Buy Centipede: Infestation - Nintendo Wii

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $9.99
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To make up for the lack of proper feedback on this game, I'll offer my best stab at a comprehensive review for the Atari / WayForward Technologies take on the classic arcade game with Centipede Infestation. In a short summary, for those gamers who like twitch-style twin stick shooters (Robotron, Smash TV, and the more recent Geometry Wars) with simple and intuitive gameplay, along with some good co-op, then you will find plenty to like in this now budget priced game.

For my in-depth review, I will look at the four major points of any video game, which would be Story, Gameplay, Graphics and Sound, and Replay / Fun Factor (ala Gamepro, RIP...)

STORY: While this game won't win any awards for its narrative, it does have a simple and workable premise that is built up along the various gameplay missions. Set in a post apocalyptic, war torn world, that is now overrun with mutated bugs of all shapes and sizes, you play the role of Max, bug killer extraordinaire, who happens upon a lady named Maisy, who is tending to the last gardens in the wastelands of the world.

Between each stage, the story is told through either anime-like cut scenes, or the more common still-frame animation dialogue exchanges between Max and Maisy, as we find out little by little more about the world they live in, their backgrounds, and their solutions to the problems they face.

It's completely innocuous, however it does give some minor incentive to see what happens next, as you tread from one battleground to the next.

GAMEPLAY: To reiterate my brief summary above, this is a twin stick shooter (when played with the Classic Controller, highly recommended) where you move around your environment in an isometric third person perspective, and take aim at anything that creeps, jumps, or flies your way. Each stage is set in a battleground (either fixed or semi-dynamic), where enemies spawn at regular intervals. There are a large variety of enemies to tango with, including the classic centipede enemies, which will spawn the trademark mushrooms upon their demise.

To give you an edge in the competition, spiders will drop down to offer power ups upon their destruction, which can be one of a dozen weapon power ups, or simple temporary modifiers like enhanced defense or increased movement speed. In regards to the weapons, you can hold up to four different types (flamethrowers, machine guns, laser beams, just to name a few), which can be used at any time by the press of a button, and will last for a short duration (or when you take damage). Any weapon can be upgraded to a more destructive version by collecting two of the same power up types, so it offers up some simple strategy as to when to best use your arsenal.

You are also given access to a stomp move, which will kill or at least knock back all the bugs in a set radius, a pseudo smart bomb if you will. This stomp will recharge over time, adding another simple layer of strategy.

A final notch of strategy are the seeds that will drop from select bug enemies, which will be mushrooms (which can either help or hinder), or more importantly stationary turret guns with a specific power up ability. These turrets will stay up for as long as they are defended, giving you both extra firepower and a distraction for the waves of bugs. Whether or not you wish to stay and defend these towers, or go off looking for more power ups, is a common choice you'll make when playing the game.

As for the mission objectives, basically you have to kill all the bugs in the stage before you move onto the next. Sometimes you will progress from section to section of the battleground, sometimes you will have to defend Maisy, and other times you will have to power on local generators (by using your stomp move, which makes absolutely no sense), but these are minor ascetics added onto the general bug eradication directive.

By the way, all the mission levels can be played co-op with another gunner, which works just as well as you would expect, and is recommended if you have the option.

GRAPHICS AND SOUND: For this kind of game, this category should have very little weight into your buying decision, but I can say that the quality of both aspects are at worst serviceable, and at best clean and attractive, but not outstanding. The environments, enemies and characters are all modeled well, though the detail involved is minimal. The sound effects and techno heavy soundtracks are pleasant and harmless, and they do a good job of adding to the experience. The still cutscenes are pretty basic and bland, but the voice actors enhance the experience. The game features widescreen and 480p output, and runs at a steady framerate throughout all the action (a necessity for this genre).

REPLAY / FUN FACTOR: After you have cleared all the missions (which there are about 40 of them), the only incentives you have to go back and experience them again are to get the gold medals for each stage (which is medal awards are based upon the number of hits you take), to fill out the achievements (don't lose a single tower, stomp 25 bugs in a stage, etc.), compete for the perennial high store, or play the game again on the Insane difficulty setting.

Once you've completed the game, achieve all the gold medals and checked off every achievement, there is little reason to boot up the game, though that alone should be enough content to keep you busy for 8-10 hours, not to mention the co-op mode to expand its lifetime. Personally I'd give the replay value a score of average / moderate, but that all depends on what makes you tick as a gamer.

It should be noted that the game is not entirely challenging as retro-junkies would have hoped, though this does open the experience as a more enjoyable and accessible package overall (especially in co-op). Designed around shorter game playing sessions, each 4-5 minute stage is fast-paced and engaging, especially the boss stages (which there are five evenly spaced throughout), which just about anyone can enjoy and is always a simple, pure pleasure. Blasting the various vermin is satisfying and primal, and using the various weapon power ups will put a child-like grin on your face as you mow down the waves of targets. That is what arcade games should be about, pure entertainment, plain and simple, and Infestation delivers on that front.

FINAL WORD: If this game costs $20-30 bucks, I would not recommend it as highly, as the lack of content would not justify the price tag. For the $10-15 price you can get it for now (and even cheaper used if you STOP at certain GAME retailers, hint hint), it is definitely worth the cost. Great gameplay with subtle strategies, a decent amount of content and replay value, coupled with an excellent co-op mode and a budget price, earn Centipede Infestation a 4.5 (rounded down to 4 for Amazon) star rating in my book.

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It is a nice remake for the classic Centipede. Atari could have done een a better job on its visuals and introductory scenes... but... they aren't really that nice to their consumers, after all. Great graphics and, well, for the kind of game that it is, we can/could expect more, but it is a nice game.

Best Deals for Centipede: Infestation - Nintendo Wii

As an avid fan of the original, which I played fanatically on both my Atari 2600 and my high school girlfriends fathers full size stand up arcade game, I found this to be a resonable interpretation/moderization of that game. Gameplay is interesting and provides a challange without feeling overwhelming.

Honest reviews on Centipede: Infestation - Nintendo Wii

The unfortunate part about this game is I have yet to play it!!!!!! So frustrating been baby-sitting and spring cleaning. Baby-sitting is over. Spring cleanup is still in full blown mode. Maybe by next week I will have a chance.

Best Xbox 360 Under Ear Headset Deals

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $24.26
Today's Bonus: 19% Off

I bought this headset to replace the cheap piece of crap headset that the 360 comes with. My microphone worked but I couldn't hear anything on my old one. I opened the earpice to find one of the wires loose. I tried to solder it back on, but due to the product's low quality, it just fell apart.

I researched many headsets only to be dissapointed. A truly outstanding headset for xbox live has yet to be produced. They all suck in one way or another; some more so than others. I considered the wireless headset despite reviews that feedback on the device was unbearable. A friend of mine got one and I witnessed first hand it's true crapiness.

I then decided to check out Plantronics headsets. I had worked at a call center about a year ago in which we used Plantronics headsets and found them to be great products overall. This model (Gamecom X30) is the best they have out right now, despite the snazzy looking Halo edition headsets they also have out.

Plantronics Gamecom X30:

PROS:

-Great speaker, voices come in LOUD and clear.

-Comfortable, easy to wear on long gaming sessions.

-Sleek design.

-Sturdy build.

-Don't let the "under ear" design turn you off. Once you get used to putting it on, you'll find that this design not only stays well on your ear, but is also great for using with eyewear and headphones.

CONS:

-The mouthpiece picks up air currents (ceiling fan, air conditioning) WAY too much. It lacks the foam covering on the tip, but if you still have the original headset, just remove it from there and put it on this one. It fits well and fixes this problem.

-Despite picking up the wind, the mouthpiece does a mediocre job at picking up your voice! You can ask "can u guys hear me ok?" all day long but the only way to test how you sound is to record a voice message, and then play it back for yourself. You have to really speak up to be heard at a normal tone. There is no silent speaking on this headset, that isn't to say that you have to yell, just project and enunciate.

-The biggest setback on this headset is that the mute/volume controls aren't attatched to the controler like on the original headset. They're on the cable about 16 inches above the input. Make sure to set your volume BEFORE a match!

Overall this is a good headset. It's not outstanding and I kept from giving it 5 stars because of the location of the volume controls. Despite the setbacks, this is still the best headset available, and at a couple of bucks cheaper than the original, it's a definite bargain.

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I have to wear headphones whenever I play my Xbox, so I need a communicator headset that fits under the headphones without blocking outside sounds. I tried various cell phone headsets, but they either don't fit right or don't work well with an Xbox.

This headset fits perfectly for me. Some reviewers have said it sits loosely in the ear, and that's true. Without my headphones, I also get the feeling that it will fall out, but it never does. Of course, with headphones it's secure on my head. Another nice feature is that it doesn't block outside sounds, so the audio from my headphones is not muffled. And most importantly, it's comfortable. I can wear it for hours without problems.

Another nice feature is that this headset works with both Xbox and Xbox 360. For the original Xbox, you'll need the adapter that comes with Microsoft's headset.

For those of you who are concerned about the volume control being in the wrong place, Intec makes a headset adapter (ASIN: B000FUG5V8) for the Xbox 360 that works with any headset and provides volume/mute controls just like the Microsoft headset does.

The only problem is that the microphone is weak, and that's why I gave it four stars. To get others to hear you clearly, you need to bend the microphone arm around your face so that the microphone is a few millimeters from your mouth. The microphone is so close that if I pucker my lips, I can touch it. Without headphones to keep the headset in place, it probably moves too much. But for me, the headset is easy to position and works great.

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OK, first thing: the headset that comes with the 360 sucks. You know it, I know it. I've been waiting for a decent replacement, and that's just what this new offering from Plantronics is: decent. It's MUCH better than the one that comes with the 360, but it's definately not perfect. First, the UNDER the ear design is odd and takes getting used to. But, the worst part is how they did volume control it's in the middle of the cable itself in a little box with a horrible clip: that's right, to mute or adjust volume, you must remove one of your hands from the controller then locate the tiny box on the wire and make your adjustment. Not conducive to quick battle time changes, I'll tell you!

But, still, overall I like this product, especially at the thirty dollar price point. If it was fifty dollars, I'd pass. I'm suspicious that the much more expensive headsets work even better, but reread the beginning of this sentence to know why I didn't get those ("much more expensive").

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Under Ear Headset

This headset is a little funky and takes time getting used to. It's upside down feature is a little odd but over time is comfortable. It is the best 360 headset that is out to date. The quality of sound is great and it hooks up to your controller with the quick feature of mute at hand.

Don't bother with the microsoft headset, it doesn't cut it.

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I MUCH prefer this headset over the stock headset that comes with the 360. however, I wish they would've kept the on-plug mute switch instead of putting it in-line where I have to stop and look at it to switch it off.

Best Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Nintendo Wii Deals

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List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $34.97
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

My 5-year old is obsessed with the Hawkman, and so this was one of our first games for the Wii. I was a bit nervous because I've found past Tony Hawk games tricky for me, let alone for him, to master.

Imagine my delight when we started playing this. It's just outright fun: the characters are funny, the maps are cool with lots of different paths and shortcuts, the music is pretty sweet, and the gameplay is downright addictive. And best of all, my son picked it up lickety split. Heck, it's taken months of playing it before I've managed to get half as good as him at the trick courses!

It's the simplicity of the controls that makes this a perfect game when you don't want to cramp your hands or brain trying to remember some convoluted button sequence to do JUST the right move in JUST the right place at JUST the right time. And the difficulty ramps up perfectly, opening up courses of increasing difficulty and length as you go.

I've read some lousy reviews of this from magazines and critics. Glad to see some real-world players giving this game the props it deserves. Bring on Downhill Jam 2!

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This is a great Wii game that actually takes advantage of the motion sensing functionality of the Wii.

In this game you control a racer with the Wii-mote in the Steering style. You can race or try to get a high score on the trick mode (like in SSX (PlayStation 2)). You can attack your opponents and if you hit jumps you can do all sorts of moves (also like SSX Tricky). In trick mode there are multipliers that increase your score (like in SSX 3..., ok so this isn't the most original game). Some people may have some issues since this game is quite unlike any other TH game, but it is actually quite similar to a particular boarding game.

Let me spell it out: Tony Hawk + SSX = one of the most fun Wii titles.

In the game you have the choice of several characters with slightly differing stats, as well as the ability to create your own character. As you play the single player game you can unlock new boards, people, and racing venues. All of the racing locations are based (somewhat liberally) on real world locations, like Glastonbury, Rio, Maccu Piccu, Rome, San Francisco...

This game is also a great multiplayer game and I guarantee you'll have lots of fun (or lots of cursing depending on how you finish your race).

This game is easy to learn, the controls are simple to understand, and anyone can pick up and play. Mastering the game however is a difficult process.

To be honest, I didn't expect much from this game, but it really has a lot to offer. I doubt that this game would be at the top of anyone's Wii list but it is definitely a quality title that you should try out, especially with some friends.

NOTE: The description for this game says: "online gameplay." To the best of my knowledge this is NOT an online enabled game.

Best Deals for Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam - Nintendo Wii

As a review said earlier, this game is not very original. I'm a huge fan of the ssx series, and while playing this I realized how similar it was, but still incredibly fun. I play multiplayer with 4 people, its so fun. Our favorite is doing big air (trick), makes my arms kinda sore, shake the remote backwards to do backflips and other cool moves. Other cool game modes are steal the head and elimination. A lot of cool courses, I believe its 12 in total. I highly recommend this game for those who want a fun multiplayer game, extremely similar to ssx, like on tour, but oh well, still awesome.

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This is my oldest 2 sons favorite game. They are 5 and 8. We have over 20 games, but they play this one everyday. (This and Super Smash Bros Brawl).

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I bought this for my son, who is almost 7. The game says ages 10 and up, but he picked up on it right away. He loves it, and has been playing it ALOT since we got it. My 37 year old husband loves it nearly as much! There are even a few girl skaters to select, which I've played with. The graphics aren't as good as other game systems, I think that's the general for Wii overall. Wii makes up for it with the interaction you get in these games. This game is alot of fun! It's very realistic.

Reviews of Nyko Online Link - Playstation 3

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this ethernet cable is very well made. easy to hook up to the ps3. plenty of wire if you need more length like i did this was more than enough for me because my computer is a pretty far away from ps3 about 14 ft,this wire does not have any lagging even with it so long from my internet router to my ps3. plus the self-adhesive mounting clips are a great bonus.also worked the first time i connect it to my ps3. i highly reccomend this ethernet cable.

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Review of Rayman Raving Rabbids

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List Price: $9.99
Sale Price: $6.49
Today's Bonus: 35% Off

Rayman Raving Rabbids for the PC is not a platform adventure game like the previous games in the Rayman franchise, it is more like Mario Party in the sense that it consists entirely of mini games. So if you are looking for a platform adventure game, this may not be the right choice for you. However, if you don't mind trying something different, it is very likely that you will enjoy yourself.

The story of RRR is that you (Rayman) are captured by these creatures called Rabbids, and you are forced to complete 5 tasks each day in a sort of gladiator style arena. You can only save after you have completed each day, so if you have only completed half of the day's tasks, your progress will not be saved unless you beat the rest of the tasks in one sitting. Also, you cannot play any of the mini games in multiplayer until you have beaten the game in the Story mode. While this can be frustrating at first, it gives you incentive to beat the Story mode.

Some of the games themselves are not so great. Games where you have to tap buttons repeatedly or slam joysticks back and forth get really old really fast, and I have no desire to replay those games after I beat them in story mode.

Fortunately, most of the mini games are really fun to play, and on top of that, the Rabbids are absolutely hilarious. Ubisoft did a really good job making a creature that is consistantly funny and rarely annoying. I would recommend that you use a gamepad to play the games, because otherwise it may seem a little easy with the mouse and keyboard. Also, if you have multiple gamepads, you can play with friends in the Score mode, which is where this game really shines.

NOTE: If you have an Xbox 360 Controller, it works GREAT with this game, and Ubisoft is one of the first companies to truly support it. (It also works well in Rainbow Six Vegas on the PC) It also supports other Logitech controllers that I have.

The problem with this game is that it was designed for Nintendo Wii, and Ubisoft ported this version poorly to the PC. There are many bugs; some of which make the game unplayable. For example, when I ran this game on my computer, it would speed up and slow down randomly, making some of the mini games impossible. I was able to fix this bug by changing the power scheme on my laptop from "Portable/Laptop" to "Home/Office Desk" in the control panel. Once this was fixed, the game seems to work a lot better. It took a while for me to figure out how to fix it, I was required to search through forums online to figure out what to do to get it working.

The graphics are pretty good, but I couldn't get the game to run well on "Very Detailed" mode, which is strange because I have a top of the line Alienware system that should be able to run that mode.

All in all, Rayman Raving Rabbids is great fun and would be good not just for kids, but also for teens and adults too. If you can't tolerate fixing bugs, you may want to wait and see if a patch will be released concerning problems with the PC version. Otherwise, If you need a break from typical action, puzzle or adventure games, Rayman is a unique experience that will definitely give you a few laughs along the way.

PROS:

-Most mini games are fun and interesting

-Supports almost almost all gamepads (including Xbox 360 controller)

-Good fun with multiple people

-Rabbids are funny and rarely get old

CONS:

-Initial bugs are frustrating

-Some games really aren't fun

-Only a few of the games can be played with multiple people at once, most are turn-based

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If you have a platform I would *STRONGLY* recommend you buy it for that instead of for XP. My first copy of the disk gave errors during the install (bad disk).

The second copy worked to install and then I had problems with jade enr.exe crashing on game start. Since on the Ubisoft forums 15000 other people viewed this topic before it was closed I'm sure this is quite common. I followed the instructions online (basically cracking my legally bought disk) to get it working.

I thought my problems were over until I started playing. The game can't do simple math. In several of the games it adds up the score wrong making it impossible to beat several of the games.

I've contacted Ubisoft several times and received nothing of use back. There is no mention of future patches to fix the problem or even anything to fix the issue. This is the last Ubisoft game I'll buy until they improve their quality.

Check out the forums at Ubisoft regarding this game. You'll see how many problems their are.

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you've got to love those "developmentally challenged" rabbids.....simple goal based levels that get progressively harder....run the story mode first, and set the mouse sensitivity for your own sanity (the default setting is a little loose)....chemical enhancement during game play doesn't help, makes some games slap nutz funny though......

Honest reviews on Rayman Raving Rabbids

This was great. My grandson really enjoyed this. I definitely would order another show again. It was very entertaining for my grandson.

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It has levels that are the exact same games only that get harder. So it feels a bit like watching paint dry after you go up 6 levels but it is still funny in a boy crude way (I'm a mom and I like it ;) ) but it just needed to be different on the way up. I have a little more than half to go and I gave up even after my 8 yr. old gave up on like level 4 because I got boring. I still think it's funny though but it gets played just after it has been a few months and I kind of forgot about it and I'm bored enough to make myself try to see if want to go farther. It's not even because it's too challenging it's just a slight boredom issue. It's pretty cute though so, ehhhhhh, tough call here. I certainly would have been mad if I didn't get it for dirt cheep but I got it for cheep enough.

Discount Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Xbox

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This latest Tom Clancy game has amazing graphics and some incredibly detailed body movements. It takes the spy game genre to an entirely new level!

I'm a big spy-game fan in general, and we have all 3 major platforms, so I went into Splinter Cell curious about all the hype. It's gotten incredible ratings from several magazines. I have to say, after having played it, those ratings were well deserved.

First, the graphics. The amount of work that went into graphics on this game is just phenomonal. Your character goes through smoke and fire, through darkness and bright neon light, under shaded lattices, through light coming through venetian blinds, through hazy curtains, through punch-hole metalwork. It is just STUNNING. You really begin to believe that this is a movie and you're controlling the outcome.

The other senses aren't neglected. Sound is KEY and you are constantly aware of how much noise you're making while you're sneaking around. The speed at which you move, your crouching, your stance, all affect how well people notice you. Unlike other games which blast you with rock music, in this one you're so attuned that you hear the little movements of your own feet as you creep, or the movements of guards walking down the hallway.

The animation on the character is fantastic. Press up against a wall. Climb a fence and roll over the top. Slide down a wire. Go hand-over-hand across a pipe, and pull up your feet to get more traction. Slide down a ladder, jump up a wall and do a split to stay there, unseen. The way the character moves is just amazing. Some serious work was put into this effort, and it pays off.

The gameplay missions are logical and draw you along into the story. It's not exactly a ring-through-the-nose drag like other games. You are given objectives "Get object X which is in building Y" but you aren't handed a map to follow. Instead, you're put into real-world situations and have to figure out for yourself the best way to accomplish that goal. You could try a frontal assault, you could try the sneaky back way. It's up to you, and your success depends on your ability to think through a situation and then implement your path.

The game even encourages you not to be violent. It points out that your aim is stealth, and that you should try to stay unseen and sneak by whenever possible. In most missions you can get through without killing anyone, if you use your head.

Highly recommended for any first-person-shooter fan!

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While it lacks universal appeal, Splinter Cell (SC) is an outstanding game that provides an experience on the Xbox that no other game can. You take the role of Sam Fisher, an veteran special forces commando called out of retirement for a new, experimental intelligence initiative of the NSA. The storyline is classic Tom Clancy (as is Fisher, Clancy readers may wonder why they didn't just name the character Clark and be done with it). As far as simulating this type of experience goes, SC is remarkably well done but what will really determine if you like the game is whether or not the core concept appeals to you.

If you're considering purchasing SC then you've doubtlessly already read about how fantastic the graphics and sound are. Believe the hype. The music and sound effects are wonderfully immersive and create the sort of tense atmosphere this game needs. The lighting engine is nothing short of revolutionary. There are some clipping issues (dead bodies can poke through walls) but it is difficult to pick on the game for this considering how much power must be devoted to the best real time light and shadows ever in a game.

The gameplay in SC is excellent. The conrtrols and camera are intuitive and easy to use. Fisher can perform an extensive variety of physical actions to interact with his environment. Sometimes it is difficult to get him to do exactly what you want because there are so many options available and so many objects to interact with but practice and experience will solve most of these problems.

It is important to be clear that SC is not a shooter in the classic sense. Certianly, you will encounter some scenarios in which the only real course of action is a full blown fire fight with automatic wepaons, but they are rare. Ubi Soft did a fantastic job of conveying how chaotic and disjointed such combat must feel. Fisher's aim worsens drmatically if you try to move and shoot at the same time and both you and your opponents will miss a lot. In addition, everyone is realistically fragile it only takes a few rounds to put someone down and head shots will always kill. But SC is really a stealth game. The point is to sneak through a dense thicket of security without being caught. The game's finest moments are found while you wait in the shadows, timing the complex patterns of a group of guards, waiting for the exact second to move to the next pool of shadows. Or when you sit in the darkness, mere feet from a pair of guards with machine guns as they stalk by, your heart stuck in your throat as you wait to see if they discover you. Depending on the way you choose to approach the game, you might kill every guard you come across or kill virtually no one. It is almost like there are two games in SC. You can play through as a cold machine, dropping every guard you come across, or you can take the self-imposed challenge and try to minimize the body count and the game will never really punish you for choosing one over the other.

Overall the level design and widely ranging methods of attack give SC a great deal of replay value. There are only nine levels, but each one takes several hours to complete and expansion levels will be available through Xbox Live or the Official Xbox Magazine game disks soon. The path through the levels may be a bit too linear. There is often really only way to travel from the start of a level to the end. The designers did this intentionally to keep the levels from being confusing, but it would have been a better simulation if it included such uncertainty. You can only save your game at certain check points in a given level and this is a good thing. It keeps the tension higher than it would have been if you could save your game anywhere.

The final point to touch on is the game AI. Overall, it is quite good, especially on a room to room basis. Enemies react realisitcally to your discovery and will investigate any sounds you may make. However, the game AI does have its faults. First it is possible to do things like shoot out a camera and then simply wait out a guard's investigation. If you stay hidden, eventually the guard will just figure it broke or something and forget about it rather than raising an alarm. It is also odd how you can stalk into a building, leaving in your wake nothing but broken lights and carefully hidden bodies, and no one on the radio network operated by the security notices the growing silence. It is also odd nobody ever notices a camera going offline when you shoot it, but the moment a camera sees you, all hell breaks loose. In the sequel Ubi Soft should try to address this, perhaps by upping the overall state of alarm every time a camera or radio equipped guard goes off the air.

In the end, SC is a game that anyone who finds the idea of slowly sneaking through shadowy compunds while dodging cameras, security guards, and dogs appealing should flat out purchase. You won't be disappointed. If you are unsure whether or not you would enjoy a video game where the tension and excitement come from the portions of the game that aren't action driven, then you should definitely rent first.

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I agree with what the other reviews say. The graphics in this game, especially the lights and shadows, are breathtaking. The AI is really good, though still pretty fallible and exploitable once you learn their reactions. The missions are varied. One mission you're going around killing everyone in sight and dont have too much time for secrecy. The next, your not allowed to kill ANYBODY, and cant even be detected. This makes for extremely intense, varying gameplay.

The music works perfectly with the game's sounds. When lurking about in shadows you hear every noise around you and all those that you make. When you are detected or are in a fire fight, theres this awesome bass and drum stuff that goes right along with your mood and the action.

Overall, I see one problem with the game. The control style while shooting. AT all other times the controls are fine, but as soon as you draw your weapon the controls become sluggish and unresponsive. However, the overall effect of this is that you cannot run around shooting people because YOU WILL LOSE! Theres no James Bond or HALO type running in and shooting up 8 guys. In this situation you will lose every time unless youre a god. The game forces you to be creative and seek other solutions. Distraction cams are my favorite. They make noises until the guards come close, then you can release poisonous gas to knock them out. Very fun.

Overall, great gameplay, graphics, audio, controls, etc. The only complaint isnt really a complaint because it really helps the game in the end. A must have for any gamer who likes to think things through before hand. Youll know when youre plan hasnt worked almost immediately, because youll be lying on the ground dead.

Honest reviews on Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Xbox

In a word, this game is awesome. I have never played Metal Gear Solid (or its sequels), but my buddies with PS2 machines tell me it doesn't compare to Splinter Cell. Ubi Soft has really pushed the power of the Xbox with this game. The vertex shading and other lighting effects make this game look not only beautiful but realistic. The gameplay is also stellar and this is a must buy for those who like intense single-player experiences. There is but one drawbacksee below.

Gameplay: 9.7

Simply the best overall game for the Xbox since Halo. The stealth involved in completing your missions, the myriad moves you can execute, the challenging aspect of not having ammo and health around every corner... all of these things and more provide outstanding gameplay. The camera is sharp and easy to manipulate and the AI is good enough to present a very good challenge on most of the missions. There is but 1 real drawback: It is only 3rd person. I would have preferred to be able to switch between 1st and 3rd. Also, if I wanted to nitpick, then I would complain about the pistol you have to carry throughout the first few missions.

Overall: 9.7

Combine the graphics, gameplay, and intensity and you have a winner. The few nitpicky drawbacks to this game cannot lower its value. The replay value is also sky-high thanks to many in-depth and challenging missions. Would a 1st person toggle been great? Sure. Would multiplayer, at least co-op, have been great? Certainly. How about a storyline that does not revolve around the former Soviet Union? Absolutely. Still not enough to detract from one of the best video games to date.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell - Xbox

Canadian software developer and publisher Ubisoft has outdone themselves in this, their latest colaborative outing with author Tom Clancy. While not perfect, Splinter Cell sets the new standard for immersive game environments and lighting effects. The models and texture maps are astoundingly detailed, and the level designers really went out of their way to think of everything and include it in a most believable way. I would definately have to consider this game a must-have for xbox, if only because of the benchmark it represents, although there is much more to appreciate here than just visuals. The ambiant music and FX audio fits so well with the overall feel of the game that you may not even notice it's presence, just experience it as a natural extension of what is being presented on the screen.

The story line is interesting and believeable (you can read the synopsis elsewhere), and the cutscenes are quite well done, if a bit redundant. The dialogue is extremely well acted by Michael Ironside (our hero Sam Fischer) and company. The extra materials, including some "making of" videos, and an interview with our animated protagonist were a nice touch.

Controllability is mostly adequate as well. I'm usually a PC guy with FPS type games, but this game handles very well with the console controls. Some of the acrobatic maneuvers that are used in the game are a bit temperamental, always at the most inconvenient times, and I really think the Ubisoft game testers may have been a bit too concerned with the graphics to concentrate adequately on some of the playability issues that come up.

It's the playability issues alone that keep me from giving this game a 5 star rating. A few "quirky" issues here and there add up to several instances in the game where you are forced to replay sections ad-nauseum before you can commit all of the AI patterns and reaction sequences adequately to memory before being able to proceed to the next section, and sometimes success seems to come by blind luck. Also, there are a few aspects of gameplay that simply do not add up, or function spurradically to the point of being just too frustrating. Ubisoft made some real transparent programming and level-design decisions to make sure players are made aware that this is NOT A SHOOTER. Examples would include; a very limited supply of ammunition and pick-ups, the main character's inability to live through more that a few confrontations, and his atrocious markmanship. OK, Ubi, I understand that this isn't Halflife, but why not let me play the game how I choose? The storyline is essentially 100% linear as it is, why limit it even further? Also of note to some players there are reportedly no cheats codes whatsoever programmed into Splinter Cell. I will admit that some of the frustration I experienced in playing made me go surfing for ways to bypass certain parts.

I may be being a little too harsh on the cons here, but it's probably because all the other elements are so well done that these imperfections stand out all the more. With a little extra massaging and tweaking, we could have seen a perfect execution (no pun intended), but we are still left with what is certainly one of the best titles out there for Xbox to date. A very good choice for your next purchase.

Review of Samurai Shodown V - Xbox

Customer Ratings:

Anyone who has played Samusrai Showdown III will know what my review title means. You can't have a real Samurai Showdown video game without the French Femme Fatale.

Anyway, some people may be a little angry that the controls in this game no not match that of the first game. Personally, I like the new set-up. Three slashes and one kick may not make sense, but it's effective. What I don't like is that when you change the button settings in the game, the moves list in the pause-screen menu becomes less helpful: for example, when I changed fierce slahs from trigger L to button A, the list still told me that to execute Charlotte's projectile attack (it had a name, but I can't remember) I still had to end the button combination with either X, Y, or L. This isn't very bothersome if you know all the moves by heart ... I can almost see you Samurai Showdown enthusiasts shaking your heads! Not everyone has played thist series inside out!!

Anyway, the online play would be much better if there were others who played the game. Unfortunately, you'll usually find yourself waiting a long time for an opponent if you create a match or you'll just get the game's error message if you go into quickmatch or optimatch. This is a problem: there are a lot of Samurai Showdown fans and there are a lot of XBox owners, but there are apparently not a lot of Samurai Showdown fans who own XBoxes and have XBox Live. If you want to know if this game is compatible with 360, you'll have to look at another review or ask Microsoft because I don't know. I'm sorry if this review is not helpful. Please vote accordingly so I'll know for sure. If this review is unhelpful, I need not take up valuable space on this website and will delete this review.

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I remember playing this game for hours in the arcade of a bowling alley in high school. We used to play against each other for quarters, and eventually see if we can win the game using one man. The characters, sound effects, game-play, colors, and storyline are outstanding. I know this game is not like todays new games, but this brings back traditional combat games we have grown to love. I definitely recommend this to everyone who loves martial arts, fighting games, and those who would like to challenge all their friends online or perfect their own fighting style with their favorite character.

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Plain and simple this game is made for those 2d fighter fans out there who waited years and years to be able to play the 2D games they loved online. This is an excellent port of the Neo Geo original which adds online play as a part of the package.

The graphics are dated and can't compare in sharpness or quality to those in SF3 or any of the GG games, but then again, if you're a Neo fan you already know what to expect. The game runs fast and fluidly both in single player and online. The new characters are ok, but I still tend to play with most of the SS1/SS2 cast. The online ranking system is flawed IMO, as the way it counts wins/losses wasn't very well thought out IMO.

Overall, a solid 2d title with LIVE support and a great price tag. If you're a 2D fighter fan waiting for something new to play on LIVE this is it. Stay tuned for KOF94 Rebout and more from SNK this year!

Honest reviews on Samurai Shodown V - Xbox

Those who played this (or any other SS game) more than once in arcades will love it. New(er) generation of gamers may not.

This is a direct port from the NEOGEO platform. Graphics prove it. They are easily the worst thing in the game. Controls are very smooth and responsive (I gave up playing SF Aniv. Ed. because of its horrible controls). Gameplay is much more advanced then I remember from SS and SS2. Most of the original characters are present, plus a whole bunch of new ones, some good some bad. Sound is a marginal improvement over the previous titles and some character noises are downright annoying. The Arcade mode starts out pretty easy, but gets more difficult after first three challenges.

For those nostalgic for "the way games used to be" this should be a lot of fun. With XBOX Live (Which I don't have) it should be a blast.

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I will firstly mention that unlike most of the countless narrow minded attempts at reviewing this game that I have recently read (by so-called professionals), my rating will be one aimed at the hardcore 2D fighting game connoisseur and NOT one aimed at the modern day `give me amazing 3D graphics or I'm not interested' gamer! AND, it will be about the GAME, and not an attempt to impress the viewer with cryptic metaphors and useless pulp.

Games like these are specifically aimed at those who have an appreciation for traditional artwork in games, and characterisation something that most will agree SNK are the grand masters of.

GAMEPLAY

Awesome depending on how much investment of time you put in you will get a lot out of this game. There are many elements to the gameplay that make it timelessly fun. You can dash, duck, retreat, and obviously block, to name a few of the core tactical defensive elements and these really lay the foundations for some speedy epic gameplay, for which the controls a very responsive.

In terms of defence, there is nothing quite like the moments where you and your opponent each exchange blows, each defending one another's blows one after the other until an opening is left, this almost becomes a full blown sword fight at times! And the beauty of it is that unlike your average non-weapon based 2D fighters, you sustain no damage when blocking with weapons (unless you are disarmed), this makes for some very exciting moments which can draw the length of the bout out, giving it an amazingly challenging intensity. In the case that you are disarmed you may get relentlessly slashed at with only your arms to defend you which will cause blood loss and some small damage. The option menu allows you to increase the amount of successful bouts to I think FIVE a piece if I remember correctly which is great if you like an epic lengthy battle.

This game's fun element pays off the most if you wait for the right moments to strike your opponent, instead of button mashing your way through. And to be honest you are not likely to be successful button mashing as the computer A.I. is very good most of the time. The A.I. is at a perfect balance for the most part the computer is equally defensive as it is offensive almost as if you are battling a human controlled opponent, a big plus. Much of the time you will have to study your opponents tactics in order to find openings for the best attack timing (this is something that many reviewers interpret as a severe imbalance because they were not prepared to learn their opponent's strengths and weaknesses, and have another shot)

Knock out's are nice with a slow motion effect kicking in as the looser gets sliced or smashed this is particularly nice when you manage to KO your opponent with Genjuro's grab and stab style move, where you get to hear your opponents innards burst within them as Genjuro lifts them off the ground while he runs them through 2 times in a row with his razor sharp Katana blade. Nice.

It's a shame that SNK Playmore didn't release the `Special' version of Samurai Shodown V for PS2/XBOX which has the death moves, but it's understandable that with it being the final NEO GEO AES/MVS release that they wanted to keep it exclusive. This game still has enough to it to be worth your time despite it only being the standard release though don't be swayed.

GRAPHICS/PRESENTATION

Good and again I remind you that I aim this review at hardcore 2D fighting game connoisseurs and budding enthusiasts alike.

The sprite animation is not particularly consistent, but there is worse out there. It makes the grade at least. There are certain animations that are very fluid indeed leaving you with a satisfied `arcade reminiscent' feeling. Characters all have their own distinct stances and personalities the animation conveys these very well and it gives the game a very interesting look. I personally find that having the colour/brightness settings on my TV lower than typical helps as it gives the graphics a less cartoony look and more of a washed out look which helps give the game the darker more brooding atmosphere that it lacks slightly compared with earlier games in the series. Because the characters may be stylised caricatures, but they are apparently loosely based on real people way back in history who had motives as dark as those conveyed in the game.

The zooming in and out effect is used with fluidity just as it was in the arcade. Backdrops are pretty good not the best I have seen by any means, but they are colourful and set the scene nicely. What's nice about the backdrops is they extend beyond the top of the screen with separate layers for horizon detail which is nice to see as you get pummelled up into the sky by your opponent or vice-versa.

SOUND/MUSIC

Very nice You get `chings' and `changs' of colliding metal weapons, slicing flesh sounds, monotone spurting blood sounds all very effective and best if you have your console linked up to a hi-fi system so you can really feel the bass impact of the body blows or when a body hits the deck. The battle cries are brilliant for the most part each character has more of these than you would find in your typical 2D fighter which keeps it interesting. Some of the characters have some repetitive battle cries which can become a little irritating, but hey, this just gives you an incentive to decimate them a whole lot faster! A little annoying but you just overlook it because for the most part battle grunts and such are modest and realistic. It tends to be the quirkier characters that are a little more flamboyant in this department.

Music is good some good variation some stages are up-tempo and energetic while others are more sombre or melancholy, but all done with the distinct traditional Japanese instruments which sets the scene just right, and at times create almost a ghostly atmosphere excellent.

IN A NUTSHELL

Basically if you're like me and LOVE the oldskool 2D fighters for their unique feel and have been deprived of a decent Samurai Shodown game because you didn't have the money or the right console or whatever the case may be BUY THIS. As long as you expect a strictly oldskool affair and don't build yourself up into thinking its trying to be something more than what it's actually aiming to be, it's money well spent.

Review of Datel Wired Wildfire 2 Controller White Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:

Written by my teen:

Likes: It's programmable, has LED mode display, and makes other gamers angry because my guns shoot faster than theirs. Dislike: wish the wire was longer.

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Best Xbox 360 Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Kit Deals

Customer Ratings:

I always preferred the Guitar Hero guitar to the Rock Band guitar (play-wise anyway) but the quality of the Guitar Hero guitars is weak. GH3 guitar had problems with the connection between the neck and the body. That has been fixed with GHWT, but the new one lacks in new areas. Mostly the strum bar. Occasionally mine registers extra hits (RedOctane's fix is to "hold" the strum bar and not "strum or flick"). Also, it will occasionally not register strums at all (My solution to that problem is to smack the body of the guitar with my palm, which I shouldn't have to do at all). And, probably the most irritating thing, my strum bar feels like it's rubbing against something on the up-strum, which throws my flow off just enough to miss notes.

I've done some research and I'm not the only one having these problems. GHWT would be an awesome game if the guitar wasn't crap. I highly recommend GHWT if you have a guitar the works properly.

Hopefully they can get it right, because the guitar feels good in my hands, except for these couple problems.

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Beware, the online reports of the instruments working fine, and then getting worse to the point that they don't work at all eventually are true. My guitar was perfect, then the second week it stopped working entirely.

Activision's repair policy is terrible also. They won't even shell out a few bucks to ship their defective merchandise back to them.

Go with Rock Band 2: not only is the game better, but if you have a problem with the equipment EA is gracious and will replace it in a much more respectable fashion.

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This review is for the Guitar/Game combo of Guitar Hero World Tour. Without getting into all the fanboy arguments about which came first, who owns who, and which game is ripping off the other; Guitar Hero World Tour is just not as good as Rock Band. Graphically it's better in that the characters are brighter, clearer, etc...though they still remain oddly cartoony. It's almost creepy when you see Jimi Hendrix because he looks so real yet animated at the same time. It's weird. As far as gameplay goes (and this is again only for the guitar aspect of it) it's definitely easier than Rock Band 2. More on par with Rock Band 1. I walked through it on expert without failing any songs up until the last set. To me that's not a bad thing since songs that are annoyingly difficult are absolutely no fun to play. The new guitar is pretty cool too. The touch pad way down on the neck makes solos INFINITELY easier to play when applicable. And I have never had any trouble with my guitar being faulty (ie failing out of a song before it starts like some people claim). The biggest knock against this game is the song selection. First of all, a bunch of the songs are straight from Rock Band 2. And I'm not saying it's a game of copying, it's just that Rock Band got to the market first and it just looks bad when you have the exact same songs. The song selection overall is not as fun as Rock Band 2 either. But that's just personal preference. I gave the game 4 stars because it's really not a bad game at all, I just think that the song selection, note charts, and presentation of Rock Band 2 is better. But if you've played Guitar Hero and really liked it, there's no reason not to pick this one up. I just haven't played it since I beat it...and I'm still playing Rock Band 2 almost nightly.

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Kit

If you already have a guitar controller, but want a new one, don't bother getting this package. Just get the game by itself and go find a better controller. The switches that control the strummer in this guitar are crap. Mine died within two weeks. They are not hard to replace though if you are handy with a soldering iron.

If you are looking for a starter bundle for Guitar Hero, start with the GH III wired controller bundle. That controller can take a beating.

Overall it's a fun game, but not my favorite. GH III & V are better IMO. Worth picking up if you don't have it yet, but if you're just starting off, grab a different one first.

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Got the guitar bundle from Amazon a few weeks back, and the guitar had a broken strum bar right out of the box. It dropped some notes at first, and got even worse after a few hours.

I tried to get an RMA for the guitar, but after over a week of dealing with Red Octane's terrible replacement request website and Activition's automated phone system, I ended up with over half a dozen automated e-mail responses and was still no closer to getting a working guitar.

I have since returned the bundle to Amazon and haven't looked back.

In contrast, when I bought a Rock Band 1 bundle last year, the guitar was also broken out of the box. After 15 minutes on their web site, I got a replacement guitar shipped to me that arrived in less than a week, and still works to this day.

If you are choosing one or the other, I would definitely go with Rock Band. Both their customer service and the games themselves are of a much higher quality than these newer Guitar Hero releases.

Review of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 PS3 Controller Faceplate - Camo

Customer Ratings:

I like the look of it but it is more difficult to pop onto than the black ops one. I think this is because the black ops one is newer and higher quality, for example the paint on the mw2 one flicks off in the creases.

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Battlefield 2: Special Forces Expansion Pack - PC Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $13.98
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The content of this release, while not top notch, does add some life to the already popular BF2 game. The sum total of the release adds new soldier classes, maps and vehicles. It does not (as many had hoped) patch a multitude of bugs in the original game. Many of the vehicles while fun at first really turn out to be nothing more than a novelty as they are not as effective as most vehicles included in the original game. Also, a blessing to some and a disappointment for others, there are no airplanes in this game. Still many die hard fans of the game won't be without this (or any other expansion pack), but the casual player can easily do without.

One tactic that EA has employed to try to keep you from doing without is that Special Forces owners are able to play on the original BF2 servers using the new goodies in the expansion pack. Many feel that this gives an unfair advantage as Special Forces players who are able to blind others with flash bangs and use other new tactics. It is a questionable marketing ploy as people who have paid for the original game must now decide if they must purchase the expansion to remain competitive. This has been a point of contention in the BF2 community and has been a constant complaint on many internet forums.

Beyond the marketing of this product, the real problems surround the complete swarm of bug reports and problem installations. Reports of computers that ran the original fine but now only get 15 frames per second are not uncommon. Also after install, a 280 megabyte patch must be downloaded (4 hours from EA with a broadband connection). This patch then decompresses to an unheard of 3 gigabytes. Many people have reported of problems with the install of this patch as the decompression doesn't always work properly leaving the user with even bigger problems than the game not running. All these problems smell of a product that was rushed out the door for the Christmas season. Quite a disappointment as the title really had unlimited potential.

Summary: A bit of new life to an already popular game but not worth the problems that many have had. You may find it worth a look... if you can get it too run.

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Believe it or not, Special Forces is in worse shape than Battlefield 2 was when it was released.

EA and Dice have been slow to address showstopping bugs in the original game, and against my better judgement, I decided to give SF a shot thinking that maybe some problems would have been addressed.

Nope.

Many people are experiencing a lot of difficulty just INSTALLING the game, let alone playing it. If you are able to get the game installed (and I eventually was), you're likely to find yourself up against a host of other problems including severe frame-rate drops and performance issues, even if the original game ran well performanse-wise (which mine did).

It would be nice if companies like EA and Dice were held more accountable for shoddy product they release to their fans, especially considering that the majority of their fanbase consists of financially-strapped college and high-school students.

This is awful.

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Same as my review for the original -a few new tools to use in the default kits. When I rate it a 4 as fun, I'm thinking it *would* be fun if I could actually make use of the entire game... because what you can access is pretty fun.

Also you end up downloading a 250MB (!) patch that you have to reinstall after installing the SF expansion pack. That's just uncalled for. Even with DSL every server I got made it creep along at 25 KPS, and I feel sorry for people who have dialup. If they do have dialup, they aren't going to likely be playing multiplayer either, which means, don't waste your time.

What I said about the original:

I admit it's enjoyable to play, but it's really frustrating knowing you can't access all the features of the game in singleplayer. You get half a game for the full price. I have played online, and i just don't care for it much because of the numerous problems with servers booting you off for who knows what For example, forgetting to stop in the middle of the 'heat of battle' and apologize for teamkills, or missing the little message that tells you how to forgive someone for teamkilling you. I got booted for too many teamkills when I hadn't killed any teammates. There also don't seem to be that many newbie servers where you can go to learn the mp rules and practice.

I just don't have the time for figuring out all the ins and outs of multiplayer at this point in my life. I might consider a LAN party at some point, but for now singleplayer is my main option.

You're also limited to the smaller maps in singleplayer, and smaller numbers of bots. There are tweaks you can do (if you know what you're doing) to increase the number of bots, and possibly the size of the maps, but as I understand it the bots won't know what to do with the expanded maps. In the expanded territory, it doesn't add to the number of control points or special equipment/vehicles etc. in those areas either, it just give you more room to run around alone. Yippee. So far no one has come up with a mod that allows you to access all the features of the game as single player.

You also can't unlock new weapons kits unless you play online on ranked servers and earn them, ANDn the endless hours of play needed to earn them seems a bit ludicrous to me! it seems to be made for people who have no other life, don't go to school or work and never eat or sleep.

I would like to be able to access the whole game as a single player at home, even if none of that stuff works on multiplayer unless I earn it on ranked servers.

This seems to be a common complaint on most of the forums I've researched, and with all the modders out there you'd think they'd have come up with a mod that addresses these things by now, if it wasn't that difficult to do. I'm about ready to start looking into it myself, but as a full time mom with three kids and two dogs and a part time job besides that, it just isn't that feasible.

Another problem is the realism. Why is it that a shot to the head doesn't drop anyone? I can't imagine that putting a 3 round burst of 5.56mm , or a single 7.62mm round into someone's skull from any distance, would allow them to continue on their merry way and turn around and shoot you dead (with the first shot, no less) from 75 yards with an mp5. It's a darn good things those medics can cure any injury with those shock paddles, if only they can get to you.

One thing about the AI that annoys me is that all the bots clump together. I realize pathfinding is the most difficult part of all to program for. But man, clumping together is the best way to get killed. I tend to sneak around and flank, but even if I tell the bots to follow me, they may comply for about two seconds and then go back to what they were doing. I think the Tom Clancy games handled this kind of teamwork AI far better, and without needing the high system specs that BF2 and BF2:SF require. I have enjoyed all of the Clancy games far more, with the exception of Splinter Cell too simple and easy.

Honest reviews on Battlefield 2: Special Forces Expansion Pack - PC

This game is deeply disappointing. While gameplay itself has been good, the quality of DICE's game menus and selection screens for multiplayer makes it almost unplayable. The GUI of this part of the game is completely counter-intuitive, appears to have been an afterthought, and does more to prevent players from joining games than it does to actually support them.

As an example the game often fails to load simply when you boot it up, sitting uselessly at the "Connecting To Account Server" screen during initial log in. Bear in mind, you're not logging into multiplayer here... the game needs to connect to the server so that you can even play it on your own machine against the computer, and often fails to do so!

Once in, finding a game can be impossible, or at least infuriating. The game often loads completely (takes forever), begins comparing data with the server, and breaks with no error message, returning you to the game selection screen. This process will not be unfamiliar to those of you who formerly owned Commodore Vic-20s with the Cassette Tape storage system.

DICE should be ashamed at the inattention to detail and overall poor quality of this software.

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Ok, first off I sympathize with everyone who has problems getting this game to run correctly. I had my own strange problem where I installed SF after I already had patch 1.3 installed and SF would not run. So, I had to guess at re-installing the 1.3 patch. EA's qualtity control is very poor, everyone knows it, so we'll leave it at that. Anyway, after re-installing the 1.3 patch I was able to play for about 4 or 5 hours without any problems. Hopefully thats a good sign that SF is getting more stable, but lets' face it, BF2 in general still gets lockup and crashes to desktop randomly, so I'm not holding my breath. One tip to help with crashes, disable EAX sound in your BF2 audio options, it seems to help.

I'd rather focus on the game experience itself in my review, which is pretty positive. SF definately has a different look and feel to it than BF2, which is good. The changed models, weapons, maps and vehicles are a well done, and battling indoors is a nice change from all the outdoor scenes in BF2. New attack helis are sweet, and 4-wheeler really zips around. There is alot of cover in the maps, so you can sneak around and hide and get close to flags and take out enemies more covertly. This makes for a different style of gameplay than normal BF2. I'll admit, it was not worth the original $30 price tag, but now that it's down to $15 it's a decent buy. Overall, I really like SF.

Review of Xbox 360 Resident Evil Controller Faceplate

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List Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $9.99
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

I have to disagree a little with the previous review in regards to this snap-on controller faceplate. First and foremost the graphics for this product are right here on the page, nice blown up screen shots of what this looks like. So if you are unimpressed with the graphics that you see, why buy it? I will agree that the faceplate snaps on perfectly. A little bit of a draw back to it being a faceplate, is that it causes the buttons to be inlaid, only slightly though;I don't feel that it interferes with the functionality of the controller.

As far as going to Novasonic Mods, I went to check out the website. If you don't speak or read Spanish, then you will need to translate the page. There are some nice looking examples on there of custom mods, but no pricing list? You have to contact the guy directly by email and discuss what kind of mod you want. Who knows how much this will cost!! and it looks like you would have to disassemble your controller, or at least mail it to the guy so he can do the modification!!?? There is a link to Z Mart Games, where there are supposed to be some mods for sale, problem is, it is all in Spanish!

In concluding my review, this product is great if you are a Resident Evil fan and like what you see.It fits great and is also priced reasonably.I highly recommend this product.

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Resident Evil has long been one of the icons of the new era of gaming since it's inception on the original PlayStation. Fans far and wide have been buying, trading and selling various items of merchandise for years. And with every other RE release we see a plethora of items to decorate and customize your system-o-choice.

The faceplates for 360 are an excellent way to make each of your controllers stand out. And though I haven't had any technical problems with this one, it simply is one of the lamest ones I have purchased yet. It fits perfectly into place but the art is just very boring. I would have rather had one covered with zombies are at least have her aiming, shooting or slashing with some form of weapon.

If you are a die hard RE fan you might as well get it, it'll probably make you happy. Game based faceplates are hardest to find their are a few out there but your going to have to buy them from someone most likely. However if you truly want something original I advise looking for custom gear. Search up "Novasonic Mods" to see what I am talking about.

Review of Drop shot, Auto-aim, Jitter Xbox 360 Modded Controller COD MW3

Customer Ratings:

My 11 year old son says "this controller is epic!" I was a little nervous to spend the money on this type of product but it has been well worth it. The product came quickly and when I had a question about set up, on a Saturday afternoon, they were very helpful when I called with questions. Very satisfied with this product and company.

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This controller looks great. The red definitely compliments the shell. I didn't even realize from the pictures that it came with red LEDs, so that was a pleasant surprise :)

The transparent thumbsticks feel a little different than my other controllers. They seem a little more grippy or rubbery, but in a good way. Took a little bit to get used to it but after getting used to it I'm pleased. The thumbsticks and d-pad don't really match the byxa buttons, but it still looks cool. Maybe they can do transparent buttons in the future? I tried looking to see if they were available on Amazon but didn't find any. If you can change that the controller will be even more perfect than it already is?

Oh and the mod is flawless too.. My K2D is COD went way up. In Black Ops try the FAL with rapid fire and drop shot, or drop shot and jitter and its a beast.

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the controller came very quickly and i was very pleased with the controller. Also customer service is awesome and very helpful. Two thumbs up

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Product was great as described love the grip on the joysticks and saved me from buying a modded controller and an odst one so i hit 2 birds with one stone :3 thanks and also the day it arrived was 3 days after ordering and it was worth the money :3

Review of Xbox 360 Energizer Power & Play Charging System

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I was looking around for what charger would be perfect for not only charging my batteries but keeping them charged and even holding the controller for when I wasn't using them and I've used all that are on the market and I have to say that Energizer got it perfect.

First, the look of it is great and sleak. Others complain that it doesn't match their Elite or SE controllers but the truth is that the controller(s) basically shadow the charger itself anyway so it doesn't matter. The light unlike the Nyko is great, it's not too bright like the Nyko station but not too dull like the TeknoCreations charger.

Second, the build is by far the best out of the three or four charger bases out there. The tree-like charger isn't too light like others have said, when it's not charging anything it's light because...well it's not charging anything. Makes sense. It's also not top heavy as also referenced, as long as you have it on a flat surface of course. Somone who may put it on carpet or something along those lines would be wobbly.

Overall: Best looking charger station, which is what they were going for, and not too much more in price. Not to mention it holds your controllers well. 5/5

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This charger does everything it says on the case, including the part that says batteries not included. The batteries being not included is kind of a let down, but it charges only actual xbox batteries or energizer which cost, at the cheapest price, around 10 dollars each. That would make this item cost way too much. The product itself looks great and is a great place to not only charge the controllers, but also a nice place to store them when not in use. It is very sturdy and has no problems holding or charging 2 controllers at a time.

This is far superior to the nyko chargers primarily because you don't have to remove the batteries ever again. It also charges in the same amount and looks much better.

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looks great works excellent charges energizer rechargeable batteries and microsoft rechargeable packs without a flaw, i was reading the reviews and i was doubtful but glad it works excellent this would of been perfect in black for my elite system love it. looks great next to my ps3 exactly same type model controllers charger.i would recommend this to my friends who own the ps3 version chargers it looks great next to each other.

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Energizer Power & Play Charging System

I love this charger, I have had it for months, I originally purchased is from EB when they first came out, and am buying another one as a present. I have been waiting for a charger like this for quite a while. Displays my controllers very nicely, and I have NO WEIGHT ISSUES. It charges just has fast as the Microsoft charger, except you can use energizer rechargeable batteries or the Xbox 360 Rechargeable Controller Battery Pack. I have nothing bad to say about this attractive addition to my home theater system.

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First off, I would give this charging system five stars just because it was easy to take out of its box. No hard plastic, so I didn't cut myself or have to go get the scissors just to get this thing open (unlike the plastic MS's Play n Charge kits come in).

Now, on to the actual charger itself. While shopping around for chargers, I settled on this one because

1) Unlike the Microsoft charger, I didn't have to take the battery packs out of my controllers.

2) Unlike the Nyko charger, I could use the Microsoft rechargeable battery packs that I had already purchased. Plus, the bad thing about the Nyko charger is that both of the batteries come in white. This is great if you only have white controllers, but I have an Elite system that came with a black controller as well.

This is a nice little system because I can leave the batteries in my controllers and just have to plug them in to start charging them. Charge time was excellent, and the red and green lights indicators are a great touch. The unit feels sturdy and I can't understand why other reviewers would have a problem with it tipping. Also, it looks cool! The other charging systems might charge faster, but you can't beat this one for ease-of-use, looks, and overall convenience.

I would indeed recommend this charging base to all my friends.