engine. However, this is a standalone (it has nothing to do with FC3's plot and you don't need to own FC3 to play it), more simplified game, as crafting and having to pick your skills have been removed. The cutscenes are very reminiscent of old videogames, and most of the music is very close to that of The Terminator and other action films. Have I mentioned that this game is hilarious? The beginning tutorial nearly had me crying, and some of the lame one-liners that your character says are very amusing. This game likes to make fun of itself, and the developers took a pretty big risk by doing that. However, they totally nailed it, and some of the jokes about other Ubisoft games, if recognized, will have you hysterical. I completed the game 100% in about 6 hours of play time, and all of it was very enjoyable. In addition to the seven main story missions, there are many garrisons (the equivalent of outposts in Far Cry 3, only bigger) to clear out, and you have many options of doing so. Here's one incredibly satisfying strategy: there are mega-shields on each garrison that prevent dragons (which shoot lasers out of their freaking eyes and are really tough) from getting in. You can either destroy the shield generator or hit the off-switch, and let the dragon do nearly all of the work for you. And after all enemies have been disposed of, you can either kill the dragon or throw a cyber-heart (which can be looted from dead bodies) outside of the garrison, which lures the dragon out and lets the shields come up. I can't describe how awesome it feels to do this, and this is only one strategy that you can use. Want to use a vehicle (all of which are very similar to Far Cry 3's, in both looks and driving) to charge into the base? Charge in with a laser minigun? Use stealth to take down each enemy? Go ahead! The weapons in Blood Dragon are very cool, and are similar to many guns used in movies (such as Robocop or The Terminator). You can use currency looted from chests or bodies to purchase attachments for these weapons, which greatly increase their killing power. You can unlock these attachments by either doing simple, brief side missions (Hostage Rescue or Predator's Path) or finding the collectible TVs, VHS Tapes, or Doctor's Notes located throughout the map. You can purchase maps for the island at stores, which makes finding the location of these collectibles much, much easier. There's a store located in each garrison, but they're only available after you liberate it; this provides another incentive to clear out all of the garrisons on the map. There aren't as many animals as in Far Cry 3 (only about 15), but they can still be hunted and looted to unlock attachments. Although the game is somewhat short (it took me about 6 hours to reach 100% completion), it is a fun experience all the way and is priced at just $15. As I stated in my title, it's one of the best DLCs for the 360. I highly recommend this game to any fan of FPS games, although you'll enjoy it much more if you grew up in the 80's and played Far Cry 3. I hope that this helped, and that you enjoy the game!
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video-games_xbox
|
cod. Been a fan of Halo multiplayer since the first Halo. If you're like me, you might be disappointed with the changes.
Since when can an AR be more deadly/efficient against a DMR or BR at a significantly farther distance than before? Answer: since halo 4 came out, that's when. This is pretty annoying since it actually takes skill to consistently land head shots with a DMR or BR only to be gunned down by a noob with an AR. Also, it seems that your shield diminishes at a significantly greater rate than before. This, and the fact that everyone can sprint, makes the game feel super fast paced, LIKE COD.
"Loadouts" : customize your primary/secondary weapons, armor ability, et cetera. Hmm, sounds like "Classes" in COD. The more you play, the more options you have. I've played the modern warfare COD games, and the similarity is blatant.
I've actually gone back to playing Halo Reach (where having skill is rewarded). If you're good enough, a DMR+pistol combo is all you need. Not true in H4: most easier-to-use weapons will be extremely deadly even compared to more precision, semi automatic, previously "top tier" (in the right hands) weapons (DMR, BR, etc).
Weapons do not spawn at set locations on a map anymore, which eliminates classic "dude, let's go for the [insert power weapon] " moments throughout a match. They seem to spawn at random locations, and there's a system similar to COD's "Care Package" system that rewards players.
At first this might seem like a good idea, as it eliminates power weapon rushing and camping near weapon spawns. The more i think about it, however, weapon control (not necessarily weapon spawn control) is part of the classic (and fun) Halo multiplayer experience. Skilled players will find a way to eliminate a pesky power weapon wielder on the opposing team.
Ok, there are plenty of Halo 4 reviews which i'm sure have covered just about everything, so i'll stop here. If you're new to the Halo franchise, you may or may not like halo 4. If you've been a fan, and if you're familiar with COD, Halo 4 may not be your cup of tea...and you'll probably go back to halo reach
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video-games_xbox
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Total Cash Grab. I have already spent a good amount of money on KI. I got both the Ultra Season 1 pass and Season 2 pass at $39.99 each. With this I have spent over $100.00 on this one game. I keep trying my best to get into this game, but at every turn this has got to be one of the biggest cash grab sell outs ever released.
So first it was slightly presented as a free to play or pay for what you want. Get one character or all of them and enjoy. However even after you buy one character try leveling them up enough to unlock everything for that one. That is not really the idea they want to push. Instead they want you to really focus on buying gold to get the outfits. I personally am not going to do that, but they do put it in your face.
That in of itself is actually not so bad though. Annoying, but really it is to be expected. No it is completing the story for all the characters from Season 2 and getting into Season 3 and ending up in a mode that currently is offering bonus in game currency. Even with that, you are not getting much in the way of in game currency for Shadow Lords. Instead they have the option to buy items all over the place using gold which you buy with real money. This is even worse if you are one of the people that has bought pretty much every expansion and then this physical copy, because now instead of just being able to go through story mode with all the new characters, you get the amazing cash grab mode which kind of goes against some of the previous story from Season 1 into Season 2. So nothing for the people who have been with it since the beginning.
As far as this package being a good deal, well not really. I mean this is kind of like the final bundle package except not everything will work out of the box since you need to download the update that allows everything in it to work. You get to install it all, but for those that got this since they had limited internet access or none, I could see them being a bit upset. The soundtrack is nice and the Gargos once again probably is more interesting to people who have stuck with the game.
If this is your first time spending money on it, then this is an okay deal. Just realize that Shadow Lord is seriously pay to win which is really the story mode for Season 3. With many of us who have spent quite a lot of money on this game already though, that is a massive dissapointment in my opinion.
I really wanted to be unbiased when it came to this game. Some games you can ignore the money system easily enough, but with this new mode, makes it really difficult. Only way to heal is with items or skipping days and that brings you closer to the boss who has major advantages if you avoid fighting before him or are miss fighting one of his guards of sorts.
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video-games_xbox
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Devil May Cry 4. This game is a sequel to its predecessor video game wise, but chronologically speaking, it takes place after Devil May Cry, and before Devil May Cry 2. Devil May Cry 4 seems to be a rather average installment in the series. While it isn't a bad game at all, its overall rating is higher than that of Devil May Cry 2, but lower than Devil May Cry 3.
With that said, the game is fairly unique. Firstly, the main protagonist this time isn't Dante, it's a man named Nero. He is a member of the Order of the Sword, a clan of warriors who worship Sparda. At first glance, this "Nero" character resembles Dante and his twin brother Vergil due to his white hair. After further examination it can be said that in the face, they look nothing alike. Dante is playable in the game; he's playable in the second half of the game, after Nero's quest is completed.
The game's wrapped around a central love story, and an undeveloped one at that. There seems to be no character development, all you know from the beginning, is that you know a woman named Kyrie. So throughout the game, (not actually aware of why or how you met this woman), your main goal will be to save her. You will then find out how inferior Nero is to Dante personality wise as well.
There will be random encounters and skirmishes between you and Dante throughout the game, at first Dante can be seen as an antagonist, but later in the game it's revealed that he's not really that, he's just a person on the side who doesn't really play a major role in the story. He's just, Dante, still messing around with his shop, Trish, and Lady.
With Dante, you will replay all of the stages and bosses that Nero played. So there's more backtracking than desired. The thing about Nero is, his distinctive power called "Devil Bringer" which is a wraith type entity that is engraved within his right arm. His right arm plays a large role in attacking because it can grasp enemies, and can also perform many mind blowing attacks. More importantly, it's required to navigate in stages and to progress in the storyline. He also contains a temporary power up called "Agro", which can be charged within his sword to perform a more devastatingly damage giving slash. He has one gun and does not gain any other guns.
I mean, the controls are mapped well; I didn't get any hand cramps from playing on the XBOX 360 controller. It's basically the same as Devil May Cry 3.
As far as customization and leveling up goes, not much has changed. Although, this time around, you don't use Red Orbs to gain new attacks, you have a separate currency that is gained from how well you fight and complete stages. Considering that this new currency is more difficult to obtain, gaining new moves takes longer than it does to buy new items. There are still the same items, and the secret missions make a return, giving you a blue orb fragment after each successful attempt.
All of the secret missions require both Dante and Nero, because the missions are sometimes mapped for only one character. Once completed, you cannot complete it again for another orb, once you've gained the orb that's it. Other than that, Dante has new weapons, I won't spoil you there. He retains all of his well renowned attacks from previous installments. It must be noted that Dante is much faster than Nero too.
When I said that there's much backtracking, that also means that you will have to fight the same bosses twice. The boss battles are engaging and invigorating at first encounter, but once you fight them the second time, their attacks can be easily predicted, and no joy would be retained from defeating them. However, fighting them the second time around also throws off your strategy because Dante plays differently from Nero of course.
Dante's new weapons are gained from defeating the bosses that Nero already fought. I can't find much more to say about the game. Once you get the hang of the gameplay it becomes enjoyable but a tad bit too easy. Fortunately there is a "Hard" mode that can be unlocked upon completing the game on Normal. The only XBOX LIVE or PSN involvement the game has is just uploading your score on the leaderboards.
The puzzles aren't very arduous this time around. Yes, there is still that old dark and ambient music that plays in the background throughout dungeons. The cut scenes use the in-game graphics. I don't think that I saw one FMV. The graphics aren't really impressive, but simultaneously they aren't bad either. They're sufficient at best, but the shadowing effect in the sunlight looks really terrible, I should say.
The game seems incomplete due to how much backtracking is done. It feels that there should have been ten other different dungeons to fill in how many Dante plays through. Nero earlier in the game unlocks doors and whatnot that Dante easily skips through later down the road. With that mentioned, Dante's playthough is much easier than Nero's. It's because as Nero, you do everything, and that leaves little for Dante to do, outside of his combat.
Well, I guess about wraps up this review. I didn't really have much to say about this one, it's a Devil May Cry game, and its formula is beginning to grow a bit old. Back then, it was highly acclaimed for defining the Hack and Slash genre, but here in 2008- Present, more and more games are beginning to cross the threshold. They are also surpassing Devil May Cry games action wise. Currently, this game can be found cheap. So, don't be afraid to give this one a go. A very fun game, but doesn't leave much replayability.
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video-games_xbox
|
High speed internet required to do anything functional. I am 30 years old and play a lot of video games. I have ever since I was a little kid. I've always been an xbox fan and I've only ever owned Xboxes although I have played play stations. My 360 is still going strong and I have a video game library of about 200 games. Most of them are for the 360. I didn't care for the xbox one because it wasn't backwards compatible. Then they came out with "updates" to start releasing 360 games to be downloaded to the one. Where I used to live, I wasn't able to get high speed internet. Enough to watch Netflix but not much else, but I didn't care because it never affected my video game play. I rarely played online anyways. My friend talked me into buying the one and eventually I gave in. I couldn't even play it for the first 2 days I had it because my internet was too slow to download a game that I was holding in my hands, Gears of War, the one that came with the xbox. When it finally did get done downloading (2 days later), it had another update. I didn't want to play online, I have the disk and yet I have to wait every single time I want to play a game because it has to be downloaded. I now have high speed internet, and still HATE this system. Even with 60mbps it still takes hours to download games, even old 360 games that are now compatible. I get so irritated that I just go back to my 360 and those games. I understand the technology of the console not being able to spin the disk fast enough to read it and that's what it has to be downloaded, blah blah blah. It's a terrible way of doing things if you ask me, and I'm not happy about it. I also think Microsoft over promised on the 360 games they would release. They won't release the good big games like Skyrim because it's too big they say. I bought a 1TB xbox and it only came with about 750 free gb on it. Apparently that's normal. BS! I understand 1TB doesn't mean 1 full TB but it should be 250gb taken up right away. Consider my game library, even if they all worked on the one (which about 6 of them do) it would take so long to download each game before I played it, I would lose interested. Not to mention with the few good new xbox one games that I do have downloaded, they take up so much room, I'm going to run out of room very quickly. Yes I know you can buy external hard drives or just delete the games you don't play but that's not my gaming style. I come home and if I'm not deep into Skyrim, Minecraft, Red Dead Redemption, Fallout, etc, I'll pick a game I haven't played in a while because I'm in the mood for it. However once Assassin's creed is done downloading (hours later) I have no interest in playing that game anymore. Not to mention I only play an hour or two a night before I go to bed and it takes longer than that to download it.
Bottom line is without high speed internet, it's as good as a bricked iPhone. Even with high speed internet get the 1TB, expect long painful downloads, and poor 360 game selection for backwards compatibility. When my xbox 360 dies, I'm buying another 360 because the One is NOT a replacement for it.
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video-games_xbox
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Don't buy - nothing like its predecessors. I picked this up after finding the 360 demo charming and enjoyable. It wasn't as polished as say Oblivion or Fallout, though it was fun for what it was.
=== Heritage
This is more of a warning to hardcore Gothic fans than a gripe about the game. If you think this is a must-buy because "Gothic" is in the name, read on. Read the reviews for the PC version (which is where Gothic has its roots) and you'll see what I mean.
As it turns out, this game could not be further away from its predecessors. It has absolutely nothing in common with Gotchic 1 - 3 save for the fact that Diego is in the game. The game should have been called, "Arcania: Hoping You'll Buy It Because We Put Gothic In The Name". In and of itself, this isn't a bad thing. Plenty of sequels have been heavily modified since the first, in much better ways. This game is nothing like it's predecessors in all the wrong ways.
=== Story
My biggest gripe with the game is the "false summit" style of storytelling. You spend about 95% of the game running what are effectively errands that don't move the story forwards. It's an utterly frustrating way to spend such a huge amount of time (and this game is loooong). Compare this to something like Mass Effect 2 or Dragon Age where everything you do is in the name of achieving your objective (or one step away from it). In Arcania, you're running absolutely ridiculous amounts of errands that have nothing to do with the plot, in order to get plot details.
There's a plot there for sure, but it's hidden behind hours of nonsensical quests. Here's an example:
Mass Effect 2: "Investigate a colony for clues about why the antagonist attacked it."
Arcania: "I know where you need to go next, but you need to get me six beehives before I'll tell you."
What blows my mind is that the developers of the game admit this is an issue! Your character, in the game, begins to gripe about all the nonsensical errands he's sent on. About halfway through the game, your character begins to state (groaning almost) his frustration about no one helping him without first making him run some mindless, story-void errand. And this continues until the end of the game. It's as if they thought that if he spoke the words, the player would mind it less.
=== Gameplay
This game is incredibly easy on regular difficulty. It's simplistic, repetitive and dull. I died twice and that was because I (admittedly) became careless, getting sick of the non-story and rushing through sections of the game. You'll be doing the same thing at hour 30 as you did at hour 3.
There's a base set of combat actions, plus a couple of spells and couple of skills you can optionally learn. They're all very basic though, and after a few hours in, you'll be doing everything you'll be doing when you finish the game.
=== Summary
By the end, I was skipping so much of the optional content because the game had just become a bore. There's no variety to combat, the quests are mindless, and the plot is largely invisible. I kept activating my "rune of the X winds" and ran past mobs until they reset and left me alone.
Strongly suggest passing.
Get Fable 3, Rock Band 3, Fallout Vegas, etc. instead. Way too many good games out to be spending your time with this rubbish!
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video-games_xbox
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A Solid Buy with Premium Sound, Feel and Build. I must say that selecting a gaming headset is a huge pain. Between big brands, sales clerk egos, and hard to decipher reviews the amount of useless information is amazing. My purchase was primarily for use with Xbox One (gaming and watching movies).
I finally went with the LS30 after looking at the TB 420, the Astra A40, and about half a dozen other models at various price points. My old top tier headset was the Turtle Beach X41 for XBox 360. What made my new selection difficult how much I enjoyed the X41. It still works perfectly, but the wireless interference was just too much with modern WIFI routers. This alone made question using wireless again.
So let's get into the product details. The LS30 has a solid build. Metal framing, leather head cushion, and quality ear pads. The sound quality is amazing. Party members can clearly hear my voice. On headset controls for mute, game, and chat levels work well. The ear cups are a tad small but still soft enough that they didn't bother me after about 2.5 hrs of gameplay. I could easily go longer, but I generally wouldn't sit longer than that anyway.
The headset has a secondary internal mic as well. It is kind of cool if you need to take a call or something when connected to a phone or want to use the headset for every day listening. I don't see myself using the device this way and it proved to be a little annoying when watching a movie. I was hearing room noise play back until I just muted the mic. Like I said, a "little" annoyance that was easily fixed.
The headset is a little heavy, but is balanced well and is comfortable. I did not experience much fatigue after 2.5 to 3 hrs of use. The box includes a number of accessories to ensure you can connect the headset to whatever is needed. 3.5mm to 3.5mm and 3.5mm to 2.5mm cables are included. They are high quality with heavy shielding.
A USB based transmitter sends audio from your system to the headset. Zero interference when sitting about a foot away from an ac1750 router and 20 some odd devices with signals in the air. Awesome! For Xbox One, the headset audio connects with a digital optical cable. This cable has a special connector on the transmitter side. This is a bit of a negative for me. Just be careful with the setup and remember this wire is really glass fiber and can easily break.
The only other real negative I can see for other buyers is that the boom mic does not include a windshield. This may or may not be an issue, but I didn't even risk it. I have a bag of extra wind shield foam puffs (Amazon for a couple bucks) and they fit perfectly.
All in all, I really like my choice. It seems like a quality design from people that know the gaming headset business.
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video-games_xbox
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Reporting for duty, SIR. This game series is simply, hands down, the most entertaining game series I have ever played -- with a caveat -- to get the maximum amount of enjoyment out of these games, you *must* play it in multi-player mode.
I have never had more fun playing a video game, than I have when this game (or its predecessor) with a buddy or two in either split-screen or system link mode. Although I wouldn't recommend playing over X-Box Live, due to all of the racist, sexist, screaming, lamers on that service -- but I guess if you do so without the headset, then you are okay.
Improvements over the last game, which I love:
- Multiple game modes! You can now play capture the flag (1 and 2 flag versions), assault, and a new type of mode, called "hunt." Hunt is basically the local, indigenous species, versus a human team. So: Ewoks vs. humans, Gungans vs. humans, Hoth Ice Creatures vs. humans, etc. It is a lot of fun.
- More than 2 players in split screen mode! You can have up to 4 players in split screen mode now. This was really needed in the last game, and I am glad to see they added it.
- Better balance! They have balanced all of the player classes against each other better. The basic solider class is now less powerful (their blasters don't shoot as long, or in a straight line as long, when constantly firing) -- Engineers (the old "pilot class" in the last game) now have a shotgun, instead of that stupid scatter gun, and they now have explosives they can use -- making them an actual, playable, class on the ground.
- More levels! That is always a bonus, but they have also better balanced the levels, to support the new game play modes -- which is cool.
- Player awards! You can now earn rank in your profile (allowing you to command other troops -- up to 4, once you reach general), and you can earn medals while playing and doing well, that grant you special bonuses (such as increased damage from your attacks, or increased weapon recharge rates, etc.).
- An actual single player mode, with an actual story! Enough said, although ... I would prefer to play the "good guys" over the bad guys ... but I digress.
- New and improved Conquest mode! The new layers in strategy and overall game play for the conquest mode, make it much more enjoyable.
- Intelligent AI! The AI of your allies is much less idiotic (although they do still get stuck in corners, etc.), and allows you to control up to 4 other AI soldiers which will follow you around like wingmen -- MUCH better than the "follow me" command from the last game, which would grab your AI compatriots attention for about 15 strides, and then they would get distracted again. In the new mode, they will stay with you and follow your lead, until you die or they die, or you release them.
- Space combat! There are now game modes, and encounters that exist only in space. You can choose to play as a "space marine" and just board an enemy ship, and blow it up from the inside, or you can man a turret on your own ship, and just shoot at enemy ships and their fighters. But, if you have the knack for flying, the space fighter combat as a pilot, is where it is really at.
I highly recommend this game. It may not be a Halo (but you can play it in first person mode, if you so prefer) -- but then again, even Halo fans, I have spoken to, weren't all that fond of number 2, while every Battlefront fan I have spoken to, has *loved* the sequel to the original.
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video-games_xbox
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There are two types of people .. those who spend their lives trying to build a future and those who try to rebuild the past. As many gamer's are aware today May 15 was the release date of both sequels to two major franchise like Max Payne 3 and Diablo 3. I personally choose Max Payne because I've enjoyed playing both Max Payne 1 & 2 and Rockstar has never failed to deliver games such as the Grand Theft Auto series, Red Dead Redempion, L.A. Noire,and Bully.
REQUIRED HARD DRIVE SPACE : 5.5 GB
HD VIDEO OUTPUT 480P . 720P ( I personally found it awkward they didn't include 1080P)
STORY LINE:
Once the game has finished installing your introduced to Max Payne's pill and alcohol addiction as well as his past of his deceased wife and daughter. Max Payne once again has hit rock bottom and in effort Payne as managed to work a private bodyguard for a wealthy family in Brazil. The family Payne was meant to protect is torn apart by fugitives. Ima stop right here because the story to the game is incredible and I don't want to give any more spoilers.
GRAPHICS:
As the other review mentioned the graphics are very detailed. Graphics to characters ,cars, furniture fire explosions. WORDS CANT EXPLAIN WHAT ROCKSTAR HAS IN HOLD FOR GTA V. The use of bullet time to slow down the bullet to the slowest possible setting and watch the bullet and his head, ear, eye, skull and watch is come out the other side and just see it all the blood fall out. Rockstar has put a good amount of effort into doing this as far as i could tell.
ONLINE GAME PLAY :
The use of bullet time in multiplayer is something none of have experienced before. Many are wondering how that actually works well when your near an opponent decide to enter bullet time those around will also enter bullet time and the massacre begins :)
ENEMY GAMPLAY IN STORY MODE
I personally found it quite challenging at first because you just can't stand in out place and expect to shoot all your opponents. Enemies also have lots of accuracy there have been times in which I have 0 % damage but if they manage to shoot Payne in the skull or throat I'm out and have to restart from the last checkpoint. NOTE there isn't many checkpoints so a death can hold you back.
TIP: learn how to use your bullets wisely and learn how to find cover( don't plan on staying there for long the bullets and enemies will work their way towards you )
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video-games_xbox
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Luck and load. I'm hunkered down in a corner of a room on the second floor of what once was a metal hospital. The limp body of the last soldier to cross my path lies across a thin, stained mattress on the floor. I'm down to the last of my shotgun ammo, my AK's down to 20 bullets and my heartbeat is thrumping insistently. I try to regain my composure and take stock of my surroundings, using precious time to plan my next move while the enemy closes in. That is, until the world begins exploding around my ears. Above my head, a section of the wall is ripped away by a teeth-clenching shotgun blast. As I stand and turn to face my assailant, the windows to my right are diced with a spray of automatic fire. It's pointless to return fire as the afternoon sun has made any attempts to pinpoint the shooter(s) location blindingly unrealistic. I run for the door, only to find two more armed goons awaiting my arrival. Unfortunately, they remembered to bring heavy machine guns with them.
This is the world of Black - one of the more realistic and satisfying shooters to come out in the past few years. The graphics are at times stunning, owing much to the realistic lighting. The way moonlight reflects from the barrel of your gun is often breathtaking, and the harsh glare of the afternoon sun is as beautiful as it is frustrating.
Much has been made of the designer's attempts to create fully destructible environments, and they do succeed to a point. But keep in mind that it's impossible to turn a city street into a flat, rubble garden. While you can fire a rocket launcher and take out a few stories of a building, the building will (in most cases) remain standing. Also, barriers such as fences, walls, and other obstacles that delineate each level are indestructible, which only makes sense. That it's impossible to pull a "Rampage" and level everything in sight is a minor quibble, and those who claim otherwise are missing the point.
This game is all about the guns and the pleasure that firing these guns provides. If your enemies are behind cover, then destroy their cover and pick them off. If your being shot at by a sniper in a building, then a few shots into an adjoining propane container will take out your foe and necessitate several architectural refurbishments.
The designers intentionally make your enemies harder to kill, thus necessitating an assessment of your environment, the positions of the enemy, and ways in which to exploit your surroundings to your advantage. While this can, at times, be frustrating - you'll certainly find yourself killed at least once by an opponent that you just emptied a clip into with little effect, causing you to swear like a sailor and throw down the controller in disgust. But trust me, in five minutes you'll be back. In time, you'll recognize the importance of strategy over run-and-gun heroics, and will reap the satisfying rewards of several well-placed headshots and a nicely timed grenade throw or two.
Now, the game has some problems, which does bring down the rating. For one, it is short and an experienced gamer who takes his or her time playing at the "normal" level will likely finish the game in about 10 hours. While this doesn't affect the initial excitement and playability, the lack of a multiplayer mode (either online or otherwise) seriously diminishes the replayability. Also, since the "Hard" difficulty and "Black Ops" difficulty are so insanely HARD (no health packs!!!) and the save points few and far between, few players will glean any satisfaction from making incremental progress through a game they have already completed. Like the real field of battle, there is no learning curve and while the enemy may not wear as much armor in earlier levels and use cover less effectively, their bullets still do as much damage.
Another problem comes from the AI. While they are semi-intelligent and do a good job of working co-operatively and defensively, you will soon figure out that, in a fire-fight, they move in a predictable pattern from position to position - over and over again. Therefore, it makes it easier to take down your opponents, but not in a satisfying way. In certain missions you'll be teamed up with AI soldiers who will help you during the level. Fortunately, they're tenacious fighters who cannot, under any circumstances, be killed. Unfortunately, they also can't hit the wide side of a barn from 10 feet and will let enemies shoot you without bothering to assist. It seems that they were included to make the game feel a bit less Rambo, and help alert you to dangers as they appear. They also shout orders like "Take out that RPG!" which becomes even more annoying when you've just taken your third hit of collateral damage from that RPG and realize that if you were working with soldiers who knew how to aim, RPGs wouldn't be much of a problem. As far as the co-op missions go, you're still on your own.
Finally, the lack of save points has been a major complaint from people who've reviewed this game in the past. While it's understandable and would have been nice to have more of them - it also would have made the game too easy and equally unsatisfying. There's an exciting sense of dread when you're hunkered down, health meter close to gone, surrounded by heavily armed opponents and know that, if you get killed - it means spending another 45 minutes getting back to this point. It gives you a reason to weigh your options, proceed with caution, and maybe - just maybe - you'll make it through this alive.
That said, the game probably isn't worth owning. But once the price drops a bit, it'll be worth checking out. For now, renting is probably the best option - since the long term possibilities are limited (4 difficulty levels and that's it) although the ability to drop into a level once you've completed the game and cause some mayhem may help you while away a few hours when you're bored.
As for the pickle I'd gotten myself into in the mental hospital, the second I stepped into the hall I knew it was over. I managed to take one guy down with a hip shot from the shotgun, but caught one round too many as I furiously tried to reload. Then, everything went to grey. Then I screamed for the tenth time that day and loud enough for my neighbors to hear, how I would never "play this *$%#@ game again." And I'd shout the same thing ten times more before I was through. When a game can be equally frustrating, satifying, and fun - it's definitely worth a gamer's attention.
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video-games_xbox
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My initial reaction. I love RPG's (role playing games). I've played all sorts of them, from straight-forward games like Zelda: Ocarina of Time, where there is a linear story, to games like the Final Fantasy series, where you are free to explore on your own...to an extent.
Now we have Morrowind, where there is no linear story, and you are free to do as you please. This is a mixed blessing.
At the beginning of the game, you are to choose what your character will be. There are a dozen or so races to choose from, like elves or nordsmen. Eventually, you must also choose which sign (constellation) you will be, and what skills you want to have. This was all overwhelming to me, because I want to make the best character for the game, but I have no idea what is a good skill to have, or what a lot of the stuff means.
The controls are also rather poor, they're almost reverse to every other game released thus far on the Xbox, and the option screen offers very little customization. But all this stuff is just a nuisance compared to the scale of the game.
This game is HUGE, it has epic proportions. You can do whatever you want, you can choose to be a good guy and chase down outlaws, you can be a bad guy and become a thief, you can even spend all your time up in the hills killing monsters and living off the land. You can join all sorts of guilds, you can work on specific skills, you have the all the freedom in the world.
If you want to buy a game that will distract you for weeks to come, then this is the game for you. It is not intended as a rental, or a game that you pick up for an hour every once in a while. You can play as once character for a month, and if you want to start a new character, now you know what all these classes and skills mean, and you can play it again.
Each character you create will be different, and thus you will never play the same game twice. This game is just too huge to explain. I wish I could play it now but I'm at work. My advice to you is GO GET THIS GAME!
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video-games_xbox
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Most complete Gears yet. This is the most COMPLETE game I have ever played. I honestly can't see myself thinking "hmmm. I wish they had this on this game!" Everything is here. Great campaign! Including that it is 4 player co-op online and 2 player split screen offline. Things like that make this game accessible no matter what. Which is why I love it. Played the campaign for about 3 hours and everything is set perfectly. Same great characters plus more, great action and everything is balanced to not give you the feeling that you're getting bored or doing too much. With all that said, I don't want any spoilers so I'll stop there.
Arcade Mode- I believe this is another great addition. If you've play Call of Duty 4:Modern Warfare. You'll remember their Arcade Mode. I loved seeing the points pop up as if I was at an arcade or even playing the multiplayer. I just loved that aspect of it and it also adds a level of competitiveness with friends. Thats about all this mode offers though, but still great fun.
Horde 2.0- If you're a fan of killing, killing and more killing. You'll love Horde 2.0. Horde 2.0 adds more depth to the previous games Horde. I remember my cousin playing with me and using the shield to block off Locust. I wondered why I didn't think of that myself? Guess I'm just not as creative. lol, but now with kills and downs. You earn money to by things such as: weapons, barricades, decoys and bases. All of these things add a whole new level to the Horde. Making it so that now you and your friends can literally create a base and blockade to defend yourselves through the endless amounts of hordes. (actually i think the last level is 50 but it feels endless lol.) I can see Horde 2.0 adding a lot of replay hours to this game seeing as how fun it is.
Beast Mode- I only played the first 12 levels of this on casual to get the idea of what it was. You can pick which Locust you want to be but you have to pay for it. So the points you earn killing go to the beast you are. The catch is you only get a minute to kill the however many survivors and you gain more time as you go on killing them and destroying their turrets and machines. I found this mode fun since I always wanted to know what it was like to be on the Locust side of the Horde. My only problem was that I found myself going back to certain Locust with guns since that's what I was comfortable with. I think that's only me though and others will have great fun with this mode.
Multiplayer- Yes Multiplayer. What everyones been waiting for. Honestly Im not going to spend much time of this review on it. Its everything thats been talked about or from Gears of War 2. I believe they added more modes (ie Deathmatch). Though from playing the matches that I have so far. It's smooth and responsive and I think thats most important. The guns are amazing. I truly think that they are balanced and you just have to find your match. I prefer the Lancer and Gnasher but others differ of course. The characters are better than ever. I say that because there is more of a variety of characters to choose from and unlock. As well as gun skins, badges and ribbons. This all gives the game much more replay value.
To end this off. This game honestly gives you your $60 worth! There are some "extras" (mainly gun skins) that you have to pay real money for. But they aren't taking away from the game by any means. This game gives you great modes for however you feel and offers online and offline gameplay even with bots. Making it feel as if you are always connected and never missing out on more fun. Also the graphics are amazing just as any other Gears of War game. I would highly suggest this to any shooter fan seeing as this is the most complete shooter out there at the moment.
Update 9/25/2011- Hey guys. Just wanted to update the review a bit. After playing this game for countless hours and getting some feedback in the comments section, I felt it would be good to update you on more of the details. I've played more into the campaign, Horde Mode and multiplayer. As another reviewer said the Beast mode is only 12 levels. Which is a real let down honestly. At one point it leaves you wanting more and another may make you happy that it's over. Once you unlock more Beasts and Locusts it gets easier if you have the money to spend. The Berserker is supposed to be blind but I found myself find enemies perfectly and destroying them with one hit. You start of with a minute to kill every survivor and there are more notable Gears characters that you have to kill as well. Along with the challenges, there will be more to bring you back to at least finish those out. Other than that this mode isn't as appealing as the others.
Horde 2.0 is crazy fun with friends. Having up to five players in the party stealing kills, setting up blockades and upgrading everything is a blast. Teamwork is needed to survive, this is no cakewalk. 50 hordes of enemies until the end takes a couple of hours, loads of patience and good teamwork as I stated. The more you level up your turrets, barricades, sentry guns and even a huge gorilla suit. You'll upgrade enough to where they cost less and defend better. You'll want these things to distract and protect you from the locust since in later waves (every 10 to be exact) Locust will gain 2x health, 2x accuracy and you take 2x damage. But this mode is great fun and adds a ton of replay value compared to the Beast mode.
Multiplayer- I believe the multiplayer is very unique compared to other shooters. Specifially what caught my eye with this game is that if you aren't good they aren't necessarily trying to make it so that you are better or equal the playing field if that makes any sense. If you aren't that great at this game, it's going to show. Unlike say Call of Duty where they give you perks and other tools to somewhat equal the playing field. Not to say they don't give you the tools to get better. As I state above, you can play with bots on or offline and at any of the 4 difficulties. So you can practice all you need to with certain weapsons, levels or difficulties all you need to before you jump right into the online world of Xbox Live. ANOTHER thing is that these bots aren't aimbots. They actually feel more so as if you're playing human players. Just not as great becuase I have seen some great guys on xbl. Along with that, there are dedicated servers and you won't run into lag as much depending on your own connection. This is great. Matches run smooth making you want to play this multiplayer more. Also there are a ton of unlocks! Ribbons, Medals, Mutators, Characters. As you level up through all of the modes, you will gain these. Gaining them all is no easy task but its fun in the process and will be very very time consuming.
I didn't want to get too much in the campaign before but I have to note a few things. The 4 player co-op runs so amazing! I haven't had any hiccups or disconnects with it and Im in Germany playing with 3 friends from all around the United States. The story is so much better than I expected. No spoilers for the people who have yet to play but this is a great follow up and and ending to such a great series. Im on Act 4 now and its about 5 acts. It's said that the campaign is about 10 hours and I've been playing on Hardcore for about 8 so I see the end coming soon. I just cant believe how much fun I've had though. They've fixed alot from previous games and the beta and it shows. Some things still don't work as need but I can see patches roll out to fix some of these. My biggest gripe is when you want to retro lancer someone and you charge at them. You have to charge from about 20 feet away. I guess that only makes sense to gain the momentum but I would like something other than to do just bump into them. But thanks to the other reviewers Stephen and Snake for the feedback as well. :)
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video-games_xbox
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Great for first timers! Meh for returning players. Here's the gist: if you haven't played Dishonored before and you don't have access to a 360, PS3 or PC to play the original version on, then this version is a no-brainer for $40. But if you've experienced the last-gen version and are expecting something fantastic from the current gen offering, you'll be sorely disappointed. Yes, it includes the DLC, which is supposed to be as good or better than the original game (haven't gotten to it yet), but everything else is indistinguishable from the older versions; including graphics that look incredibly outdated. Couple that with a bunch of bugs that I found hard to believe made it through (an NPC was supposed to be fiddling with a control panel but ended up 180 degrees the other way playing the air keyboard to me) and you'll find a version that may leave a previously experienced player scratching their head and wondering why they spent $40 on this when my other version is still on my shelf.
BUT! If you haven't played, it's a great action stealth adventure set in a Victorian/steampunk world where you are an assassin who kills (or not!) his way towards clearing his name and ridding his city of corruption. It's a world filled with a ton of lore and some mysterious supernatural qualities that give it a very cool atmosphere, but if you aren't that interested in it you can totally avoid all of it and you won't really miss anything. While sneaking, blinking and stabbing to your objectives, the game actively encourages exploring the city streets for coins, potions and runes, the latter upgrades your magic skills like teleportation, stopping time, possessing rats/fish and more; all of which help you play how you want as each mission probably have five or six legitimate ways to accomplish your adjective.
You are given the option to either kill your way through the game or use non-lethal (but no less horrible) ways of dispatching your targets. Early on the game informs you of this 'morality system' but it essentially boils down to: kill a lot, earning a high chaos rating and the city will be worse off: more swarms of rats and more zombie-like Weepers; knock people unconscious or go unseen and have a low chaos rating, and there are less rats, less dead bodies and generally a nicer place to visit. The different skills you unlock or upgrade can help you move unseen or become an efficient killing machine - your choice.
Each mission has a clear objective but as you progress through each level, you can find different ways of achieving your kill or infiltration. A mid game level requires you to enter a masked ball, but do you sneak through the sewer? Walk through the front door? Possess a rat and enter through a broken vent? Teleport through an open balcony window? And once you get there, do you eliminate your target in front of everyone and shoot your way out? Seduce the target and kill/knock them unconscious, out of sight? Or talk to other party guests and find an alternative method of elimination? There are tons of choices, so the more creative gamer will have a field day as the developers have thought of everyone's play style. And if you are a more of a run and gunner, there's a lot of fun to be had there, too.
So if you've never played it before, I can't recommend Dishonored enough. Even for the non-stealth expert, there's a ton of fun to be had in this world. But if you've played before and/or still have your old copy, just replay that and wait for Dishonored 2 to be really blown away.
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video-games_xbox
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The classic fighting game is back. One of the greatest 2D fighting games of all time. Marvel vs. Capcom 2. I am literally on this game every day. I've spent hours upon hours on this game, I just can't get enough. According to a website that tracks certain xbox statistics, MvC2 is already my #3 most played game and I've had my 360 for more than a year already. Marvel just came out a few months ago, and I even stayed up to see it pop on the marketplace just so I can get in a few games before I had to "wake up" for work. When I got home that day, I had never seen what I saw that day. I had 17 friends online and 15 of them were on MvC2. On the release date. Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Fallout 3, none of them had as many people on, on it's opening day.
MvC2 is a remake straight from the Dreamcast version of the game (undeniably the best version of the game). All characters are unlocked before-hand so depending on your view that can be a pro or a con. There are lobbies you can set up, with upto 6 people at a time (2 players and 4 spectators) so even when you're not playing you can watch and pick up some new tricks.
The only complaint one might have against this game is that it is not a n00b-friendly game. You better have some sort of knowledge about fighting games before picking this up, preferably some street fighter experience. Heading online you are almost sure to find teams that consist of the following players: Magneto, Juggernaut, Storm, Cable, C. Commando, Sentinel, Iron Man, Psylocke...get used to it. Many players have been playing MvC2 on their dreamcasts for these past 8 years, so be prepared.
Online is virtually lag free, With more than 1000 games under my belt in both ranked and player, I've almost NEVER had a laggy game. There have been a few, yes, but very rare. The only thing you have to worry about is getting spammed, that will almost ALWAYS happen on ranked.
In terms of the achievements, as it's an arcade game there are 200 G's for you to collect. I have maxed this game out, and without a doubt the hardest achievement is 50 OCV's (One Character Victories). Winning 50 games ranked by w/o switching your first character. You can use assists, multi-specials, etc. but the first person that you choose may never leave the field of play. The others are pretty easy, it's easily 150 G's if you try.
Anyways, I do love to mention that I have close to 100 total games (I believe the tally is now at 91), and I can say honestly without a doubt, if I had only one game to play online for the rest of the year it would be...Marvel vs. Capcom 2.
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video-games_xbox
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Great concept but hold your nose for the corporate branding. I played Guitar Hero first and then Rock Band up until the point that I could play a lot of songs on Expert. It was at that point I decided that I wanted to transition those skills over to a real guitar. I started with an old Yamaha acoustic and a single lesson from a relative who was a true guitar master. After doing the finger practices and simple songs he taught me for a few months, I decided to buy an amp and a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. All combined I've been self-learning on a real guitar for the past three years.
When I purchased Rocksmith the skill level I was at allowed me to play the main riffs of about 5 songs I learned on Youtube and to successfully strum about 6 chords. With Rocksmith actively teaching me new chords and also providing me with fast-paced arcade games that force continual improvement in finger speed and finger placement I am quickly becoming adept. I've managed to reach a score over 70,000 on several different songs (allowing permanent access to the guitar sound effect pedals used to achieve the songs signature sound), unlock six skill-building arcade games (each one unique and requiring actual guitar skills) and attain rank 4, Local Talent, on Rocksmith's "career" ladder that requires performance of increasingly difficult songs at acceptable levels. I feel like my skill level after playing for just two weeks is significantly improved despite a combined playtime total of just 6 hours.
The supplied 1/4" phono->USB cable works without a hitch and being able to connect it directly to my computer for sound recording is an incredible bonus feature. However, my favorite feature of Rocksmith is the dynamically self-adjusting difficulty. Based on your success in performing individual segments of a song, the game will either increase or decrease the notes/skill-required of that same song portion the next time you play it. There is a bar for each segment of the song that shows you how difficult the passage actually is via the size of a representative square which is colored in for the amount representing the given difficulty. That way you can see how far away you are from truly mastering the song, while continually learning it as you learn the basic, underlying strumming patterns.
I have read other reviews, both professional and personal, that complain about lag - either audio or video. I personally connect straight from the Xbox 360 to a 2-way splitter and then to my receiver via an HDMI cable, and then the video is sent to the TV - which is in "GAME" mode via the display settings to disable any video processing - also via HDMI. I have absolutely no lag in this setup. However, if you connect your system to your TV first then the TV may display the video before the audio reaches your sound receiver and you will hear a delay between the time you strum your guitar and when you hear the sound via the speakers. This isn't something the developers can fix, because it is ENTIRELY dependent on your physical setup. Take the time to wire it correctly and then simply adjust the Video Lag setting in the Rocksmith options to eliminate any video lag you experience due if you don't have a "GAME" option, and instead have a slower TV.
The only complaint I've had is that there were SO many different versions of Rocksmith, with different vendors getting access to exclusive songs, unique effects and other bonuses that can only be acquired by purchase from a specific retailer - those bonuses from other retailers you entirely miss out on. I caved and bought the Best Buy version due to the perks their version included, but they obnoxiously branded every inch of that game with their logo - INSIDE AND OUT! Not only is the case branded "BEST BUY EDITION!" but so is the disc, the main menu and even the in-game "store." It's nauseating how prolific and blatant Best Buy's advertising is. Developers should refuse to pimp out their games with so much branding and instead ensure that every game sold by every retailer contains the exact same content and features. Customers shouldn't have to spend hours researching which retailer gave them the most money to get the version with the largest share of exclusives, especially when that means putting up with corporate-gloating slathered all over the final product. I won't be buying many games that take this approach and will instead skip them. Rocksmith is one of the few tolerating the behavior for, and only because it's such a unique product.
Despite that offense, I do want to acknowledge sincere gratitude to the development team for having all songs unlocked at start (except for the hidden ones and those only available as DLC) as it can be a pain not to have access to specific songs that you want to play but require further advancement to achieve as in other music games by other developers. It's very rewarding to practice a song you actually enjoy and Rocksmith has many, many songs that I have listened to before. It's actually a little bit surprising how many well known tracks they have.
All said, I believe this game is an amazing achievement and is a blast to play for any person truly serious about learning to play a real guitar. If you are familiar with Guitar Hero or Rock Band then it's all the easier to pick this up and immediately play, due to the color coding and familiar interface. Also, if you're a gamer and enjoy "leveling up" or competing for high scores in arcade mini-games, then the campaign mode is a stellar way to keep your motivation to play revving and your skill level continually evolving. I truly hope Ubisoft continues supporting the Rocksmith series for many years to come. Additional downloadable songs and an expansion adding bass guitars are really the only thing that could make this game better!
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video-games_xbox
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Like Gears Of War Without The Fun. The taste in my mouth: (before the actual review)
This game is bad. I mean, what marketing focus group decided the two main characters (white guys) would talk in surfer ebonics? Does that somehow increase the game's appeal to an inner-city 16-24 crowd? Don't even get me started on "pimping" your weapons with the money you earn. I'm not talking about customizing appearance or effectiveness (one of the things that earned this game two stars of fun), but simply changing the weapon's appearance like a cheesy late-90s hip hop video would.
If it sounds like I'm ragging on hip hop culture, ebonics, or anything like that, forget it...it's just that I'm mystified as to why this game would include such over-the-top, cheesy content at EVERY TURN. On to the review:
A rundown:
Plot/Dialogue: SO...CHEESY. After the first 20 minutes, you're dreading the cutscenes (they look pretty, though). What predictable plot twist will come next? What cool-guy quip will the dorky characters blurt out? Pathetic. I'll bet you can guess the first plot twist before it's even introduced. Just come up with the most clichee, overused device you can imagine.
Controls/Feel: Playable. Smooth, but player movement and animation feels clunky. Like Gears of War without the realism or fun. Aiming while running or maneuvering around obstacles is tough (not in a realistic way; in an annoying way). The one thing that really gets to you after an hour or so is the player death/healing animations and the hand-to-hand animations. Often you'll find yourself involuntarily going into one of these slow, unstoppable animations in the middle of combat when you'd rather get behind some cover. You will die because of this. Often, if you're playing on the harder difficulties. Also, when playing in co-op, joystick sensitivity can't be individually adjusted (and there's only 3 settings, none of which seem quite right after Halo, Gears, etc).
AI: Crappy. Everything even mildly cool that enemies do in the game is scripted. The AI itself is extremely basic. It feels like you're fighting the same two types of enemies for the entire game, they just keep getting progressively harder to kill. No personality, no backstory to the enemy types...they're just mindless drones that you kill in hordes. Fun for an hour or two. Boring for the rest of the game.
Level Design: Boring. Cosmetically, the levels all look good after you get past Afghanistan and Iraq...even reasonably different from each other. It's always the same cover placement, though, and the levels always work the same way. It gets really repetitive after a while. By the end, the co-op partner I had started with had abandoned me, and I was figuring out where the ambushes would come from just by seeing where the cover was placed. Sound crazy? That's the kind of mental acrobatics you'll be playing with yourself if you try to push through the entire game...just to keep it SOMEHOW entertaining.
Co-Op: A friend of mine shelled out the better part of $60 for this game. We played for half an hour on the normal difficulty and turned off the console. He was so disappointed that he gave the game to me to finish (so I could write this review). This is a guy who LOVES shooters, who LOVES co-op. Sadly, the co-op actions in this game (co-op snipe, jump steps, etc) are SO contrived and useless, it feels like they were just added on at the end of the game design. You will run into bridges that have little holes JUST so you can jump-step up on the other side, so you feel like there's still some "co-op action" going on. Two words: BS.
Graphics/Hud: The HUD sucks. It's hard to see your crosshairs for the first 20 minutes of the game (until you stop looking for them). Graphics aren't nearly as good as Gears of War, which came out a looong time ago.
PROS: The game sucks, but there ARE a few small things that don't. To be fair, I'm including them...although nothing can stop this game from trainwrecking in the first 25 minutes.
Autosaving is GREAT. I feel like I would have chucked this game across the living room if I'd had to replay large sections of it. The game's autosaving is as seamless and helpful as I've ever seen in a game (if only Splinter Cell: Double Agent had implemented something like this!). It really saved me a ton of time and frustration.
Customizing your weapons is fun, too. Too bad there's no way to sell off weapons you've been using to invest in the bigger, better ones by the end of the game. Oh well.
OVERALL:
Props to the programmers, animators, art guys, etc....all the "grunts" who worked on this game. It runs smooth, looks pretty, and all the technical stuff seems to work just fine. You guys did a great job. Where this game utterly fails is the concept/design itself. What happened?
Seriously, what went wrong? Too many focus groups diluting the core ideas that could have made this game cool? Too much marketing BS about making the game more attractive to a wider audience? The idea could have been cool, if the concept had just been left alone. As it is, though, everything about Army of Two feels totally overproduced. It's like a bunch of 50-year old white guys were trying too hard to make it "cool"...which resulted in laughably bad dialogue/characters, an "I've-seen-it-a-million-times" plot, and BORING gameplay. No amount of pimping my AK-47 can fix that.
If any part of you still thinks this game could be cool, RENT IT FIRST. You'll see what I'm talking about. If you still love it, then buy it, but I think that advice will save a ton of people $55 that they could invest in something else.
Good luck to those who've already sunk cash into this game. Try to get rid of it while the marketing hype is still going, because after that no one will want it. A total loss.
0.5/5
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video-games_xbox
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A broad review. I am an audiophile. Sometimes it's a curse! But one thing I do know is quality audio. I have a very decent Klipsch top tier surround sound setup in my house. It's hard to beat it, but as I became a father twice over, I've needed to go incognito during my nightly gaming sprees. Hence my search for a top of the line headset/headphones. I have personally tried/tested the name brand gaming headsets and found all to fall short. Trittons, Turtle Beaches and the mighty Astros, to name a few! I have also tried the Sennheiser HD555s and the AT AD700s, both of which are audiophile headsets.
Those reading this review are looking at Astros because they are the top tier gaming headset. Endorsed by the MLG and by many fans who love to game. But how many of those "endorsers" have audio experience? How many have tried different gaming headsets? Probably not too many, especially if they bought this complete set. I want to help you in your decision making process.
First, the Xbox 360 has horrible sound output. This is not a random guess, it is sadly a fact. Optical out does little more than put compressed quality audio through an optical cord. And as everyone should know... it doesn't matter how good your headphones are, the source dictates the ultimate quality. But even then, a good pair of phones will sound better than others, just not performing to its optimal abilities. On the other hand, the PS3 shines in this department. The audio is clearly the winner of the two. For instance the Trittons 720 sounds like crap on the 360, but on the PS3 they are slightly less crappy. And those who think the Tritton 720s are decent, have never listened to a good pair of headphones!
The Astro A40 is not a terrible headset. It isn't great either. It doesn't have a very good soundstage (which can be defined as directionality). This surprised me, because an ultimate gaming headset should have ultimate soundstage! Rather, it is dependent on the nifty Astro mixamp to make up for its shortcomings. The headset is tinny on the high end, lacking on the low end (and I'm not a true bass aficionado, I like it accurate: tight and punchy which this is not). In my opinion this headset is made for the 360's inferior sound spectrum. Whereas with my audiophile headphones, the sound is accurate. MW2 online lobby sounds are horrid, but that's not the headphone's fault! With the Astros, the audio sounds alright at all times, but never great and sometimes not even good. Without the mixamp, the headset isn't very directional. I got just as much directionality (like locating enemies in Cod4 and MW2 by listening to footsteps) out of my Turtle Beach X1s. But plug in the mixamp and you have a well structured dobly pro-logic sound. Unfortunately,though many people don't know this, dolby pro-logic is not the best for fps games where you listen for footsteps. It is immersive, yes. It gets you into the game, yes. But it isn't that great for footsteps. At least it isn't that much better than the TB X1s.
The mixamp, on the other hand, is a solid buy. It isn't just for the Astro A40s, but for ANY headphones. Plus you can plug other mics into it. True, the Tritton 720s unit can do that, but the 720 unit doesn't have pro-logic surround. It has "concert" or "hall" mode where everything echoes around you. That is a horrible rendition of surround sound (stay away from the 720). But the mixamp has the updated pro-logic chip. It also has independent chat and game sound volume controls. Almost all the other brands have this, but the mixamp works with other headphones and mics. It is a solid purchase. In years to come you can simply buy a good headphone/headset and use this.
On the other hand, I use the AT AD700 headphones. They are superb quality. I use 5 channel stereo and I can pinpoint enemies. And I mean pinpoint! I am almost lead by what I hear. It is so clear what direction my opponents are coming from that I don't have to doubt their location. Upstairs, behind me, to the left, to the right. Two to the right, distinct from one another etc. For solo games, I hit the pro logic 5.1 and I'm golden. Perfect game immersion. Fallout 3 and Mass Effect never sounded so good! And for music... don't even get me started! Violin not just on the left, but in front of the bass, next to the clarinets and oboes.
In short, the mixamp is a good five stars. The headset, coupling in price is a 3 star. It was designed for gaming, it is not capable of really great sound production. Sure it works alright with games, but don't think for an instant that this will make a music fan happy! It is not worth the money, though. The mixamp is around $130.00. Go buy the Sennheiser HD555s or the AT AD700s and the mixamp (plus Zalman mic) for less than this package and you will be in heaven no matter what multimedia you are using! Or if you're short on money, the Turtle Beach X1s will give you the same "footsteps" advantage as the Astro for $200.00 less. If you have a decent A/V unit (with Dolby pro-logic and 5 channel programming), just buy the AT AD700s, or if you only have a headphone out on your tv, buy the HD555s, as they imho do better without equalizing. Buy the mixamp later if you wish.
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video-games_xbox
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An Epic blunder at Gameplay and Game Design and Balance. Okay, going to keep this short, and bitter sweet.
Do not buy this game, like at least one more person said, if your easily frustrated, and don't buy this game even if you have a lot of patience, because it will break you and bend you over and pound you when your down on your knees crying.
Their is no pause button, and the game, since this is still the 1990's has an auto save feature...No saving at a convenient spot and then dying and going back to that spot and starting over... no sir, that'd be to nice.
If you get the urge to use the bathroom at a point where enemies are around, you better hold it unless you want to die. Getting an important phone call that real life is throwing at you? But your in a serious situation in the game, some where your working hard to accomplish a goal? Well the director says tinkle on you... better decide quick!
You will have to sacrifice both your real life and your in game life to make it anywhere in this game. Like literally the amount of souls, even with the soul ring.. that they give out is pitiful. So this game requires a TON.. A TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON of time and farming. I can't emphasize this enough. The way the summoning is set up.. its like a gate. If you defeat the boss you can't someone anyone to farm with you. If you defeat the boss though, no one can invade you.. so your humanity is safe.
This isn't the first multiplayer game I have played. So I am not going to heap praise on this system like every everyone else, going to go against the flow here. As a matter of fact, it down right sucks. I know there are a bunch of fan boys that would hoop and holler being able to summon friends whenever would break the game. TO them I say, no sir it wouldn't! The system is already in place to summon people, randoms whenever you want, but it sucks and doesn't work all the time. Its already broken.
And speaking of summoning, you can only summon people near your rank, so if you want to have your friend who's a higher rank, help you? forget it... want to help your lower ranking friend? forget it. This is truly a broken system. Now the director of the game can state he had this vision that he didn't want ruined, personally I think he wanted to troll people and make money from it at the same time. No seriously, from what I understand the Director was inspired by the ' Berserk Manga Series' its pretty awesome! But even in the dang manga, Gatts has a ton of help from Nakama.
Oh also, in this game, YOU CANNOT PARTY CHAT.. I can't emphasize this enough. This game, if you try and go into a freaking party chat it will boot you to offline mode. What a crock of *Insert some serious cursing here since amazon censors or will not allow strong adult language* you know what. So not only will this game not allow you to play with friends unless you get lucky and can summon them.. But it won't even allow you to talk to your friends either..!? (two freaking huge steps backwards for gaming) unless private chat, and then its just one person. I guess the Director was afraid of all the rage combined in one party chat might destroy the universe? Not sure.
The gameplay, do you like your character, kicking or doing a plunging attack at the worse possible time? Even though you didn't activate the attack sequence? Yeah, me either. Really makes you rage, when it causes you to get killed. Like your character to start an attack animation that you can't interrupt that causes him to die? Well better get used to it. Welcome TO DARK SOULS.. the game that will indeed turn your soul bitter black.
The controls of the game, need re-worked, moves during combat need to be easier to pull off. The programming behind the moves needs to be vastly improved, so that a player doesn't have to fight against the controls.
Now to another topic. . . In game experience/resources.
The way you level up your character, in game, is you kill enemies, and you gain soul points. The way you level up your weaponry in game, and your armor, is you kill enemies and get soul points.
So, we have, You, your weapon, and your armor. That is three things competing for souls. The enemies, are far and few. Your weapons, armor, yourself... all require a ridiculous amount of souls to get anywhere useful. SO, we have a MAJOR, MAJOOOOOR broken game, and this is even with the patches that has come out. You go help someone kill a boss,if your lucky and can get summoned and you might be lucky to pull 15,000 souls or something. And do what with them? Not much, maybe buy a titan shard.. repair your equipment? But that's about all. Its a 3 to 1 ratio not in your favor.
You get a 'Covetous Silver Serpent ring', about 3/4 of a way into the game.. which I guess is not accurate since you can go anywhere in the game as long as you can survive. Actually you have access to the catacombs right from the get go, If as a level 1 right at the beginning of the game you can make it all the way to that ring, I commend you! For anyone who has played the game, pinwheel skeletons probably come to mind and a horrible cheap death as well.
The thing about it this whole concept of this game.. and summoning system, is its all broken.. its great in theory, but in execution, the game director or whoever was ultimately in charge, didn't have any common sense what so ever... nor good judgement. Now I know a lot of people, or it seems to at least be quite a few, have made the game work, they've beaten it, and probably caused grief by invading others worlds. They have manage to over come all the difficulties, and strive ahead. How? besides the skill part, I would say a bit of dumb luck as well and a ton of time.
Armor and skill and weapon attack power play such a crucial role in this game.. and so do ranged attacks with the bow. And you'll constantly be struggling to literally both climb up hill as well as get your gear up to snuff.
And it will be a long climb. It will be difficult, and it will not quote :"Extremely Deep, Dark & Difficult - Unforgiving in its punishment, yet rewarding for the determined - learn to strategize freely and conquer seemingly impossible challenges."
Yeah anyone would be happy when torture is over..
The enemies have an uncanny ability to lock onto you.. from close combat, to long range combat, not to mention, long range combatants, well their arrows will be slightly homing, thus making them a little harder to dodge, than an arrow that's just going straight like its supposed to.
I think the biggest kicker though, is you know those soul's I mentioned? the one's that you use to upgrade yourself, your weapons and armor? Well if you die, they don't stick with you, they fall out on the ground. Now you have once chance to make it back, WITH OUT DYING, to get them back. Because you see, their is no way to store them at the bonfire, or in an item, and losing real time trying to get somewhere in game, is not punishment enough. SO you screw up and lose a lot of souls, you know the one's you were trying to save up to buy an item, or level up? Well YOUR S.O.L!
Okay, now onto the good things about the game. Because indeed their are some wonderful aspects to this game.
Pros:
+You have this massive world that you can't explore, because everything beats you to a pulp, so if you like to explore/adventure? tough poop!
+You have a wonderful variety and colorful group of enemies and bosses
(some of said bosses are really cheap, actually most of them are in their abilities)
+You can have a mishmash of classes.. another words cleric mage, fighter mage, fighter cleric etc.. but you really won't get anywhere, since it takes a ridiculous amount of souls to level up.
+You have these wonderful bonfires that you can rest at, but even if your setting at one you can still be invaded if your human by some grief inducing fool.
+You can warp amongst bon fires once you manage to get lucky and summon some help to defeat probably the most annoying bossess in the game.. er well, some of the most annoying bosses. That one with the two dogs is pretty bad.
Also you can only warp to limited bon fires..not all of them
+The Armor sets in this game are truly awesome, and I really do like how you can layer them to get different benefits. That truly is a pro. No sarcasm here this time.
+The weapons you can get, quite a variety (and if you can actually find the resources whether its souls or titan chunks or whatever, you can get some pretty cool stuff, good luck heh)
If they would fix the multiplayer, the leveling of yourself and your armor and weapons, basically the lack of resources in game... and make it where you could actually grow your character in a consistent time frame...to face the threats that exist. . . (I'm honestly surprised they didn't have micro purchases in this game, they probably wanted to) This struggle for resources is partially what makes this game so freaking difficult. If they made the bosses.. where they were actually on par with you, as opposed to freaks of nature, that would be nice as well. When you face a boss that's literally hopping all over the place, and you can't keep up with ranged weapons, or magic attacks.. etc.. its a real balance issue..
So, Welcome to the world of Dark Souls! Try not to go hollow playing this game. Also, might I suggest you buy this as well <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Everlast-70-Pound-MMA-Heavy-Bag-Kit/dp/B004CY3HHI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Everlast 70-Pound MMA Heavy-Bag Kit</a>. This will save you on LCD TV's and Game controllers.
P.S. I never said the game couldn't be beat the way it is. I never said you couldn't make it anywhere in game. You can. It'll devour your real life time like a world eating champ at an all you can eat buffet though.
P.s.s
If you want a game that truly rewards you for leveling up your character, and that really gives you a sense of satisfaction as you grow, and has pretty good balance, but not perfect. Go buy <a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Dragons-Dogma-Dark-Arisen-X360/dp/B00CO7MTUG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen X360</a>
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video-games_xbox
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Get out of 'habit' - pick this game up NOW. Okay... here it is. I'm going to put it nice and simple, whether you're one of those EA Sports loyalists or not: Madden is STALE. There - I said it. Get over it. I own Madden '04... (the entire series, from the Genesis days; I also have all of the 2K series) don't get me wrong, it's a nice game. But let's face it - it's Madden '03 with a nose job. That 'Playmaker Control' mode is alright, but it's hardly revolutionary. It's what we call a GIMMICK - nothing wrong with that at all. But if your game is going to be more or less solely marketed on a gimmick, you need to make it one that definately has a major impact on the overall gameplay. Madden '04 - make your QB point at people. Oooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh... (come on, admit it - I'd say at least 80% of the time my blocks never get there in time) Oh yeah, you can build a stadium and set concession prices. ...right.
Now, for ESPN Football...
Sega knows how to do things - they have consistently made drastic improvements over the previous year's installment since they debuted on the Dreamcast back in 2000. This year, they've outdone themselves. The presentation is second to none. It's like watching a game on TV - really. You can literally sit there and just watch demo games... and not care. The gameplay is extraordinary. No major flaws at all, and not many minor ones. For newbies, this game definately isn't as easy to just pick up and play as Madden - you'll need to spend some time practicing. Fans of the series will find it familiar, but still different enough to warrant a few Quick Games and a thorough review of the instruction book. (Why does Madden come with a manual anymore?? It's like the Tetris of sports video games.) Everything has been tweaked over the years, so it's really hard to find anything to complain about. They've revamped the running engine - maybe a little bit too much. It's pretty easy to pull off 10-20 yard runs with a decent running back. (I still prefer the more fluid running animation on Madden, though... Sega still has players looking like they're highstepping the entire time, however the reactions to tackles and how your back reacts to the line - i.e. pushing his own blockers - is what gives this running game an 'A' in my book) Passing is simple enough, though repeated attempts at long bombs or forcing into coverage will result in you turning the ball over, much to the dismay of your teammates, coach and fans. (And you get to see them all interact with the game situations!!) One gripe I had with 2K3 was if you got hit after you made a catch, the ball was coming loose. That's been addressed realistically this year - you'll still have it pop out a few times, especially after getting blasted or blindsighted. But that's to be expected. Maybe next year the helmets will fly off... or maybe it does it on this one and I just haven't had it happen yet. You keep seeing different stuff throughout the games... I have yet to see everything twice. That's crazy...
Anyway, the graphics have to be seen to be believed... each player looks exactly like himself. (Not like those retarded Madden models) Everything from the field textures to the stadiums, to the uniforms, cheerleaders (WAAAAAAAAAAAY better than Madden's) and the fans - truly an NFL experience. Anyone familiar with the Sega franchise knows about the audio commentary - it's the most detailed and realistic (not to mention funny) commentary on any video game, period. Even die-hard Madden nuts have to admit that one over the years. I can't think of anyone who could be a worse commentator or more annoying than Madden, except maybe Prince or Mike Tyson. These guys are good... they refer to past performances and have relevant (hear that, EA Sports?!) information to present to the game. It's the total package. (They do seem to mess up a bit when commenting on the punts though, in my opinion: a 35-40 yard punt that pins the opposing team inside the 20 or better isn'a terrible kick, as they'll be quick to label it.)
The franchise mode (one of EA's staples) is nice - nowhere near as in-depth as Madden's, but honestly I'm not going to play this game for 30 seasons, simulated or not. I have a life. I just want something fun for the time I'm playing it now. And Sega has their own little 'gimmicks': there's The Crib, a virtual showcase for all of your trophies and hidden/unlocked items (pretty addictive after awhile, and something else to do with the game after you've been playing for awhile); and there's the First-Person Mode. This gameplay is pretty smooth, and makes the best use of the in-the-helmet view to date. The action is pretty intense - I couldn't imagine playing an entire game, let alone a season like that. There's a button to slow down the action (Matrix-like) for a few seconds so you have time to react... nice touch. This game has it all.
Bottom line: EA Sports (save for Live last year, maybe) isn't doing anything new. Madden's a good game, but only because it was a good game last year and the year before. Sega Sports (look out for that ESPN NBA Basketball!!!!) is raising the bar considerably. This is - by two touchdowns - the best football game of all time, and quite possibly the best game out period. People, stop the predjudice - get this game if you enjoy watching football, and love playing it. It's the best of both worlds. Anyone care to argue - let's settle it online. (Ooooohhhhh, I know. Poor Madden fans - that was below the belt. I'm sorry... HA!)
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video-games_xbox
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Warning" Razer Sabertooth,read the reviews and take notice..it is as bad as the Onza for quality. I have had this controller for approx 9 months, it worked well when I first received it. The quality for the price is just not there, after reading a lot of reviews good and bad, I decided to buy one any way. It took sometime to get used too but feels good in the hands when playing games. The rocker triggers underneath are functional when pulling back but not so much pushing forward, they seem to come looses a lot, and tightening the screws only puts a dent in the plastic and they become loose again to the point of they stay loose. The green joystick covers supplied do provide great grip, but they wear very easily and the the crumbs of silicone fall into the joystick slots and then into the controller itself and get caught in-between the switches and sticks causing problems with sticking thumb sticks or buttons. The thumb stick click buttons wear quickly also to the point where they have no resistance, and resting you thumb on it inadvertently activates the click button on the stick. The bumper buttons feel nice... but as i latter found out they are moulded into the to top half of the housing case and once broken loose this precise feel , as i am very gentle and take care of how i treat my controllers I was surprised when the left bumper button click disappeared and the button no longer protruded like the right bumper button. I contacted Razer support and this is the reply they sent back:
"Thank you for contacting Razer Support. My name is Shaz and I will be assisting you with your case involving Razer Sabertooth. From my understanding, the left bumper physically stops producing clicking sound. Unfortunately, we do not provide repair and services also there is no spare part for the item."
for the money you pay it was disappointing to receive customer support like this from a company like "Razer".
When received this reply from Razer customer service I decided that it was highly unlikely that they will offer any help and any warranty claim will be futile. I opened the controller up and found the bumpers buttons are attach to the case are not repairable as they are moulds into the plastic in the top half of the case, and attached by a very small,thin piece of plastic which when breaks takes the responsiveness, click and return from the button. This part, as per the Razer email, are not repairable, covered under warranty nor do they have parts to fix this. Since identifying this problem I have found this is a very common failure problem on the controller with other users.
While this controller is under a year old it has shown too many signs of wear when comparing it too a standard Microsoft xbox controller that has lasted longer and is half the price. The Sabertooth is very disappointing for a high end controller that is supposed be a pro competition quality type controller.
When new, it worked well, but it seems to wear down very quickly due to the cheap components and material used, for the price I am sure Razer could invest in using better quality parts and materials and offering better back up due to poor design quality especially after this was their follow up on the failed "Onza" controller which had so many design flaws and warranty claims.
All in all nice when it worked, but this will not last long and flaws will show up. Reading reviews from people who have had this controller over a few moth period will show the issues that this controller has, and reading the "new" product reviews can be misleading as only time can show the durability of a product. Thumbs down on the product. Thumbs down on Razer customer support. totally a waste of money.. but it looks and works good when out of the box.
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video-games_xbox
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A fun, downhill alpine experience with beautiful graphics and a few minor control issues. Anyone who has ever played SSX on game systems is probably, at the least, going to be curious about this game. This was the case for me. I really enjoyed SSX, and it was one of the first titles I purchased for Xbox 360. My kids and I had so much fun trying to best each other's times in the downhill races and best each other's top scores in the trick events. We also competed to see who could be the first person to win the game by beating the final mountain. It was a great game that provided hours of fun and some lasting memories. I had hoped this game might provide a similar experience for us. In some ways it has, but in other ways this is a far different game.
Steep is, at its core, a sandbox game. Players are free to explore vast alpine wildernesses and find their own areas to shred or fly through. The art direction on the game is great - providing lusciously detailed environments that are a joy to look at - from ground level or from high above. There is really nothing to complain about in that area.
Players have the option to snowboard or ski down the mountainsides, or they can take to the air in paragliders or wingsuits. All of these are fun in their own unique ways. The skiing and snowboarding are fairly similar, while paragliding and wingsuit flying are not nearly as similar to one another. The wingsuit experience is a high-octane rush as you bullet down the mountainside in a series of near-miss incidents, while the paragliding offers the players a more picturesque, calm experience. The skiing and snowboarding are, naturally, made more fun when employing tricks and jumps, though some of these are very hard to pull off.
The controls of the game are probably my main complaint. They seem to be a bit tricky (no pun intended). Executing all of the tricks available to you and jumping and landing just don't quite seem to be as precise and predictable as I'd like. The controls in the flying events seem easier to manage, by comparison.
The game offers a couple of silly modes of play, too. One of these involves causing your character to fall down the cliffs in the most dramatic way possible. Fun, and... silly.
The game has a lot going for it. For the most part, I really enjoyed it. It IS NOT SSX. SSX did not offer players a sandbox world to explore, which is half the fun of this game. This game is more fun in some ways, and less fun in others. Undoubtedly, though, this game is a worthy addition to the game shelf, and one that is nearly as much fun to watch being played as to play, yourself.
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video-games_xbox
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I'd say skip this game. *** Newer review listing additional issues (demoting game score to two stars) ***
Okay... So that initial problem I had with the DLC was resolved on my own. As it turns out, purchasing the cheapest steel pack (for another $4.99 plus tax) resolves the issue. The case that I opened was never resolved by Ubisoft, so their QA and customer support teams get 0 or -1 stars. I even took the time to post on several forums, add notes into my open case, and respond to any customer service inquiries. All I got in return was "glad your issue is resolved" response.
On to the game, the story mode was admittedly pretty fun for me, but it is a bit on the short side for duration. I went through it on normal difficulty over the span of a couple of days and playing multiplayer a bit. As you get better with the controls, I was able to redo the first campaign on Realistic difficulty in under 30 minutes (and unlocking story feats helps).
On to multi-player, there's not a lot of depth here. I play a lot of Dominion game mode and complete "daily" orders (the orders become new more like every two days), and it does become a bit of a repetitious grind. If you really like doing the same battles over and over, it can be fun. The reason that I lowered the game score is because Ubisoft's server setup is abysmal. I have a reliable Gigabit network with open NAT, and I get dropped easily from about 20-25% of my matches. They even rolled out an apology for the networking issues last weekend (March 3rd) and gave us all three whole days of champion status to compensate us for their issues (woop dee frickin' doo) and boosted steel income slightly. Overall, the game is very repetitious and frustrating due to the networking issues. I'd say skip this game and play LoZ: Breath of the Wild. I hear it's amazing. If Nintendo or Amazon could resolve the Wii U version stock/shipment/ordering issues, then I'd be playing that instead.
*** Initial review ***
Generally, I don't feel compelled to write Amazon reviews for games, considering the existence of IGN and whatnot, but I did want to do one for the Xbox One For Honor: Gold Edition. This review will serve as a warning to others and possibly dissuade them from buying the Gold Edition. Save your money because some of the important DLC doesn't work. As for me specifically, all of my champion status is missing for both the Season Pass and Deluxe Pack, and I opened a case with Ubisoft to address it.
If you are like me and didn't really understand what was important about the DLC, so you bought the gold edition to "keep your bases covered", then let me break it down for you. A lot of the DLC is cosmetic. Those include the sunbeam effects and the emblems, so they don't really affect game play, but having champion status is very, very important. Here's why: If you ever played Destiny or The Division, then you understand that games, like For Honor, are all about grinding for the in game currency, XP for leveling up, and drops of better gear. Having champion status increases all of those. Essentially you get more XP, drops, and currency. Having better gear boosts your playable character's abilities (called feats) and gives them stronger attributes. When you participate in player vs player modes like Dominion, you will immediately notice how important these effects are, as they drastically affect gameplay, and also encourage you to play more to get better stuff.
Buy the standard edition and use the extra money save to buy an Xbox gift card so that you can redeem it for steel (the in game currency) to purchase champion status on your own. Having For Honor's champion status matters.
If you do a general search of the Interwebz for "For Honor Gold Edition issues", then you will see others have had similar problems. I stress the importance of not purchasing this edition because I have an open case with Ubisoft, and it is still in progress, so I can't advise when the missing DLC will be restored.
As for the game itself (not including the DLC), it's pretty fun. I am enjoying it, and I have played for about one day, and I completed 1/3 for the story mode. Hence the three star rating. I would easily give it five stars if the DLC worked reliably. I would recommend the game to anyone that enjoys fast-paced, multiplayer competition. If that's not your thing, then you can play multi-player versions of competitive modes with other players, except that you fight against a squad of computer-controlled adversaries (called bots). It's also enjoyable.
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video-games_xbox
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Great game! Doesn't deserve the bad rep! Ubisoft please make a sequel. Note that I've only played this game for the last three days and put in about 3-4 hours of gameplay. I did notice that when I first booted the game up there was an update that downloaded and I'm not sure what that did.
I'll keep this first half of the review simple and go into more detail with my concluding thoughts:
Good:
In-depth fighting system that considers range, opponent/player's body position, all limbs, combos, counters, blocking, dodging and damage to weak points (i.e. legs, eyes) that inhibit the opponent from defending, attacking, etc
Motions are detected 90% of the time.
Good variety of moves.
Great workout.
Bad:
Limited game modes (no versus!).
Limited roster of opponents.
Controllable character has no ability to move.
No throws.
Head butt and rising uppercut don't work 90% of the time
Cheesy:
Music
Opponent taunts
Main character bio (....Eurasian born in Hawaii and raised in Detroit.....LOL, why is that pertinent to the game??)
Yelling to perform special moves
Concluding thoughts:
I consider myself an avid gamer (been playing since ColecoVision) and have played fighting games since I came across the Street Fighter (the original) in an arcade in Seattle. I've also run a few marathons in my day so I think I'm in fairly good shape.
With that said, I do appreciate the workout I get from this game as well as how the motion controls work. As some of the other high ranking reviewers of this game have stated, the mindset you need to have going into this game is similar to playing SFII or in my opinion Tekken where abstract movements of the joystick and/or button pressing combinations equates to movements on screen. I think it's probably more akin to Tekken since the game does register left and right fists/feet. Timing of movements is critical for dodging and/or counters and certain moves have priority over others. I believe that the problem with people having the wrong moves register are attributed to the fact that you need to maintain your fighting stance (as described in the training and game manual) and only move how the training shows you to move...if you slightly lower your shoulder or hips while performing a motion, it can be the difference between performing a high or low kick. This is actually a cool restraint because it means that as you get tired playing the game, you're movements and stance get sloppy and then your fighting gets sloppy as well, so you almost need to get in better shape to be able to fight well in this game. Also, you can't just flail mindlessly because you have to wait for the movement animation to complete (similar to other fighting games). Availability of certain moves is associated to distance from the opponent (which is displayed at the bottom of the screen). There is ability to control distance, but in order to do so, you need to perform a certain attack which can leave you open to a counter...it would have been nice to be able to move forward and back independent from attacks. For the life of me I cannot get the head butt or rising uppercut to register on a consistent basis so I just don't use those two moves which is a shame because I wanted to be able to perfect my Shoryuken ;-). Throws are sorely missed because it allowed for a level of strategy and cheapness that is necessary in 2D fighting games. Lastly, I think it's a great idea to incorporate damage to weak spots on the opponents body and have the damage be associated to a certain handicap. For example, one combo I would employ was to shoot a few jabs to the face for distraction then come in with a low kick which would result in my jabs getting blocked but the low kick would land. A few low kicks later the opponent would have leg pain and therefore wouldn't be able to guard against kicks from long range, good stuff!!
The limited number of opponents is unfortunate, but considering what we had to work with in the original SF and SFII, this isn't a deal breaker for me. Besides the obvious remedy which is increase the roster headcount, versus mode really would have made up for that shortfall. The music is so-so and the voice acting and taunts are cheesy, but hey, I grew up in an era of Van Damme and Schwarzenegger one-liners and so I actually appreciate it a bit. I also thought it was uber cheesy to have to yell before performing a special move, especially after my wife started giving me funny looks (I had to explain to her what it did in the game :-)), but I guess it beats pressing a button...and again if that darn rising uppercut would work then I could yell "Shoryuken!" (I know cheesy on my part).
All-in-all, I picked up this game on sale for a screamin deal and don't regret it. It's a solid fighting game that can/should only be improved from here. Hopefully Ubisoft doesn't give up and decides to make a sequel that incorporates all of the things that I and other reviewers have commented on that, if incorporated, would make this an excellent game.
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video-games_xbox
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Finally, a truly worthy version of the NFL 2K2. For those who have been afraid of buying the NFL 2K2 after being disappointed by the Dreamcast version, fear not! It seems that Sega Sports listened to the complaining fans and forced Visual Concepts to actually _improve_ the passing game, blocking, sound quality, etc.
The original NFL 2K2 on the Dreamcast had the best pass coverage AI ever seen a football video game. Cornerbacks, linebackers, and safeties all intelligently reacted to passes thrown their way. They were good at zone, man, and 'bump & run' coverage.
The XBox version continues this tradition, actually improving upon the original's already magnificent AI. Players in coverage are much more likely to tip passes than before. The only problem on the defenseive side of the ball is that Visual Concepts removed the 3 man fronts almost entirely.
The running game is the best out there. Hands down. All the moves are effective, from the juke or spin to the stiff arm or shoulder charge. The blocking creates good holes to run through. The defense actually reacts realistically, making counters, cutbacks, draws, and reverses valid choices. Perhaps the best part of the running game are the 'get skinny' moves that ball carriers _automatically_ perform. This means that there is no longer the annoyance of getting stuck on your own blocker, feet churning yet going nowhere.
The only problem with the original NFL 2K2 was the horrendous passing game (and ball security, but that's tied in). While VC had improved the animations over NFL 2K1, there were several problems with the passing and catching system that made the game almost unplayable for pass oriented teams:
1) The offensive linemen were incapable of holding blocks for longer than .0025 seconds with consistency.
2) Top tier receivers very often dropped passes.
3) Anyone but a top receiver did not have a preayer of making a catch.
4) Even after you finally were able to thread the ball through defenders' hands and your receiver was lucky enough to grab the ball, if he got hit within a full second after the catch you would see the ball lying on the turf.
Thankfully, Visual Concepts has fixed this problem. Pocket passers can thrive behind a good offensive line, completing passes without thought, until the defense gets in the way. Low-rated receivers, such as tight ends, are much more likely to make completions, and the high-rated are just like they are in reality: hard for defenses to handle. Not too hard, though, due to the insanely good defenive AI. After intensive playtesting (Heh, I always wanted to say that.) I have found the only true problems with the passing game in 2K2, and VC should have little difficulty fixing them. I hope that Visual Concepts have already noted these problems themselves, and if they haven't...
1) Receivers jog their routes. Either this is true or defenders can backpedal faster than Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Co. can run their routes.
2) Quarterbacks do not lead their targets correctly, even when a receiver is _standing still_. For example, the Rams have a play where all 4 WRs go out 8 yards, stop and turn around. If you attempt to throw to them while they are standing still, Kurt will throw the ball about 3 feet over their heads. The WR will then dive for the ball. Yes, dive. As in towards the ground.
3)The receiver logic is absolutely horrendous. Receivers like MARSHALL FAULK will, when they see the ball coming in a perfect spiral right towards their shoulders, dive off to the side to avoid coming in contact with the ball. It seems that the only functional routes are the straight line ones.
People will respond to this game with cries of "But Madden has momentum based movement! It's more realistic." Momentum based movement is realistic - when it is implemented in a way that creates a modicum of realism. In Madden (and in Fever) it simly gets in the way, making reaction times slower and control more imprecise.
"But Madden has a better Franchise system!" You know what? They're right. The Franchise mode in the Madden games is MUCH bettter than in NFL 2K2. But which is more important: stat-tracking and resource management, or gameplay? Most would probably reply that gameplay is the most important part of any sports game, while all the rest are just extras.
"But Madden is more of a football sim!" I simply do not understand this 'argument'. The only way in which Madden is more of a football sim is in the franchise mode. True, there is no 3-4 set anymore, but look at how much the offensive side of the ball has been improved: the Rams have TWENTY-EIGHT (28) different formations to tear other teams apart with, not counting special teams, of course.
Overall, the XBox version of NFL 2K2 is the game that we Dreamcast owners were hoping for when we first bought the original version - except for some parts of the passing game. Simply put, it is the best playing football game on the market. Better than Fever and better than Madden. However, I would recommend waiting for NFL 2K3, giving VC time to fix the only thing that needs fixing: the passing game.
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video-games_xbox
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Best Console with a lot of Features. X-Box One (along with Kinect) is itself a complete gaming solution. A big range of games available for X-Box One family. Every top bestseller game is now on X-Box One.
Hardware Features:
1. HDMI pass through: With HDMI pass through feature you can connect your HDMI out supported cable TV box to HDMI IN port of X-Box One and from HDMI Out port of the console a HDMI supported TV can be connected. With this configuration you can watch your favorite channels through X-Box One. One good quality HDMI cable is included in the box. If you want to switch from cable TV box to console, no need to change the setup. Just use your controller for the purpose. Press X Box key on your controller to return back to X-Box home screen.
2. Internal Storage: X-Box has 500 GB of internal storage space. If you are a hard core gamer and want to have a huge game collection then the next feature is made for you.
3. External USB devices connectivity: X-Box One console has three USB ports (2 at the rear side and one at the left side while facing the X-Box One). It comes up with a 500 GB of storage space. You can connect external hard disks to any of the three USB ports. If you are having a 3.5" SATA disk drive case with USB connectivity then you just need to purchase a 3.5" SATA disk drive (that are far more cheap than external 2.5" Hard disks).
Just plug your Hard Disk to the USB port and console will ask you the use of hard disk (for gaming or media). You can select any of these and hard disk will be formatted for the specific use.
You can also connect external cooling fans to these USB ports. Controller batteries charging to be done with these USB ports.
A best configuration of these USB ports is to connect one external hard disk to the rear USB port, one cooling fan to the another rear USB port and a battery charging station to the side USB port.
4. Wireless Controller with Chat Headset Connectivity: Within the box you will get a Wireless controller (with non rechargeable AA size Duracell batteries). This controller is having chat headset connectivity for 3.5 mm audio jack and as well USB port for the same. You can purchase a battery kit (sold separately with a rechargeable battery and USB cable to charge it through USB port of X-Box Console). This one time investment will save a lot of money for you. You can purchase X-Box One original controller battery kit or you can also purchase Nyko batteries that can also be used with X-Box One controllers.
5. Kinect: With Kinect connected to your console you will experience greater convenience and control. You just need to plug it to the console and configure the setup for one time. No batteries are required for Kinect. Kinect for Xbox One has a 1080p HD camera, advanced infrared technology and a microphone array with noise isolation for maximum precision in capturing sound and motion. You can command X-Box and your TV with your voice, make HD Skype calls, and play games where you are the controller. You can even broadcast your gameplay live with picture-in-picture using the Twitch app and work out smarter with Xbox Fitness.
Software Features:
The package comes up with a set of games (included games depends upon the pack you are buying). Mine comes up with Kinect Rivals, Forza Horizon 2 and Zoo Tycoons.
It is backwards compatible with some Xbox 360 games. It will also stream content to Windows 10 devices. With X-Box One Smart glass installed on your smartphone or laptop, you can control your console.
One thing that I can suggest to Microsoft is to include Chat Headset in the package along with the battery kit for the controller.
Hope you will find this review helpful. Enjoy X-Box One gaming..!!
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video-games_xbox
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Only compatible with Killer Instinct at the moment. From the headline, I know you are probably thinking duh but let me clarify. You literally cannot play any other game besides Killer Instinct (at the time of this writing 7/22/14).
I loaded up Guacamelee, and once it boots up, no button inputs besides the Guide button will register. This is unfortunate because on the 360 & ps3, I would often use my arcade sticks to play other games such as Ikaruga or Pac-man. Nothing like simulating that arcade feeling. My previous sticks were from Mad Catz as well, so I thought this would work the same way.
With that said, here are my opinions on the stick. It works fantastic for its purpose (of playing Killer Instinct).
Pluses-
I love the overall physical design and feeling. There is a fantastic heft to it, so if you have it on your lap, it won't be moving around at all. I like the easy ability to mod this thing which is definitely one of the things that I look for in a stick now. The LED is pretty cool.
Neutral-
Horrible artwork & horrible mushy buttons. These are neutral because both can be easily changed out. The buttons are legit Sanwas but they feel noticeably cheaper than usual. I noticed this right away, so I had to do some research and apparently this is common with all translucent Sanwa buttons. I replaced them with black buttons w/clear outer rims and they feel so much better. I've uploaded a pic if you want to see all the changes I did. So if you keep your buttons stock, know that you are not experiencing what most people love about Sanwas.
Minus-
Compatibility with other games. That really really sucks.
Some notes about why I went for this one instead of the plain vanilla TE2. These sticks are no longer in production and pretty much only being sold by resellers now so they are being sold at a ridiculous premium compared to the stock ones which are currently being sold on Amazon for regular price.
I bought this one for purely cosmetic reasons. I dislike the red sides on the vanilla and it's also missing the LED board (sold seperately). The buttons are actually better on the plain because those are the traditional Sanwa buttons.
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video-games_xbox
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Zombies You Say. Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City is a third person shooter set in 1998 during a viral outbreak. ORC is not to be confused with a numeric Resident Evil title, whether fans of the series liked the shift from survival horror to the newly tagged 'action horror', it's easy to point out a side story game in the series. Smaller budget, shorter development cycle, and shift in gameplay tend to be the mian giveaways. Given the ingredients, a nostalgic run through of Raccoon City, franchise bringing back zombies, Umbrella Corporation in full force, online multiplayer, major character references, it's easy to see potential. Between poor lighting, control command inconsistancies, and AI ORC is hindered.
To get started you have the option to play a straigh forward guns blazing campaign, online or off. Unlockable weapons and customizable stats for choosable characters make for a meta game itself. Reguardless of what individual is chosen, you will take on the role of a Umbrella Security Service operative, as a unit your team is nicknamed 'Wolfpack'. The story ties in with both Resident 2 and 3. To avoid spoilers, negotiations have been made and Wolfpack whine up a clean up crue, tasked to whipe out Umbrella affiliation with the viral outbreak (as though it's an allusion to the developers treatment towards devoted fans). This means traversing through underground passages, searching out large buildings, sneaking through cemeteries eliminating things that go bump in the night and some more lively gun totting troops. Sounds better on paper than in gameplay. Little location differentiation converts sight seeing into eye strain thanks due in part by the harsh color palette and dark visuals. I've upped the only offerable setting 'gamma', it didn't ease the problem, but instead washed out dark corners to shades of grey.
Raccoon City never looked much better upon looking its worst, graphically the game is strong, artistically it feels lacking, most objects look tacked on. Older Resident Evil games were immersive, the graphics were never compeitive aside from the rendered backgrounds. It was the atmosphere that really helped pull players through 'tank' controls and frustrating puzzles. The anxieties of knowing something is lurking and you haven't a bullet to spare. ORC would have served as a wonderful addition if it was commited to tasteful innovation (RE: Outbreak). Instead it feels like the game would have fit the bill better as an arcade/online download release.
The controls are not horrible and the commands seem responsive enough, it's just how the game relays what you're desiring to do with what's actually going to occur that makes it odd. Every wall is essentially distinguished as cover, automated cover mounting when approached is helpful, until you find that one wall that doesn't adhere to that rule. One can become infected with the T-virus, your time to find a cure is limited, otherwise you turn into a zombie. Sometimes you can be infected quite easily, being pinned and surrounded can leave you unscathed oddly enough. Things like unloading a clip into opposing forces only for them to still stand, elite troops mindlessly lumped into a corner, zombies strapped with bombs certainly deduct immersive qualities.
The game tries to hit you with so many references at once, cameos, a lovely tourist like run down of familiar locations if not to just point a finger and say "wow remember remember that?!", cursed encounters with hordes of diabolical BOW's (bio organic weapon) etc. It leaves a rushed feeling and a game that would not be able to stand on its own. Most fans yearn for the day the series returns to its roots. Reguardless of where the series treads, quality control over all the directions Resident Evil pops its head out of would be appreciated. It's not a horrible game, it makes for a fun rental, when coupled with some buddies to play with it can be quite entertaining. It's easy to sink time into as a mindless shooter, and would be even better had they not stifled the flow with extreme dark depths and unresponsive AI. Many of the flaws can be looked past, however there are much better titles surfacing at the moment.
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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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Grid 2. Well I picked up my copy from the store yesterday. I was very hesitant about buying since I never played the first Grid. I am a big fan of racing games like Forza and Gran Turismo, sometimes I will play Need for Speed.
So I been playing Grid 2 for about 8 hrs now. I tried out the online racing, and it was good. I'm not big on online racing but for those of you out there that are this may be your Cup of Tea. The online portion you can race other people online or you can race the clock. You gain experience and money so you can unlock, buy and upgrade your cars. You don't have a much of a selection of upgrades. The car choice is an alright size, most of the cars seem really well balanced.
The story mode. Well let me start off by saying is there really isn't much of a story. I for one don't buy a racing game for a story. I want bad ass cars that look good and handle well. In the story you pretty much go around racing different clubs from around the world in hopes of recruiting them to join the WRC. You start of in the U.S. and your race the 2 clubs there. They join after you beat them or proved your worth to them. Then the WRC season starts. After its done you do it again, but in a different country. From what I've played of the story, it doesn't seem like it will have much re-play value to it.
Graphics and game play. The cars look pretty amazing. The damage is pretty good but it is not realistic, but its looks pretty bad ass watching your car go head on into a wall because you lost control of your drift around a corner. Speaking of drifting, that is the biggest let down of this game. If I wanted to drift the whole game I would stick to Need for Speed. If you don't drift around the turn you are just going to get passed up. I don't think the drifting is that hard in the game but it took a few races to get use to it.
But all in all the game is fun to a point. I really don't think it's worth $60. If you want to get it, I would suggest you wait until the price drops.
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video-games_xbox
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A Game Worthy of Halo-Like Praise. Brute Force finally brings a new XBox game out to rival Halo's fantastic gameplay and graphics. And it is fantastic in multiplay!
First off, the graphics are just AMAZING. From the opening cut-scene, to the levels you play through and the on-screen controls, it's just beautiful. They put an amazing amount of work into the art and design of the game, and it shows. The world you work through feels *real*.
In many ways this is obviously a version of Halo. The large selection of weapons, the four types of grenades, the great comments the characters make, the fighting-space-enemies in a futuristic environment. This isn't a bad thing - Halo was an incredible game and Brute Force shares many of the same great qualities.
And Brute Force takes it a step beyond. In Halo, you had great AI teammates to help you out, but no real multiplayer. If you had local co-op, you had two Master Chiefs. In Brute Force, there are four distinct players. When you're playing single player, you can swap amongst them, using whichever one has the best skills for the task. The other become your backup, following your orders and supporting you.
But multiplayer is where this game is truly amazing. The game is very obviously created for multiplay, with the multiplayer options being integral to the game. Set up your system link and join multiplay games of all varieties, choosing your favorite character and weapon combination to truly customize how you play. Speed is blisteringly fast, and many players out there are already top-notch.
Where the built in campaign is amazingly fun and can be played (if Halo is any judge) for months on end, the fact that multiplay gives you endless players and new downloadable maps means the game could in essence be played ... forever!
Highly, highly recommended for anyone who loved Halo. And if you don't have your system link set up, be sure to do that as well! Together, Brute Force / multiplay creates just about everything you could want in a shooting-action game.
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video-games_xbox
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Honest Review... Read Before You Buy. First, I went into this game with the mindset that the cashier at Gamestop recommended: no expectations that this game will play anything like other Rockstar titles... and that helped for the most part. I had to say that lest anyone think that any gripes I have about the game are because I've viewed it through the lens of other third-person open-world games, more specifically other Rockstar games.
The biggest marketing "gimmick" of the game was the facial image capture technology that they used. Though I believed it was fabulously done, I didn't think it was that much better than the facial modeling of some of the most recent games that have been released (Black Ops for one). That said, I do understand that because the game mostly consists of "watching" rather than playing, having immaculate facial models is of utmost importance otherwise the whole thing falls apart. The problem is, they weren't completely flawless and there was at least one thing that bugged me during cut scenes. The eyeballs were strangely 2-dimensional and looked more like textures slapped over a flat surface. This was really noticeable when a character would turn their head (were not looking directly at the camera) and it really sucked me back into the reality that it was in fact a video game and not a television show or movie. This may not have bothered most people, but it bothered me enough considering the importance that the facial models played in this game. File that under graphics.
Graphics: Excellent in both B/W and color. Facial models are the best I've seen yet (though not by much).
Sound: I loved the Noire flick action music. It plays a huge part in the game and, in my opinion, is almost as important as the character model technology. The intensity of the first few street crimes was pleasantly increased by the great music, but it wasn't long before I realized that there were really only a few tracks that would repeat themselves during the action sequences. After a while it became so repetitious that I didn't even notice it anymore. Cut scene ambient music was great where and when it was used. Voice acting was very good. A few of the suspect and witness characters were painfully bad, but all of the main characters were excellent aside from the German lounge singer. Whoever played her (not going to bother looking it up) was a terrible actress and a bit annoying.
Gameplay and Controls: I'll focus on the good first. I liked the way the main character would automatically jump over obstacles just by sprinting towards them. I also liked the fact that the character automatically attempts to climb ladders and pipes when the user deliberately moves towards it and that I didn't have to button mash to sprint. I hope Rockstar adds those features in future GTA releases. I wasn't crazy about the shooting or aiming but, at the same time, I do realize that this was not intended to be an "action" game. The snap-to-target isn't great, which isn't a huge issue when it's done well in a game (like in "The Saboteur"). In L.A. Noire, however, the slow speed of the default sensitivity setting cripples the ability to sweep the reticle across your plane of view. I believe you can set increase the sensitivity to make it faster, but by doing so you'll end up fighting the camera during regular gameplay. It was just something that bothered me throughout the game when I was required to shoot (which actually happens quite often). I truly enjoyed driving around in the different types of vehicles (you can actually drive a Tucker Torpedo!) and I thought the difficulty/ease of control was accurate to the type of vehicle despite what some reviewers said. Most of the gameplay revolves around searching for clues and interviewing witnesses/suspects, however. I actually enjoyed searching for clues. It felt kind of nice when you'd find that piece of evidence that you knew was going to nail your prime suspect. However, I didn't like how it was executed for the following reason: the 3rd-person view doesn't allow for precision "targeting" with regard to clue finding. When you are near a potential clue, the controller will vibrate and you'll hear a chime. Clues can be as small as a spent shell or matchbook to as large as a jumpsuit or tire iron. In both cases I'd have difficulty precisely targetting whatever the item was that was alerting me, so I'd end up button mashing 'A' while walking around the proximity of the potential clue on occassion. Essentially, tack that complaint down as "fighting with the camera controls". When there are multiple clues in one spot, the user is taken to another sub-interface (the only way I can describe it) where they see all clues before them and they must use the thumstick to choose which clue they want to view and click 'A'. When they are finished, viewing a clue they have to click 'B'. Thus, when they are viewing a clue in the multiple clue sub-interface, they end up having to navigate and click buttons a little too much, in my opinion, and, after hundreds of times doing it, it can begin to feel like a burden. That said, this was not one of the things that had a serious impact on the score I gave this game, it was a personal annoyance that was overcome. It was just the way the game was built. Many people complained about how easy clue-finding was. Yeah, it was, but this is supposed to play out like a 40s TV show/movie... and it isn't like the detectives never conveniently stumbled across obviously damning evidence within the 30-minute program, right? The interviews/interrogations were also quite easy. However, one has to learn how to differentiate between "Doubt" and "Lie" before it becomes so. The only reason why one needs the points ("cheat" points that you can earn beating street crimes or solving cases) to successfully interrogate a witness is if they want to try for a perfect score. Otherwise, there seemed to be no amount of screwing up interrogations that would end in a failing case. I think that this was a major flaw in the game as the interrogations, interviews, and collecting evidence were the game's bread and butter. Not to mention, in the noire films and shows, the detectives always asked the right questions and had the perfect retorts. It kind of messed up the flow when one chose the wrong option... yet, it never affected the outcome of the case.
Story: I thought the story was compelling. There was a main plot that had at least two sub-plots tied to it. At the very beginning of the game, this is hardly detectable. However, it is IMPORTANT that one collects and views all of the newspaper stories that can be found in obvious places during some cases. It helps when all of the sub-plots come together for a very surprising climax. Rockstar did a really good job in story-telling here, as they usually do. The story was almost as compelling as that of Red Dead Redemption... but making it to the end was the challenge.
If you've read my review up until now, you're probably thinking, "Why did he only give this game 3 stars?". Well, I can confidently tell you that I will NEVER play this game again. I had absolutely no desire to go back and score 5/5 on any of the cases or revisit any places. I had no desire to find the film reels, badges, etc. When I was finished with the game, I was extremely thrilled with how the story ended on such an interesting note and that it was almost good enough to be made into a book, but it became more "work" than "play" for me after a while. And that was after I had come to the understanding that it is not supposed to be compared to your typical action third-person open-world game. It is supposed to be viewed as an interactive noire film/TV show. Like I said, I was pleased with the ending and I was also pleased that I finally got there.
This game isn't for everyone and that's why I gave it 3 stars. I enjoyed it while I played. I thoroughly enjoyed the story. But, it was something that I had to take in small bites: one case a night at most (and I think this is what Rockstar intended). I tried to recommend it to a couple of friends on merit of its fabulous story. They said, "Why play several hours of a game for the story when I could just go to Netflix and watch a two hour movie?". That argument is valid, I think. I thought the game was worth it... once. If you are going to play it, rent it or borrow it, but don't buy it. And if you are considering the DLC, I can only recommend that you play through the game at least until you get to Vice before you purchase it. If, by the time you get to Vice, you come to realize that the game is not for you, you'll be kicking yourself for spending the cash on even more cases that you'll probably find are more work than play. In my opinion, the DLC suits and gun didn't add or take away from the game, they just ended up being there unused. So, I felt like that was a waste of Microsoft points as well. I hope my review served to explain what you need to know before you decide to make a purchase.
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video-games_xbox
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Lay Waste. Everything in that general direction must die!!!!!
That's just 1 of the many and really metal things Jack Black says in this game so you know its goin to be good!
I remember about 3 yrs ago when I first heard they were goin to make a game with Jack Black as the main character and I said hell yeah! I didn't even have a Xbox 360 yet! But I knew I have to get this game!
Finally Brutal Legend is here
Its a real good time! But kinda short
The story is the best, and you really couldn't ask for a better setting than Hell!
These are the two best things in the game other than Jack Black
The Gameplay is a lot of slicing and a lot of gore and a lot of laughs! Very fun goin around laying waste to everything in your general direction with plenty of help too!
Once you know the controls good, you can command and conquer, leading and army of Head bangers, Groupies, Rocker chicks and roadies with Gigantic amps on their backs!!!
Its just a little bit of strategy to play this game later in the game
Your recruits are another one of my favorite things in this game
You got the
HeadBangers- real buff dudes with bandanas around their heads and long necks and long hair, banging their heads non stop, actually that's how they fight!!
Rocker chicks- these sexy ladies shoot lighting outta their guitars, and they will hop on your back and shoot from there too
Choppers and Hogs- Rob Halford look alikes on choppers shooting missles and you can even play a built in bass guitar to stun enemies
The Deuce- Take Care of Your Car, 1 of the things the Guardian Of Metal better know as Ozzy Osbourne tells you when you enter his domain. Ozzy is so great he modifies your car with lightning bolts shooting rifles, a bass speaker that will decimate small enemies, a new paint job, and other upgrades for a price.
The deuce is your car and main source of transportation around this brutal land. You will be able to summon the duece whenever you want, and I like that iam happy they put this convinent feature! Kind of like Zelda, when you call your horse
Actually this game plays somewhat like Ocarina Of Time and that's a another great thing about this game. If you are familiar with that game you will instantly notice when you break out your guitar to play a solo to summon your car or turn night into day.
The soundtrack is perfect and fits the game well, with so much Metal crushing your amplifiers. You go through a Metal time warp, from the 70,s early heavy metal, 80's metal and hair metal, 90's crazy metal, to right now, its nearly the best soundtrack I've ever heard except for a couple of things only 1 Tenacious D song, come on this is Jack Black!! it should be filled with it! I'm disappointed they didn't include Tribute or The Metal. Also not 1 Dio song! I'm happy my favorite made the soundtrack King Diamond! With 2 tracks off Them and Conspiracy from the 80's.. Oh man if King Diamond and Dio were in this game as part of the story it would have been the best
Other than that a great game I gave it 4 stars because its really short, one of the shortest games I've played all year, I am waiting for a sequel already! I haven't had a chance to play this online yet, because I don't have Xbox Live, so I can't tell you about the online play
Alright then, either rent it or buy it! Either way you will have a good time with this game!
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video-games_xbox
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All it's cracked up to be. I hope you have a lot of free time on your hands. In fact, its best to say goodbye to your friends and family right now, you aren't going to see them for a long time. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will instantly suck you into its world and keep you there for months. Its do-what-you-want gameplay and massive world combine to create an almost flawless game that is incredibly fun to play and improves upon the previous installments.
The good news is that you don't need to know anything about the previous Elder Scrolls games. The game opens with the emperor's assassination by a demonic cult which allows these portals called "Oblivion Gates" to open all over Cyrodiil. Your job is to figure out a way to close them. The story manages to pull you in right from the start while still allowing you to freely explore the world and take up any other quests that might interest you.
Of course you could just as easily ignore the main quest all together and let the people fend for themselves. Feel like exploring the wild? Want to become a thief and steal everything in sight? How about going hunting or becoming an assassin? The game does not exaggerate when it asks "What do you want to do today?" There are hundreds of quests, and you will find that you always have something that you could be doing. Even though the game has a remarkable amount of things to do, the game manages to never feel overwhelming. Maybe it's due to the quest log, which keeps all of your quests organized nicely. Or maybe it's the fact that you never actually feel obligated to do any of it. You only have to do what you want to do. So while the main quest will take most people between 20-25 hours to complete, there is easily 100+ hours worth of content in the game if you choose to explore, which you will want to do.
The same is true for your character. There are countless ways in which to customize your character. You can pick from your standard list of races like Elves and Orcs and then pick from some typical (and not so typical) list of character classes. Or you can create your own character class if you choose to. Each character class has a list of core skills and abilities, but you are never prevented from learning others. You can truly create a character that fights the way you want to fight.
The world of Oblivion is just amazing. Not just in the sheer size of the world, but in the story as well. You really get a feeling that this world has its own culture and history to it. In fact, there are even books you can read in the game about the history of the world. There is a lot of depth to the world if you want to go looking for it. The main quest does a good job of making you go out and do some exploring, but you will only uncover a fraction of the world. There are tons of things to discover out in the wild including dungeons, shrines, forts and even hidden towns. I think it is safe to say that the majority of players will not even see half of what is there. Because the world is so huge, getting around it could have been a problem. Luckily the game features a "fast travel" system, which allows you to quickly travel to locations that you have already discovered. When you fast travel, it simulates the amount of time that it would have taken you to walk there, which is a nice touch.
The combat in the game feels good and intense. Of course the type of character you make can drastically change how the combat works for your character. I personally made a warrior, so I was involved mostly in close combat (with a bit of spell casting). The combat in the game was pretty simple to learn. You basically have quick attacks and power attacks. As you level up your weapon skills, you gain special attacks. You can use these attacks (like disarming an opponent) by pressing in a certain direction while attacking. You can also block incoming attacks with your weapon or shield if you decide to use one. Battles can have a sort of rhythm to them, with you blocking enemy attacks, following up with your own attack, and then blocking again. The ranged combat in the game also works pretty well. There is a wide range of bows and arrows that you can use as well as a bunch of ranged spells. It feels pretty smooth overall.
Experience in the game is done pretty well too, and a bit differently then some might expect. You gain experience in different skills simply by performing the action. So if you want to increase your blocking skill, you simply block attacks while in combat. You level up your stealth skills by sneaking around. It makes the leveling up system feel more natural and less contrived.
The visuals in the game are amazing to say the least. The outdoor environments are by far the best in any game. The forests are full of trees, rocks and plants that all animate with the weather. The HDR lighting is in full force, which helps to create some beautiful looking outdoor landscapes. The amount of detail in everything is also impressive. Weapons and armor (as well as all the items in the world) are beautifully modeled and textured. The only thing negative about the graphics is that the frame rate can slow down a bit at times. It is mostly noticeable while riding around the world on horseback when the game is loading the next area. But for the most part the Xbox 360 gives you pretty solid performance.
The audio in the game is exceptional. Every single character you will meet in the game has full speech. Given that there are hundreds of characters in the game, this is an amazing achievement. All of the voice acting is superb as well. While it would be nice if there were more voice actors in the game so you would not hear the same voice as much, there are a decent amount of voices. The music score in the game is also perfect.
The AI in the game is actually pretty special. Bethesda has created what they call "radiant AI". Basically what it does is it gives all of the characters in the game daily routines that are not scripted. For example, if a character decides they are hungry, they might go find some food. When they are tired they go to bed. In the morning they will wake up and go to work. And the system allows for some variations within that schedule. So some days a character might sleep in or something similar. Characters also have dynamic conversations with each other about stuff that is going on in the world. While the conversations can sometimes feel a bit stiff, they are pretty impressive and go a good job of making the world feel alive. Characters also behave differently based on how much they like you. This can effect things like what or how much information they give you on certain topics, to if they will help you if they see you in trouble.
Overall, this is one of the best RPG experiences you can find anywhere, and the strongest game the Xbox 360 has to offer so far. It is pretty clear that Oblivion has been a labor of love for the developers. They have poured all of their effort and creativity into this game and created the best single player RPG to come around in ages. This is a game that almost anyone can truly enjoy.
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video-games_xbox
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I chose... Bioshock 2. 2K chose to make a game better than the first Bioshock... They chose the impossible... They chose.... Bioshock 2!
And so did I. I have played the first one and was a HUGE fan of it. I was afraid of Bioshock 2 (not just because of the little sisters *shudder*), but because it's a sequel and sequels are sometime bad. But, not this one. Bioshock 2 brings an entire new gameplay while still keeping the good old feel of Rapture.
If you haven't played the first one, I would still highly suggest this game. It is a great FPS and is very unique.
Playing as a Big Daddy is very fun. You might think you'll be over powered as a Big Daddy, but get ready for about twice as many splicers as the first Bioshock. You still have the challenge.
The story is very well put together as well. It makes sense as you are the Big Daddy Prototype and therefor still have a conscience, as genetic brain alteration has not been developed yet.
You can also now dual wield weapons and plasmids and fire both at the same time. The drill is extremely powerful at close range, but make sure you keep enough fuel on hand.
The new multiplayer is well put together and even has a little story line to it (which is the first I've seen for multiplayer). Your not just running around killing people for no reason. Your "testing" the new "home security devices" for Sinclair.
You play as a splicer and you can choose from a few different looks. You also can unlock new masks for doing things like: beating the game, ranking up, etc. And you also have the chance of becoming a Big Daddy if you can find a suit. You can not duel wield weapons and plasmids in multiplayer.
The ranking system works very good and lets you new weapons and plasmids as you upgrade. Don't worry though, they're not really "better" they're just "different". So new people don't have to be afraid of being destroyed by the higher ranks. The things you unlock give you more options of how to attack, by none are really "better" than the other.
This game takes the great of the first and makes it greater.
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video-games_xbox
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Fun not necessarily better than GOW 1 and way easier. At this time I have finished the game in campaign mode and found it way too easy in contrast to the first one which even if I play now it feels harder.
Anyway, the game plays and feels just like the first one, this means that you get all the same fun. There are new weapons and enemies added and this adds a bit of freshness. Also, the AI for the enemies has improved in some areas, for example, they can now heal each other just as COG's can. I really like that. On the other hand, I know they are supposed to be smarter but they do not seem too much, in some cases I could notice that they were still very dumb.
Overall, it feels more like playing an expansion to GOW 1 than a new game, usually expansion packs offer innovations and additions to game play besides extra play time. This is exactly what GOW 2 feels like.
BTW, what a lame idea that of the worm and giant fish fight, what were the designers thinking? That was the most ridiculous thing they could have come up with and a waste of game time besides being overly easy.
The game should have been harder than the first not easier. They could have made it as stressful as the hoard mode when you are in waves 8 or 9 and made the monsters surround you and almost overwhelm you at times, they chose the easy path and that was disappointing. A war game is supposed to immerse you into the battle and make you feel the incredible anxiety and stress for being there and trying to survive, they could have done this but chose not to.
Definitely boss fights were tougher on the first. And the sense of completion was there when you reach them, not so with GOW2. The last mission was incredibly easy and lame as well, and the final monster was the easiest of all, just point and shoot with the hammer of dawn. I though there was going to be something else after him, but not, the game ended there! I was hopping for a battle with the queen, even if she still escaped and thus gave a better hint for the third game.
BTW, they can still have a 3rd and 4th games, the 3rd is obviously set now, the 4th could be simply GOW 0 (yes zero) how did all this happen? Nice idea and worth a lot of money for the developers. :)
In my opinion the game is still worth the money, the flaws introduced in this one do not diminish its value, but definitely they could have made it better. :)
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video-games_xbox
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BEWARE falling for the hype. I saw all 5 star reviews for this game and bought it new. I normally wait awhile for the price to go down but I bit the bullet and now I'm second guessing myself... and the reviewers. Maybe it was a big marketing scheme and the programmers went everywhere to give 5 star reviews? The game is averagely good. I will give it the benefit of the doubt and admit I'm only about an hour into the game.
It's very similar to Bioshock 2 as far as playability. What I was disappointed in most is the graphics. Holy cow for the money they spent I thought the graphics would be insane! But seriously, what a disappointment. Average graphics. The people you come across, the faces and movements... I saw the EXACT SAME woman's face throughout the first level. The battle controls are the same as bioshock 2, manual aiming, and you have to get used to the sensitivity. And remember the security cameras that deployed the heli-bots that you could hack? And sometimes you would see these security floor mounted turrets that you can hack? Well the turrets are in this game, and you can control them, but it only lasts maybe 30 seconds? No more permanent hacks, now you have ghosts flying from your hand to possess these robots temporarily. Very frustrating.
OK, but on to the good. The knife-like weapon that you get in your left hand, hitting Y to take down an enemy and the graphics for the take downs are cool. And the way you can grapple hook spots and swing through the air are cool. The whole fantasy story plot and the environment (as far as the artistry behind the concept) is very cool (even though the graphics are average - again, very disappointing).
I'm just starting the game so maybe I will update later. But this is my impression so far, after being hyped up on being the best game EVER, ugh, so disappointed. I just bought DISHONORED used, and I'm having more fun with that game than Bioshock. Can NOT wait for GTA V.
PS. Remember this is a FIRST IMPRESSION. I want to warn people that although this game might end up being AMAZING, you have to be patient and get through half the game before you realize it's awesome. But initially, I'm somewhat disappointed. Although as you can see, I still give it 4 stars for the potential.
UPDATE (FREEZING ISSUES): Anybody else have the game freeze up while trying to autosave? And then when I try to "CONTINUE" where it left off it wouldn't let me back in the game, freezing up every time. So I had to go back to an earlier Chapter, set me back at least an hour. I dunno game praisers. This is another glitch and I still don't think the graphics are anything special. I'm looking at details, animations, pixels in the details, not anything fantastic. The lighting effects that people talk about are nice and I've seen it before. The graphics in DISHONORED and FARCRY are similar and I think even better. Heck, even Fallout New Vegas is as good. I don't understand what people are seeing.
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video-games_xbox
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Good game, but. I thoroughly enjoyed the first Ninja Gaiden on the original Xbox, so I figured I would give this one a shot. Graphically, it is pretty amazing! It's probably one of the prettiest 360 games so far.
The gameplay and controls are pretty similar to the first one, with some minor improvements and some noticeable increases in violence. Now you can remove limbs and the Obliteration Technique is pretty brutal (which I like).
Where the wheels come off the bus for me is in the little annoyances, some of which were present in the original, some of which are new:
First, this game is buggy! It has locked my Xbox up on more than one occasion. It will also "pause" at random times for about 10-15 seconds. Once, when I died, instead of going to the game over screen, it just kept the enemies moving, albeit in slow motion, with the brown screen...it's like everyone knew I was dead except the game! I let it sit for about two minutes but the "do you wish to continue" dialog never came up, so I had to go to the dashboard to unfreeze the problem.
Second, some of the annoying time delays from the first Ninja Gaiden are still present. For instance, when you die, it takes a full 20 seconds before you can get back to the action, because you have to tell the game you want to continue, then it has to show you the chapter title and summary again (why?!?!) and there is a little bit of loading there. I could understand this if it had to load a save point from a few minutes ago, but when it's just resetting you so you can fight a boss again? Should it really take that long?
Speaking of bosses, the boss battles so far are kind of lame. Expect to die at least three or four times until you figure out what works against each one. Truth be told, after chapter 1, each boss probably took me at least 20 times to beat. That kind of repetition gets frustrating.
Having said all that, the game is fun. The lock-ups and long load times really frustrate me though. I guess I don't feel like a game that runs on a system with a hard drive should have long load times. Lots of other 360 titles don't have those issues. Maybe I'm just spoiled?
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video-games_xbox
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Merely OK. Overpriced and overhyped. Buggy. EDIT:
April 29, 2014. It seems that Turn 10 is finally listening. Still not perfect and lacks options found in previous versions, such as gifting cars, marketplace, etc. This is great news. I'm glad I didn't spend too many credits and now got all of the cars from previous packs. IMHO this is how the Car Pass should have worked from the start. With this change I do have some duplicate cars and 3 LaFerraris. Hopefully the gift option and/or marketplace will be added soon.
From Turn 10's Dan Greenawalt: "With our most recent content update for Forza 5, I'm excited to say we've made some fundamental improvements to the Forza 5 experience for our fans. As of today, players who have purchased DLC cars in Forza Motorsport 5 can add those cars to their Forza 5 garage immediately, at no additional in-game cost. And, moving forward, when you buy a Car Pass, a DLC car pack, or a single DLC car, you will be granted the one-time free addition of each car to your Forza 5 garage, without needing to purchase them with in-game credits or tokens. This goes for all current Forza Motorsport 5 DLC (including cars in previous DLC car packs) and it will be the case for all future Forza 5 DLC car packs. In addition, as requested by our fans, this most recent content update makes all of the initial 200 cars that launched with Forza 5 available as rental cars."
Players can now also rent any of the initial 200 cars included in the game. More stuff coming in a week or so, so I changed my rating from 3 to 4 stars.
----------------------
Original review:
I'll start by saying that this is the XBOX One game I use the most. That's not saying much given the lack of games available at the moment.
I do enjoy playing Forza 5, the graphics and sounds are great, and the feel is better than that of Forza 4 (XBOX 360).
The in-game economy is a mess. Turn 10 support was non-existent for me. Racing the same tracks over and over can get boring, especially considering the number of tracks in Forza 4, not to mention the number of cars.
Be careful with your purchases. I bought the Car Pass (six car packs for a discounted price). In Forza 5, buying a car pack means that the cars are unlocked and available for purchase in the game, it does not mean that you get the cars in your garage. In addition to buying the pack, you have to spend credits or tokens to actually "own" the cars.
I write this brief review after Turn 10 have already adjusted the messed up in-game economy, and after the January Car Pack became available. As much as I enjoy the game, I echo the sentiments of many in the Forza forums. Forza 5 is a bit disappointing (so far) and Turn 10 seems to be quite greedy.
Hopefully the game will improve. I would like to be able to sell or gift some of my cars. It makes no sense to have 2 LaFerraris and 2 Lotus E21s. Did I mention the game was buggy? A friend and I were unable to play online after numerous attempts. We gave up. I may try it again in the near future and hopefully it will work now.
My advise is to wait until the game is $30, and also when the VIP and/or Season Pass are discounted. So far the expense has not been worth it IMHO. Perhaps new packs, tracks and further adjustments will make Forza 5 the great game many of us were expecting. As it is, it's a fun game that's overpriced and lacks variety.
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video-games_xbox
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Races to the top of my favorites list. Forza Horizon is my fourth owned title in the series, and is now my favorite. Whereas it incorporates the enjoyment of track racing as found in the other Forza series titles, this one allows the driver to free roam the Colorado landscape.
Several race modes exist; from street racing, tracks, cross country, and more. Yet one of the most enjoyable aspects is simply driving around, watching the beauty of the landscape, and the awesome changing sky. You find yourself driving at night and in daytime,
Discovering the "barn finds" is a great distraction from racing for the championship. Here, while listening to any of the preselected radio stations you get clues of where to look to gain free cars. These cars range from a Cobra Daytona to an Astin Martin DBV. Rather than pricing out, the best cars are free for the finding. The selection of cars at "the auto show"are impressive. The game lacks some I would like to drive, 66 Mustang, Model T, Corvettes, and NASCAR stock cars. Yet what they do offer is a great cornucopia that will satisfy the hunger of all gearheads.
My boys and I greatly enjoy this game. The views of the cars inside and out are amazing in their rendering. From cockpit view you get all sorts of wow factor for each particular car. For example, some of the Ferrari's have gear indicating lights in their steering wheel. We also love the "y" button feature. If you wreck, you can rewind the action to various distances to get a "do over". This is a great advantage over having to restart a race. With the driveline feature showing the route and brake warnings, it is the best game on the market for all skill levels. I highly recommend using the wireless steering wheel for this game, it makes it all the more realistic and enjoyable.
It works fantastic with the Kennect system. Just speak your commands and Kinnect activates your GPS and routs you to wherever you desire.
All in all, this game is one of the best thought out and designed I have ever played. Some days after trials and tribulations, I find it relaxing to hop in my 63 Ferrari California and take a leisurely drive in the mountains, all at endless MPG.
What could be an improvement? Having avatar customization would be a plus. In the future, I would like to see various driving conditions, rain, snow, etc. Another feature to an update would be more roads to drive.
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video-games_xbox
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Halo 2 on XBOX Live. There don't seem to be many reviews mainly on Halo 2 on XBOX Live, so here's mine.
First of all, unlike in Halo PC, there's barely any lag, except for when you have a lot of people in a closed area, like Midship or Lockout, or you're playing Big Team Battle on matchamaking.
On to matchmaking...
I think it's very well set up, there are many different modes you can choose from, such as Team Skirmish, Team Training, Team Slayer, Rumble Pit, Rumble Training, Big Team Battle, Head to Head, and Minor and Major Clanmatches. This is the only thing that kept it from having 5 stars in my eyes. The only problem I have with their matchmaking is that you can't choose things like what gamemode or course you get thrown onto, which I don't like that much. I think they could've improved it by allowing you to choose general things like what course you would like to play on and what game mode you would want to do.
Clans...
I think clans are a really good idea. On Halo PC, the only way to show you were in a clan was to put the intials of your clan in front of your name, then you'd have to join it on their website. Now, in Halo 2, you can invite people online into your clan, and it doesn't affect their name or anything, and when you select their name it'll say what clan they're in next to they're name in parentheses. Clans can only have 100 members, which I think is a good idea, because clans could just get out of control.
Bugs...
There's only one bug I could find with the XBOX Live. Every once in a while this blue screen will come up that says Setting Up Game. This can be one of two things (or so I've heard). Either a.) Someone turned off their XBOX without signing out of Live/Getting out of that game. Or b.) Someone is hacking, and what they do is, that screen comes up for everyone except for the hacker, or the hacker's team, meaning they could win a game while all the other people in that game have that "blue screen of doom." I'm pretty sure they'll offer a downloadable fix for that.
Ranking...
This is what shows your "skill" on Halo 2 on XBOX Live. I personally am an 11. The highest you can be is a level 50. You gain levels by winning games, basically. This is done very simply. Let's say you're playing a game with 8 people. If you come in first, you get experience points for beating everyone else. If you come in second in that, you lose experience points for losing to the first place person, but gain points for beating everyone that came after you. Guests can't play in ranked games.
Custom Games...
Custom games are what they are, custom games. Anyone can play in custom games (guests). Custom games aren't ranked, and you can't make them ranked (you could cheat and bring your level up). They're very fun, but sometimes get a little laggy. You can choose to make the game, Open, Invite Only, or Closed. With all the new game modes, these games are very fun.
Overall, if you have high speed internet, XBOX, and $70, buy XBOX Live and Halo 2. Halo 2 isn't the only great game on XBOX Live, but it is one of the best if not the best. Personally I think its the best.
If you want to talk to me or play me on XBOX Live, my gamertag is Renegade1543
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video-games_xbox
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Could have been great. Let's get this straight: as movie adaptations go, this is no Riddick. It has been a long time since Activision made quality games. They tend to rely on a license to sell the game, and save money on production. In many respects, Spiderman: The Movie 2 is typical. Most of the game is incredibly shoddy. Even on the XBox, the graphics are terrible. Clearly, Activision doesn't want to spend the money on anybody with real artistic talent; character models are barely more than PS1 quality, textures are ugly, cut scenes are incredibly bad. Writing, except where taken directly from the movie, is stupid. Many of the missions are also poorly thought out, and there are occasional bugs cropping up. In one scene, where Spidey is supposed to chase the Black Cat. I had the Cat get stuck against a building, running in place, but Spidey still couldn't catch her (because she wasn't in the "right" place to be caught) until eventually she managed to run through the solid "brick" wall. On another occasion the game hung and had to be reset (save often).
All that being said, they got the two most important things right: It is a free-roaming game, and they have managed to come up with a bland but recognizable model of Manhattan for Spidey to roam in. And they have finally gotten the web swinging right. Weblines now have to have actual attachment points; if you leap off the Empire State Building (and you can), you won't find any other web attachment points until you fall to the level of the surrounding buildings. You don't actually have to target specific buldings; just point the joystick in the direction you'll want, and Spidey will try to find something to web. Web swinging is in realistic arcs. Fortunately, it doesn't hurt Spidey to slam full-tilt into a building, because you'll be doing that a lot at first. I can't convey how much these two factors redeem the game. As bad as everything else about the game is, swinging around Manhattan is an incredible blast, tricky but exhilarating (there is an easy web swinging mode for the kids; I didn't try it).
The basic game play is cribbed directly from titles like Grand Theft Auto or some of the recent Tony Hawks games (which is good; if you are going to steal, steal from the best)--you swing (or walk, if you prefer), until one of the generic pedestrians flags you down with a mission (with incredibly poor animation--Activision is too cheap to spring for facial animation, so they stand there bland-faced and wave their arms about). Unfortunately, there are only a dozen or so basic missions, so you'll basically be doing the same thing over and over. There are also "race" tokens scattered around the city, where (if you accept the optional challenge) you have to hit certain tokens with a time limit. But the web swinging is so much fun that you probably won't mind. Combat is OK, basically cribbed from the Capcom Marvel fighting titles (which is a good thing), with lots of air combos. Fancier web swinging and fighting techniques have to be purchased with hero points you earn from missions, which provides a slight RPG element. Every once in awhile, you'll get a scripted challenge, some of which are "boss" fights, generally with a higher difficulty level. Unfortunately, these mostly tend to be more annoying than entertaining.
The frustrating thing about the game is that the web-swinging dynamic is so great that you tend to resent Activation for not building a decent game around it. Don't get me wrong; if you like Spiderman even a little bit, you will enjoy this game. But with a little more work and investment, it could have been one of the greatest games of all time.
The game supports 480p on the XBox. Unfortunately, it does not support 16:9 format, nor does it have the ability to add sidebars. So if you have a widescreen TV that insists on filling the screen with a 480p signal (as many do), the game will be stretched horizontally, and you'll probably end up having to go into the XBox control panel and turn off 480p just to be able to play the game without distortion.
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video-games_xbox
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A great ice-breaker for any party and fun for all ages. Being late on the hip circuit, I purchased this game and an additional controller for my 16 year old son's Christmas present, and it is one of the better video game purchases I've made.
First of all, the game is very easy to learn - which is one of the reasons why whenever we play, everyone in the family gets involved. Whenever we have a gathering, this game presents a sure way to get shy guests to mingle a bit. The graphics are seemless and the music selection is excellent - containing a cross section of oldies and new releases. There should be something that appeals to everyone, with a whole range of skill-levels.
You can choose from the games pre-selected rock stars (with females represented in good measure, by the way), or you can build your own. As you win, you acquire small extras like new guitars and other accessories - as well as unlocking additional known stars as Shirley Manson and Johnny Cash. I found myself playing this for hours on certain days.
So what is this game not? For one thing, it is not a substitute for learning how to play a musical instrument for real. At best, it might get a reluctant child interested in doing so, but really it's not what the game is for.
A few other gripes - very minor. Your band does not taylor itself to the actual song with regard to your lineup. This results in the unrealistic (and perhaps unintentionally amusing) side effect of a female rock-star singing a Megadeth song, for example. Also, the videos are canned and not very interactive. You will hear booing when you don't hit notes, but the crowd will still be jumping up and down in a frenzy. Also, being a guitarist myself, I found some of the "button" progressions on a few songs illogical and not in line with the music.
The hardware seems sturdy enough. We've been playing for a good month now on and both of the guitars are still in perfect working order. No qualms there.
Overall I would highly recommend for anyone who wants a family friendly interactive game experience that everyone can participate in.
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video-games_xbox
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Best Headset on the market, Included in my review is a breakdown of some of the features of this headset. By far the best gaming headset on the market right now. I have had every other type, believing that the Astros weren't worth the money, and all of my gaming friends, including some professional players, recommended I switch. I have owned low priced turtle beaches, expensive turtle beaches, triton warheads, I even used senheiser headphones for game audio once, nothing compares. Let me break down the benefits of the Astros, and I'll also mention one con I found about the headset.
Pros:
-Dolby Digital 7.1 surround sound vs. Dolby Digital 5.1 that most other headsets offer
-Feels like a cloud on your head (most comfortable headset out there)
-Wired, so you do not have to worry about connection loss, and all cords are detachable and easily replaceable.
-Stream output on the Mixamp allows you to connect your A40's and use them as a computer microphone.
-4 different surround sound presets:
Pro Mode (accentuates footsteps, grenade explosions and minor details that pro players listen for)
Core Mode (no altercations are made to the sound, it is presented as intended by the creators of the game/movie)
Media Mode (accentuates bass, and media related audio features for a better movie viewing experience)
Sports Mode (best designed for watching sports or playing sports games)
-Boom mic is detachable, so your Astros can be used for music on-the-go
-Talkback cable allows for easy mute rather than pushing a button on your headset or controller.
-From what my friends on xbox live have said, my voice is now clearer and easier to understand, also I pick up less background sound.
-Using the pro mode, I have noticed a significant improvement in my ability to detect enemy movement during gameplay
-I have noticed a significant confidence boost in my game play, when using this headset (the thought of having a pro-grade headset has made me more confident in my shot and map positioning- this is more of a minor, personal benefit)
Con:
-There is no mic monitor, so you can not hear your own volume in your headset (once again, personal preference so this may not bother you at all)
All in all, this headset is incredible. It does exactly what is needed and some things that aren't, making Astro A40's the best headset you can buy on the market. This refurbished price is much better than the traditional $249.99. I recommend purchasing this refurbished set over a new one, and then, if you want a more personalized set of A40's, sell the headset portion on ebay/amazon/craigslist and use that money to purchase the headset only for $149.99.
-Side bar: DO NOT BUY THE HEADSET WITHOUT THE MIXAMP. IT IS NEEDED FOR CONSOLE GAMING, AND PC GAMING IS BETTER WITH IT AS WELL
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video-games_xbox
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Ignore the 1-Star Reviews. I find it amusing that this game has low ratings (I normally don't purchase items with 4-star reviews on amazon without extensive research) only because it's so difficult. A friend and I have been playing this game for over a week now, and we've just made level 6. It has been a tumultuous, but rewarding, experience. Yes, it's difficult-- if you have the attention span of a grenade, and the temper along with it, this is not the game for you. It does not mean it's a bad game. If anything, I'd rate the buyer 1-star for being a total idiot who can't figure out how a game works.
I usually don't write reviews for games (I honestly think this is my first), but this is a special case. I haven't enjoyed a game this much since Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time or Skyrim. Yes, this being a cRPG turn-based game is quite contrasting to the elements within the LoZ and Skyrim series, but there are some distinct similarities in the massive open-worlds that I won't get into. I'm not writing this review to tell you about the game, really. You can read up or watch countless gameplay summaries. I'm simply telling you that this game deserves 5-stars.
It is challenging: you will find yourself save-happy, loading the last save quite often because you made the wrong decision that ended up with you/your team dead. It's the fun of the game, though... not necessarily all the times that you die, but all the times that you don't die end up being enduringly rewarding, in that you start to learn the methods through which to defeat your enemies, which instills the understanding that us humans are weak-- it's our ingenuity that allowed us to make it this far. That being said, you won't make it far in the game- at least not as smoothly -without items. I recommend you have at least one archer in your group, and stock up on all the different types of arrows and grenades you can get your hands on. The loading screen says the scrolls can turn the tides of battle in your favor, but I insist arrows and grenades can turn them even moreso. Another hint I will give you is that you should try to distract your enemy with a foe that is expendable. I hope PETA forgives me, but "Summon Wolf" and "Summon Undead" are some ideal sacrifices that will help you avoid being the center of attention in battle-- which is the worst thing you can be.
In other words, buy this game. I'm considering getting a PC just so I can play its sequel (Divinity: Original Sin 2) when it comes out in Dec of 2016. It usually takes a year or so to port to consoles, but I definitely don't want to wait that long.
I've never played any Divinity game before this, seeing as they have pretty poor reviews, but I recommend you take a chance on this one game if you have patience and enjoy having what feels like endless variation, opportunity, and an escape from this world into one of high-fantasy.
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video-games_xbox
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Outstanding co-op gameplay makes this game stand out from the rest. Main Game:
I LOVE Left 4 Dead. When my friends still played it I played every time I got the chance. Alas it's better to play with friends than alone, I've been forced to migrate to L4D2 for the mere fact that I haven't played it so it's a new experience. But just like L4D1, after playing it alone for a while it's not nearly as fun as playing with friends. That is where Left 4 Dead shines, co-op with friends. The infected aren't too hard nor are they too easy. The survivors are likable and everyone has their own favorite. Mine is Louis. I have been looking for Left 4 Dead gamers to play with again. Either PC or 360. Yes, I loved this game so much I bought it twice so I could broaden my playing field. However there are a few nagging problems. Like the survivor AI.
They're mainly useful for saving your own rear or carrying medkits. When in Expert my friend and I would keep the AI on the ground when a horde or Tank came. Made it easier for us to take them out. And if we were low on health but not low enough to be healed we'd shoot each other or jump in a fire momentarily so that we would be healed. Another problem is the 2 player offline. I remember a time when we had 4 per screen. Actually, Halo 3 still does 4 player split screen. So why couldn't this game do the same? This was a big problem when I had friends over because L4D is one of my all-time favorite 360 games it FAR outranks any other game I have. Overall it's still a great experience.
DLC: Survival
Of all the DLCs between L4D1 and 2 this is my least favorite. I'm not big on survival, I NEVER touched it unless it was for achievement hunting. I just don't like the "how long can you make it" types of games, especially if it's uber difficult like Survival Mode is. That's all I really have to say for this DLC.
DLC: Crash Course
My favorite DLC between L4D1 and 2. It's not exactly astounding. Just more Left 4 Dead. That's all it needs to be. It's really easy for achievements like Nothing Special and Stomach Upset due to length and it's just fun to run through. Just don't play it too much or you will get tired of it. Mix it up a little. Although it was bugged the last time I played with no update yet to fix it. I hope that's changed since then because you couldn't get achievements online in it, only offline.
Future DLC: Prequel to The Passing (not official name)
-Reserved for DLC review when released-
I can only hope it's really good and not just The Passing remade on L4D1. That would be severely depressing.
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video-games_xbox
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An amazing sequel to one of the best game series. The Good: Much needed improvements work well, amazing visuals and audio, superb story, new additions are excellent, great length
The Bad: Feels a little too familiar for vets, some redundant elements, no co-op, it ends
BioWare have to be some of the most talented beings on the face of the planet because these guys can just pull whole new cultures, religions, and universes out of their ass like it was yesterday's dinner. Mass Effect has a rich amazing universe attached to it with believable races, characters, religion, culture, and it feels like a whole alternate universe that could exist. Mass Effect 2 expands on this for fans of the original (yeah don't play it unless you played the first...seriously). Not only is this just a direct sequel, but all your actions from the original game effect the outcome of this one...amazing. Mass Effect 2 has Command Shepard being remade as a machine almost after the Normandy gets destroyed by Collectors. Cerberus fixes you up for the over 2 years and now you have to rebuild your team, find your previous one, and stop the Collectors from destroying the human race and working with the Reapers.
Mass Effect 2 has so many changes that were much needed and the game just feels tighter, more fluent, and action packed. Action is the key word here since a lot of the mundane RPG elements were stripped. To get an idea of what was improved I'll start with squad management. Instead of finding armor for each type of race and maintaining every stat of that armor and the character you no longer manage your teams armor just yours. You also no longer have to go find armor like the original. Armor can be bought from world markets and you equip each piece in your cabin on the Normandy 2. You can even change the color and scheme of the armor as well as your casual clothes. This is great and I love it becasue micromanaging armor in the first game was a real pain.
The same goes for weapons. You no longer have to find and add each element to every weapon like ammo types, and add-ons because those are now gone as well. Instead you find weapons during missions or in markets. You can equip them via a loadout and the same goes for your squad.
Let's take about the radial menus here. You get three ammo types: Cryo, incinerate, and disruptor. Each can be used for certain enemies. Your powers are activated here too but you can now map them to buttons. When shooting weapons you now longer have a "heat guage" but actual ammo. The weapons draw heat to a "clip" which is discharged once it gets too hot. If you run out of these clips your weapons won't fire thus solving that annoying heat meter crap from the first game. This helps the game feel like a solid shooter instead of a game that doesn't know if its an action game or straight RPG.
The shooting and fighting in the game is now really solid and you just feel so powerful will all these guns at your disposal. You can upgrade everything (including your ship and this has outcomes during the last mission) by finding research projects while on missions. This solves all the RPG elements from the last game so it feels like a solid shooter. Don't get too upset there are still RPG elements, but they are only in upgrading your team mates and yourself. Instead of upgrading every single element such as each ammo type, every biotic type, this and that you only have about 4-6 traits you upgrade. This includes your main character's ability, biotic or ammo types, and any other special skill. Each one can be upgrading up to level four and after that you get a choice between two special bonus perks. This makes the leveling feel more solid, fluid, and more resourceful.
Another great improvment is the galaxy map navigation. No longer are you just a cursor floating around the map, but you actually move your ship. When you are outside solar systems traveling in dead space on the map you use fuel, but the biggest improvement is no more excavating resources via the stupid rover vehicle. In fact all vehicle control has been stripped from the game. Instead you use a scanner on unexplored planets and when the controller vibrates you will see your meter spike over a certain guage. This will be one of the five resources used to upgrade things in the game. While is sounds more repetitive its nice to break up the action of the game and get some down time.
If those don't sound like enough of an improvement how about the story? The story is still as epic and emotionally engrossing as the first if not more so. There are a couple of new races added such as the vorcha, drell, and Batarians. There are new characters that you can recruit and they are all as loveable and memorable as the first game. Of course all your old pals return, but what my favorite part about the game, that isn't in any other, is how your original save carries over.
If you had a relationship with a previous mate you will see that in the game, savings and killing certain characters in the past will pop up in the sequel reflecting certain outcomes of missions, if you chose the renegade or paragon path reflects off your character with red scars and reddened eyes if your were a bad ass. You truly feel like you were dead for two years and all your choices in your past came back to haunt you. It's a mind trip and is really makes you that much more involved in the story. Every choice you take during dialogs trees effects what you do, and BioWare are masters of this.
The only reason why this one scores lower than the original is because most of this has been seen in the original and isn't anything new for vets of Mass Effect. The new additions just keep the score really high, but doesn't give us that new feeling. With improved graphics and the same amazing voice acting Mass Effect 2 will keep fans buys for a good 25-30 hours, but watch what you do because it will effect your outcome in Mass Effect 3.
BUYING A NEW COPY: Will grant you access to a free content update that's normally $15 for free. This includes a new character, Zaeed, and two other missions that involve the crash of the Normandy. While this update is not worth $15 buying a new copy makes you feel like you're truly getting your money's worth.
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video-games_xbox
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Over 5 months after release...still an incomplete game. This is the staple of early access games here, the game has been incomplete for a long time now...and EA refuses to have it fixed. There are literally hundreds of things wrong with this game, from certain maps freezing, to weapons not loading until 5 seconds after the start of a game, to rubber-banding, to shots just plain out disappearing. This game is even worse than CoD: Ghosts, EA clearly does not care about the fan-base anymore, and has trampled all over the Battlefield brand. I could go on for days about how many issues there are, but I will post just some of the issues I notice every single game that I play:
1. Seemingly one hit killed by Scar-H and MG4 still, the MG is a bit more understandbale due to high fire rate...but the Scar-H is too slow firing for it ti kill me as fast as it does.
2. More than the theoretical amount of shorts required to hit, even with confirmed hit marker. I've fired nearly all and sometimes even all of a magazine at someone...and they still stand.
3. Enemy shots register, but mine don't if they fire first.
4. First shots seemingly don't register, maybe a cause to number two.
5. Spotting doesn't work half of the time, I am an avid spotter and will spot everything that moves...yet most of them get by even though I've clearly hit the spot button while aiming at them about 10+ times.
6. Spotting vehicles doesn't work half the time either, especially when using the PLD, I have to zoom out and back in to spot again.
7. Spotting soemtimes doesn't last but 2 seconds.
8. Breath for snipers doesn't work half the time, causing me to die way mroe than I should when sniping...and making it much harder to snipe.
9. Obstructive fog in all maps, especailly in the flooded map (whatever that is called) and Shanghai Rising, even when the building hasn't fallen.
10. Bipod will disingage for no reason.
11. Snipers without suppressors don't show up on map. (not sure if intended or not, if not thenw hat is the point of a suppressor?)
12. Unlocks no longer show up.
13. Shots will curve around walls and kill me, most likely due to lag compensation...welcome to Call of Battlefield. I've observed this happen, and it doesn't physicaly curve but the poitn at which it was fired was clearly changed.
14. Sniper shots have one hit killed me, even if not a headshot, this isn't too common though.
15. Grenades disappear...especailly after death, even though they were thrown 1 second or more before death. Of course the enemy's doesn't though.
16. When fired at and I run away, sometimes it will physically pull me back to where I was fired and lock me into position. This is rare, but it happens.
17. Always paird with idiots, so assumign broken matchmaking system. Everythign is irrelevant when it comes to this, I always get paired with the idiots, I do go solo though.
18. killed by enemy after they die, not sure if inteneded or not. I have also killed enemies before dying as well.
19. Takes 5 seconds to load guns at start, left without a gun until then. (I'm pretty sure this is a known issue)
20. Main screen taking too long to load, not sure what the problem is here...but makes me wonder what the disc is doing whie it's spinning...especially when it's making all types of noises.
21. Iron sights don't load/render correctly, most notably with the A-91 and M4.
22. Splash damage from exlposives not doign anything. This happens with every explosive for me, including the grenades...mostly with the launchers though.
23. Direct hits from launchers don't kill instantly, not sure if intended or not...but it should be a one hit kill.
That's just half of the problem. The players are so ridiculously bad, someone could literally walk up behind me and shoot me with a pistol in the back of the head and kill me before I would even know he's there. There is NO balancing done in the game whatsoever, which makes the game unplayable and the polar opposite of enjoyable at times.
I'm not saying any of this lightly, this is not based off of emotion, this is pure experience based. If I could record the utterly ridiculous things that have happened to me in this game, it would sum up just how bad this game really is. This game isn't even worth 1 star, I would give it zero stars if I could.
Oh, and did it mention? You HAVE to have a hard drive to pay this, no USB or anything like that now...you have to pay $30 for a hard drive so small it's a rip-off.
Bottom line: Avoid this like the plague, on Xbox 360 at least...I doubt it's any better on PC or anything else.
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video-games_xbox
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An Open World Action RPG with No Polish What-so-Ever. It's ironic that a game developed in Poland would have no polish. It's a huge game that has a bit of everything, but everything in the game feels a bit broken. It's like playing an early beta of a promising title.
Story: 1/10
In the credits 7 people were credited with the story. Here is your problem. It's hard to get 2 people to agree on a creative endeavor, let alone seven people. The story is poorly acted and disjointed. Parts of it are good, parts are campy, and parts make no sense. I wouldn't have been surprised if a bunch of enemies just started dancing to Gangnam Style in the middle of a boss battle. There are even poorly recreated scenes from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Monty Python in the game! It's face-palmingly bad. To make matters worse, the main character only makes snarky comments about the adventure, which breaks immersion. He says the same 5-6 things when he kills an enemy throughout the entire game: "I'll bet you're glad you met me." "That's rich." "Huhuhuhuh" etc. You can expect to hear these about 500 times each and they don't even really relate to what is going on. The main character talks like a 16 year old playing D&D with his friends, rather than a mercenary risking his life on a quest.
Graphics: 5/10
They look dated, the environments are ugly, the characters are plain, and the animations are rough. The particle and lighting effects are also primitive. This game looks about 6 years old. On the plus side, the art direction in some of the areas are kind of cool. But you really don't want to play this after you've played Assassin's Creed Black Flag.
Character Classes / Inventory: 3/10
Fighter, Ranger, Mage are the basic archetypes, defined by their attacks.
Fighters can use a sword and shield, a two handed weapon, or dual weapons. Blocking just reduces the incoming damage by a %. They have special upgrades to take an enemy's shield away, a power smash to damage them through their shield, and various types of stuns. There are a few special attacks for bonus damage as well. All of the attacks are upgradeable for more damage or a better chance to Stun or Knockdown.
Rangers are interesting because of the bow upgrades. They have explosive fire arrows, ice arrows that slow enemies, multi-shot which fires a bunch of arrows at a time, an illusionary distraction arrow, and upgrades that reduce the time it takes to draw an arrow. If you fire and release quickly, you only do a small % of your max damage. If you draw the bow all the way back, you do 100% of your max damage. There's also an Overdraw skill that allows you to do bonus damage with your shots.
Mages have a complex spell creation system that allows you to choose a delivery system for the spell (Missile Aura, etc...) a damage type (Fire, Ice, Poison...) and then a modifier like guided, damage over time, etc... The more powerful your spell, the longer it takes to cast. But you also have upgrades that reduce casting time, so you can get your powerful spells out faster. This is really complex, but rewarding when you craft cool spells.
Unfortunately, wearing quality armor reduces your accuracy stat (Bow Damage), which is a bad idea. In a simple game like this, your gear and character classes shouldn't cannibalize themselves. Elf Armor actually makes you worse with a bow in this game!!!
You can instantly swap between the 3 character pre-sets with the D-Pad. You can have 3 types of mages / a mage, fighter, and ranger / 2 fighter builds and a mage , etc. It's up to you. Customize your character sets any way you want.
It's too bad the Inventory is just a bunch of gear in boxes. There's no way to really sort it and if you have equipped gear, it only shows on the character build you have selected. So, if you have different boots for your fighter and different boots for your mage, and you are playing as the fighter, you might accidentally sell your mage boots because they show up as unequipped. This is inexcusable.
Combat: Totally Broken
Your armor absorbs a % of incoming damage, the heavier the armor, the more it absorbs. The attack animations feel very loose and make little effort to target an enemy. Fortunately, the collision on the attacks is generous, so even if you slightly miss enemies, you hit them. Many of the enemies have resistances to damage types, so choosing the right weapon for the job is crucial. Some enemies can knock you down or knock you back. The Knock Back attacks are broken because they always knock the player backwards no matter where he's facing. So if an enemy pushes you from behind, you fall TOWARDS the enemy!!! This is broken. Unfortunately, none of this matters because enemies constantly get stuck on level geometry. If you want to kill any enemy, just run around for a bit and they will get stuck on a wall, a tree root, a stump, a rock, etc... Then shoot them with a ranged weapon or spell until they die. If you are in hallways and enemies attack, just run for a bit and the enemy decides he is too far from his starting point, so he starts to walk back. Then shoot him in the back. You can repeat this, until the enemy is killed.
The Good Stuff!
Lockpicking Mini-Game:
Locks are composed of a number of rings, more difficult locks have more. Each ring has 2 catches in it. The catches are opposite from each other. So if 1 catch is at 12 O'clock, the other would be at 6. When you begin lockpicking, a timer counts down. Your lockpick moves in a circle around the rings. When the pick is near a catch, just squeeze the R Trigger to advance to the next ring. Repeat until you hit all of the catches. Squeezing RT and missing a catch, will bump you back a ring. This sounds simple, but it's actually fun and addicting.
Crafting:
If you kill enemies and get junk loot, you can scavenge it for parts. Wood, Iron, Steel, etc... Then use these parts to upgrade your gear. So if you scavenge a bunch of weak enemy swords, you can upgrade your powerful sword. Each upgrade gives you bonus damage for weapons and bonus defense for armors. Every few upgrades also unlocks a socket. You can fill these with gems that give you skill or stat boosts.
Bonus Skill Points:
If you kill a bunch of monsters, brew a bunch of potions, pick a bunch of locks, or craft a bunch of gear, you don't get XP. Instead, you get an instant Skill Point you can use to upgrade any skill. There are weapon skills for Fighters, Rangers, and Mages. There are crafting skills, sneaking skills, alchemy skills, and skills that give your character natural damage resistances or stat boosts. Use these Bonus Skill Points any way you want.
Leveling Up:
Kill Monsters and finish Quests to get XP. When you get enough, you advance in Level. You get 4 Attribute Points and 2 Skill Points per level. Attributes = Health, Melee Damage, Missile Damage, Magic Damage and Mana Regeneration. Weapons and Skills in the game are restricted by your Attributes. So you may find an awesome sword, but you can't use it until your Strength is 35. Or you may not be able to upgrade your Shield Bash Attack until you go up 5 more Strength. The beauty of this system is that you can apply these points any way you want. If you are a fighter and want to become a mage, you can level up your mage related stats and skills then instantly start using good spells. You don't have to use magic to make your magic more powerful, so this system is extremely flexible.
Eyeballs:
These eyes are spells that allow you to scout ahead. Release the eye and you be able to roam through the world for a specified amount of meters from your position. Some eyes are single use and explode when they hit an enemy. This is a great idea!
Sound: 6/10
The music of this game is atmospheric, but the voice acting is awful and ruins the atmosphere.
Maturity: Older Teen / Young Adult
There's blood, drinking, swearing, and a partial nudity sex scene.
Value: 4/10
This game sells for about $5-$10. It's 20-40 hours long and has multiplayer VS and Co-Op. If you're dying for an action RPG, then you could pick this one up cheap to pass the time.
Overall: 4/10
This is a game with a little bit of everything. Unfortunately, everything in this game has been done much better in other games of the genre. Only play it if you're starving for an action RPG. It's got some cool ideas and it is fun to level up your character or craft gear, but with the main components of the game glitching all over the place and a disjointed story that is not compelling, there isn't much of a reason to play this.
If you like Exploration and Open Ended Worlds, play The Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Skyrim.
If you like tight combat and great enemies, play Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen!
If you really want atmosphere and good combat, play The Witcher 2!
If you want to be a Pirate, play Assassin's Creed Black Flag!
If you want a horrific atmosphere and like dying, play Dark Souls!
If you want a game similar to this, but better, play Kingdoms of Amalur!
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video-games_xbox
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Online fun galore. Here is what separates this game from Madden, and at least for me made it more enjoyable:
1) Gameplay/physics are much more realistic - You can't just drop back 20 yards and launch an 80 yard bomb. You need to settle your QB in the pocket, and set your feet. Guys running will run at various speeds, and you can't instantaneously stop from a full sprint. Just like in real life, the player will chop step three or four times to bring his body under control. The animation of the players is very well done. Little nuances like this make this game stand heads and shoulders above Madden.
2) All Pro Draft - This system of tiered stars makes the game more interesting because you really have to plan your team makeup. You really have to consider your strengths and weaknesses, and that of your opponents (especially online) when crafting a team. The added abilities that each player has and how they are implemented also brings a lot of variety to the game.
3) Online play - This is wear all Pro Football 2k8 shines. Online play is very challenging, and the online community is huge. The lack of an NFL license is negated because there are so many online leagues to choose from. You still get the experience of playing a 16 game season against other teams, and you always get everyones best. There are no excuses liek "He's playing with the Patriots, there team is always going to be better". Everyone makes their own team to suits there tastes. You also have a player rating system that will take care of singling people out who cheat or do cheesy things online. It works out very well.
4) Menus - No fluff, which I like. Easy to navigate, no load time and they are all easily accessible.
5) Playbook - very well done, with more plays that you ever will need.
6) Tackling system - it takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do, the tackling system using the right stick is a great tool. I must say I like it a lot. It gives you more options in different situations for coralling a pesky runningback or receiver.
7)Cost - At $29.99 (it's probably even lower now), you can't beat this for value.
If you are looking for a challenging football game, and playing against your friends or online is what you enjoy, then definitely check this game out.
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video-games_xbox
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More than the sum of its parts. Think of The Saboteur as Assassin's Creed meets Just Cause 2...in German-occupied World War II Paris.
Rushed out the door by a studio that EA shuttered shortly after its release, The Saboteur was is a title that was, for the most part, mostly overlooked and quickly forgotten. Probably due to its hurried release, The Saboteur is rough around the edges. Initially, it suffered from a number of serious bugs, and even now (with Pandemic Studios no longer around to prove any further patches or support) the game is basically unplayable on systems with certain ATI videos cards (though it works alright with this reviewer's HD6850). Nothing in the game is as polished or refined as one would prefer, and there is no single thing the game does which some other game does not do better. But somehow, if given a chance, the game manages to provide an experience which is more than just the sum of its parts.
You play as Sean Devlin, an Irish expatriate in Paris who becomes an operative for the French resistance because of a personal vendetta against the Nazis. There are a good number of main story and side missions, from stealing vintage champagne to carrying out a hit on a German general who terrorizes the working girls of Paris' red-light district. The real fun of the game, however, comes from free-roaming around the city using guns, explosives, stealth, your wits, and occasionally some good old-fashioned fisticuffs to harass and destroy the Nazi occupation forces. Prepping an area by blowing up guard towers and armored cars will make carrying out missions in that area of the city that much easier later. As you complete missions and wear down the occupation forces, areas will change from a black-and-white, "Sin City"-style color palette to full color as your actions inspire the people's will to resist. There are many, many hours of gameplay to be had in dedicating yourself to completing all the missions and free-roaming to take out every Nazi installation.
Though not a match for Altair or Ezio in the free-running department, Sean is capable of scaling buildings and traveling across the Paris rooftops to carry out his strikes and escape pursuit. Some tasks will require a subtle approach, such as sneaking up on a German guard to take him out with a stealth kill and disguising yourself in his uniform. At other times you can take a more macho approach, such as driving a car full of explosives at a Nazi checkpoint and bailing out at the last second. There are many vehicles to commandeer and collect, and as you progress in the game you gain access to better equipment and even the ability to call in timely assists from bands of fellow resistance fighters.
This is not a gritty, sober-minded attempt at a realistic simulation of resistance guerrilla tactics. The Saboteur has more of an exaggerated, pulpy style, with nice touches of tongue-in-cheek humor, and your primary task is to roam the game's extensive open world killing Nazi goons and blowing up their stuff and then, if possible, live to tell about it. (Or if not, upon death you can elect to respawn back at your safehouse and all of the destruction you've caused since your last save will not be undone.) Sean's hideout is accessed through a secret door in the showgirls' dressing room of a Paris burlesque hall, and German zeppelins by the dozen menacingly prowl the gloomy skies over the city. The art direction is good overall, although the graphics look somewhat dated (especially in the countryside areas outside Paris), and the gimmick of liberated areas changing from black-and-white to full color arguably means that the farther you progress in the game, the more the most interesting visual aspect of the game vanishes.
Objectively, The Saboteur is probably a three or three-and-a-half star game. It gets four from this reviewer for being under-appreciated, for providing a lot of gameplay for the cost, and for simply being a game with heart. The Saboteur is not a -great- game by any means. It is, however, a game that will, if you give it a chance and assuming you aren't stymied by bugs, consistently surprise you with just how enjoyable it is.
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video-games_xbox
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A thrilling and fun alternative combat game. So there I was, up to my knees in bullet casings. I'd safely guided my two teams through the perilous streets of Zafarra, capital of the central Asian hotspot of Zekistan. We'd been taking out insurgents while on the trail of terrorist mastermind Mohamed Jabbour Al-Afad.
As we moved down one deserted street, pausing only long enough to eliminate a solitary enemy who opened up on us from an alley, a technical suddenly rolled out of the next intersection, laying down heavy machine gun fire and pinning the eight of us behind a burnt-out kiosk.
I sent Bravo team scurrying back down the alley while Alpha hunkered down amid a hail of .50-caliber bullets. Within a couple minutes, Bravo had emerged one block away to flank the technical. A sniper who was dumb enough to leave himself exposed on a balcony was quickly dispatched with.
Although the technical began firing on Bravo, I ordered Alpha to draw their attention back by firing on the enemy from behind their cover. This allowed Bravo to scamper down the street and duck behind a wrecked car, a position that put the technical within range of the M203 grenade launcher. Bravo's grenadier popped up, aimed, and within seconds a zooming 40 mm frag lit up the technical and turned it into a smoking hulk.
That was just one of the many tense scenes I encountered in "Full Spectrum Warrior", a fantastic combat title that delivers adrenaline in copious quantities. The game scraps the usual first-person perspective in favor of a third-person view in which you control two teams, each with a team leader, grenadier, rifleman and squad automatic weapon. Rather than rushing enemies with a minigun in each hand, the point here is to employ basic Army tactics of using cover and laying down sector fire to have your teams achieve various objectives.
The tactics are fairly straightforward and easy to get a handle on. There are few nice bonuses as well. At some points in the game you will get temporary control of a third team. The pair of Ranger snipers in one of the final levels was particularly sweet. Some objectives will also have you call in air strikes on certain targets.
The graphics are fantastic, rendering the soldiers and cityscapes with realistic detail. There is a nice heat shimmer effect that gives the experience somewhat of a dreamlike quality. Recently I saw some photographs of U.S. Marines in Falluja, and was amazed at how much they resembled scenes from "Full Spectrum Warrior". In one level that left my controller moist with sweat, you work your way through alleys during a sandstorm, the limited visibility added to the tension.
Adding to the realism is the constant banter - much of it foul - coming from the soldiers, some of whom develop distinct personalities in the course of the story. The game reminds us that for all their fearsome gear, soldiers are pretty fragile - a couple AK rounds will take your guys out of action. And don't even think about leaving a man behind. If you lose a guy to enemy fire, you in fact lose two, because you have to assign someone to carry the wounded until you reach the next aid station. And if someone is killed, game over, you incompetent loser. Restart from the last checkpoint and try not to screw things up this time.
Some reviewers have been disappointed at a lack of absolute authenticity, i.e. the fact that some enemies labeled as behind cover still appear totally exposed, making it impossible to take them out with fire from certain angles. This misses the point, which is to get players to think tactically about combat situations and not rely on pixel-perfect shot placement to dispatch large numbers of enemies.
You can finish the game on regular difficulty in about 15 hours, which I found to be of perfect length. Any shorter and it would have felt lacking in depth. Any longer and it would have been in danger of being repetitive. As it stands, the game left me feeling like I really accomplished something, yet at no point did I feel bogged down in levels thrown in as filler.
I heartily recommend "Full Spectrum Warrior" to those looking for a great alternative to the raft of FPS military games already out there.
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video-games_xbox
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Elite Controller helps with De Quervain's Tenosynovitis. 1 TB drive is a great bonus. Really like it. I am upgrading from a 500 GB last years model. The console looks exactly the same except for some small differences that are barely noticeable such as a slightly different finish. It has the same ports, etc. The 1 TB hard drive is handy, as I just filled up the 500 GB drive and had to start uninstalling games.
Im not noticing anything faster about it, just more space. You could save money and get a 1 TB external hard drive.
I mainly bought this for the Elite Controller, because the Elite Controller was on backorder everywhere else.
First impression of the controller when I took it out of the box was DAMN that is beautiful. It is very impressive and feels like a solid, well engineered piece of technology. It comes in its own carrying case that fits the controller WITH the chatted attached (sold separately), and the headset. The carrying case is also the storage case for the magnetic paddles, thumbtacks and dpads.
Pros
Helps with my playstation thumb. When I upgraded to an iPhone 6+ and started playing Destiny, I developed De Quervain's Tenosynovitis. Constantly double tapping A to jump, pressing Y to switch weapons, holding B to slide and x to reload with my right thumb made me develop a type of tendonitis in my thumb at age 32. Remapping just the jump & crouch buttons to the bottom paddles has done wonders for my thumb.
Customizable buttons. Im actually swapping the dpad and using different sized thumbsticks for different games. The longer the stick, the more control you have over your movement if you want to have maximum control, use a long thumbstick (sniper aiming) but if you just need to move around without much sensitivity control, you can use a short stick. Im still figuring this out though.
Con
Paddles are very sensitive. Im finding that Im accidentally pressing the paddles a lot, and since most of the time youll have the paddles mapped to A or B, you are accidentally confirming or cancelling things a lot.
Very heavy. Actually the Elite Controller is like 30% heavier than the standard controller. Im not sure, maybe its because of the super high quality construction materials, but Im getting fatigued quicker during marathon gaming sessions. My wrists start to hurt so that I have to rest the controller on my lap. Probably a sign that I should take a break hehe.
Headset not compatible with chatpad. Microsoft didn't really think through the design of the headset port on the elite controller. It comes with a limited edition xbox live headset with a platinum motif, but its got that wonky incompatible plug that doesnt work with anything else, including the xbox one chatpad which only accepts a standard 3.5mm TRRS jack.
Overall thoughts.
Im happy with this purchase, I just wish the controller wasn't so heavy, and the paddles were less sensitive, you definitely cant just throw your elite controller on the couch heck you cant even place it down fast, you have to consciously choose the right surface and gently guide it down like, an Elite Dangerous ship, so the paddles don't depress and delete your save.
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video-games_xbox
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the les paul guitar sucks. the wireless les paul sucks. the game is fun id rate it 5*, but this guitar sucks.
they made it so the neck of the guitar comes off, which is apparently for better storage but who cares. now thanks to that sometimes when u hit long notes and hold them, they break off randonly because of that stupid detachable neck.
on my guitar i have the green button like everyone else but it is hard to press in i don't think all the guitars are like that but it bugs me, and for some reason the select button doesnt work wen i try to use it to activate star power. which is something i need for star power (ill explain down below) and again i don't think that that will happen with all the les pauls but that also bugs me. and maybe the select button doesnt activate star power on GH II but it does on GH III and i tested it and it didn't work.
the reason i need the select button is because the les paul is so touchy. im telling the truth, you will not move and star power will go off. but then sometimes you will throw that guitar around and star power won't go off. its retarded. so to control the star power, i have to stand up with the guitar slightly pointed down. at first star power always went off, but then i just straightened the guitar, but it still happened, so now, like i said up above, i hold it slightly tilted downwards wen i get starpower. and doing that is annoying and uncomfortable, and sometimes i will lift the guitar up adn fly around my room with that thing and star power still won't go off. man this guitar sucks most of the time.
but two good things, batteries come with it, and the guitar doesnt eat up up the batteries. and its wireless so there is no cord to hassle with.
but yea id reccomend another type of wireless guitar if there is one, or a wired one cuz this one is just to touchy, and also for me (i don't know if u have this problem but i do) the green button is hard to press down, and the select button doesnt work so that sux.
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video-games_xbox
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It is so NOT "clobberin' time. You know, I had hopes for this game. I really did. THE HULK was certainly a playable adventure that delivered on the feeling of "being the Hulk". Both SPIDERMAN games did credit to their source material. And I've heard that most of the X-MEN games translated well, too.
There are, after all, some constants in the comic book gaming universe. If the game is based on a DC character, it will be the worst and most painful thing you've ever played. Witness the many attempts to make Batman and Superman even remotely interesting. Platform after platform have given us NOTHING with these characters.
So what kind of world, I ask you, do we live in now where a Batman game is arguably one of the best adaptations of all time, and Stan Lee allowed this...abomination?
I have NEVER been so totally disappointed, so totally early, by any game. EVER.
If you don't know by the first mission--which comes, mind you, PRIOR to the team becoming "fantastic"--that this game is gonna suck, I'd argue that you've never played a good video game in your life. Harsh words? Yes. But true. Oh, so sadly, sadly true.
I don't even really know how to qualify the problems with this game other than to say I can't really wrap my mind around anything GOOD the game has to offer. Voice acting? No. Story? No. Graphics. Certainly not. Clever realization of super powers? Um, again, not so much. Good online play? It doesn't even exist. Puzzles that are satisfying once you figure them out? You try opening a door in the early part of this game.
It's just button-mashing madness, with a hint that maybe there might have been a good idea at one faraway stage in the game's development.
I cannot believe I paid full price, or indeed, ANY price for this game. This game is about one thing and one thing only: release date. As long as the producers got something halfway playable out there before the movie premiered, then they accomplished their central mission. This game is a blatant example of a company trying to make its money back off of people hyped by a film, without worrying about any of those pesky details like graphics or gameplay. Granted, this isn't as bad as the notorious ET game back in the 80s--but, in 2005 terms, it's pretty close. After all the strides that movie tie-in games have made in the last couple of years to actually be GOOD in their own right, it's just depressing to see that there are still some companies out there who see the license as a negotiated right rather than a privilege to be cherished.
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video-games_xbox
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Not too bad, but it definitely has some issues. I succumbed to peer pressure and went with the XBox over the PS4. I still have all three consoles from the previous generation (360, PS4 and Wii), so I was not completely unfamiliar with the Microsoft console. However, going with the XBox over the PS4 was probably my biggest mistake. I am primarily a Windows person, so the integration between the XBox and my windows machines was very appealing to me. And it is really cool how I can play the XBox from my PC on the other side of the house.
However, the user interface for the Xbox is one giant train wreck. Getting to the apps and games requires some digging and I can't seem to get my favorite apps and games pinned permanently to the main screen. The settings are all over the place, with various things such as audio settings being peppered all over in the menu. The whole user interface just feels sloppy and slapped together.
I have had multiple lock ups while using the console, which is extremely annoying. And I can't seem to find a way to quit a game. I wind up just switching out to another app and forgetting about it. Which generally worked pretty well, but with The Division, that causes a full XBox lockup if I go back to the game the next day.
I do like the TV integration though. Being able to watch live tv and then just switching to a game or something is great. No more flipping the TV input to the cable box to watch something.
I also bought a Kinect and the Media remote. The media remote is neat (I LOVE how it lights up when you move it), but it is not the same wireless as the controllers. It is an IR device, so you have to point it at the Kinect to make it work, as opposed to my PS3 media remote, which registers as another controller. The Kinect is <meh> as far as talking to it, which is the whole reason I got it. However, you have to be very precise in how you speak to it. You have to word everything almost perfectly or it will not react. And you have to talk fairly loud (yes I ran the calibration) or it won't even acknowledge that you said anything. I also have an Echo, and the difference between talking to that and talking to the Kinect is night and day. When I talk to the XBox, it is like talking to an unruly chid, but the echo is always responsive and responds correctly no matter how I ask it to do something. I almost feel bad talking to the XBox because I feel like I am having to talk down to it while trying to get it to do what I need it to.
Overall, it is an okay console, but I have had so many of these little issues, I don't know that I would recommend it to anyone. Eventually I will also get a PS4, but for now I have to live with what I have.
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video-games_xbox
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2 digital games for one. Picked it up at launch and it was $100 then which was about $20 off individual prices, but the value is even better now that the season is almost over. You get 1 code which allows you to download the 360 (7.81GB) and One (43.89GB) version so it will take a while to download depending on your ISP. While the install (space requirement) is optional on the disc version of the 360, the One requires all games to be installed so the space used on the hard drive on the One are a wash (and I install currently played 360 games so for me the space used is a wash on both). I rarely trade in games so digital versions (if cheaper) are way more convenient since they are ready to go anytime.
Why would you want 2 versions? Obviously the One version looks so much better, but you may have friends that are only on the 360 so you may want to play both. The 2 versions aren't exactly the same features wise either. The 360 version has the LeBron mode (Path to greatness) which is missing in the One and the MyPlayer mode is similar but not exactly the same on the One. The two versions are separate where MyTeam and MyPlayer are totally different (can't sync a MyPlayer campaign for cross play on 360/One). Cards/teams you unlock on one version similarly aren't unlocked on the other platform. At launch (and around Christmas) there were a lot of problems with the 2K servers going down so you couldn't do almost anything. They have since released a patch so you can play with the 2K servers offline, but original MyPlayer or MyTeams can't be converted over (or if so, I haven't figured out a way). Luckily this won't impact anyone that purchases the game now.
VC and Locker codes: 2k14 has virtual currency (VC) that is earned during play, but 2K14 has a Facebook page where they give out locker codes somewhat randomly. You enter the codes in the game and they can be a lot of different things (like VC, or clothing, or a player card for MyTeam, etc). Sometimes they say what they are, sometimes it is random. You of course can use real money to buy VC (and they have sales sometimes), but I haven't had a need/desire to do so. You spend VC on upgrading stats, buying jewelry for your MyPlayer to player (which depending on the grade (Gold, Platinum, etc) of the jewelry and item boost different stats), buying temp (X # of games) stat boosts, player cards (think Madden cards). The locker codes are different per platform and can be released at different times.
Anyhow, this 2 in one package is unique in the limited market for owners of both systems, but if you have both systems, there is value there (slightly different features for each version). I primarily play on the One, but I play enough on the 360 that it is worth picking up this bundle vs just buying the One version (especially since the price of both is just slightly more than the one platform, at least currently).
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video-games_xbox
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Kinda good but still overhyped. I've been hearing about Halo for a long time. Everybody liked it. The things they say are "It's epic! The multiplayer is awesome. Whoa! THE FLOOD!" Seeing as I was a broke PS2 and PC gamer , I couldn't buy either games. Then, the 360 came out. All of the shooters (that i played) were impressive- Gears of War, Graw 1 and 2, Bioshock, and Rainbow Six Vegas. (not to metion they were made by PC gaming companies)
Halo 3 came out. Since I was pretty interested, I decided to buy it.
When the loading screen came up, I was like "...Hmm....this is a pretty serious game...." Then, i saw the little annoying enemies. I saw the stupid AI. Wow. Pretty serious and epic.
The singleplayer is way too serious, the story is kinda stupid, and there were no bosses. Sure, the scarab parts were kinda good, but the singleplayer is still kinda stupid and cliched. I went on to try the multiplayer. It was pretty good, I went up to Sargent in 5 days. The Forge kept me going. The great Needler and Plasma Sword had me at the top of the list.
So, why did I give it a 3? The game is pretty average, not on par with PC games at all. It seems to be a shinier version of Halo 2, and the single player was horrible. The multiplayer was a bit above average. The price, however, set me back. $60 bucks for this game when I can get 2 new PC games? No. The only reason why there are even good shooters is that PC game makers decided to come to it because people "couldn't afford" a PC...when you can buy a good PC for the same price as a premium 360, Live, the overpriced game, and the controllers. That means that the 360 becomes mainstream, because of its "cheap" price and its world availability.
Why do I think PC games are better? Not only do 99% of all PC gamers think that the Halo series is either equal or worse than PC games (polls on gaming magazines, forgot which one), but the fact that the most developed, best videogame companies started with the computer. Including Bungie, with its Marathon series. And, those companies will still make better videogames for the PC, THEN they might port it to the 360. Want a list? The Half-Life series (including Counterstrike), the Elder Scrolls Series (YES! OBLIVION IS BETTER ON THE PC!), Unreal, the "Cry" games, the Call of Duties, and the Battlefield series.
In short, Halo 3 is just a way too overhyped & overpriced videogame. Buy COD 4 or something, unless you're playing the multiplayer for Halo 3. I know people who used to play in Halo tournaments and competitions. They say that Halo is just overhyped, and not as good as you might think it would be.
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video-games_xbox
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Shockingly great. I honestly was not completely sure what I was in store for when I purchased this game. Literally my entire decision was based around a forty second video of a character voiced by Laura Bailey. Not the best way to go about things, but in this case I would say I don't regret it. Nier is a game of startling quality.
The gameplay, while nothing particularly new, is fairly compelling. Enemy difficulty is a nice blend, being light enough to mow through for great satisfaction while also being difficult enough to mess you up when you get too complacent. On more than one occasion I've gone "eh, little guys" only to have them throw me around until I took them seriously. Combat itself is a fairly well-paced endeavor, though with certain bosses it can seem to slow down a bit. And speaking of which, the bosses are really superb. There are one or two that really just annoyed me, but for the most part they have a really "epic" feel to them. One especially memorable encounter takes place in a city suspended over a large chasm, with the fight itself constantly moving through and occasionally wrecking chunks of it. Very dramatic and VERY cool. My only cross is that there are too many "magic only" bosses. I don't mind using magic, or even making it the exclusive combat option, but so far there have been at least three and I haven't even completed the game yet.
But really Nier's greatest standing point is the atmosphere. The world is very beautiful for a dying post-apocalypse. The soundtrack (which I will go ahead and say is the absolute best I have ever heard, in any media) is especially successful in setting the tone, whether filling you with wonder or heightening the sense of horror, or even just making you cry. This game will do that, by the way. As magical as it all is Nier is one of the bleakest games I have ever played, where terrible things happen to undeserving people. Sometimes things work out, and sometimes they just don't. The characters especially make this world come to life, and thus far I can say I enjoy each and every one; or at least I don't dislike anyone particularly.
When it comes to JRPGs, and perhaps just most games in general, I'm used to the script being somewhat....hokey. Much to my surprise this is not the case at all. Dialogue is rendered beautifully, whether it be Weiss's rather high-class snarking, Kaine's unapologetically foul mouth, or Emil's tear-jerking optimism. It's all quite smooth.
So far there are only two things I would consider a cross. The first is that the gameplay can, at times, get a bit repetitive. Combat can be exciting but it can also be a bore, so prepare for that. Odds are if you're buying this kind of game you can deal with a bit of that though. Secondly - and this isn't really an issue for me, but it can bother some people - the visuals are a little average for a game of its time. Nier is only about two years old as of this writing, but it can look a little meh. It also subscribes to the Devil May Cry style of not rendering injuries on a character model (a stab or slash in a cinematic will cause blood to fly every which way, but seemingly leave clothing and the body intact) but this isn't a real problem so much as a vaguely annoying observation.
Overall, pretty sweet game! And for people who know about Replicant, try not to be turned off by this older protagonist. Old! Nier is one of my favorite protagonists to date, and an awesome father. I hope that I can be half the parent he is some day.
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video-games_xbox
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Fun game with HUGE flaws (save up for another controller before you play. I RECOMMEND NOT BUYING THE PHYSICAL DISC VERSION OF THIS GAME.
The game crashes when I try to enter the port of Nassau (about 6 hours into the story). Discussed this with retailers and fans and it appears to be a bad disc. Even though the game is installed to the HD, there is something wrong with the data loaded for the port of Nassau that causes an instant crash when I try to enter that port. I contacted Ubisoft who offered to send me a digital download code if I return the cover art and receipt to them. Fair enough, but the game was only $15 here on amazon, so I decided to buy a digital copy instead. The solution if you're dealing with the same problem I describe here, is to DELETE the installed game off your Xbox One (not the savegame file, just the game installation). Then, acquire a digital copy, enter the CD KEY in your Xbox Live account, and the game will download. That process is necessary due to the bug in the disc version--file read errors or whatever it is that causes the game to crash.
Maybe your disc works. Maybe a new disc works. Or, maybe it won't. You won't find out until you reach the port of NASSAU. Or try to load a saved game (in some cases reported by others). Save yourself some time and just buy the digital version. I purchases AC Unity + AC Black Flag combo for about $20.
----------------------
As for the gameplay, it's very hit-or-miss. There are extraordinary things in this game that are truly enjoyable, but like most AC games, it fails miserably in the part that matters most--parkour gameplay. I just can't believe how much effort Ubisoft put into this gigantic game and then failed at the most basic gameplay aspects so badly. SO BADLY! This game will make even a calm, mild-mannered gamer want to throw their controller against the wall and shatter it into a million pieces! It is rage inducing stupidity on the part of the designers and some of the gameplay. I won't get into it. I won't argue with anyone. The problems are known and widespread and no one will say otherwise if they have truly played the game through.
I just finished it after about 80 hours (for the first time). I went the extra nautical mile to collect most of the collectible items and unusual achievements. That parkour and "tomb raider" type gameplay is what I enjoy most.
The ship sailing and combat was fun and the graphics gorgeous but became tedious after a while. The Kenway Fleet feature becomes EXTREMELY tedious fairly quickly. I never lost a single sea battle. You can earn a ton of money this way and not really need to work very hard to pay for ship and island upgrades. It does take a fair amount of work to do the underwater levels to get all of the maps in order to get the elite ship upgrades but worth it in the end because the ship looks awesome.
Combat is a complete disaster in this game until you learn that the @&*#$@^$% animations MUST COMPLETE before it'll let you do anything else. This applies to all animation in the entire game which is utterly infuriating and inexcusable in a AAA title. From hell's heart, I curse at thee, Ubisoft QA!! Now give me some more rum!
A solid 3 stars. Drops down to 2 if you happen to destroy an expensive controller in the process. Fortunately, I only threw my controller once, at the couch, and it didn't break. RAGE INDUCING. Truly. It should lose a star for the stupid animation problem. Thus, 3 stars is fair. This is a 5-star game with serious flaws that makes it almost unplayable at times. Now, if you can manage to work around these problems, you might enjoy it. However, I found the ONLY way to survive combat is to constantly throw smoke bombs and then assassinate the guards surrounding Edward. It is possible to do counters and disarms but not when surrounded, because they can hit you before the GD animation completes so you can't counter them all.
That pretty much sums up my experience in every AC game to date and I've played and finished every one of them. This one is no improvement in combat, it's a step backward. Where AC3 failed with stupid scripted missions that MUST be completed EXACTLY as the damn designer intended, AC4 fails with stupid, STUPID, irritations and quite a few bugs that I haven't even mentioned (aside from the game-stopping bad disc issue).
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video-games_xbox
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Take Home the Series that Invented the Action Genre. Every once in a while, a title comes along that re-defines the future of gaming. It's a turning point in game development, and spawns hundreds of budget clones that try to cash in while it's hot. In 2001, DMC was one of those games. It single-handedly invented the action game genre as we know it. DMC3 invented true Stylish Action- with weapon switching, evasive maneuvers, and over-the-top powers.
The ports are really solid. I had some concerns after reading about the problems with other HD collectiosn recently, like the Silent Hill HD Collection. Visuals are crisp and clean, and the games look excellent considering their age. DMC1's textures hold up surprisingly well (shows how far good art direction can go) aside from the pixelated skybox or so. DMC3 looks absolutely gorgeous. They added some anti-aliasing, and the motion capture looks impressive even by today's standards. The only gripe that some people might have is that various menus and cutscenes (the ones that are full motion video) are still in 4:3 ratio. This isn't a dealbreaker for me, and recreating these videos would have been pretty impractical.
Some people are saying that they stretched the aspect ratio of the games to fit the widescreen. THIS IS ERRONEOUS. They actually widened the viewing area to 16:9, which makes some of the camera angle griefs much better.
Of course, the entire series runs at 60fps for buttery smooth combat. No hiccups or framerate issues. No technical glitches or bugs. The gameplay is pretty much flawless.
As for extras, the Vault comes with a collection of never before released pre-production concept art. One of the other reviewers on Amazon said that this is all stuff you can get on the internet, but it's simply not true. There are several pieces of art from back when DMC1 was a Resident Evil title. These never made their way to the general public. There's also a nice selection of music from each of the three titles. This is, unfortunately, incomplete, but it's still a nice touch. Throw your favorite track on while you peruse the gallery.
DMC2 is a throwaway title. It always has been. Don't let that discourage you because DMC1 and DMC3 together are worth well more than the $40 asking price. Even so, it looks as good as it ever has.
If you have ANY interest at all in action games, maybe you want to see what all the hubbub is about, or if you want to revisit these incredible titles with gorgeous visuals, you owe it to yourself to pick up this collection.
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video-games_xbox
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Defective Product and Terrible Support. I would like to start out by saying that I own several Razer products and over the last couple years have not had any issues. I own a Razer Naga Epic mouse, a Nostromo, and a Black Widow 2013 Ultimate keyboard. All products work flawlessly with no issues what so ever.
Also to note, I was one of the customers that had an order placed back in January which wasn't fulfilled until a week ago. That is correct; I waited nearly 6 months for this disaster.
My experience with the Sabertooth has been absolutely terrible. This bad experience with the product also leads to a bad experience with the customer support and I will break my review down in to two categories to reflect this.
The product: Overall the quality of my Sabertooth was excellent. The feel of the controller and the buttons were more than I expected. However, my Sabertooth had one major issue. The buttons along the bottom side of the controller, specifically the M6 button, were somehow bound to the right stick x axis. In a First Person Shooter game, for instance, when I press the M6 button it will turn my characters head to the left as if I am looking left or holding the right joystick to the left. I can confirm this when using the controllers built in test function which shows an X axis input of -100 when the M6 button is pressed. This occurs when the M6 button is disabled or unbound to any of the controller functions. When I bind a controller function to the M6 button this problem persists and with one added bonus, when I press the right joystick to the left, or along the negative X axis, it will also activate whatever controller function I have bound to the M6 key. I am assuming that somehow when this controller was being assembled, they accidently bound these two functions together permanently. After my experience with customer support I decided to live with this defect despite it being one of the most important buttons to me. Approximately two days after using my Sabertooth, 3-5 hours of use a day maximum, I started having more issues with my right joystick. My right joystick was now recording a constant right input, or along the positive X axis. Using the controllers built in test function, which was extremely handy in determining that the issues I was having were directly the result of a Sabertooth defect and not something wrong with my computer or computer's software/xbox 360, I was able to determine that when the controller was sitting on a table there was anywhere from 30-60 input along the positive X axis. Being experienced with issues like this in the past I unplugged and plugged the controller back in several times, sometimes keeping the joystick pressed to one side of the X axis in an effort to determine if there was an issue during the calibration phase that takes place when the controller is initially plugged in, which there wasn't.
The support: For the first issue I called the Razer support hotline and was promptly connected to a tech representative. The rep was clearly someone outsourced, as they had a heavy accent with which I struggled to understand. They were also using some sort of Skype communication service as the quality of the call was absolutely terrible. While these things would normally be forgivable, trying to convey a problem as complex as mine to someone who does not speak the English language well on a bad connection, coupled with the fact that it was quite obvious these customer service representatives had very limited knowledge of Razer products as they had to look stuff up on their computer before they could answer questions, and on top of all of that it also seemed as if these people did not play any games at all. Ultimately, the end of every customer service conversation resulted in me being told that I would not be able to return this defective product to Razer because my Sabertooth was given to me as a gift. Apparently the warranty is not transferable.
Overall: The Sabertooth is an excellent product, but I would recommend that you purchase this from a retailer such as Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Gamestop etc. with a clear and simple return and exchange policy. Waiting nearly 6 months, coupled with the defective product and the horrible support really left me with a sour taste in my mouth. If you get unlucky like me and receive a defective product you will have a horrible time trying to deal with the absolutely terrible Razer support system.
Edit: I would like to thank the Razer Customer Support rep who will undoubtedly comment on this review to express their sincere apologies. I hope you don't try linking me to your customer service website or phone support as doing so will demonstrate to me that you have not read my review. As a business I expect that you know exactly what to do to rectify this situation and if not, well, you are one step further to losing a dedicated customer. Thank you.
UPDATE 1/5/2014: After resorting to purchasing a second controller, as a return or exchange was impossible, I have had some time to spend with a working product. Overall I would advise anyone looking to buy an aftermarket controller to look elsewhere. Though, with the release of the Xbox One, this is product will probably receive less attention anyway. The core controller works well, but the extended buttons are buggy and the ones on the bottom of the controller need to be constantly tightened with regular use or they will fall out and you risk losing the screw that holds them in. I added a star to reflect my current opinion of the controller as well as customer support, and I'm being very generous with that extra star.
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video-games_xbox
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Thank God for consumer-friendly return policies. My original launch-era 20GB Xbox 360 Xenon gave excellent service over its nearly five years of life with me. No RRODs, no optical disc drive maladies...this box lives to game on and on, and to show the earth that perhaps Microsoft COULD build a machine that didn't crash and burn like so many others have reported, including those that MANY friends and acquaintances were sadly saddled with. I've always felt fortunate that my first 360 did as well as it has, but with its hard drive getting full I had--in my eyes--the perfect excuse to update to Microsoft's new machine, the 360S.
Now on 360S Number 2, perhaps this wasn't as good an idea as I once thought.
The first machine was picked up from a well-known warehouse store which shares its hometown with Amazon (it's name must remain hidden since Amazon's review overseers wouldn't publish my first attempt at a 360S review that included it). That 360S worked great for about a week; setup was painless and getting out to Xbox Live was a breeze. Then came a disheartening first (non)session with The Orange Box; the disc went into the DVD tray and instead of the usual quiet spin and read a horrible-sounding groan and screech was emanating from the 360S. In that instant the machine's DVD drive had turned the disc into a coaster, grinding the playing surface of the disc into an unreadable circular mess of scuffs and scars that was useless to either of my 360 consoles.
Thanks a lot, Microsoft.
Because of said warehouse store's 90-day return policy, that 360S went back for a refund and a new one was purchased. But now Number 2 has straight out of the box NAT issues with our wireless network where Number 1 did not (nor does my original Xenon 360, which stands alongside Number 2 as if it's gloating over my 360S woes). Defects happen, but two out of two so far? Getting out to Xbox Live is definitely more challenged with No. 2, and it's easy to see how Messenger would be impractical if not outright impossible to use. Worse yet, Wi-Fi accessed gameplay itself is so far impossible with this machine. I've yet to test it hardwired via CAT5 cable (mostly because all of the ports are taken in our Rosewill router), but so far it's looking like another trip back to the warehouse store.
It hasn't been all bad; the new Microsoft transfer cable does work; all of the pertinent 'stuff' on my old 20GB 360 transferred smoothly without much in the way of heartache. And local play has been excellent. But what makes the 360 as great as it has been is Xbox Live, and with this new machine it's been a disaster so far. No amount of router and modem resets has rectified this. No amount of exclusive bandwidth usage on our home network will clear this up. Plus it's the ONLY device we own that seems to suffer from this; everything else operates smoothly, quickly and without angst, even including my sometimes cranky Acer netbook.
In the end, I think it'll be inevitable that I'll be back to the store for yet another 360S. I like the positives of the machine enough that it's likely worth the hassle. That said, if Number 3 doesn't work perfectly out of the box, there will NOT be a Number 4. There comes a time when one must realize that there's only so much time (and patience) left in one's life. And the Xbox 360S is so far certainly reminding me of that fact of living.
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video-games_xbox
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Unlike its predecessor Marathon, it accomplished what it set out to do. Halo Combat Evolved was released for the Original XBOX on November 15, 2001 and later ported to the PC, XBOX 360 and XBOX ONE. Halo was a first person shooter that was developed by Marathon developer Bungie Studios but unlike Marathon their previous game. This game set out to prove that the FPS genre could be enjoyably played on PC's and consoles alike. This game was as important as Golden Eye 64, Perfect Dark or even the original Medal of Honor and in fact was better than MOH in that it would eventually prove that first person shooters could be played on consoles with a decent control scheme and not just only on PC. Halo did not have to be exceptional to prove its point that you could play a first person shooter on console. Halo would later on go to be released on PC on September 30, 2003. Halo would go on to be ported to the XBOX 360 way of the Anniversary Edition on November 15, 2011 marking its tenth anniversary and later ported to the XBOX ONE by way the Master Chief Collection on the tenth anniversary of the release on Halo 2 on November 11, 2014. The story of Halo takes place in the year 2552 where humanity has been fighting a losing war against a collection of alien species called The Covenant for the past 27 years and after leaving one of the bloodiest battles of the war to save the last best hope for humanity the crew of The Pillar of Autumn come across a mysterious ring-like structure in space called Halo for obvious reasons and now if they can unlock the secrets of this Ringworld then they might have a chance of winning the war.
The sound design is pretty good. The music was made by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori of which you are hearing in this review. That theme that Martin O'Donnell will forever be one of the most unique themes to a game or any medium that will be burned into my memory. And the sound effects for the weapons are alright but they could have been better and I like the voice acting in this game because they sometimes say the most hilarious things at times and also because everything is over the top and they do not take it very seriously but the main characters do though except for Sgt. Johnson who is hilarious to listen to regardless. Overall the sound design is hit or miss. At least in regards to sound design in the Anniversary Edition they did improve the weapon sounds. Since I am on the topic of sound design I will mention that the PC version has audio hardware acceleration via Creative Labs proprietary EAX DirectSound Audio API of which will require at least a Sound Blaster Live! Because the game uses EAX 2.0 and that was another reason why I went with the PC version. Visuals were on par with a game that was made to run on an Intel Pentium III 733 Mhz Coppermine 370 [Coppermine is a version of the Pentium III Processor and 370 denotes Socket 370] with 32 MB of Video Ram as well as 128 MB of Ram based machine. For 2001 the visuals were amazing but when Halo came to PC it did not look as good as games that would come out such as the original Call of Duty when that game was released on October 29, 2003. Back when they remastered this game for the Anniversary Edition on XBOX 360 they did a damn good job on the visuals. Level design when it came to the multiplayer could get repetitive at times especially on certain missions later on that I am not going to talk about for the sake of spoiler territory and for those who know what mission or missions that I am talking about please do not reveal what they are in the comments section. One thing to take note is if you are going to install the game on Windows Vista and above then you will have to install the game to a path other than Program Files such as C:\My Games\Microsoft Games Studios\[Game title].
On PC there was nothing revolutionary about it and between the original XBOX version and the PC version I would rather choose the PC version over the original XBOX version because of the mods such a Halo CMT SPV which sets out to improve the games campaign. Everything that had been done in Halo had been done on PC several years earlier so it was not anything that special when it came out for PC back in 2003 and it was not like it was a bad game. It just was not all that special when it came to the PC port for the most part.
On console you have split screen which is pretty fun to play and on PC as well as XBOX ONE you have online multiplayer up to 16 players and that could get a little hectic but we already had this in games such as Unreal Tournament as well as Quake and those came before and they were more fun but still I would play the multiplayer regardless. The multiplayer in the original XBOX version had 13 maps whereas the PC as well as the XBOX ONE versions have 19 maps.
The story is nothing to write home about because you are an overpowered space marine whose back story was never explained in this game of which I could have forgiven the short comings of the plot if they would have taken the time to give him his back story in this game who is guided by an A.I. in his helmet fighting against aliens. Two major problems that this game has are that it starts out like a 90's shooter where it does not explain the narrative in that it just plops you into the game not explaining why the aliens hate humanity and what is this planet called Reach and by 2001 that was so overplayed that it got annoying and even for the 90s it drove me nuts for the most part with the exception of the original Quake and this game is supposed to be story driven and it makes you have to rely on existing source material such as the books and the other problem is that the Master Chief has no personality outside of the books so the games for the most part do not do him justice so in the end how am I supposed to connect with this character.
I would say that it is a fairly average game that is worth playing just for historical purposes for the most part and in my opinion it is one of the best Halo games when compared to Halo 3 at certain times in the Halo 3 campaign and my recommendation is to play Halo Reach first since that game somewhat explains the backdrop for the first game and plus Reach did what Halo tried to do by giving you a blank slate instead of giving you the Master Chief and because of that this game was made better because instead of getting a character who was supposed to have a personality in the books that we never see in game except in Halo 4 we get a character that we can fully customize ourselves that allows us to tell our own stories through our imagination. Overall it was a somewhat average game that was not all that bad and not all that good either. As a console game it was as close to excellent as you were going get but as a PC game it was a fairly average game. The story is somewhat generic. The setting is nothing all that special but it is nothing that will shatter you're hopes and dreams. Overall people blow this game out of proportion. I would still recommend it on PC just for the mods that have been made alone and I also recommend picking up the Master Chief Collection purely on it having a good remaster plus the other three games being included.
[Review Scores for Whatever Reason]
Story: 3.0
Graphics: Anywhere From a 2.5 [PC Port] to a 4.0 [XBOX 360 Anniversary Edition Port]
Sound: 4.0
Overall: Anywhere From a 3.0 [Original XBOX] to a 4.0 [XBOX 360 Anniversary Edition]
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video-games_xbox
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Hold-Over for RE 6. From the very start, this game's flaws were glaring--and shockingly peculiar given that the RE franchise (for major platforms like PS/2/3 and Xbox 360) prides itself on aiming precision, decent AI, and rapt story lines. The RE canon is situated in a classic, single player, third person survival horror tradition that has a, I would assume, rather faithful fan base who have become accustomed to a certain kind of play. We like the model of previous RE games in the canon--and Capcom has generally stayed true to that form. Yet this game (hearkening back to that previous atrocity known as "Outbreak") sets a new low for the series.
REs 4 and 5 were, in my opinion, opuses. They pushed the envelope of the story lines, the latter allowing multiplayer action while the former first introduced "real time" life or death decision making--but both of which developed their story lines in a compelling way. Both had great replay values. Both were formatted with the RE die-hard fan in mind.
I believe Capcom released "Raccoon City" as a sop to fans who are foaming at the mouth for RE 6. And as a sop, it couldn't be less enjoyable to play. This RE installation really alienated me. And needn't I get into the inexcusable online glitches, slow speeds, and friend disconnections from online campaign modes.
Aside from the clunky technical issues, of the lack of clear rules-of-play that have guided previous RE installments, and the swarms of zombies, lickers, spec ops, and tyrants that feel less like a challenge and more like a complete nuisance (I have never been more annoyed with RE foes in my life)--the game's foes' appearance is more comic-bookishly "Left for Dead" than anything in the accepted RE canon (not taking into consideration games for handheld platforms, or course--and completely disregarding that joke called "Outbreak").
My decision to purchase was out of faith to the series--undergirded by my high hopes generated from all the "cut-scene trailers" that this game had a lot of potential--cut scenes paint beautiful but inaccurate portraits of story line and game play. My favorite games in the franchise are REs 2 and 3, so revisiting Raccoon City had both nostalgic and intriguing appeal--but Capcom really took that great idea and ruined it with cheesy graphics, comical zombies, and Final-Fantasy-in-magnitude character "skills" that killed my lets-stomp-some-zombie-ass buzz.
Do yourself a favor as someone mentioned above: Rent the game. Don't buy it.
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video-games_xbox
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Not a real Sim, but accessible and fun. I'd like to reiterate what's been noted above - this is NOT a real simulation. I don't think there are any console games that come even close to reality (though I haven't yet tried GT5, Forza 2 is definitely not, but closes in on reality).
First, so I can stop being jaded, let me get through the major annoyances and go on to the positives - and there are a lot!):
1) Physics suck - not realistic in the least bit even in full "sim" mode, it's an arcade game easily accessible to any level of "driver".
2) You can't look where you're going! This makes it tough to drive. When coming to a really sharp turn, where you'd generally swivel your head to see where you're going, you CAN'T. This makes learning a track tough. Especially since you can't even review a track map whilst in the pits! There is an on-screen map, but since you're arriving at the corners quickly, you can't actually see the corner until your past it. Annoying.
3) In the rain, it's dark. And yes, I know that's the point! The graphics are amazing to me, but the raindrops don't move (they should theoretically streak back, no?) and since we're not driving realistic cars, why do I have to strain my eyes to see where I'm going? Also, if you're driving in the rain, you're likely to have a clear visor, not a darkened one. There's no in-game brightness adjust, and for the life of me I can't figure out why, other than to make you blind.
4) Replays are annoying. The cameras are great EXCEPT for the "TV" view, which changes cameras every 2 seconds and does this annoying shake routine and it's nearly impossible to get a consistent view of what you just did. Would be nice to do that.
5) No way to compare telemetries. Why can't I come into the pits and review my telemetry to see where I'm braking, if I'm braking consistently, how quickly I'm getting to the throttle out of corners, if I'm going truly flat through corners, and where my team-mate is making up time on me?
6) Noticed today that braking distances are exactly the same in the dry and in the wet. That goes again under "physics SUCK." Oh well.
7) One more little thing - the force feedback sucks.
NOW, sorry for the rant, on to the great! Note: I'm using the Microsoft XBox FFeedback Wheel
1) The graphics are amazing - I love them! The details are phenomenal.
2) TOTALLY accessible! Again under the heading that Physics SUCK, but so what, it's fun and you can drive a wicked car around your favorite F1 track! It's cool, and anybody can play it and come up to speed with reasonable success. It makes it fun when anybody can jump in the seat and go for a whirl without fear of being too embarrassed.
3) Career mode is really cool, realistic enough, and fun! It really puts you in the place, just about as much as it should. =)
As it stands the last three should outweigh the first bunch for almost all people. For the simulation junkies like myself, this game is fun and still challenging enough to be fun, but it's not quite what we were hoping for. One would hope they'd give us the impossible realities just to experience it. Ah, such is life.
IF you order it today, you might be able to experience the South Korea track before we see it on Speed. And that's just cool. If not, you can probably wait for black Friday and pick it up for $30 or $40. It does make for a good F1 party entertainer in the mean time. =)
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video-games_xbox
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Much better than I expected. Being a big fan of the original two Turok games for N64, I originally had high hopes for this. The developers had said that they understood what made the original games unique, and that they planned on staying true to the roots of the series. Of course, after I saw the initial reviews and watched some videos of the game in action, I was a little let down, and for whatever reason, ultimately ended up not purchasing the game.
Fast forward over two years later, I saw the game selling for very cheap. It was an impulse purchase, but one I don't regret in the slightest.
Turok for Xbox 360 is very atmospheric, and in fact, does do a good job of staying true to the Turok name. The variety of locations ensures that you'll never have to get bored of looking at the same area over and over. From dark and cramped caves, to bright green jungles, to a run-down enemy complex. While these sound like somewhat generic locales, the attention to detail really makes them feel real.
Enemy AI is for the most part very good. They'll flank you and team up together, ensuring a decent challenge. Dinosaur AI can be a bit hit or miss, but the main goal of this enemy type is mostly just to overwhelm you in close quarters.
Unique gameplay mechanics include stealth kills with your bow and knife, and baiting dinos to attack enemy soldiers. Neither works perfectly, but you can still use these gameplay elements to your advantage. There's nothing more satisfying than taking out an entire room of guards silently with your bow.
The exploration element of past games is not as prevalent, as the levels are fairly straightforward, however there is still plenty of room for improvisation within each area. It's obvious that the developers wanted to provide as many opportunities as possible for players to approach a situation.
The cutscenes and story, while not amazing, got the job done, and were of high-quality.
The only negative aspect would have to be the variety in weapons. Past games in the series had some of the craziest contraptions ever for players to use in the destruction of opponents....of course the infamous cerebral bore from Turok 2 is the first one to come to mind. Other than the bow and surprisingly effective knife, I mostly used the same basic plasma rifle throughout 80% of the campaign. None of the weapons stand out....just the usual sniper rifle, sub-machine gun, pistol, etc.
I had a blast with this game, as there is never a dull moment. It is a short action packed adventure, full of explosive set-pieces that are sure to impress. Four stars.
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video-games_xbox
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The Saboteur - Pandemic's Swan Song. The Saboteur is a release that saddens me when I think about it, as it was Pandemic's final game as a game developer; the sad part about all of it is that it was also their best game they've ever put out, and it was just an incredible game in its own right. Take an open world, throw in an interesting premise and storyline, layer on fabulous art direction, then throw in a variety of gameplay mechanics that just click when you're in control. While it took inspiration from other games in the genre, it combined them, put its own spin on things, and in the end it ended up being one of the most interesting and refreshing games in the genre.
The story in The Saboteur is really well done. It provides an interesting protagonist that has some good banter with other characters and himself. In addition, the antagonist seems like such a mean and cocky fellow, so you can't wait to get revenge on him. Without spoiling this delight, I'll just say that it all ties up beautifully.
The gameplay is open world, like you'd expect out of Grand Theft Auto, and it has climbing, like you'd see in games like Infamous and Assassin's Creed; however, it's important to state that The Saboteur has a feel all its own, and I actually like the way everything plays. It's more arcade-like and not super realistic, so everything is pretty easy to control. Climbing around this beautiful world is quite fun, as is the driving, which handles very well. There are some really nice cinematic set piece moments in this game that will make your jaw drop.
The art direction is one amazing thing about The Saboteur, because it's not only sharp, but it's both beautiful and unique, too. You start out in a beautifully detailed black and white world. The world is bleak and incredibly detailed. The rain effects look downright stunning in black and white. As you take down the Nazi control, you bring back color to the world.
The Saboteur has a few little hiccups along the way, as there's some glitches here and there, but it's important to note that they're ultimately very minor and do not sour this overwhelmingly incredible experience. If you missed out on it and haven't given it the time of day yet, please, please, please, give this gem a chance.
4.5/5
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video-games_xbox
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Rough around a few edges, but very well done. I've read a lot of positive and negative reviews myself, and most are fairly accurate. There's definitely a niche of gamers that this will really apply to, but should still be a worthwhile purchase (or rental for those who can play for a week straight) for any RPG fan in general.
The story is by far the strongest point. There will be times that make you cry, times that make you laugh, and times that make you so raging mad that you forget a certain character is fictional - like a good book. Great cinematics, great voice acting, great plot.
The combat is fairly hit-and-miss (no pun intended). It took me until my 15th hour of playing to really figure out how to use combos and party orders (focus, combo, free, etc) to my advantage. Learning how to get some HP and MP back by using ground combos was very important. However, there is rarely a chance to take advantage of Connect skills, since you can't call for healing while connected, and battles are too fast or too on-the-edge to bother with another character's skills. Many of the boss fights are great and very challenging - sort of from the Kingdom Hearts genre.
One major disappointment, although I am still a good 5 hours from the finish, is that the game brings strategic situations into play with a flourish, then all but ignore them for the rest of the game. The first hour of play is heart-pumping escaping and racing the clock, then soon after that is a great siege scenario... then it drops off to the occasional ho-hum "win before time runs out" scenario, if at all. They could definitely have taken advantage of multi-party situations more - so far there has only been one (absolutely fantastic) section where that occurred.
I couldn't be happier with my purchase, though, and the only reason I probably won't play through it again is that so many good RPGs have come out or are coming out for the 360 - Vesperia, Last Remnant, Fable II, etc... hard to keep up with!
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video-games_xbox
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Fun action packed revenge is fueled by Payne. Max Payne only has bullets and retribution. His family, murdered by junkies, he sets out to wipe the city of the drug that cost them their lives, opening a story that reeks of bullets, slow motion shootouts and dark narration.
Framed for murder a fellow detective, Payne remains undercover within a mob family to discover the truth. Among the bullet cases Max meets some interesting characters, such as twin assassin Mona Sax, the mysterious Alfred Wooden and various trigger happy mobsters from separate feuding mob families. The story itself, set amongst a typical revenge/vendetta genre, unfolds smoothly with dreams of past events appearing between acts, perfect for the John Woo or Tarantino film enthusiasts. Payne sums up events & various conversations through his dark narration, a true gem of the entire adventure. The uncommon comic storyboards replace modern cuts scenes set the perfect noir tone.
This third person shooter features good graphics although characters don't have any facial expressions, some have rag doll mechanics while others appear stiff as a board; however both of these features hardly affect game play or enjoyment. Controls handle fine, a click of the control pad brings up the vast amount of weapons one can carry & trigger a strong characteristic: bullet time. A fun, serious advantage over the resourceful A.I. that allows you to take out multiple enemies, duck for cover or continue your current life, best part being it replenishes with every kill. Weapons all appear to be very closely patterned after their real life counter parts, sounding great as you run for cover and return fire.
Max Payne is a great rental. For those who love high difficulty challenges, it's a must have and will get their money's worth here. The look of a simple shooter, united with great narration, graphic novel cut scenes that play perfectly to the violent story, atmosphere, mythology overtone & film noir references that plaque the story, Payne is a standout title, one that is a joy to play. The hero's pain has only begun.
Last Words: B, Payne like this is so enjoyable it's hard not to like it.
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video-games_xbox
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A great game marred by not enough content. Fable 2, the sequel to the #1selling action-RPG on the Xbox, promises a lot of things on the back of its box: a massive world, tons of inhabitants and, above all else, the choice to be good or evil. To kill or to save; to plunder or to live nobly: the choice is yours, and for every choice you make, there is a consequence. Kind of. Fable 2, much like its wildly-hyped predecessor, hardly delivers on all of its promises. Don't shy away from picking it up, though, because Fable 2 is one of the best games on the Xbox 360.
The story kicks off as you, a young orphan beggar, wander the streets of Bowerstone in search of gold pieces and food stuffs. A series of events transpires, and, as it turns out, this young beggar is a hero descended of those from the original Fable. Don't worry if you've never played the first game; the story isn't all that fleshed out (it's really just there to move things along) and the references to Fable aren't too frequent. This game isn't about the story, although it's not horrible - it's all about interacting with a huge, vibrant world and making it your own. In this respect, the game both succeeds and fails. There is a lot of mileage to trek over in Albion, but much of it is empty or wasted, since there aren't that many quests in the game. There are only about thirty actual quests, odd jobs and mini-games not withstanding. It just seems like the world goes to waste, as many areas are only visited a few times before the story concludes. You can buy real estate, marry people, live a life of crime etc. but it all has no real consequence; you can shift your morality alignment from good to evil and back within the course of thirty minutes (just donate some money to a temple, or go on a killing rampage). Your choices have no real effect on the game's main story or the overall gameworld, although there are a few quests that change depending on your decisions. This is where the game shines: when you get to see the results of your good/evil choices reflected in different buildings being built and different characters being alive. These branching quest-lines are few and far between however, leaving you with what is essentially a virtual sandbox to explore and paint your mark upon. There's plenty to do, but it all seems somewhat superficial; the expression system is rudimentary (nigh everyone loves you by the time you're six or so hours in, anyway), as is the aforementioned morality/good and evil thing. Not to say these elements can't be fun, they just don't feel like they're fleshed out as well as they could be. Trust me, doing the same expression over and over again to win a villager's affection is lame, not fun. This is one half of Fable's gameplay. The other consists of fairly standard hack `n slash (hope you like pressing the X button) action with guns and magic thrown in for good measure. It all works, but again, it's somewhat shallow - it's as if the developers built a magnificent world and then ran out of time to populate it with developed gameplay elements. The game is still brilliantly fun, despite the fact that it is somewhat easy (you can't die) and many of its touted features are one trick ponies (having sex in a video game, while novel, is not terribly exciting). One of my favorite points of the game is its humor; Fable 2 never takes itself too seriously, a refreshing shift from the stuffiness of most RPGs (*cough* Final Fantasy). There's also a throwaway co-op portion that is marred by exceptionally poor camera angles (at least offline -- I never tried it on Live).
Visual wise, Fable 2 is best described as lush: a mixture of cartoony fantasy and realism (more fantasy) combine to create visuals that are awe inspiring. Your character changes based on your choices, and even gets fat as you eat more in the game. The draw distance is incredible, the lighting is excellent, and each of the fourteen or so regions you'll visit in the game has a distinct visual flair. This comes at a cost, as loading times are frequent, and semi-lengthy. There are also a lot of visual glitches, with character models not loading and your hero getting stuck on scenery. Aurally, the game sounds fantastic, with superb voice acting. All dialogue is voiced, from minor NPCs to sidequests to the main affair. The music is nothing memorable, but gets the job done.
Overall, Fable 2 does fail to fully deliver on many of its promises. It's the quintessential definition of jack of all trades, master of none; there is tons to do in the world of Albion, but none of it feels quite deep enough. Once the quests are over and you're left to roam around the world (about 25 hours or so), there really isn't much fun to be had. `Til then, however, Fable 2 is a fantastic, unique action-RPG that will appeal to pretty much anyone. Just don't go in believing all the hype, lest you wish to be disappointed.
8.5/10
[Additional notes: A downloadable quest will be available via Xbox Live for $10. This game also has some crippling bugs that can mess with your game pretty bad, if you don't get the patch off of Xbox Live. Just a heads up to those who haven't connected their 360s to the internet yet.]
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video-games_xbox
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NO IN-GAME CHAT. NOT WORTH THE . I love new tech, and I love hands-free tech. I've got an Echo I love. I've got Google Now. My house has all kinds of IoT to play with. And I'm no tech newb.
But this thing is terrible. Or it least it was for me.
I was excited about chatting in-game with my friends without a headset. I was excited about controlling my other STBs with it. I was excited about navigating around the XBOX via voice command. I was excited about not having to log in & to be able to control via gestures. I was excited by the wife-factor. None of these were what I was expecting, and in some cases not even possible. In others, they were so frustrating as to be useless.
THIS DEVICE DOES NOT DO IN-GAME CHAT. It does party chat, but not in-game chat. To quote Microsoft support chat when I asked after I couldn't get it working, "Just to properly set your expectation, Kinect cannot be used for in-game chats nevertheless.....[it does other things]". This was the main reason I purchased it. I am now seriously considering returning the device. Why wouldn't Microsoft make this clear in 1.) the marketing of this device or 2.) the packaging of this device or 3.) the description of this device?
IF YOU AREN'T A CABLE-BOX CUSTOMER, STB CONTROL IS TERRIBLE. This thing has a bunch of strong IR blasters, and "blast" works great, even if the device isn't nearby. But the voice commands lack any real ability to do anything but power on/off, and volume & channel changing. Want to control your receiver? Great. Want to do anything other than turn the receiver off or adjust the volume, like say the very important part of changing inputs? NOPE! I'm a cord-cutter, so I have no cable-tv, nor cable box. The design of the software interface is solely geared towards controlling your cable, which I don't have. I have a KODI box with FLIRC, but that's #$!@ to the XBOX (and manually programming it is pointless, because what WOULD it control?) In fact, its almost more difficult for me because when I turn off the XBOX via voice to Kinect, it turns my receiver off too via CEC.... Gee, thanks.
NAVIGATING AROUND THE XBOX VIA VOICE IS LIKE YELLING AT YOUR DEAF GRANDMOTHER. She knows you're saying something, but will usually get it wrong. It is nice that it "stays listening" for a short time afterwards, in case you want to be misheard more than once in a row, though. I have success getting it to turn on or off. I get decent success getting it to navigate the screen via "select" commands. That's about it. Ask to go to a game or app, and it will likely load the wrong one. Don't try asking it anything complicated; it only can handle the two pages of commands (shown when you are repeatedly misheard), and gets a lot of those wrong two. Perhaps if I uninstalled most of my games & apps, it wouldn't have so much to be confused with.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE A TIGHT & BRIGHTLY LIT LIVING ROOM, IT IS MOSTLY CONFUSED. I live in the "Sunshine State". Its bright outside. My TV is near the window. We keep the blinds closed for better viewing. The soft lighting in the room is behind the viewers, so as to not be between the viewing eyes & the screen, which makes sense for your eyes. This is too dark for the Kinect. I got it to recognize me, I think because I was the only one there. But it won't recognize my fiance. It doesn't recognize the dogs. The viewing angle is so wide on the device, though, that it can see the ceiling fan spinning & gets confused. I will say I tried a Skype call, and I was impressed that it zoomed in on the speaker. That was a cool gimmick. But haven't gotten any non-game gestures to work.... And half of the time, it doesn't recognize me as "me".
THERE IS NO WIFE FACTOR. It doesn't understand her at all. Even yelling, it refuses to recognize she's even speaking most of the time. When it does recognize her, it mishears her. It refuses to recognize her visually, and after 5 attempts, she has no interest in attempting to get it to not recognize her further. She's not impressed & will never use, ever.
If you would like this device so your children can dance in front of it or because you are constantly video Skyping with someone, this may be worth it to you. If you are not using it for either of those two reasons, I would avoid wasting your hard-earned money on this. Will update if I decide to keep.
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video-games_xbox
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Failure Rate. I was thinking of buying an Xbox360 but found this article on [...] I think I will get something more reliable.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 has an overall first-time hardware failure rate of 54.2 percent among its readers -- that's according to a report by print magazine Game Informer in its latest issue.
The magazine drew its conclusions from a readership sample of 5,000. The failure rate, which specifically refers to the number of console owners who have had at least one defective Xbox 360, was several times higher than that of either major competitor. Only 10.6 percent of PlayStation 3 owners reported a failure, while just 6.8 percent of Wii owners reported one.
Of those Xbox 360 owners with defective consoles, 41.2 percent were said to have at least one replacement console fail as well. Still, a mere 3.8 percent said they would refuse to buy a new one as a result.
Based on the reported gaming habits of its readership -- 40.3 percent (the largest group) of Game Informer's sample said they play their Xbox 360 consoles for three to five hours per day.
About the same percent (also the largest group in this case) said they play their Wii consoles for fewer than three hours a day -- the magazine speculated that one reason for the particularly low Wii failure rate is simply less usage.
(Those patterns are somewhat corroborated by recent Nielsen research, which states that Wii is the least-used console amongst "active users.")
In the past, Microsoft has claimed its console's failure rate is only around a few percent, within the range of most consumer electronics products. Still, the company has taken a number of steps to increase its technical support and warranty coverage to combat complaints.
Outside estimates of the statistic have been widely variable. Few outlets, however, have been able to point to specifically-sourced data with a considerable sample size as in Game Informer's survey.
When contacted by Gamasutra on the matter, Microsoft responded with the following statement:
"Microsoft stands behind the Xbox 360 as a superior entertainment console with one of the best warranties in the industry. We are constantly improving the design, manufacture and performance of the console through extensive testing of potential sources of any problems. Xbox 360 is pleased to maintain the title of "most played console" and the vast majority of Xbox 360 customers have enjoyed a terrific gaming and entertainment experience since their first day, and continue to, day in and day out. Any Xbox 360 owners experiencing issues with their console should contact Microsoft for repairs or troubleshooting tips at [...] support or 1-800-4-MY-XBOX."
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video-games_xbox
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Disappointing purchase. I was excited when I first saw that these were coming out, and I pre-ordered them so I'd have them as quick as possible for C.O.D. Advanced Warfare. The setup was very easy out of the box, the instructions were pretty much in order, and I had them hooked up and working in under ten minutes, and that includes the time I took to look over the instructions.
At first, I was very impressed with the entire setup. Everything was wireless. Your game sounds came to the headset wirelessly and your chat also come to the headset on another channel. So, nothing was attached to the headset. Great so far! On the headset, there were buttons and knobs to adjust the game volume, chat volume, game sound presets, etc. So, you had a wide range of controls to handle all the functions for the headset at your fingertips. Again, great so far!
The first thing that bothered me a bit was I didn't feel like the max game volume was loud enough. It was just a little softer than I liked, but I thought I could get used to it, and pretty much did for the most part. So, I lived with that. But after about a week with them, and after a full charge, I had a nice Sunday session on C.O.D., and after about 5-6 hours, I heard a loud squealing noise. I turned them off, and turned them back on again, but the noise was still there. So, I gave up playing that day and wired them up to re-charge again. The next day, when I turned them on, the noise was gone. That made me think maybe the battery got low, so I was getting the loud feedback, but that wasn't much comfort because I'd only played 5-6 hours and the batteries were rated for approximately 15 hours of play.
I didn't have any long sessions after that just because of time constraints, but I kept playing and using them for another week and then the right speaker went completely out. I did a reboot, tried them on a couple of other devices with the supplied mobile device wire, and still got not sound out of the right speaker. At that point I was done. In all, I had the speakers 2-3 weeks, and really only used them moderately during that time. The feedback noise and the right earpiece going out was not a good sign, so I opted for a refund instead of a replacement. It would have been my luck to get replacements that would last a couple of months, but then go out when it was too late to get a refund. So, I cut my losses there.
As I said, I liked the overall wireless design, and I liked the fit and comfort of the Stealth 500x as well, but I was very disappointed with the quality I received considering the high price of this headset. I'll mention one other thing as well, and that's the built in battery. I really didn't like the idea of a built in battery. It just like what other companies do. They know that the battery will eventually wear out, and you'll have to buy another one of their products. I don't like that customer strategy. However, I did know about the built in battery when I ordered this headset. I was willing to live with that issue because there wasn't anything else I could find that was specifically designed for the X-Box One that fell within the parameters of what I wanted. Even though I know when I ordered about the battery, I will say that definitely helped my decision to get a refund a lot easier since I knew the headset was going to go dead some day anyway.
I've still got a set of X-30's or X-31's (I can't remember exactly) from Turtle Beach that's I've had a good five or six years now, and I paid nowhere near what I paid for the Stealth 500x, and the X-31's are still going strong. I'm disappointed in the quality of this newer purchase, and I will have to look elsewhere--especially because of the built-in battery. I just don't like that concept. They need to make them so we can use our own batteries, or at the very least, have a way for the user to replace the battery once the original goes dead.
I hope your luck is better than mine with this set!
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video-games_xbox
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So different. People need to quit complaining. People really need to stop complaining about the linear story and whatnot. Have any of you ever played Lunar? It's the most linear storyline / gameplay I've ever encountered, but I still consider it to be one of the best. Grant it, in Lunar, there are tons of towns and people to talk to, you can purchase new weapons and armor, money is dropped from random enemy encounters, and you level like normal, but there are no side-quests, no summons, and no games to play, and I still consider it to be the best RPG ever made. You go straight from one objective to the next. This game is exactly like that. Ok, there are tons of things that could have been done differently with this one. But come on people. I'll be the first to admit that I was slightly disappointed that there seemed to be more cutscenes and cinemas than necessary, and part of the fun of a game like this is being able to explore large, open areas. But be honest with yourselves and realize that they're running out of things to create for the FF world, and they can't keep coming out with the same old thing every time a new FF hits stores. The graphics in this game are unprecedented and are amazing to watch. And even though it takes some getting used to, the battle system is amazing and fun to play.
And are people seriously complaining about the AGE of the characters being too young? WHO CARES whether it's a 15 year old or a 41 year old saving the world? If some of you recall, Barret from FF7 was in his mid-30's. 35, to be exact. If you're expecting every character in every new FF to get older and older just because it's "un-realistic and annoying to be journeying and saving the world with a pubescent boy", you're nuts. As a 23 year old, I don't want to be playing a 50-something who looks like they're about to forget my name and can barely hold the weapon they're supposed to wield. I don't care about the age of the characters I'm controlling. I care more about being able to lose myself in the experience of an awesome game.
All in all, this game is a little repetitive, but fun and different. If you don't like it, don't play it instead of coming on Amazon and bashing the game and the entire company that made it. The creators didn't take risks? They took all the risks that you people are bashing them for. And this whole "my horse is bigger than your horse" argument that people have started over which console is better, just need to get over themselves and their fantasies. These are just piddly things that people are finding to complain about because this game isn't necessarily what they wanted or expected.
Games like these are a lot like music. Everyone has their own unique taste. I've been playing the series since FF7 came out. Each of the FF's were good in their own right. For me, 7 had the best storyline, 8 had the best ending, 10 had the best leveling system, and 12 had the best battle system. This game had the best graphics. This game is an absolute must-have for any avid FF player like myself to add to their FF collection, regardless of how much you may think it sucks. But it's like I said before. Either play the game or don't. Find something more fulfilling to do with your time.
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video-games_xbox
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Slap Leather, Watch 'em Fall. Freedom. Adventure. Danger. Outlaws and Lawmen. Sounds like a plan. Let's ride!!
Old West video games typically go down in flames. IMO, the genre itself is misunderstood by the typical gamer, or programmers/development companies just can't find a happy medium in order to make an Old West themed game work.
Rockstar games is truly large and in charge with regard to Red Dead Redemption. This game completely ROCKS OUT!
I've always found Old West history interesting, considering the USA is the only area that *ever* had this period of history. I've also been a fan of Western movies for quite a few years now, from the old televisions shows, the classic films and modern classics such as Tombstone or Silverado.
With that said, it is so much fun to be able to "star" in my own Red Dead Redemption Western through John Marston and his adventures through a frontier territory.
Pros:
- Open, kickazz, gameplay that totally immerses you in the frontier life.
- Period themed guns and rifles. No easy phasers or laser guns here; gotta work for it, per the times.
- Main storyline missions and side quests such as bounty hunting, animal hunting, and odd jobs.
- The storyline(s) are your typical Old West sort, which rocks out.
- Honor/Fame meter: How much of a badazz or good guy do you want to be?
- Dialogue: A mature/adult storyline(s) with competent voice over actors.
- "Real life": I was in the middle of a bounty mission, and had Marston hauling back to the drop off point. A group of outlaws shot the horse right out from under Marston. Tough, and gritty.
Cons:
- Some random (and rare) glitches with regard to animation. Doing a horse breaking job and the animal ended up going through a fence. ::shrugs:: Hey, if that's the worst of it, no complaints here.
- This game has plenty of action, and if the bullets start flying, find somethign to duck behind! But, there is also extensive exploration via horseback or on foot (per the period) so a gamer needs to enter into the gameplay with this in mind that you can't just beam from one location to another like a sci fi show; you have to work for your bounties, items or what have you.
- Possibly, young or cocky gamers who think they are awesome might/could get bored real quick; Red is set in the Old West time period and some people just don't get the genre, despite the game being gorgeous and offering loads of quest, mission and instance options let alone the bullets flying. Not necessarily a Con, just means those of us with a clue and the desire to explore the open world gameplay will probably enjoy Red Dead.
General:
- I know it's completely wrong, but I'm still getting a kick out of rustling horses. Grand Theft Auto-Horse.
- The Open World of the territory is beautiful; a dangerous place, but pretty all the same.
- I love the "customization" options regarding picking horses: To date, my favorite horses to grab (either via corral or some hapless rider) are the Paints and the Gray/Blacks.
- The rider mechanics add an element of realism without getting stupid; if you spur your horse too much, the animal will give you a deserved buck out of the saddle.
- The duel instances allow you to get your inner gunslinger on. Slap Leather, watch 'em fall!!
- The stranger instances give a depth of gameplay depending on if the mission/quest allows you to help people in need, or in some cases go the outlaw route in order to complete the quest. Either way, you add to the Fame/Honor meters.
Multiplayer:
- I have not tried the MP, and I have no desire to check it out. With that said, the Single Player seems to have hours and hours of game play to offer. Works for me. The game developers should realize that at times, not all gamers require Co-Op or MP options (for certain games), and I'm glad that Rockstar included a hefty single player campaign in Redemption.
You wanna ride hard through the territory and get involved in a classic Western storyline? Check out some Red Dead Redemption!!
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video-games_xbox
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Soooo close. I've been a long time player of PES; my first edition was PES 3 on the Xbox. Since my first game, PES has been the footy game for me. At its best, it's a great simulation, especially wrt the individuality of players. Skilled players can be distinguished by being able to make skilled plays. A highly technical dribbler will be able to move and beat opponents in ways lesser players can't. While this seems obvious, it's not been true for most series.
This year, after several disastrous years since the launch of the New Gen systems, PES was in a make or break year. While I'd love to give it 5 stars for all of the enjoyment over the years, this year's game comes so close to perfection, but fails in the end. Now, ok, PES doesn't reach 5 stars, but surely it must be at least 4 stars, right? Well, that's the rub.
The game falls short in two major ways, doing so in such a manner that it's hard not to describe the game as fundamentally broken.
PES 11 was terrible. Go on the boards, read the reviews. It hadn't moved to take advantage of the Next Gen platforms. However, the passing system was actually pretty good. For some reason, this year the franchise has moved away from this and now has a system that is so Byzantine that even expert players can't quite figure out how to use. The assisted passing makes boneheaded mistakes. Manual passing is flawed. Simply put, a footy game without passing really doesn't have a reason to exist.
The bigger issue, whether due to limitations of the engine or poor AI, is scripting. The CPU decides something is going to happen and all the manual input can't change things. Think of the Terminator series when SkyNet goes online. Match going well? Closing up shop? Just wait, if the CPU decides to score against you, it will. A crazy through ball. A failed clearance that your whole team just watches. This happens in football; it happens waaayyy too often in PES.
Simply put, I'm not buying PES 2013 until months after release because I don't trust the designers to get this right. I need to be proved wrong by a collective million hours of playtime. If things go well, I'll happily buy the game. If not, I'll stop playing soccer games because the rest, IMHO, are much worse. It is such a pity because this could have been a great, great game.
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video-games_xbox
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Unrealized Potential. In the movie business, it's always a dicey proposition to bring in an entirely new creative team when trying to recreate the magic of a highly successful original movie. Remember the 'Foot Loose' and 'Willy Wonka' reboots? The same can be said for video game series. 2001's 'Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis' was an Oscar contender- great game play, intuitive controls, good enemy AI, and flexible missions which let you roam pretty much anywhere you wanted. Every vehicle was playable; every building could be entered. In short, it was fun. I must have played that game, off and on, for about 10 years until my Windows 95 machine gave up the ghost.
Regarding OFDR, it's immediately clear the Codemasters team didn't quite savvy what made the old game so engaging and cool. Although they mostly avoided the mind-numbing, "carnival ride on rails" which forces players to follow the identical sequential steps through missions, resulting in zero re-playability, they missed other facets of the classic which should have carried over to this iteration.
I'll start with the glaring omissions, then descend to the nit picky stuff:
1) Washed-out graphics. I guess it's supposed to be cool and gritty, like some sepia-toned film noir, but it makes for poor visibility, frustrating game play, and plenty of eye strain. Inexcusable in an era of photo-realistic video rendering.
2) Disappearing corpses. For a game aspiring to heightened realism, this is a glaring bungle. It needlessly ramps up the "frustability quotient" when the ammo or weapon you need is on some dead dude who twinkles out of existence before you can even get to him. Did they blow so much computing horsepower on the poor graphics they needed to economize on rendering cycles for the dearly departed?
3) Unplayable objects. "Hey! there's a car/helicopter/tank- let's grab it!" Uh, no. Unlike the 2001 game, which ran with less ram and computing power than the average I-Phone, Dragon Rising apparently cannot allow players access to everything they encounter in the field. Ditto many of the buildings, towers, ladders, etc. Pretty much anything interesting is simply part of the backdrop. Would it have really been such a chore to let us tool around on the random tractor, or maybe pilot the sub? 'Cold War Crisis' even had a sports car you could grab from the locals. And by the way, where did all the civilians disappear to? Thought we wouldn't notice?
4) Meaningless checkpoints/non-savable game play. In most games, a checkpoint is significant: it marks your progress, and in case of death, provides a means to respawn without starting back where you were an hour ago. 'Dragon Rising' eschews such conventional gaming wisdom, replacing it with check points which aren't actually, you know, 'Check Points'. Which means after slogging a few hours across the island (on foot,natch) to take out some particularly nasty enemy target, one random head shot can send you right back to square one.
5) Wonky vehicle physics. I've owned several Jeeps, so I'm pretty sure how a 4WD handles on and off-road. The Codemaster team must bicycle to work, because no 4WD I've ever seen slides around corners like it's riding on greased racing slicks with 5psi in them. Also, not once in the real world have I hit a rock at 30 MPH and pirouetted gracefully into the air to land on my roof. The tank fares a little better, although it no longer has the mass to knock down trees like in the old game. And the helicopter? I could never get it to fly faster than about 70 knots. It also sports greased slicks, as you will find when trying to repair and board one on uneven terrain. Finally, in 3rd person view in the 'copter contains a gun sight which doesn't seem to coincide with anything- what happened there? The old game let you store extra weapons and ammo in vehicles, too. And where did all the grenades go, anyway?
6) Non-intuitive controls. This falls under nit picking, because many can be reconfigured, but I found the controls- particularly the team management controls, to be confusing. Often were the times in the heat of battle most of my squad were wiped out while I tried to get them to target nearby enemies. The old game let you right-click an enemy blip and say, "target so and so"; this one requires opening a map, by which time it's too late. There is also no way to order your men to re-arm, drop weapons you may need, or do several other mission-critical tasks.
7) Few, if any, usable items outside the scope of the present mission. In 'Cold War Crisis' it was possible to hike across the island, find a lightly-guarded enemy outpost stocked with vehicles, and commandeer them for your current mission. In 'Dragon Rising', the islands are pretty much deserted. It's a moot point to be able to roam across such expansive terrain when there's nothing out there.
So those are the low points of the game, which although compares poorly to the original, is decent in it's own rights. the last thing I find odd is how, 4 years after release, none of these issues were ever addressed. Heck, I'd even settle for a cheat code or two to re-inject some fun into the equation. In short, although I have obviously played it enough to see it's quirks, I don't see this in the DVD drive a decade hence. To paraphrase Brando, 'Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising' coulda been a contender, but settled for less.
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video-games_xbox
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PC vs. XBOX360 version. Since there have already been about 200 gushing reviews, I'll focus on just a few topics that might still be fresh or useful:
PC vs. XBOX360 version:
=======================
I have both. Started with the PC one, and I'm in my second playthru there. About 1/3 way thru my first on the 360. Which do I recommend? Depends.
XBOX360
+ If you have a big screen + 5.1+ home theater, this favors the X360, unless you have kitted out your PC to your home theater
- 2 discs to switch. I loaded the first onto the X360 drive, haven't gotten to the second). So so far, not an issue.
- Slower loads, but not ME1 "elevator" bad (more on this in PC section)
- Probably the biggest minus: the planetary resource scanning is much slower in the XBOX version. One of your first upgrades should be to get the advanced scanner. Trust me! And even so, it is drudgery on the X360 (compared to just mildly annoying on the PC)
Note the slow texture loads of ME1 are a thing of the past, so not an X360 issue this time.
PC
+ lower price
+ Mouse usage in combat is superior (once you get used to it), and FAR, FAR superior for the resource scanning.
+ In theory, better graphics and higher resolution.
- But in reality, I found I had to play at no higher than 1280x800 on my Core 2 duo 2.66 GHz + modest nVidia 9500 PC. And I had some pretty bad stuttering which I haven't seen yet on the 1280x720 XBOX (admittedly, I might not have gotten to that same part of the game). So for now, I prefer the X360 here!
+/- load times. In general, faster. But I, and many others, had a problem with very slow loads.
**** SOLUTION: If you have this PC load problem on a Core 2 PC, after loading ME2, alt-tab to the desktop, ctl-alt-del to the taskbar, choose Processes, r-click the ME2 process, select Set Affinity, uncheck CPU 1, select OK, repeat and recheck CPU 1. Presto, load problem solved!
Otherwise, I find them pretty equivalent. The keyboard mapping on the PC is a little more flexible than the 360's limted button mapping. But in some ways I prefer the 360 wheel anyway.
Here's what I think should be the deciding factor: which did you use for ME1? Having an imported ME1 character adds another dimension to the game that makes it well worth choosing the same version for ME2.
Other random thoughts/guidance:
===============================
Regardless of my last point above, I actually recommend playing thru the first time with a new (non-imported character). Then using the ME1 character import on your second playthru will make it it that much more fresh and special.
If you play on the default Normal difficulty, you will miss out on a lot of the combat nuances. You'll find that the heavily shielded (or Barrier'd) enemies in a Hardcore playthru make character class, away team selection, weaponry choice and upgrade much more important. Perhaps some that decried the loss of RPG elements in ME2 would be at least in part mollified. Though I might even suggest the same theme as before: playthru 1 on "Normal", 2 on "Hardcore" to again keep that sense of discovery enhancing replayability.
Last, if anyone has made it this far. And in the very unlikely event that you are deciding whether to play ME2 without having played ME1:
Full Stop! Do NOT get ME2! Get ME1. It is a great game (I won't guibble about which is "better"). It is cheap. By the time you play it through, ME2 will be cheaper. And you'll enjoy ME2 more not just for knowing the full back-story, but also having the character to import. This is as close to a no-brainer as it gets.
Enjoy!
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video-games_xbox
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More of the same. First, I address issues with Amazon.
I pre-ordered this a while ago. Expected it to ship with Skyrim (which I also pre-ordered). Amazon took forever to ship both games. Shipped out the same day, but not in the same package. Arrived the same day as well. Why take the extra 4 days to ship it out?
As for the product itself. It works. I have had no problems with disc read errors. Got into Elite without a hitch (though to be fair I received the game in the mail fairly late so Activision fixed a lot of the problems by then.) They seem to be keeping up on updates, FourZeroTwo made an announcement of how Infinity Ward is perma-banning modders and cheaters. Surprisingly, I have yet to come across anyone using any hacks, cheats, lag switches, or modded controllers. I remember when MW2 released, that was rampant, along with individuals exploiting glitches. Though, this is my experience, maybe I've been lucky.
Multiplayer would be much better if they finally got the latency issue taken care of. CoD series always seem to lag worse than other games (Halo, BF, etc). Then in Black Ops, they added theatre mode. Now the lag issues are 10x worse. If you're going to add theatre mode, how about writing lines of programming that transfer easier. Heck, being that Blizzard-Activision is the largest 3rd party game software producer in the world, you think they can afford dedicated servers for the best selling game of all time (unless Skyrim has beaten it, haven't checked). I do not like seeing myself die, then seeing the guy that kills me finally come around the corner and spraying. I do not like seeing my semi-auto desert eagle shoot off 5 bullets, but watch kill cam and I didn't shoot at all. This is game breaking.
Visually, I do not like the game. I was expecting something that looks along the lines that MW2 did. This seems like Black Ops and CoD4 combined. Not sure what it is, but I'm not happy with it. Might just be the texture maps they overlayed on everything, may be the lighting physics.
Like many people have stated, the multiplayer maps are severely messed up in this. Playing domination, you will notice every map is biased. Depending on where you spawn, it might be extremely easy for you to grab both flags off the bat, or you're sadly stuck with one. Spawns are horrible, though that's usually what happens with CoD games.
Quick scoping / no-scoping is far too easy in this game. I was expecting something a little bit harder to accomplish than in MW2, not easier. Though, to be fair, it might be the lag, hard to tell.
I haven't finished the campaign, nor attempted all the spec ops challenges. Playing through campaign on veteran (hardest setting) and trying to find all the enemy intel. Have about 7 hours played on that. Could I care about the storyline being unbelievable? Yes, though to be fair it is FICTION. That's like someone complaining about movies in Hollywood. Do they necessarily need to be 100% realistic, of course not. So the idea that Russia being able to get on our shore and start tearing things up, though impossible, can make for an interesting storyline.
Spec ops seems to work fine via online co-op. Survival mode is great addition. A combination of zombies and Counter-Strike. Seemingly endless waves of enemies, earn money for kills, use the money to buy guns, ammo, air support, AI squad assistance, etc.
Overall, I'm happy. Main killer on this game is the latency/lag issues. Streamline the programming and get dedicated servers, and that would fix that. Additional fixes would be spawning, objective locations, and no/quick-scoping.
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video-games_xbox
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A fun, family friendly game that almost lives up to the originals. Well first off, I'd like to say that there has been a concern with the text in this game. I think the points made by others are valid and the issue of small, fast-scrolling text IS being addressed by RARE and will soon be fixed with a patch. The text issue ONLY affects those with an SDTV, HOWEVER if you have an HDTV the text is legible. It only scrolls fast for cutscenes, but in-game, when talking to characters; you have the option to choose when the next screen comes up. The only reason I dedicated this large section just to the text, was because the other people base their reviews on it when the rest of the game is practically flawless. The game doesn't deserve 1 star because of this and it should be higher cause I don't want a review the negate the average score when other parts are superior. Now onto the actual review!
The game plays by you building your own vehicles with the different parts you collect. At first the vehicle-building system seems complex and difficult to master, but after learning the basics, any kid could create anything! With all of the parts, you could make vehicles ideal for riding on land, flying through the air, gliding through snow and water, and even swimming underwater! Although the majority of the games were based around on-foot platforming, there are still parts you can run through and explore. Due to the use of vehicles now being available, the worlds are MASSIVE and detailed. It would take minutes to cross on foot, which is why riding a vehicle is a must. In total there are 6 worlds to explore, each comprised of several acts. Each act of the level is huge with characters and lots of enemies and physics objects to carry and push around. The gameplay is centered on using your vehicles to complete challenges, races, and games. Completing them can earn you notes or a jiggy which can be collected from a bank rather than "stored" in Kazooie like previous ventures. If they're completed fast enough, you can earn a T.T. trophy which are used to get even more jiggies. The whole point of the game is collecting enough to fight the final boss.
The characters are funny and well designed with well written dialogue. Some characters talk with weird grammar on purpose to sound like they have accents or can't speak English very well.
The graphics are beautiful; all of the levels are HUGE with extreme detail, color, and characters. The game runs super smooth with no slowdown or lag whatsoever with everything appearing clearly from far away. The soundtrack is also incredible. The majority of it is borrowed, remixed, and remade orchestrally from older Banjo-Kazooie games. The sound effects are all brand new and sound great. With surround sound you feel like you're in the world. The game is very long and has tons of replay value due to so many secrets and challenges to complete.
On top of this there is online multiplayer. You can play using default vehicles or custom made vehicles. There are lots of modes to choose from. You can simply race in land, sea, or air or complete in fast paced matches trying to destroy each other with your crazy vehicles. If parents are worried about other people's online behaviors you can choose to mute or ban any disruptive or trash-talking players. You can also set limits for how long they can play online.
Overall, the game is great for BOTH children and adults, it will be enjoyed for months and it's a great value for what you're getting. I highly recommend getting this game for the holiday season for any kids. It's a bargain and an unforgettable experience.
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video-games_xbox
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Great controller, doesnt feel like $150.00. 1/11/16 UPDATE - Controller lasted less than a month. The left trigger does not engage while the trigger lock is on, hair-fire mode is turned on and it still doesn't work, I have to press down hard to aim down sights or turn the trigger lock off. This controller really drives me nuts, its so well laid out, the trigger locks and placement of the extra buttons is amazing, hyper response buttons are excellent. I want to give it 5 stars so badly, Razer needs to step up on their build quality.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
I own both the Wildcat and the Xbox Elite controllers. Both have advantages over the other.
The Wildcat
Pros:
- Mechanical hyper response buttons (feels similar to clicking a mouse).
- Lightweight.
- Hair trigger mode.
- You are able to re-map buttons of the fly .
- Hairlock triggers seem to have a significantly shorter travel time than the Elites.
- Triggers on the underside of the controller are screwed in and sturdy, some people are calling this a con, I have no idea why. I've knocked the paddles off the back of the elite multiple times during game play. The Wildcats are secure and feel more naturally placed.
- Extra buttons near the bumpers are easy to reach and easy to adapt to.
Cons:
- Geared strictly toward FPS games.
- Not as customizable as an elite controller.
- Plastic sticks, Elite uses steel.
- Control Freeks DO NOT fit on the sticks
- Grips and thumb sticks feel cheap. The sticks on the controller aren't very grippy, I found my fingers sliding around on them. I assume that's why they include the green thumb stick grips. Only problem with these is they feel extremely cheap and don't seem like they'll hold up.
- Once again, the grips. Elite has a nice rubberized texture on the back and front of the controller. Much better feeling than the Wildcat.
- Only wired, anyone who plays video games seriously or competitively will play on a wired controller, the elite gives you the option to do both.
- Doesn't feel like a $150 controller.
The last con is the biggest problem I have with the Wildcat. It simply doesn't feel like I'm getting my moneys worth when I hold it. It seems like Razer has thrown on a bunch of overkill advertising (Aircraft grade aluminum triggers? I'd rather have some sturdy plastic and save $50 on the price) and marked the price up. Holding and looking at it I just don't understand why this thing is priced in the same range as a Scuf or Elite controller, the Elite screams build quality, the Wildcat feels like a cheap controller with some metal components stuck onto it in an attempt to give it the same feeling. The stick and hand grips feel extremely cheap, like something you would purchase on eBay for .99 cents with free shipping kind of cheap. If this was priced at $100.00 I would probably give it another star. Another problem is have with it is the stubbiness of the sticks, they seem shorter than a regular Xbox one controllers, I find making precise movements (sniping) is more difficult. The build quality of the Elite along with the ability to swap out sticks, the D-Pad and the paddles gives it the edge over the wildcat. Its a huge disappointment for me because Razer comes so close to hitting the mark but misses. If I could have the Wildcat with the Elite sticks and grip it would be the perfect controller.
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video-games_xbox
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First Impressions: Arcania: Gothic 4. Gothic 4 was a purchase on a whim. I had a few days to burn until Fallout New Vegas came out and I was looking for something that would keep me occupied over the weekend. I had known about it for a couple weeks but didn't expect much from it. While at Gamestop, it caught my eye and I decided to give it a try. About a week later, I'm still playing the game and enjoying it immensely. It's got it's problems but nothing that kills it for me. Hit the jump to see my first impressions of Arcania: Gothic 4.
From what I understand, the Gothic series is pretty big in the UK but never really hit home in the states. We've gotten the games before but they usually received mediocre reviews with little fanfare. So, before it ever hit shelves, Gothic 4 had that going against it. Plus, throw in the fact that you probably never heard of it before me telling you (unless you're an RPG buff) and the game could float away into obscurity. If that happened, no one would notice, but you should. Why should you care about this game? Because it's not half bad and if you have taken a liking to games such as Oblivion - third person RPG's with swords, spells, and quests - you may very well find yourself enjoying it.
The game begins with a no named character who is a shepherd in a small island village. His wants to marry his girlfriend but her father forbids it. So, the father sends the man on three trials which basically teach you game mechanics. After your final trial and subsequent approval from the father in law to be, you and your betrothed make plans to set sail for the main land to go explore for their honeymoon. As you set out to meet your friend Diego who will transport you to the mainland, the village is attacked by an mad King's paladins as they ravage across the lands looking for a mythical shrine in the mountains that has some sort of holy forge. Tragedy strikes and your betrothed is dead and you are left with a burning hatred in your heart. Diego, who also survived the attack, informs you that he will take you to the mainland to search for this mythical shrine to keep it away from the mad King and to get your vengeance...and with that, Arcania: Gothic 4 begins.
The story isn't the games strongest point but that doesn't mean it's not manageable. The characters are a little dry and there are plenty of issues with the text (some not matching what's being said and others not making much sense) but the story isn't bad as a whole. It continues the story and gives you clear objectives to complete. You will always know what you need to be doing and in most cases, where you need to go to do it.
The gameplay, as I mentioned earlier, is a lot like Oblivion. It's not as detailed or open world as Oblivion and the quests are more straightforward, but the gameplay and the way you deal with villagers is the same. You will begin the game (after the tutorial) by going to a village and completing quests. You will have one main quest and a couple side quests. They can all be completed together since the world isn't too big, but you can skip the side quests if you don't want to be bothered. When you finish the main quest, you usually get some nice armor of the region (for your specific class) and then you can move on to the next village where you will rinse and repeat. Each stop at a village brings you one step closer to finding out about this temple with the forge in the mountains.
There aren't classes in the game, but you can sort of make your own. For instance, there are three types of "classes" you can make along with any combination of them. I usually go with melee characters so my guy has a shield, a one handed sword, and the heaviest armor. I could have also gone with a ranger type class and used leather armor with bows and knives. Finally, there is a mage type class that wears robes and dishes out spells. Each time you level up, you will be able to choose from a pool of talents where you would like to grow your character. There are health and strength for warrior type classes, precision and agility type talents for the rangers/rogues, and all manner of spells for the caster. This allows you to create a unique character and play any way you wish.
The graphics in Gothic 4 aren't that great. It's workable, but it won't be turning you head as you cross a vista or walk into a valley for the first time. I even caught the occasional pop in of grass trees while running through a zone. Don't let this deter you from the game though. It's not broken by any means, just not up to snuff with some of the AAA titles you see on the market.
Combat in Gothic 4 depends on your "class" that you have chosen. I wield my sword and shield so I do a lot of hacking and slashing. I also have access to my bow and magic spells by hitting the RT or RB respectively. If you played a character other than the warrior, you would rely on one of these instead of the sword and just use your melee weapon as a backup. The combat is streamlined nicely and you can hit LT to target an enemy, bringing up it's health bar and auto locking onto it so you can keep up with it's movements. Enemies dead bodies can be looted and you can keep/sell anything you find in the world, much like in other open world games.
I have to say, I'm kind of shocked by this game. I didn't expect it to be as enjoyable as it is. I thought it would be one of those games you play for a weekend and then trade in because it doesn't have the depth to keep you occupied. That's definitely not the case. Arcania: Gothic 4 is actually a pretty good tale that has fulfilling combat and a nicely fleshed out world to keep you busy. Don't go into it expecting to to find the next Oblivion. If you do, you'll be upset. Instead, look at it as a smaller developers attempt to create something new in an already overflowing game type. You may be surprised by how much you enjoy it.
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video-games_xbox
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Just Dance 2014. Just Dance 2014 is the first entry in the Just Dance Series to have a year instead of their traditional number ordering. This means that the whole game itself and the series has fully revamped!
Interface
With the new styled up navigation everything is on one page I don't mean it in a bad way. Everything is wonderfully organized on this one page! You can move around to a song and it would have it's little folder containing Mashups, On-Stage Mode, Sweat/Sweat Mashups, & Extreme Modes. I find this fine and easy to navigate through as I spent 4 hours dancing my heart out. Thanks to the Just Dance Team they have integrated controller use so you are able to switch from Kinect to Controller navigation. If you are stuck halfway through the diverse and creative playlist you can either move your hand or use the controller pressing upwards to bring you back to the main section which is indeed handy at times.
Mojo & In-game rewards
The New Mojo System is now flawless and flexible! After Dancing and or singing to a song you earn these Mojo Coins in which you will be able to purchase with the coins any Mashup, Extreme Mode, Sweat Mode, or On-Stage mode at any given time! You no longer need to strive for all the Mojo like in JD3 or spin a roulette in JD4 everything is flexible and free to your choice.
New Features!
New features have been implemented into Just Dance 2014 to make your experience full! With the On-Stage Mode I feel as if I'm actually performing at a concert! With the World Just Dance Floor you will be able to compete against other dancers worldwide in real time! I've been longing for this feature and thankfully they made it come true in the new edition of Just Dance!
After a song you are optionally able to view the Auto Dance of the song you Just Danced to back then in JD4 you weren't able to customize or change-up your Auto dance and it literally Automatically did it for you but now You are able to put in funky cool effects that make the moment vivid to your liking! I find this funner to add it on Just Dance TV showing off my dance moves with the awesome effects!
If you didn't appreciate the Avatar Card in Just Dance 4 you will in this one! Just Dance 4 only supplied you with a limited amount of Avatar heads and it wasn't as nice as it seemed but in Just Dance 2014 you are able to unlock new ones and old ones by either dancing to a song or purchasing them with Mojo Coins! I like to set mines as She Wolf because it's my favorite song to dance to! They have a whole entire gallery of Avatar Heads that range from the first Just Dance to this one! I wonder how long it will take to unlock them all. . .
SWEAT SWEAT and Guess What MORE SWEAT!
Just Dance 2014 was crafted for fun and sweating! The new moves in every song are more active and makes the game feel more alive when playing! After playing 5 songs I was already sweating and having a good time! Along with the more advanced Sweat Mashups and Sweat Routines they really give you a good workout so you don't need to go to a fitness place and pay membership when this game is bound to make you sweat! Hopefully I will lose some weight this year and this day playing Just Dance 2014 makes me feel determined I will.
Just Dance 2014 (aka PARTY MAKER)
I absolutely love how unique the track list is! Going from modern pop to Spanish Party Music to the classics! With this tracklist the whole family is going to be involved! My friends and I killed it when we played Pound The Alarm by Nicki Minaj! It was all kinds of fun with the new and improved graphics along with the amazing visuals especially She Wolf man that opening!
This concludes my review I apologize if it's very long there was alot of information to get down for people who are iffy on buying. If this hasn't made you think about buying it well then you're missing out on a whole new Just Dance experience! With the Awesome sweat mode, amazing track list, and online mode~! This game is perfection!
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video-games_xbox
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Halo series was in good hands with Bungie and it's still the case with 343i. You know, call me crazy but this entry in the series is quite possibly one of the best Halo games yet. The graphics are the best in any Halo game to date and the newly redesigned sound effects pack some serious oomph into the game. The story is really well done and introduces a whole new set of characters for us to get familiar with. It's interesting to note that when the game starts off, it's simply business as usual with very little to separate it from any of the other games. Then the Prometheans are introduced and the game suddenly becomes something else, a whole other thing entirely. These new enemies are super cool additions to the Halo universe and I look forward to seeing more of them and their variations when the inevitable Halo sequels get released.
The campaign itself feels a little shorter than usual but it's completely satisfying throughout and graphically speaking, there are moments that are guaranteed to take your breath away. Multiplayer is as good and solid as ever and Spartan Ops, the new, episodic content that lets you perform missions either solo or with your friends is pretty sweet, especially as you progress further into the missions. The controls are classic Halo so jumping right back in should come as second nature to any seasoned Halo player. Savvy players will notice a few differences here and there such as loadouts and changes to the character customization component but they're changes that only improve the game, not hamper it.
If you're a Halo fan, this one is a no-brainer. If you're not, this one comes easily recommended and you don't have to be a Halo geek to enjoy this, you can easily jump right in this one and get whatever background story you don't get from the game from the wikis or the books. The best thing I can say is that any fears of the Halo series being handed off to another developer have been assuaged. Bungie of course will be missed but 343i obviously have a deep love for the franchise and have done remarkable things with it.
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video-games_xbox
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Love It!! Good upgrade. I had a black Xbox 360 elite that I have been wanting upgrade for a while. It was so loud and sometimes Arkham City wouldn't load for me; I had to restart the console. Since GTA V and Arkham Origins are coming out soon, I finally took the plunge. I traded in my old Elite and got this new "E" console.
First things first: I LOVE the way this console looks compared to my old one. This one blends in so well with my tv stand and the rest of my setup. Secondly, this thing is SO quiet. I read it's not more quiet than the slim, but coming from an elite, it's truly night and day. I don't hear a peep out of this new console and I love it! Another thing I love about this new console is the built in wifi. No more networking adapter protruding from the back on my console like with my elite. I also love how they brought actual buttons back for the power and disc tray. I personally do not like the touch sensor on the slim. Another thing I personally love about this new console is how they removed some inputs that I personally had no use for in the first place. Many have complained about the lack of an optical and component video inputs. This is not an issue for me. I have been connecting all of my home theater gear to my AVR via HDMI for years. I also use a 5.1 surround setup; I don't use gaming headphones that need the optical audio input. I find the back is less cluttered with the lack of those inputs.
All in all. I'm totally happy with my upgrade. I love it! Having said all of that, if you already own the slim, I wouldn't recommend this new console, unless you just love the new look and don't need the optical or component inputs. If you're not already an xbox owner, and are planning to get one for GTA V like I'm assuming some people are, this is a great one to get, again, if you don't need optical or component. I love this new console. It fits my needs perfectly with no extra bells and whistles that I would never use anyway.
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video-games_xbox
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Wish they worked more on the cars, physics and controls. Ok I have to say something about this game I think everyone has already mentioned and that is PLEASE STOP COMPARING THIS GAME TO NFS, RIDGE RACER, OR ANY WORTHWHILE RACING TITLE! Now that is out of the way I have to explain title for this game.
Controls are almost broken cause you have to hold down a button to go forward and the braking is not even worth mentioning in the game cause it feels like you have none.
Physics that are in the game are badly done. And what I'm talking about is the drifting in the game. This should not be the only feature cars are based on. Whether you are driving a hummer or mustang (real names but crappy versions in the game unlicensed version really) this should not be your only real choice in a car.
When I play a arcade racer its suppose to be fun not furstrating. ARCADE means not feeling cheated,ragequitting or just flatout not wanting to play anymore. That is what the controls in the game make you feel like.
Cars in the game are something that are not balanced correctly. What I mean is I shouldn't have something that looks like a 500hp muscle car being beaten by their version of a hummer. This is not even remotely possible without the use of nitro, turbo charging, or something that gives the car more of a racing edge but the problem with that is THERE IS NONE IN THE GAME!!!!! Some reviewers mention this as 'rubberbanding' and I thought that there is no game that does that until I played this. Then I thought my driving skills were enough until the forementioned happened and I just quit playing.
Don't get me wrong this applied to the RACING sections of this game. And what really set this game apart from the rest that I saw and they should have done more with were the airstrike race (heli shooting rockets at you. ROCKETS!!!) and the other mode was having a semi throw exploding oil drums at you. Now these races was what made this game interesting to play but alas the controls made it unforgiving at times when you missed a drift or overdrited a corner you truly paid for it. And to me that takes away from the game cause there really is no reward for beating the game/show sucessfully other being able to play the next show/section. No choice of car to pick from if you win the top tier race, no extra boost, speed, upgrade, etc. Just moving along and unlocking more cars that seem slower then the top tier racers.
I have to say when I started up this game and was presented with a intro that showed the whole idea behind the game as being a explosive racing game show immediately I was hooked thinking that this was going to be a wild ride to last for a while even when the novelty wore off I would still pick it up to kill some time or beat my best score. But the cons that I mentioned just turned me off so much that I can't bring myself to want to keep it. I mean hell I didn't even finish the third show cause of cons. Really what game takes the balance then turns it around to the point its almost to broken to even want to finish it.
Sounds like I'm complaining? YES. This took one of my favorite guilty pleasures(big explosions) and robbed me of a good time. So if you have a friend that has this game(don't see many people holding on to this) then borrow it from them. Don't even waste your time renting it from gamefly cause you will feel obligated to at lest finish it and no game should make you feel like you are working when you should be having fun.
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video-games_xbox
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