Best Xbox 360 Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Telecaster Player's Edition Deals

Customer Ratings:

I got the Butterscotch colored replica. I had to order it from another vendor because Amazon lists the Butterscotch color as currently unavailable.

If your in the market for a guitar you know how they work so I won't bore you with stuff that isn't different than a stock guitar.

1. The Fret buttons are very nice. They move up and down quickly, are quiet, and are a bit larger than the standard RB2 Strat buttons. I would say maybe 3 or 4 millimeters fatter. Don't get this if your a lefty though as the keys don't surround both sides of the guitar and you would be unable to effectively play if your left handed.

2. The touch overdrive is really nice. I personally chose this guitar for that feature. It is placed above the strum bar rather then below like the GH Guitars. Also it isn't a function button, so you don't have to press it down, just touch. It's really nice for me because I tend to hose things up when trying to tilt into overdrive. Tilt still works, but the touch bar is far superior.

3. The whammy bar is pretty nice. It is solid metal and is adjustable to the side if you prefer. It is tensioned a bit strong by default but you can adjust it via a nut/bolt underneath to your preference.

4. Xbox buttons are placed well and the start/select buttons are a knob now. Pretty cool I thought. Also the whah whah adjuster is vertical now and more out of the way which is nice.

5. The strum bar is a mixed bag for me. It is a "click" bar like the GH guitars so it can be noisy. Also the one I received requires you to bottom out the down strum for a register which is odd. I am going to play with it a bit, it may just need some breaking in. Otherwise the strum is pretty standard fair and works well.

6. Can't say enough nice things about the strap. It's comfortable, easy to adjust, and just overall awesome.

7. Lastly the overall design is nice. The butterscotch color looks really nice and the head has non functional, but movable tuning knobs which is cool. It is a bit thicker than the strat but a hair shorter. I kind of expected it to be longer than the strat but it is not. The Chrome parts look really nice.

Overall I give this 4 stars. It's a nice guitar with some flaws that will be mostly preference to the user. If you have the bones to put down on it, try it out.

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this is 99 bux if you get it at madcatz direct. the seller who priced this at almost 250 bux is ripping you off bigtime.

Best Deals for Xbox 360 Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Telecaster Player's Edition

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I have always been biased to Guitar Hero and its round notes and buttons not just for the way they look but for the feeling of the BUTTONS. With that in mind this is the best ROCK BAND branded peripheral I have played, the original and its RB2 counterpoint were wishy washy on the strum which had its appeal but also its big disadvantages. Enter this fairly well realized Telecaster Replica from Mad Catz a company who continues to make up for its infamous reliablitity issues of the past. This unit does them proud, I don't know if I like the action on the start button but since it is rarely used it can be ignored unless you PAUSE alot. The switch for effects is much more accessible, the whammy bar feels classy if a little flat at first and it likes to drop like a real one. The shortened length of the square note buttons is good (unless you are going lefty) and they pop right back up but they require a good deal of pressure and you will miss notes until you get used to their strength. The strum bar the all important fake rock tool is also pretty choice, you don't feel like you are going to break it if you rock out, it can take some serious down up motion without jumping and the click is finally there for Rock Band enthusiasts. The body and most of the extras feel cheap but at its core the mechanics are strong and can handle big hands and hard strumming and button presses, the weight is nice a little more realism and heft over the originals and the TOUCH PAD is brilliant making up for the really HIGH star tilt activate these units seem to have.

The Beatles plays nice and tight with this as does the incredibly fun LEGO ROCK BAND which I think is an absolute winner of game. This guitar plays well but might limit your setlist as it requires some finger muscles to work perfectly in HARD and especially expert. A good in between unit if you can't invest in the new WOOD models, heck it even makes ROCK BAND COUNTRY fun, and worked with every game I tried it with except Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero III.

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Telecaster Player's Edition

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I've never been willing to part with the cash to upgrade my stock Guitar Hero 3 guitar but I'm sure glad Amazon was kind enough to give me the chance to. This guitar is larger, a bit more heavy, but that's a good thing. It's not quite "real" feeling but that's okay, I'm not playing real guitar here and I know that. The fret buttons are much easier to use than the stock guitar because they extend all the way to the edge and you can hit them without stretching your finger up the fret. I found the clicker switch to have a longer "throw" which screwed up my timing quite a bit but after a couple songs I was back to rocking as good as I ever did.

If you love Rock Band, then you'll love this guitar.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Xbox 360 Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Telecaster Player's Edition

I was really happy to get this as an early Christmas gift. Yes! A pretty-looking Rock Band guitar of my very own! I was really excited. My excitement ceased, however, when I started planning.

Perhaps it was just mine--reading the reviews, it seems like everyone generally enjoys the guitar. The star power button seemed like a great idea to me. I constantly make the joke, "I'm the bass player, I shouldn't rock out," so having something that I can tap mid-strum? Sounds good to me. Come to find out, however, that that is also the back button. This wouldn't be so much of an issue if not for the fact that the D-pad on this thing is terrible, so in order to scroll you're basically required to use the strum bar. The start button too is a bit strange. It took me a while to figure out that you have to twist it until it clicks (being the kind of person I am, I don't like to be too hard on my controllers, so this made me really nervous the first time, since I thought I was going to break it). Another thing of note; the buttons only cover half the fret. Not as big of a problem for me, as I've played guitar before, but my fiance struggled, since he tends to play closer to the edge of the frets. The whammy bar also has a really high tension, which takes some getting used to, but from what I understand it's adjustable (I have not tried it myself).

But the biggest problem? The strum bar. There are times where it simply does not register. This guitar was supposed to replace one with issues, so the last thing I want or need is something with problems out of the box! Again, I may have gotten a defective one, however, the quirks coupled with the fact that it doesn't seem to want to work 100% of the time? Argh, aggravating!

I will be returning this. A pretty face isn't enough for me to keep an inferior product.

Cheap Saitek X52 Flight Control System

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $129.99
Sale Price: $99.95
Today's Bonus: 23% Off

As a previous owner of the X45 flight control system and avid flight sim junkie, I was compelled to upgrade my HOTAS system to something newer. I was originally looking at the Thrustmaster HOTAS system, but could not conjur up enough money to purchase one. After playing with the X52 at a LAN party, I was sold and went out and purchased one that night.

The X52 has loads of improvements over the X45 not even mentioning the LCD MFD. One addition which I would have loved to see in the X45 are the eight removable suction cups on the bottom of the stick and throttle bases. The cups first out of the box will do some sliding around, but nothing so drastic that it'll mess your flights up. They do a great enough job to keep the stick down during normal use provided that you don't slam the stick around, but for a flight system that costs this much, I don't think that'll be too much of a problem for most people.

Just like all other Saitek sticks, the X52 is fully customizable in both hardware and software. Not only can you move the lower shelf on the joystick up and down to fit your hand, but you can also adjust the force on the throttle stick. Like all other Saitek sticks, however, you cannot adjust the centering force on the stick itself. But I did not find this to be too much of a problem as it is much looser than all other HOTAS systems that I have owned. The X52 also comes with the Saitek SST programming software, which (again, like all other Saitek sticks) allows you to program every button on the joystick to either an axis, mouse axis, single keyboard stroke, or a complex macro.

I also fell in love with the three modes and color coded mode identification LED to let you know what mode you are in. As a result I can have a mode for A-A, one for A-G, and one mode for general tasks when playing Falcon 4.0: Allied Force, making it easier to keep my hands on the flight system at all times.

The MFD is also a cool addition to the X52. It has a time display to let you know what time it is in up to three time zones, as well as a built-in stopwatch to time your flights and coordinate your turns right on time. And if you can't remember what you programmed a button to just simply hold down the info button and click the button you want to know about and voila! Your button's function is displayed on the screen.

All in all a great HOTAS system for those of us that cannot afford the Thrustmaster HOTAS systems. This flight stick runs perfectly with games like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 and Falcon 4.0 my two choices and recommendations to pair up with this stick.

And for those of you who want to know about Windows XP Professional x64 support the stick works perfectly using drivers available on the Saitek website.

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I probably spend more time than I should with flight sims, mainly IL2-sturmovik but also FS2004 and lomac, and have worked my way through a few sticks.

before I purchased the X-52 I used an X-45 for near a year. I was happy with it and it still worked perfectly, but when saitek released the'52 I knew I wanted one.

I have used it about 2 weeks now, and man is it sweet. the action on all the axis' is silky smooth,and accurate. I believe the "non contact" technology they are advertising has alot to do with this.

All the buttons are laid out in an intuitive manner, and there are more control options than the X-45 has. the blue LEDs are spiffy, and they thought to allow a way to dim or extinguish them if you so desire

The multi function display is nice to have, but essentialy just eye candy unless you need to know what time it is or what profile you are running.

overall it has a quality feel and look the X-45 was maybe lacking a bit.the hand rest on the stick is adjustable for height, which is also a nice touch. its large enough to accomodate large hands, mine arent exactly tiny and I moved the rest up a notch to be comfortable

I also liked the "two stage" trigger as now a slight pull is guns, and pull it fully and its guns+cannons.its the little things that mean so much.

anyway, it comes highly recommended by me, and at least 6 of the people I fly with also have and love their X-52's. you can't go wrong if you are looking for an advanced flightstick/throttle at a fair price.

Best Deals for Saitek X52 Flight Control System

EDIT: Use a bit of silicone grease under the plastic swash plate disk to drastically reduce friction and improve control fidelity. Audio fader or scuba types work well, but you may also find it at a hardware store. Teflon grease also works. Use thick grease. Do not use petroleum-derived products on plastic.

We can't compare this stick to Thrustmaster really because their stuff now is garbage. Thrustmaster pretty much forced Suncom (maker of the fab F-15 series) out of business with lawsuits claiming the newcomer was infringing on their patents to produce "realistic" flight sticks. Then we now have a monopoly on the supposedly authentic stuff which has produced crap like The Cougar. Thanks Thrustmaster! Then there's CH Products...good, smooth, but ugly, expensive, and low resistence. Saitek has been making these strange looking, possibly gimmick-rich products for a while. I think they've finally created a near ultimate HOTAS with the X52.

Clearly if you don't like twist rudders on the stick (as the real Comanche has) then you need to buy some pedals (everyone raves about CH's). But the throttle alone on this Saitek is worth the price. X-Plane and Longbow Anthology (when it works, which is rarely...might have to partition Win '95 spot for it) love this system. Every trim control and slider is recognized in X-Plane. In Longbow 1/2 I have most of the flight and cockpit commands in just one main mode and its pinkie mode. I'll save another mode and its pinkie equivolent for campaign comm stuff. That still leaves two more modes on this thing. Amazing. It's a bit of a headache programming it, but not from the standpoint of design. There's so much you can do with it that it's easy to get overwhelmed with where to put what command. Then you realize you could put such and such on a pinkie shift mode and move it over to the next button, yadda yadda yadda. It'll take hours unless you sit down and plan out your programming strategy ahead of time. But it pays off. Oh, and the mouse stick on the throttle works fine. I'm using it right now to surf the net since my Viewsonic optical was DOA (with no warranty, instructions, 800-number...unbelievable). I don't want to take my hands off the controls to retract flaps and gear after just taking off in an F-4...it's the easiest moment to stall.

My first gripe is that the twist rudder is a little weak on the spring to the right, but I set a significant deadspot in the control panel configuration to prevent me from accidentally yawing when I don't want to. Also, I haven't managed to get the toggles or the fire button to recognize pinkie shifts. For instance, I wanted engine offs and weapons jetison to be toggles+pinkie, with the fire+pinkie as master arm. It doesn't work with that, in Longbow Anthology, at least. But I need the keyboard nearby for a variety of other commands anyway, so it's not a big deal. I leave master arm on, I just wanted the neat effect of switching to it on the fly. There's nothing quite like having laser designator on a stick button to trigger one or two seconds before a hellfire impact, though. The lower hat on the stick does tend to get flipped occasionaly, but I put all my target next/previous/best/close on it. That makes it less of an issue.

The stick is adjustable to your handsize (my first adjustment that seemed perfect actually was too cramped) and it feels well built. I completely discount any complaints that the stick is too easy to tip over or has too much range of motion. If you're not strapping, taping, tying or otherwise attaching them to something, then you're an idiot. You should do that with any HOTAS. Even with my old Playstation I had the Flight Force Pro throttle and stick tied to the flat arms of a wooden deck chair with wrapping present ribbon/string. Couch throw pillows, queen size pillow, and standard pillow made great cushions. You can get a whole flight seat set up with just stuff around the house or from the local department store. Friends would freak out seeing me with Gunship 2000, Ace Combat 2, Colony Wars, and Star Fighter with that setup. Like I said, if you don't do twist rudders, buy pedals. If you don't like the stick, buy a CH one. The throttle is probably the best out there. I like the Saitek how it is and for the price you're getting stick and rudder for free when the only thing left on the market anymore that can compete with this is CH at $100 per item. I'm thrilled with my purchase.

Saitek has very few useful profiles, and it is not easy to make good ones. Go to Simhq and look for any of my posts. I have a link at the bottom of my signature that will take you to a zip of profiles. Amazon apparently doesn't allow for URL's to be listed.

Honest reviews on Saitek X52 Flight Control System

I've owned the x45 HOTAS for almost a year since I decided to finally try the x52. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the x45, I just got a little curious about the x45's older brother.

Here are my observations comparing the two HOTAS: x45 vs. x52

* x45 Buttons/Hats were a little hard to reach with smaller hands on the stick, but I actually prefer the rocker switch for rudder control located on the throttle. I only wish it was designed better and more ergonomically. It felt weird for me to pull on the stick on the x52 and have to rotate the it for rudder control as more often than not I find myself rotating the stick inadvertently. Stability sucks while playing games, it's just not heavy/stable enough to keep from tipping often. SOLUTION: I've fabricated a bracket out of wood and steel to solve this. Solid as a rock on my chair or desk! Heavy as a rock though... =0(

* x52 Buttons/Hats are easier to reach on the stick, but having the rudder twist on the stick is a drawback for me. I'd rather use the rocker on the throttle or rudder pedals. More available modes are nice, but I've honestly never run out of buttons on the x45. Stability sucks while playing games, it's just not heavy/stable enough to keep from tipping over. Fabricating a bracket to mount on would solve this. The x52 just feels much bigger than the x45. It's a little uncomfortable moving the stick around because of its size, but the huge deadzone in the stick seems to be the biggest drawback for me. Can't seem to solve it with software either...

Unfortunately, I will be returning the x52 after only a few weeks of use and going back to my trusty x45. It looks cooler than the x45, feels better, but functionality has not been improved for me. Biggest drawbacks of the x52 are as follows (in order of importance):

1) Huge deadzone that can't be compromised with software. My x45 doesn't exhibit this flaw.

2) Rudder twist on the stick rather than a rocker switch. I would have preferred that they improved upon the x45's rocker switch on the throttle on the x52.

3) The HOTAS just "seems" much bigger when I'm playing. It's a little uncomfortable how tall the stick is and how much I have to throw it around for fast game playing.

Anyways, my $0.02. Have fun with whatever HOTAS you end up going with. I happen to love the fact that I paid $64.98 for my x45 on amazon, less than half what I paid for the x52. In my case, the x45 is simply a much better buy for what I got. But whatever the case, go test drive first. See what works for you! Just make sure you can return either for a refund.

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First, a short plug for AMAZON: They've provided the SAITEK X52 at a terrific Christmas price, delivering it with flawless service!!! Kudos to all of you at Amazon.com! Happy New Year!

I own and operate the Thrustmaster Cougar and now have the Saitek X52 to compare. First of all, they are similar and different but you can't fully appreciate one without knowing the other. This is a terrific opportunity to do a head to head comparison.

The X52 is simply a delightful work of art. It is beautiful sitting on my desk in the dark with it's illuminated buttons, switches and most of all the throttle's blue, backlit LCD. I wouldn't have believed I could own such technology for approximately one Ben Franklin but it's true and I'm in a little bliss over this new, superb flight control system.

THE GOOD X52

There's so much to say about this pair of controllers and almost all of it is positive. The aesthetics are unpretentiously modern star wars motif. The textured black on silver puts one to mind of a new stereo outfit. The little rubber inset grippers on the rotaries, dials and POVs are very appealing but the configurable intensity blue LEDs and LCD are so peerless that a smile is invoked every time I look the controls over. You can move the hand rest for the flight stick to five positions. This should accommodate a range of large to small hands nicely as the POVs, buttons and mode switch are put in effortless reach of thumb, index and pinky fingers. The stick has a short rotational throw with "relatively" strong spring resistance for rudder control. This is one 3D stick that doesn't seem to produce an affect on the X and Y axes when the rudder twist is engaged. There's a lock at the base of the stick to eliminate the rudder function but isn't especially necessary if you don't wish to use the stick's rudder feature. It really doesn't seem to interfere at any time.

The SST programming software can be optionally installed. In other words, you can keep things bare bone simple by allowing the buttons to be assigned to basic tasks within a game. You lose a great deal of potential function by not programming the X52 but you will still have a very powerful controller even in its most basic form. The SST isn't exactly intuitive but with a few hours of reading the installed Profile Editor's manual, under the HELP tab, and some experimentation, you will be amazed and pleased by a powerful and well thought out programming interface. You can really open up the interface by switching from a 3D display to a tabled "Data View". It seems as though there is no limit to the variation and combination of switch settings with 3 Modes and six base toggle positions. Like the Cougar, you can continue to multiply function by invoking the pinky button while selecting what a button, slider or POV will do. You have a micro stick on the throttle that will most likely be used as a mouse control. There's a hat on the throttle as well as a thumbwheel that operates very much like the thumbwheel mouse button combination on modern pc mice. The fore mentioned Slider and Thumbwheel are not on the Cougar's throttle but the X52 lacks the dogfight and Speed Brake switches. All else has comparable counter parts. The Cougar and X52 flight sticks are also close in features. The X52 lacks two POVs but has a 3 position rotary and six toggles on the base. The flip-up cover for the primary pickle button on the X52 stick is an Easter egg to me. Some might consider it a nuisance or waste but it can be left in the up position and poses no restrictions for critics. I find it an appealing item that shows a playful and generous attitude on the part of Saitek's engineering team. Another nice item is the small green power LEDs on the X52 controls. Again, it may be unnecessary but why not? There's a space for them and if you should choose to turn the LEDs and LCD backlighting to the off option, you'll still know your units are powered up.

THE BAD X52

Hardly worth mentioning when considering the incredible price! The units are very light weight; less than a pound for the throttle and perhaps a little more than that for the stick. Unless fastened down or minimum resistance is set for the throttle, you will be tipping and sliding it around when throwing the handle forward or back. I haven't wanted / bothered to install the supplied suction cups so that may be the way to go for many users. Suction cups aren't for me though. The action of the flight stick's axes is so light that you will require some practice getting used to a feather touch for control. It can be readily done but may not be immediately what you want for confidence inducing sensory resistance. I am happy with the action now but initially it didn't feel right. You might wish the flight stick handle to sit an inch lower as the zero contact design seems to have elevated the stick a bit more than it would be otherwise. If you can mount the stick a little lower than desk top level you might like the stick height a little bit more. Also, there is no solid detent for the idle and afterburner on the throttle. The resistance at least doubles when these boundaries are engaged and I do know that I have reached them but the familiar snick into a detent is what I'm used to and thus it doesn't feel quite right at this stage of my introduction to the X52. It's not a disaster without the detents and the lack of them may prove to be an absent point of wear that won't become an issue one day.

The SST programmer interface lacks the availability of a REMark statement but a comment can be made to momentarily appear on the throttle's LCD when a button press or macro is engaged. This quieted that lacking REMark complaint to a barely audible murmur from me. To see a short definition of a key press on the LCD adds to a sense of total technology coolery.

The multi language hardcopy manual looks loaded and promising but once opened you will be disappointed in the 30 pages of pertinent information that in part is a warrantee disclaimer and Saitek contact information. The manual that gets installed with the SST software doesn't mention the X52 at all but refers to the X36 and X45. One reference to setting milisecond timing for keypresses isn't correct with this version of the SST. There's still enough help available to understand the X52 adequately and it's a good guess that an update help system is in the making. By contrast the Cougar has an excellent hardcopy manual but in just a few hours I feel I know as much about the X52 as I do of the Cougar after two years of intermittent exposure. Sometimes less can be more.

The SST programming software lacks a literal KEYTEST applet, as well as many other FOXY like application and programming aids. Any of the FOXY like applets would be a terrific addition to an otherwise great programming interface. I might add that within the X52's control panel is a TEST tab. When testing each button, POV, mode switch and rotary, there's has been an ever so slight jittering in one or the other rotaries. Right now, I'm seeing nothing so I won't know how that will fair in the future but for now, it is not a problem to me and at present, doesn't even exist.

THE FINAL CONSENSUS

Quality, at least in part, is in the eye of the beholder. The Saitek X52 is light weight plastic. The Thrustmaster is heavy duty aluminum. You can never compare the two on a price level. The Cougar's FOXY programming language interface with all it's tutorials, keytest applications and interactive graphical interface is without comparison. The X52 simply is no match for these two features. But the Cougar is more than twice the price and doesn't have the LEDs and informational mode LCD with three time zones, button engagement information and timer. But, in the end neither really performs any greater or less than the other. One is a Honda and the other is a Hummer. They're both terrific and will get you reliably to your destination. I wouldn't want to choose between them and I'd rather own them both if possible. If you want the most expensive and robust feel that performs extensively and well, then you need the Cougar. If want the coolest looking, feature laden outfit available, go for the X52. I love the X52. I won't know how it will work in two years like I know of the Cougar but for the moment, I'm a coon in a cabbage patch.

Discount Guitar Hero 5 - Xbox 360 (Game only)

Customer Ratings:

Well I would just like to say, that the average rating of this game is 3 stars. I'm very stunned by that, because this is a good game. I'm going to do a list of pros and cons.

Pros:

+ Excellent graphics, the band on stage has never looked better, and some of the effects are awesome. You either hate them or love them.

+ The song selection is huge, the biggest out of all the guitar heroes, I was really surprised with all the venues they had in career.

+ Is the song selection good? Overall it's more good than bad which is nice, I wish there were some more songs that I knew on the game.

+ The game is fun to play, it's enjoyable, and not as frustrating as some of the other guitar heroes.

+ A lot of reviews, say playing your avatar in the game looks weird and just doesn't fit in. I disagree, it gave me a chance to really make my avatar look cool, sometimes I get sick of seeing the same game characters every guitar hero.

+ The Party Play is a nice feature, I know if I had party at my house, and tons of instruments I would definetely use this feature. It's also fun, if you're to lazy to find a song to play, or just want to relax.

+ Tons of replay value, going back to get the bonuses, or completed every song in career will take a while and keep you busy.

There's a few nuetral spots, that aren't bad at all, but annoy me in some way:

+/Sympathy for the Devil is a fun song to play, but listening to "whoo, whoo," the whole song can get on your nerves.

+/Making a logo, wasn't all that great, I found it to be more annoying than fun when making one, but I felt good when I got it done.

+/I only knew about 3 of the songs when I played this, some of the other guitar heroes, atleast had 5-10 songs that I knew, but not a problem at all since most of the songs are quite enjoyable anyway.

And last but not least the negatives:

This guitar hero didn't do much in progression, what I mean each guitar hero game has some significance in doing something new for the fans, this one didn't do that for me, still a fun game.

The store is gone, instead of money you have to unlock the stuff, and some stuff you can't even unlcok on medium, which is the difficulty I play on, which in general sucks.

Well, Overall this is a really good game, and if you're a guitar hero fan this is a must buy, with great graphics, pretty good song selection, and lots of replay value. I actually mostly bought this so I could get Guitar Hero: Van Halen for free and actually I play guitar hero with the guitar, our family is poor, and I'm only 14 and don't make much money, but still even with this is an awesome game!! Recommeneded for Guitar Hero fans, and people who need to complete their collection.

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We've owned all the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, often for multiple systems, plus many other music games. We are both musicians. So we definitely were looking forward to Guitar Hero 5 to see what new features it would offer and how it would compare with the many other offerings that exist out there.

First, let me comment that it makes a HUGE difference what equipment you use for any of these games. If your drums suck, then it really doesn't matter what the game does or does not do. You're going to hate the experience because of lousy drum response. So we definitely recommend having wireless guitars, so there's no drag at all on your movements, and an Ion drum kit. Making these improvements in your set are going to give you a vastly superior experience whichever game you go with.

Guitar Hero 5 doesn't do anything groundbreakingly new. We were able to pop it in and start playing on Medium, whipping through songs at 5 stars without much problem. So the mechanics are sound. Hit colored notes with the matching button. Sing on key. The songs are all "real songs" by now which is great no more fake-bands with not-right notes. You can import other songs from past games (in the same series) which is good too.

They've done some nice work with the interface. Each player gets their own view of the fail bar so you can see at a glance how well you're doing, and how you're earning star power. Activating star power implements it just for you, which I disagree with. I think a member should be able to help the entire band. That's always been a complaint of mine with this series though.

They are focusing now solely on stars. You earn up to five stars for performance, one for perfection, and then others through cool challenges. One song might be "hit lots of chords". Another song might be "hit lots of snares". It encourages you to go back and replay songs to get those challenge levels, and to try different instruments.

The overall interface for working with songs is less than stellar though. When you're in a given gig (location) you can't easily see all the songs. When you're on the overall list of gigs, you can't easily see which gigs still have songs to do. If you're poking into a given gig to look around, when you come back out it resets you back to your "current gig". The whole moving around the screens is a pain.

The character customization is lacking. I'm female and I found the outfits for women to be on the insulting side. In other games I can create PERFECT outfits that I adore. Here it seems I have to choose from leather bikinis, spiked bikinis or plastic bikinis. I was hard pressed to find something I even remotely liked.

The tutorials are also lacking. The drum star power for example says to use the orange cymbal which we don't have on an ion drum kit. So we did the tutorial which properly showed us as not having an orange track but then told us to hit the orange cymbal. We went through the tutorial and it said "good job" even though we'd never actually implemented star power!! What kind of a tutorial says you've succeeded when you've failed?

They did add some cool features to the locations. For example I was playing "Jailbreak" in the Grease drag-strip location. When the song gets to the parts with the sirens, blue and red lights started flashing and then a burst of flame came out in perfect time to the main crescendo!! Someone did a lot of work with that sort of timing on songs. It really is quite fun if you look for it.

It's always hard to critique a song list. Some people will love these songs other people will hate them. I do like that if you're reasonably good you can unlock new gigs VERY quickly so you can get to fresh songs. That way whichever ones you don't like, you can move past them and get some new ones. That being said, I found fewer songs I adored in this set than perhaps in any other similar game I've played. Maybe this particular one is skewed towards a musical type I'm just not fond of. Some classics are great fun Sympathy for the Devil, Sultans of Swing but many of them are not high on my list. I'm sure those exact same songs are high on other peoples' lists. Just be sure to look through the music list and see if it appeals to you.

I found the very obvious product placements like GIANT T-Mobile billboards in the middle of a gig location to be on the obnoxious side. Surely they could have been done more subtly.

In summary, we're certainly enjoying playing it. The tie-ins with the gig location reacting to a specific song is quite cool. The playing of the music is intuitive and fun. But for me, the characters being not ones I really connect with (due to clothing options) and the song list being weighted (for me) with songs I'm not really fond of gives this only 4 stars rather than 5.

Feel free to contact me with any questions. As mentioned, we play these games a LOT.

NOTE: One more thing to mention! This game was made on SHODDY GAME DISCS and will often give failure messages in older XBox systems. What you have to do is go into the XBox system console and copy the game onto your hard drive. It should run fine once you do that.

Best Deals for Guitar Hero 5 - Xbox 360 (Game only)

This game is one of the very best Hero games available.. Guitar Hero 2, then Guitar Hero 5.. and that's really impressive to me.

Here's a rundown of pros and cons for folks looking to maybe make the purchase.

Pros

1. Party Mode is a blast, you enter into it.. no failing, just jamming.. Songs come to you randomly and people can jump in and out as they please, any set up you want.. 4 singers, sure.. 3 guitarists and a drummer.. fine. The thing I maybe like best about it though, is if no one is playing at all.. it still cranks the music over your surround sound.. very nice touch.

2. The set list is great, very diverse and very fun. Importing your downloads from World tour is a bonus, downloading songs off of World Tours disk(and Smash Hits to come later) is even better. Some of my early favorite tracks or artists: Judith, Deadbolt, American Girl, Band of Horses, Children of Bodom, What I got, Spirit of the Radio and King Crimson.. plus many many more.

3. The career mode is better, yet a lot more simple.. no longer are you trying to collect money, there is a challenge for each and every song.. Hit 300 kicks on Blue Orchid, 250 snares on They Say, these types of challenges made me want to play these songs, even though they were easier drum songs.. and it was fun to achieve the challenge.. I even played guitar and bass, to get complete some of the challenges, which is something I haven't done for awhile now.. as I had become all about the drums, until now.

4. The little things, the change of the drum set up(if you're like me, and use the Rock Band 2 drums, you'll know what I mean) The cymbals are mapped to what they are supposed to be now.. and that adds a lot of fun to the drums.. The menus are easy to navigate through, everything seems very seamless, which is very welcome if you've ever played World Tour. Picking and sticking with your own band is also very cool in quickplay.. unlike Rock Band 2 where your characters always change at random(unless you're in the tour) here you can select your band.. and they stay.. very cool small touch.

5. Many more, but I'll just end this by saying.. for the first time in a long time, I didn't want to go right back to Rock Band 2.. which means this game certainly is worth a pick up. Even by those that are Rock Band 2(only) enthusiasts.

Cons

1. I noticed this quickly.. its not as easy to pick the song you want to select as it should be.. yes, there is a sort function, and a lot of nice ones(drum intensity, or guitar, vocalist or bass intensity. Along with the normal genre and by band sort) but the problem is.. you have to hold down yellow to quickly get down the page, and it just doesn't work.. there is no way to look at each genre and select from there, so that was a disappointment.. Also, say you are trying to test yourself.. so you play Demons on drums.. you pass it.. you want to try the next one in line.. well, you start all the way back at the top again, and have to go through all of the songs(145 on my game with all the imports), so that's a little discouraging. Not a deal breaker, but.. a small pain.

2. The avatar integration is a little silly.. they just don't blend on screen.. sore thumb is an understatement(unless you have your whole band as avatars, then I guess it could be cool)

Honestly, I can't think of any more cons.. I'm sure some will come with time, but I just wanted to give people that were on the fence a heads up.. this game is much, much better then World Tour.. and feels like it added a lot of things that should have been there all along. Highly recommend.

Honest reviews on Guitar Hero 5 - Xbox 360 (Game only)

Ah, the "Guitar Hero" franchise. Wonderfully simple and accessible, yet endlessly complex and challenging. I've played several different iterations, including this one, and of them, I gotta say this one is the best.

When you start up the game, it takes you to the title screen and, interestingly, gives you the choice of either going to the start menu or jumping right into a song. One of my friends chose the song option and spent the next few minutes playing some Nirvana and Garbage, having a great time with the game before even getting to the menu. Not too many games you can say that about.

Once in the game itself, you have all the usual options. New to the game is the ability for all players to chose their own instruments. If you really want to have a band that's nothing but bass and drums, now you can! If your dream is to sing "Under Pressure" with three of your friends, now you can do that!

Additionally the Xbox version gives you the chance to incorporate your avatar. This is a welcome addition, but unless you have a band of nothing but avatars, it looks a little strange. Seeing your small, super-deformed character standing there grooving out next to some other semi-real look people creates a bit of an eye-strain.

The song list is about what you've come to expect and happily it allows you to play songs you've downloaded for previous versions of the game. You say you really like the version of "We Are the Champions" that you downloaded for GH4? Never fear! You can play it in GH5 as well!

There's also several challenges to unlock new gear, new venues and the like, as well as all the usual achievements and extras that you'd expect with the game.

Overall this game does what all sequels should: it takes the best from the previous versions and adds new things. What more can you ask for?

Now excuse me while I kiss the sky... or floor. I'm not well coordinated. :(

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For the nonband-specific GH titles (I think Metallica is the best yet), GH5 is the best. The new system is much more fun than any of the previous ones. In addition, the achievements are challenging but NOT IMPOSSIBLE as many players found previous ones. I love it when popular dead musicians come out on stage to play with you. It's awesome.

Cheap Final Stretch-Horse Racing Sim - PC

Customer Ratings:

This game wasn't quite what I was expecting, but now that I have figured it out I am really enjoying it!

The basic idea of the game is centered around horse racing. You have three options: You can be a stable manager, a jockey, or a better. If you choose stable manager, you actually can do all three!

I've found the jockey option to be quite maddening. It drove me absolutely crazy. I rode horses in about a hundred races and finished dead last, or second to last every single time. I tried every strategy I could come up with and could not even ONCE win a race with any horse I tried. And that was on easy level! I think this portion of the game needs serious work it's way too difficult.

The betting portion is just "ok." You can bet on horses when you're playing the stable manager version as well, so I don't see the fun in playing where you JUST bet. Especially since sometimes it seems completely random which horse wins a race (maybe like real life .. heh!).

The stable manager version is where it gets fun. While it has some serious downfalls, now that I've figured it out I've been having a fantastic time. When you're a stable manager you get to hire staff, build up your stable (buy and improve your buildings), buy and train horses, board other people's horses for cash. You can also go to auctions and buy horses as well as breed and race your own horses.

I'll talk about the cons first.

STAFF: Basically you have no control over your staff. You can hire them, give them raises, and that's about it. You also can choose which Lad works with which horse. I was hoping for more control over staff, and for the staff you have to make a bigger difference.

INCOME: At the start of the game, it is VERY difficult to balance your income and expenditures. I "lost" the game at least 3 times because I ran out of money. The only ways to make money are 1) race 2) sell a horse and 3) boarding. Once you get in to the game and get some international level horses, racing brings in a LOT of cash. In the beginning though, you only will get $2000-$10000 per race if you WIN (which is hard) and you have to subtract from that the fee to enter the race and the jockey fee. Selling a horse is an option, but in the beginning you may have one or two horses... so selling isn't really an option. The last way to get income is boarding, which hardly covers your expenses. For the first hour I played I basically just clicked "next week" dozens of times trying to make enough money from my boarders to afford a new horse (since I had sold mine to pay off my negative bank balance and have an extra stall to board). I think that there are some serious issues with money making in the beginning, and once you get nice horses it becomes too easy to make money.

NO TUTORIAL: This game isn't easy to figure out. The manual is horrible, there is no tutorial and when you hover over a button, there is no indication of what it does. I had to learn by trial and error.

PRACTICALLY NO GRAPHICS: The only time there are any graphics is during a horse race. Even then, it's kind of boring. Every horse looks exactly the same (different colors, same exact body/movement).

HORSES DIE YOUNG: My horses tend to die at age 14-15. In real life, it's normal for horses to live well past 20! I currently own a horse that is 23 and still going strong!

Ok, so those are all the bad things. There are plenty of good things too else I wouldn't have given this game four stars!

Once you get lucky enough to have an upper level (national/international) race horse, money comes easily and you can afford to buy more horses and rely less on boarding for income. An average purse in an international race is $500,000-$1,000,000!

I've been having a LOT of fun breeding my horses, training and racing them. It's become quite addicting! The training part of the game is fun. You get to pick which activity you want your horse to do each week, and you have to pick well to optimize your horse so that he is in top form and healthy for the race, yet still has the speed and stamina to do well.

People who like games that are heavy in graphics will probably not enjoy this game. This game is mostly text! I occasionally watch my horses race, but normally I skip the race and go right to the results. For those who enjoy text games, and also those who enjoy horse racing and strategy games, this game is a lot of fun! You just have to get past the awkward trial and error learning stage and then the game becomes addicting and incredibly fun!

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This game allows you to manage a stable, jockey the horses and bet or do any one of these things. Even on the easiest level, it is very difficult to make money at the beginning, though it becomes very easy once you have some good horses. There is sort of a critical mass situation, which is a problem in many other "economic" games (you have to have money to make money but then it becomes almost too easy). I have to admit to having to resort to some "creative" reloads after certain races or if the horse suddenly becomes ill right before the race you have been training so long for (which they often do, despite all your health management).

It's nice to be able to control the breeding and training and management of the horses as that seems to get left out of most horse racing sims. You can actually see your horses improving as a result of your training priorities. This is much more intricate than other games of its type, but there are still some limitations.

1. The jockey program is very hard to figure out, even on "easy" mode. I had more luck racing halfway well with the standardbreds than the throroughbreds, perhaps because they are slower paced...My ability to estimate how well my horse is doing , my reaction times and my ability to keep an eye on the screen while adjusting the buttons for speed and steering etc. are not as good as the computer's, obviously. I just can't seem to figure the best time to consistently hit the accelerator coming out of the gate (the computer always gets it right) and so nearly always break last, regardless of the horse's stats.

2. You are forced to rise to the level of your incompetence, in that you do not (as you would in ral life) have the option of staying at a level where you are doing well but not outclassing everyone. Once your horse has a certain amount of money, they MUST move up in class, even if they are outclassed at that level. You can never move down in class. Also, some of the race options are bizarre. There don't seem to be any races for two year olds (makes it hard to move your horse up to G1 class by the first week in May for the kentucky derby). And you can "accidentally" enter your flat racer in a steeplechase. And there are mounted trotting races (ow). Very odd. Not bad, but not super realistic.

3. These other things are minor issues, though. The main issue is that there is not a real goal in the game besides making money and becoming famous. There are tons of races of different lengths and on different surfaces. So you finally get to a point in the game where you have several good horses and you are famous and making tons of money and have upgraded your farm to the highest level in everything, and you are at that "what now?" stage. If they ever come out with a new version of this, having some kind of championship (perhaps invitational for different lengths, surfaces, genders, ages etc.) akin to the breeder's cup races and maybe a 3 year old "triple crown" for each nation and perhaps "horse of the year" awards and "halls of fame" would be a nice addition. Maybe an international championship too. I mostly follow U.S. racing, and very few of even the best horses from the U.S. go overseas to race (maybe because our purses are richest), but if international is going to be part of the game, maybe some world "breeder's" cup that is in a different place every year or something would be nice. Maybe they also should consider having races that correspond more closely to real races in terms of their rules for entry, at least at the G1 level. It seems odd that I can enter a 5 year old male horse in the "brader's cup filly". It's also a bit strange that horses continue to race after they have foals. Maybe it's different in Europe, but in the U.S. horses are always retired once they become breeders. Choosing whether to risk the health of a possible good breeder by keeping it on the track for another year versus retiring a proven winner (who may turn out to be a dud, or even sterile, at stud) is part of the game in real life.

I don't go im for online games, because of all the conneting, politics and coordinating that's needed with other players don't appeal to me, so maybe there's more to it if you play it on line against other humans?

Still, it's much better than other PC horse racing sims I've seen that mostly focus on just the betting and racing aspects of the sports and not the actual stable management, breeding and training. The graphics and simulations of what happens during the races are quite good and being able to upgrade your stable facilities and hire different staff is a nice touch.

Best Deals for Final Stretch-Horse Racing Sim - PC

Be warned: this is not your typical "tycoon" or management game, nor is it for people who only have a passing interest in horse racing. It is very dry and in depth, but you can learn a lot of things if you are willing to give it a lot of time and effort. Did I mention most of the game takes place in a planner screen?

Horse racing manager started out by surprising me there were 3 modes of play. Betting, Racing and Stable. In Stable mode you are put in charge of managing every little nuance of the stable. In this mode you also get opportunities to bet at any races that come up as well as having the racing option. Whenever your horse is entered in a race, you have the choice of watching, going straight to the results, or racing the horse yourself. Of course the jockey you choose to sit on the horse, specifically their temperament (harsh, gentle, strict etc) has a lot to say. This is the only part of the game that has actual moving graphics. The learning curve for racing is fairly high, learning how to balance endurance and speed and positioning, as well as picking one of three things your jockey should focus on: Wind protection, whipping, and regaining energy to whip. Not to mention the days and weeks of training to help your horse have a greater chance to win. But just like real life, sometimes lady luck throws you for a spiral. A victory is never assured.

To greater or lesser extents you can manage the training, breeding, gambling, racing and management parts of the game, but only through management methods. You pick out tasks and make decisions from your planner book. You never actually get to see your horse being fed or trained nor your employees performing any of their tasks. It's all done through numbers and directions. You can buy about 6 buildings on the building map, and 3 levels of each type. A pretty boring and basic map with little points of colour and shapes where different buildings are. The various buildings increase different things such as training time, horse nutrition, fame etc. Some buildings become available only after you've built others. What you can build is also dependent on what country and stable you purchased at the beginning (difficulty level, weather conditions, types of racing etc is determined by which site you choose),

There is an amazing amount of detail that has gone into the information and numbers part of the game. This can actually get confusing and makes the learning curve even higher. The tutorial is basically one of the read and click variety which doesn't help out the difficulty. It is quite a simulator, but I am left with the feeling that it could have been more FUN somehow. The game is rather like looking at a horseracing magazine with the long lists of numbers and breeding etc, and the learning curve is high. Graphics are practically non-existent and the sound is mediocre. It is by no means a bad game, but be prepared for some seriously heavy management and lots of time to learn the game. A great idea, very dry implementation, but I hope to see more to come in this sub genre of simulators.

Honest reviews on Final Stretch-Horse Racing Sim - PC

If you're just a horse lover who isn't into way high tech games, then this is really fun. It's not very interactive though. For building a stable, that's kinda a lie, you really pick a structure and press build. The racing part is fun, but frustrating at first. No matter what you do you almost always come in last. (my record is third to last right now.) You do, however get to buy horses and breed them. Then, when you want to race your horse, (not in jockey mode) always look at your horse's prefances. Oh yeah, and get expensive horses and press sim, because that will get you more money in the end.

You can call a dietician for your horse too, but they do all the work so there's really no point. And training too, if you want to get the most out of this use a lad. All you do though is pick how you want your horse to be trained and press ok. There are three modes of this game.stable manager, which is the funnest, but you run out of money really quick and have to quit. Jocky, where it can be frustrating to get any higher than 16th place (unless you sim, then you will probably come in firt, but it is not as much fun.). And Bet mode, where you watch the races and bet on horses I think, but you can do that in the other modes to so, once again...pointless.

In short if you love horse, and love a good challange, and arn't likly to thow shoes at the computer screen if you don't win, then this game is a lot of fun.

P.S. I never did throw a shoe at the computer screen if your wondering.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Final Stretch-Horse Racing Sim - PC

This was some incredible design job and the graphics are truly incredible as are the sounds and sights. Its like a virtual reality day at the Races.

The only slight drawback to this game is that even when you select a race in the USA, all the races arr in Euro distances and measurements, making it tough for many of us to be sure of the distance.

However that said, this game is complete in every other way and a must buy for the Horse Racing fan.

I would tell the programmers of this one to go back to the start phase and make a USA Version of the game and use American Tracks, and this one will sell like hotcakes ! If it is not doing so already.

Best Regards to All, MC TheStickRules.Com

Best Xbox 360 8' Component A/V Cable Deals

Customer Ratings:

Good video and stereo audio quality. Nice cables. The color coding and labels on the plugs could be better it's difficult to tell which plug is which.

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This cable fits snugly in both my Xbox 360 and TV, provides great picture quality and is plenty long for most applications at 8'. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is that the 5 cables on the TV end do not line up in the same order as the 5 inputs on the back of the TV itself, I assume this should be pretty universal and not just an issue with my TV. It does not cause any issues but is merely a minor annoyance.

Best Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - Xbox Deals

Customer Ratings:

In the XBox version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe movie, the game mixes in video footage from the movie with action game fighting, coin collecting and obstacle climbing.

If you've played a platformer/adventure game before, you have a fair idea of what's involved here. You bash random objects to see if coins or special tokens emerge. You climb up trees. You kill random enemies that come at you. You get to checkpoint at spots along your path, in case death visits you. At the end of each level, you get your coins and tokens tallied up, and get a rating of how well you did.

You have an incentive to gather as much as you go the more coins you get, the more special abilities you unlock. Those skills really help you as you get into the more challenging areas of the game.

Since you have the four main characters from the book and movie, each character has his or her own special abilities. You often have to switch from character to character to get past an area having the young Lucy climb up onto objects, having the stronger Peter bash at doors or wolves. There are even combo moves where two characters interact together in order to solve a problem.

The graphics are reasonably good for the XBox platform. There are many transitions between the video cinematics and the in-game graphics which really help to ensure you feel a part of the story. If you want quick gaming, you might get frustrated there is a lot of movie to sit through, to build the atmosphere for you. However, if you really enjoy the storyline, you'll be thrilled. You get a lot of the background and interaction to give you meaning for what you're doing.

Some of the gameplay is a little more annoying than it should be. There are missions where you have to figure out a timed path. There isn't any real rhyme or reason to the path you just keep trying paths and failing until by default you end up with the correct one. Ditto to the "find the [insert object name here]" kinds of missions.

Also, the camera is *really* annoying. There are many spots where you want to turn around and examine the area, but you can't. In the modern world of gaming, there's really no reason for a fixed camera angle.

Still, for people who love the movie, this is a great, fun way to get involved in the movie storyline. There is fighting, but it's a mild style of wolf-bashing type of combat.

Well recommended.

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I liked the game for the few minutes I could play it. i got a bad copy and although I got a refunded I never bought the game again so that soured my experience.

Best Deals for Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - Xbox

i loved it it was awsome i love anna popwell and hannah hume

ATV: Quad Power Racing 2 Review

Customer Ratings:

As an adult who doesn't have a whole lotta time to spare, this game is great for short 5-20 minute gaming, but can easily result in longer play time because of how addicting it is. The greatest things about this game are 1) the vastness of the tracks, 2) the serious air you can get with the ATVs, 3) the flexibility of the ATVs and 4) the wide range of play options.

The wide tracks allow a lot of room for mistaken swerving. Although there are some narrow spots, even if you bump into the walls lightly you won't fall off. This game is very forgiving when landing basic jumps. I've landed 50 yard jumps on only one wheel or even at an angle and still continued on racing. Landing after tricks is a bit more challenging but a good one for casual gamers. Speaking of tricks, only on another planet would you be able to pull off some of the crazy jumps in this game, but that's part of the fun. Who cares if you can't pull off a 360 backflip on an ATV in the middle of a rock quarry in real life. You can in this game and it's a lot of fun seeing how high and far you can jump during a mad dash to the finish line.

Some of the cons:

-The soundtracks do get old after awhile and allowing an option to upload your own MP3s onto the playlist would have been sweet.

This doesn't detract much from the game though.

-No replay cam. Would have been nice to rewatch some of the insane tricks.

I bought this game for $... at Fry's and it's worth a lot more than what I paid for.

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This is a very fun game. End of story.

Well, there is a bit more to it, actually: This game is not a mile stone in entertainment software. It is not going to rival games such as Rallysport Challenge, Project Gotham, or MotoGP. But it is a lot of fun to play.

It is also easy to learn, which makes this game one of the few games one can play with friends that do not normally play a lot of games. Today, most games are so sophisticated, they just don't allow serious and casual gamers to play together. This game is different! (And has a few nasty features such as kicking the other drivers off their ATV... this can add some spice to a friendly rivalry...)

Just for being a fun party game, I would give this game 5 stars. Of course, that wouldn't be quite fair to games such as Splinter Cell.

Best Deals for ATV: Quad Power Racing 2

If you like laugh-out-loud, arcade-style racers, then you'll love ATV 2.

It's fast, the physics are totally spot-on, and it's just a ton of fun. Knocing other bikers off their rides, a-la Road Rash, is very satisfying, and will have you yelling at the screen with evil delight.

The graphics are smooth and beautiful, with bump mapping, specular level-mapping, and lots of road-side detail, as well as bikes that articulate and respond to the road in a very realistic manner. Each "world" in the game (there are 15) is unique not only in appearance, but in how the races within it are strategically won. Some have more twists and turns, others are wider and flatter, others still are so foggy that visibility is very short, and some depend more on obstacles suddenly smashing into view after a tight corner.

I only give the game 4 stars because:

The arcade mode makes no sense. You race against other riders, but the only thing that matters is beating the timer, so who cares? Stick to the career mode. It's much more fun.

Tricks are, well, tricky. You have to press a button while simultaneously pressing a direction on the thumbstick. Seems to me this could have been better implemented.

The other modes (Freestyle, etc.) should have been integrated into Career. This would have made Career longer and more enjoyable, and would have given the game more structure. (Hey game designers, write me a book, don't just hand me a typewriter, you know what I mean?)

This is more of a tip, but the default controls are awful. You can change them to something very functional in Options by selecting "controller one". Use "setup C".

Overall though, I in no way regret buying this game, and play it very often.

Honest reviews on ATV: Quad Power Racing 2

Don't you hate when someone makes a sequel to a already bad game?You do? Then it's time to quit hating, Climax's latest is light years better than it's ugly-as-sin predecessor and is already worthy to compete against Sony's Offroad Fury series. The visuals have taken a giantic leap forward, the tracks are more intelligently designed (but still have stupid obstacles that require no memorization to avoid), and the controls have gotten the reworking they desperately deserved. If you can live without that "other" game's online support, then this is golden.

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My freinds and i played challenge taking turns for hours. In challenge you ride through courses, based on fastest time. We laughed so hard. I also own ATV Offroad Fury 1-2. Atv QP2 is fun and isn't just racing and tricks. Day 3 pro level in game I still have more to unlock. A must try. It's just that good. Rent or buy it's worth the trip.

--PS- (Change the controls to type C).

Reviews of Ear Force PX3 Programmable Wireless Gaming Headset

Customer Ratings:

Got this headset because I am up at night a lot and don't want to wake up others in the house with my surround sound system. I considered the PX5's and x41's but ultimately went with the PX3's because they're rechargeable (unlike the PX5's) and appeared to be made much better than the x41's.

I've had them for a few days now and so far I'm extremely happy with them. They're super comfortable and sound great. I know they don't have "true" surround sound, but when I'm playing shooters I can locate sounds instantly. It makes me wonder what it would be like with the DSS add-on. Playing COD I noticed that even when I get flashed, I'm still able to quickly turn to the correct direction most times and get a decent chance at taking the guy down, which is something that was difficult even with my surround sound system. Also, the way the RCA cord is designed allows you to run any other sound systems you might have straight through the headphones' red-white audio cord. This was one of the things I was apprehensive about prior to buying as I was not looking forward to switching the cords out all the time, but I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box to find such a well-designed cord.

The only reason I'm not giving this a five-star rating is because at times the sound can get a little bit digitized (the way that poorly compressed videos sometimes sound), but it's nothing distracting and it's not even present in most games. I've only noticed it in Dragon Age where there's a lot of quiet scenes with talking, and even then it only seems to happen with certain voices.

Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend these to anyone. Useful for FPS players as well as just people like me who don't want to disturb those around them. Even as a bit of an audiophile myself, I'm very happy with these headphones.

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***** THIS IS STRICTLY A PC REVIEW *******

I must say, I was very skeptical of wireless heaphones when researching for the pair I wanted. Playing WOW can require calling out events in a timely manner and there are so many bad reviews for just about every make and model, so it makes it hard to ultimately deside to go wireless. I wasn't sure if the small amount of negative reviews for the PX3's were because of the very little overall reviews in general or the quality of the headset, until I got them hooked up. This review is after one week of use:

INSTALLATION:

Installation is extremely painless. Completely plug and play. You will probably need to set the Turtle Beach headphones (Listed as Speakers in your Sound Control Panel) to Default, as well as the microphone. All you really need to do is go to "Sound" in your control panel, enable and set default for both.

SOUND:

Even though they are just a stereo headset when used on your PC, they still sound great. Apparently, you can add a device that will turn this headset into full surround sound, but it costs around $80. These are already expensive enough. You may as well just buy the PX5's at that point. The volume control is on the headset making it very convenient. There is also a volume bar on that appears in the bottom right corner of your display when adjusting volume, lettign you know your level and minimum / maximum levels. I really feel that surround and 5.1 should have been incorporated for the price they are charging, but my gaming does not require it so oh well. My understanding is that you get these capabilities with XBOX and PS3, so no worries for your first person shooters. You also loose the audio presets when using with PC or MAC.

TRANSMISSION:

I keep reading complaints about crackling and popping with wireless headsets. I am lucky enough to have my PC and the transmitter close to the center of my house, but the furthest point is still about 25-30', and I have crystal clear audio in all areas of my home. I even tested outside at about 40-45' through walls and couldn't get an issue. Considering I will never go further than that, I did not want to continue to push it because, knowing my luck, I might never get it working perfectly again.

MICROPHONE:

Surprisingly, everyone I chat with, using Ventrilo, says that I have never been so clear. Some say I sound different, even from my real voice, but much more clear. My biggest complaint is the lack of a programmable talk button. One button to program as any key would have been huge here. It is nice to move around the house without missing the conversation, but it gets frustrating when you can't respond. My way around this is to remove Push-to-Talk and mute my mic when not talking. Since the headset at least has the mic mute on it, this is not a bad way around it, I just hate contantly changing settings, muting, and un-muting.

BATTERY:

Uses a Lithium Ion Battery so I am getting the specified 10 hours, sometimes a bit more, so can't complain. Best part is, you can use while charging, so you do not have to worry about downtime for charging. The charging cable is USB Mini to USB-A and it is about 15' long, so you have plenty of length no matter where your PC is.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this headset and very happy to no longer be tethered to my PC. I gave four stars for the lack of a programmable talk button, the loss of audio presets when used with PC, and the loss of surround sound with PC. The cost may be up there, but after the pile of poor wireless headset reviews I have read, I decided to spend the extra cash to make sure I got it right the first time, and with this headset, I really feel that I did.

** As a side note, this headset can be used as wired to your PC, but does not come with the data transmission cable to do so. this means, you will need to purchase a separate USB Mini to USB-A 5-Pin cable. The included cable are only 3-Pin for power. So be sure to double check the specifications to ensure that the cable is 5-pin to support power, along with transmit and receive data transmission. You can always maintain the wireless connection while keeping the power cord plugge in. Eventually though, the battery will no longer hold a charge so you will need a data cable. Hopefully this will not be an issue for quite a long time being a Lithium Ion battery.

*** UPDATE ***

So far, the headphones still work great. I have noticed an issue when my PC is idle for long periods of time. I never put my PC to sleep or log off, but I do lock when away. When I come back, I typically need to disconnect and reconnect the USB in order to get the mic working again. Kind of a pain, but nothing too horrible. One thing that is supposed to resolve this, although for some reason it does not for me, is turning the USB Sleep mode off in your Advanced Power Settings. I have also pulled all nighters which run the battery down. After the 10-11 hours, if I let the battery get too low, it will not function while charging. I am trying to find a 5-pin USB cable to then make this a wired headset, but so far, I am not finding anything that allows my computer to recognize the headset at all. Will update if I do.

Best Deals for Ear Force PX3 Programmable Wireless Gaming Headset

When I first got this head, I was thinking to myself, alright! A really good headset that I can use for xbox and pc. Well, I was partially right. You can use this headset on xbox perfectly, VERY good volume, but the pc is a different story. For PC users, the volume is VERY good as well, but the microphone doesn't work for a lot of things. It shows up, but it can only be used for skype, ventrillo, team chat. For users that record videos for youtube and use programs to do voice over, it will not work. For myself, the mic didn't work for Fraps or Sony vegas. Thanks guys, this is my first review and I felt people just had to know...

Honest reviews on Ear Force PX3 Programmable Wireless Gaming Headset

[edit 3]

65 days after I got them, the left side broke all the way at the hinge. Can't fix them with tape, I might be able to fix them with some epoxy. Right now they are unusable. 140 bucks for 65 days of use is more than 2 dollars a day..

[edit 2]

After about a month of use, the left side broke, and the left headphone was hanging out, supported only by the wires. I used some tape and now they work fine, but at 140 bucks this is outrageous. I had headphones that were twice as cheap and broke after a year. Giving them 1 star again.

[edit]

The original review was for using them with Windows XP 32b, and I gave them a star for that. Since then, I tried them on Windows 7 64b and added two stars, because some of the problems got fixed due to the USB drivers and audio stack being improved in Windows 7 64.

The following problems were fixed:

1. When the headset loses connection, the sound will resume after the connection is reestablished, and the program playing the audio doesn't have to be restarted. Because of this, there is no need to put them in PS3 mode.

2. The volume wheel changes the volume only a bit at once, rather than going from no audio to full volume in a few clicks. The wheel is still loose though, and you can accidentally change the volume when putting them on or taking them off, but the effect is not as bad as before. Games also don't crash anymore.

Nevertheless, the poor range and nagging power saving shut off and beeps are still there, and I can't give them more than 3 stars.

------------original Windows XP review-------------------

Before I begin, I want to say that I had two other wireless headsets, a Travelite HS-1000W USB Wireless Headset and a Logitech ClearChat Wireless USB Headset.

Both broke after about a year, and I thought that if I pay more I will have a higher quality product.

The item reviewed here works on PCs, PS3 and Xbox 360. I only used them on a PC (WinXP), so this review will only reflect the use with a PC, but some of the problems will be the same on all the supported platforms.

Let's see the pros:

1. Good construction, quite a bit heavier than my other headphones, but not a problem.

2. Very good sound quality for music and video games (but read the cons too).

3. Long USB power cable, but it can get in the way sometimes.

4. Won't hurt my ears, as the other two headsets did.

5. The customer support people respond fast, although they can't help much.

And now the cons:

1. The headphones will go to sleep after 5 minutes of inactivity. If the microphone is on, they won't go to sleep so long as it picks up loud noises. The sleep behavior can't be changed or disabled.

2. A minute or two before going to sleep, they will make a moderately loud beep every 15 seconds, driving you crazy.

3. The range is worse than the other two, cheaper headsets that I had. The Asus one had the best range.

4. They pick up lots of interference from stuff like microwave ovens. The other two headsets did that too, but not nearly as bad as this pair. The PX3 will pick up my microwave oven from another room, about 15ft away.

5. Sometimes (quite often) if you briefly go out of range while playing music, watching videos, etc. the program that was playing the sound will stop playing sound, until you restart it (which is extremely annoying). The other two headsets did this as well, but not nearly as often.

6. If you switch them to PS3 mode while connected to a PC, you can use your PC sound card, rather than the built in USB one. This is a good thing, and helps with the previous problem, BUT if the sound volume drops under a certain threshold, the headphones will mute the sound briefly. If you turn on the volume controls all the way up, this is usually not a problem with most things EXCEPT for talk shows that have no background music or sounds. When the person makes a slight pause, such as in between words, the sound is cut off completely during that pause, and this gets very, very annoying, although it is hard to describe the effect in words.

7. The volume wheel is very loose, and I accidentally muted the volume or turned it all the way up while taking the headphones off or putting them on.

8. While I had the headphones in PC mode, some games, such as Fallout 3 crashed because of an error in Direct Input, due to the control buttons on the headset. Not sure if this is a problem on my system or it happens to others too, but the solution is to either switch them to PS3 mode or disable the HID devices associated with it in control panel.

And now some real examples where they will work well in PC mode:

1. If you watch a video or play a game, and you won't move away from the computer for the duration of the video or game.

2. If you listen to music or podcasts while working and don't plan to stop the audio for more than 3 minutes, and you don't move away from the computer with the headphones on.

On the other hand, if you like to use them while moving away from the computer, you can run into the situation described above, where they briefly lose the connection and the program playing the sound will stop until restarted. So let's say you are watching a 30 minutes news video, then decide to go get some coffee without taking off your headphones. If your headset loses the connection, you will need to restart the whole browser, then start the video again, and manually go to the place you left off.

If you want to do what I mentioned above without having to restart the browser, you can switch them to PS3 mode and set your default sound card as the one your computer came with. You will need to connect a special cable between the computer sound card to the PX3 transmitter. That cable does not come with it, btw.

This solution works pretty well, except for talk shows that have no background music.

One more thing: If you like to listen to music or podcasts, while doing some work on your computer, then you want to pause whatever you are listening to do concentrate on some other task, after a few minutes the headphones will start beeping in your ears every 15 seconds (unless if the microphone is on and there is quite a bit of noise in the room).

TLDR;

If you buy them for games or music, they should be fine. If you buy them for anything else, read the full review.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Ear Force PX3 Programmable Wireless Gaming Headset

This was my first turtle beach, and it is just wonderful. The other guy says that no presets have been released, he didn't really look that hard. You have to download the turtle beach presets manager ( Create an account at turtle beach first), hook up your transmitter to your computer, and download them to your device (They come in bundles, are free, and there is a ton of them). The PX3s are not fully programmable like the PX5s or the XP500s because all the presets are uneditable, but the PX3s are also cheaper. Also, the sound is great to me, the PX5s are probably better, but I wouldn't know. True, they do not have surround sound, but you can still tell from which direction footsteps are coming or you're getting shot at. But i guess if you've had a set of turtle beaches without surround sound before (I haven't, like I said this is my first set) then you would probably want to buy the PX5s, but if you've never owned turtle beaches, I would highly recommend getting a set of these. Also, if you have the PX3s or any other stereo headset without surround sound, you could always upgrade to surround sound by getting the Ear Force DSS 7.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound Processor

Death Note: Kira Game (Japanese Version) Reviews

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is great, I LOVE IT, i haven't PLAYED IT, but knowing any DS/DSI game, this is nice, the case ansd all the original papers and guides, game as no scratches, case is nice, its lovely and cant wait to buy a new DSI to play this

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My sister wanted this games for forever so I got it her but it took along time to arrive also it got stopped by customs i had to pay to get it out and I don't know how she plays it being in Japanese but she loves it.

Reviews of Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition Collection (Windows

Customer Ratings:

Well, these games are, in my opinion, the best games ever (funny, intelligent, adventurous and, yes, even spooky at sometimes). The characters are well defined, the story is very creative and filled with major and minor plots and it's a very non-linear game; depending on the decisions you take, things will unravel through different dialogs and order of events, making it a very personal adventure.

However, I don't understand why these special editions are so expensive for the PC; this same package for XBOX360 or PS3 cost 34 dollars... half the price! Even though I love these games I honestly think 70 dollars is a bit expensive; I imagine it's because only one store is selling them, which is another thing I don't understand...

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$89 for this is ridiculous. It's $15 to buy the digital versions on Steam. I would be willing to pay somewhat more for the physical copy, but $74??? And I realize commerce is all about supply and demand, but I can't believe this item is currently at the right price point.

Xbox 360 NFL Seatlle Seahawks Controller Reviews

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I purchased my controller brand new off of Amazon. I have had it maybe two months. I've only used it four or five times. The last time I used it it kept saying the controller was disconnected from the xbox and then the message would disappear. It did that 5 or 6 times within about 5 minutes. I checked the connection and it was solid. I finally gave up and went back to my old, trusty Microsoft wireless controller and it was fine.

As far as the controller goes (if you were to get one that works properly), the "thumbsticks" feel slick. The Microsoft brand has a kind of rubbery material used on theres, whereas Madcatz uses some kind of slick plastic. If you are playing a game that requires precision this one probably isn't for you.

I looked for reviews prior to purchasing and couldn't find any, so hopefully this helps.

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Bought this as a gift for my brother, he loves it even though it is not wireless, he is a major Seahawks fan.

Buy James Bond 007 Nightfire - Xbox

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007 Nightfire is out for all major platforms, in time for the latest Bond film. The graphics are stunning, gameplay is amazing. Well worthy of the series!

I'm a huge fan of the Bond games, and we have all of the previous ones. We got this one as soon as it came out, and were definitely not disappointed!

The graphics are a huge step up from previous versions. In the first 'training' mission, you're driving a car through city streets. The lights reflect off of the curves of the car, you can see inside to all of his controls and movements, the dents show up realistically, the back up lights glow softly, and if you bash it a bit, the trunk comes loose. The city around you has cobblestone streets, water rippling, streetlights that come down when you hit them. The attention to detail is just amazing!

As you then move on through the various levels, you see this same level of detail everywhere. From the Austrian castle and other alpine scenes, to the city scenes, watery scenes and more, each really shines.

The plot is very engaging and typically Bond. But in an attempt to show that this isn't about violence he's a SPY after all, not a Rambo you get bonus points for being stealthy instead of blasting in with guns, and for stunning or capturing enemies instead of killing them.

In fact, just about every area can be 'accomplished' in many ways. Bluster your way into an objective by a full frontal assault ... or sneak in the side way for extra points. Since you're also rewarded for your time and health, often the sneaky, non-violent way is the best.

You've got a huge array of equipment, weapons, armor and vehicles, and all work just the way you'd expect them to. I found the default controller configuration REALLY annoying, but a quicks stop in the config area got it back to the way I'm used to playing.

Plus, there's multiplayer! Play with up to four people at once on REALLY great maps with quite a bit of customization options on each one. Grab some bots for practice, and play arena, team arena, king of the hill, capture the flag, or other game types.

Definitely worthy of the Bond series, and highly, highly recommended to any first person shooter fan!

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Nightfire was released in 2002 and still 4 years later it stands strong. It is not as good a game as Everything or Nothing but from a first person shooter's stand point the game is very solid. The vehicle levels are very good as well. Your V12 Vanquish and other vehicles like snowmobiles will provide for some of the best chases ever in a Bond game. The game is a bit too short overall but is catchy enough for the Bond name. The story is interesting and the multiplayer is pretty fun. I can say with a clear consciense that if your a fan of Bond or just an action fan, nearly four years after it's release, Nightfire is still a solid choice when looking for a new game.

Best Deals for James Bond 007 Nightfire - Xbox

Who dosen't love Bond? The guns, the action, the suspense, and the fancy tux and the cars. It all adds up to an awesome video game. Many have been made about the Bond series, but this is the newest. In the game you play, James Bond 007 agent in his new set of adventures that range from infiltrating a castle, protecting a French agent in Paris, destroying missles in outer space, and driving an underwater submarince.

The game is mad fun for the 1-player mode. You see the screen as if out of your eyes, meaning you don't see yourselfonly the view in front of you. This style of play allows an awesome shooting game. Throughout the levels, you must stop Drake and his men from their evil plots, which means ALOT of gun action and suspense. It is a very fun and non-stop action.

This game has excellent graphics, the music is awesome, and the "suspense music" allows thrilling fights to be amplified. The sounds of the guns and the effects are just amazing. Mostly the game is very fun to play. Shooting with the many guns experienced are just fun. The vairety of guns are amazing from the Sniper Rifle, to the Grenades, the tribombs and mines, to the pistols, to my favorite: the rocket launcher. The game is one of the best in the action.

The coolest thing about Nightfire is the multi-player action. There is just so much to do. Various modes include the Death Match, Team Arena, King Of The Hill, Assasination, and much more. There are awesome gameplay options that allow mini-vecihles: helicopters and tanks, and there are plenty of other options. You can choose the types of guns in each level or make them completly random. You can customize computer opponents, and play on various stages.

Nightfire is an excellent game, and I certaintly reccomend it to any action-shooting game fans. Bond rules, and so does this awesome video game.

Honest reviews on James Bond 007 Nightfire - Xbox

This Bond game has a great plot. It may be a little out there at times, but is very enjoyable. Like "Agent Under Fire"game it was an original plot, but unlike it, I feel this plot was much more practical (in comparission). The best part was the multi player maps and actual characters from the movies (you can even use odd jobs hat as a wepon which kills in one hit). The addition of the self guided rockets make the multi player map much more challenging if you play with either bots, or real people.

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Nightfire is the best Bond game to be released since Goldeneye!

The plot lacks some 'Pa-ZAZ' I enjoyed the plot and story line of Agent Under Fire, but Nightfire has a much improved multiplayer mode.

Bond will keep you playing and playing, over and over again!