I say it works fine but it needs a little fine tuning when you install the drivers.
DO NOT USE the disc it comes with. check this vid out if you want a proper install procedure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxa5CJsDzwQ
I say don't use the disc but it has been a year and maybe the person who sells this will update the disc but usually that is not their job. The drivers that come with it don't work right with win7/8. And installing it the way the utube vid won't mess anything up. Just follow his instructions exactly.
Showing posts with label 360 games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 360 games. Show all posts
Friday, February 6, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
Rogue Legacy Reviews
This game is wonderful in so many ways. The ever-changing castle that you must fight through each time you die. The different choices of characters you get to select from on each play through is varied enough that they don't get tiresome. You can grind for gold to upgrade your hero as well as seek out loot for upgrades to your weapons and armor (all of which change the appearance of your character).
At first the game seems to be a simple jump-and-slash platformer. But as you level up your highly-varied skill tree and armor, you realize the game mechanics are much deeper. This game is often referred to as one of those MetroidVania games, which is an apt description. You can openly explore the castle, but you may quickly find out which areas are too tough for you until you gain more experience and loot. The enemies are varied for each section of the castle, and the bosses are challenging enough without being 'cheap'.
The best and most innovative part about this game is the fact that when you die (and you will die often) you return as one of your heirs. Each 'hero' has their own set of attributes. Some are bald, gay, dwarfs, dyslexic, OCD, etc. While some attributes are benign, others give you certain perks or hindrances. Eventually you will come to see which ones suit you best, but going through them is quite amusing.
I have not had this much fun with a platformer in years and I highly recommend you check out this hidden gem.
At first the game seems to be a simple jump-and-slash platformer. But as you level up your highly-varied skill tree and armor, you realize the game mechanics are much deeper. This game is often referred to as one of those MetroidVania games, which is an apt description. You can openly explore the castle, but you may quickly find out which areas are too tough for you until you gain more experience and loot. The enemies are varied for each section of the castle, and the bosses are challenging enough without being 'cheap'.
The best and most innovative part about this game is the fact that when you die (and you will die often) you return as one of your heirs. Each 'hero' has their own set of attributes. Some are bald, gay, dwarfs, dyslexic, OCD, etc. While some attributes are benign, others give you certain perks or hindrances. Eventually you will come to see which ones suit you best, but going through them is quite amusing.
I have not had this much fun with a platformer in years and I highly recommend you check out this hidden gem.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
It's definitely a good game, with solid platforming. I guess for me though, is that I just didn't buy into the hype surrounding this game and for good reason. There are plenty of issues with this game, first and foremost is the feel of the controls though. Controls were good, but felt just a little sloppy, not nearly as tight as say a Super Meat Boy or a Shovel Knight. There was also the issue of the difficulty, it just didn't feel right and I'm a very experienced platform gamer and had some major issues at times getting through certain areas. Overall it's good, just not as great as some other games in this genre. Definitely give it a go if you're into Metroidvania-type games.Best Deals for Rogue Legacy
I heard about this game in an episode of Extra Creditz, and I went out and bought it immediately. I was not disappointed. It has fun hack and slash gameplay and is a literally endless supply of fun! If the idea of a 2D platformer with randomly generated rooms interests you, go and buy this game. If it doesn't interest you . . . I . . . I'm sorry, I can't help you with that. Maybe you should speak to your therapist about it.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Discount Half-Life 2 - PC
I stopped keeping time after 2am so I can't be sure what hour it is, nor can I tell you when I ran out of the cannister of Malt Balls and Peanut M&M's I brought as supplementation. What I can tell you however (in the humble opinion of a dedicated PC gamer for 15 years), is that Half Life 2 is the the most mind blowing game I've ever played.
I was at E3 with my pyscho gaming buddy cleaning the Pizza flavored drool off his chin when we got a preview of HL2. Like most, I counted the days, cursed Valve and Sierra for delay after delay, put all my faith and hope into Doom 3, was underwhelmed, went back to playing Desert Combat...basically went insane with anticipation.
In the brief moments before firing up HL2 for the first time, I was hopeful, but expecting to be dissapointed.
And I was.
Really, no multi-player! I'm one of those that have an absolute allergy to single-player games. Small beads of angry sweat began to form on my back...
But I soldiered on, and in:
10 minutes I was impressed,
at 30 minutes I was completely immersed,
at 1 hour chills were running up and down my spine, and occasional girlish yelps of horror began emanating from my pitch dark office...
...by the third hour I came to the conclusion that HL2 was/is the most impressive game software I've ever had the privilege of living in. Some highlights:
1. The engine is truly revolutionary. Doom 3 has a darn good engine, HL2 in my opinion is vastly better. Indoor AND outdoor environments are near photo-realistic (I have a 3.2GHZ w/ 1GB RAM), the physics are jaw-dropping AND deeply integrated into the play of the game, texture and lighting, faces, water, you name it, this engine is now The Standard.
2. Vehicles. Well, not only do they have them, they're really fun to operate (or be chased by as the case may be).
3. The Gravity Gun. This weapon comes later in the game, and in my humble opinion, is easily the most fun weapon I've ever used. Picking up and throwing items, using it to activate latent elements of the environment (often as weapons) is unbelievably fun. Which brings me to:
4. Humor. This game has some really funny moments. I almost busted a gut when I ran out of heavy/sharp things to fire at zombified creatures that were teaming up on me in close quarters. I desperately pulled over a large can of paint, fired, and splattered huge gobs of white paint all over their (now more upset) faces. I died, but I died laughing. And finally:
5. Immersion. The screams were obvious signs of immersion, but beyond that, I noticed myself making facial expressions of anger, empathy, anticipation...all throughout the game I found myself genuinely caring. That's a first for me.
I really could go on and on, but I can't, literally, I fear that dawn isn't far from my window and I'd like to pretend that I myself won't be a zombie tomorrow.
Enjoy,
Christian Hunter
Santa Barbara, California
Fast forward to the present. Having just built myself a top-notch gaming PC capable of running both games with ease, I took the plunge, but decided to install and play Doom 3 first. My initial reaction to that game --awe at the graphics and production value, creepy atmosphere-was quickly replaced with tedium and boredom as the game played out like a 21st century scavenger hunt (find the key card! Get lost in the dark!). When I played Half-Life 2, however, I was BLOWN AWAY. The graphics are as good as Doom 3, but the big difference is that you can actually see them, because the entire game is not in dark tunnels, but rather takes place over a variety of terrains, ranging from beautiful coastline to wonderfully post-apocalyptic cityscapes. This game is truly deserving of all of the "Game of the Year" awards, and here is why:
GRAPHICS: Simply stellar. The textures are terrific, and the water effects are super, second only to Far Cry. The character models are very nicely done, and the way their eyes follow you around the room is both creepy and amazing.
SOUND: Very, very good. The sounds and music are very well done, and complement the game's moods quite ably.
GAMEPLAY: A gift from heaven. The game engine is ruled by physics so real, you're going to try picking up every object just to see what happens. A brick feels and reacts different that a doll, a tire swing responds realistically to a push, and bodies fall convincingly when shot or falling. The control is simple, smooth and effective, and the weapons are generally balanced. I wish there had been a better sniping weapon than the crossbow, but hey, that's what mods are for!
STORY: Again, stellar. It's so noticeable when a story grabs you, and when a story is just filler, a pretext for the setting of the game. In Doom 3, I couldn't care less why I was there. I certainly wasn't about to read the myriad boring PDA's you find on corpses, and the story is really trite. Half-Life 2, much like Knights of the Old Republic, makes YOU the star of the game, and gives you little chunks of info, but never overwhelms you with random names that mean nothing to you. As a result, you internalize the info, and actually come to care about the other characters. The scripted scenes are always logical and never forced, and they are just plain funny at times. I can't say enough about the great immersive world of this game.
NEGATIVES: Much like everyone, I dislike the "Steam" program which basically means that each time you play half life, you need an active internet connection. It's the company's way of authenticating your software, and while it's logical to be paranoid, (after all, this game's code was famously stolen by a hacker last year) it's a bit much. That said, most people have internet, so this is somewhat moot.
OVERALL: I personally don't care for online games; I find that people often act like children or jerks, and that the few games that are fun to play in multiplayer are shooters like Unreal Tournament of the Battlefield series. I can't express enthusiastically enough how happy I am to see that a game developer still cares about putting out a polished and amazing single player game.
I will now list the games pros and cons as to catagory
Grafics:
This game looked exellent and near-photo realistic. The grafics were also very stable and I had no problem running them on my mid-range PC. Lip-synching was dead on and all of the emotional ranges the charicters could go through was amazing. All of the enviromental effects were superb as well, the water was amazing and reflected EVERYTHING, enemies, geografic features and even explosions. All of the items were extemely well off and all of them were photo-realistic in quality. Metalic objects had a sheen to them, and textures even up close looked very beleveable.
Sound:
The sound design was incredible, halfway through the game, my ear was trained to hear the individual, distinctive sounds of any number of the multiple creatures that could be just around the corner. Nothing is more freaky than hearing a poison headcrab and tring to find it just by tring to listen for it. The dialog was exellent, and the music, while rather artificial, fit the mood of the game.
Level design:
The levels were well spaced out and very well planned. The only issue I have with this part of the game is that the level take FOREVER to load on a 2.1 GHZ prosessor, which is above average (It takes about 1.5 minautes to load a new area, just count those seconds out without anything to do, its a very long time)
Gameplay:
With an extremely impressive physics system and a way to impress your will upon that system, the average gameplay is addictive and you can play in any form you want to. Imagne running through a hallway, and there is a zombie at the other end! so you pick up a 2X4 with the gravity gun and hurl it at the zombie! The zombie hunches over and slides down against the wall. You pick up a radiator to block the bullets from a man with a machine gun across the hall, then you throw it at him! It beans him in the head and his entire upper body flips around and he flies over a railing to crash down on the floor below! That is the standard in half life 2 if you play with the gravity gun.
Overall:
This game is worth a 10 out of 10 for all of the great things that are in this game. And this game has almost infinate replay value. This one is for the ages.
I won't say too much about Steam because other people have been very vocal about the troubles it's causing. I needed to wait about an hour to install the five CDs and then sign up with Steam. It was an unpleasant experience, but not that bad.
As for the graphics, they're better than anything else I've seen including Doom 3, but they're not perfect either. Outdoor levels have low resolution, and as a result the trees often look fuzzy. Nevertheless, buildings look good with vivid colors and lots of detail. This graphical sophistication comes at a price, and my system really strained under the weight. I'd recommend a 3 Ghz CPU, 1 GB RAM, and a 256 MB graphics card if you want to run the game smoothly.
Sound is very good although it often stuttered. Evidently my hardware is a little slow for this game, and I believe the demanding graphics slows your system which can adversely affect the sound.
Considering the game play, it's very similar to the first game. The crowbar is back along with the head crabs. You can really get engaged in the game play, but in some parts of the game it fell flat. I found myself fending off tough enemies while having little idea of how to either escape or destroy them. It could be as much fun as swatting at a cloud of pesky gnats! Finally, after several tries, I would find the place to get away or the weapon to kill the thing attacking me. Do yourself a favor and get a good strategy guide for this game. It will save you a lot of frustration.
In closing, I find myself wishing that game developers and publishers would take better care to see that the customer is getting a good product. Half-Life 2 delivers some fantastic experiences, but these achievements are marred by frustrating and annoying game play on some of the levels, the demanding system requirements, and a bug or two that disallows continuation of the game. And I must really protest the requirement to set up that annoying account with Steam. Personally, I'm fed up with all this, and as a result, I have no plans to buy anymore computer games for the foreseeable future. So developers and publishers, you just lost a customer.
On the website: 1 time (a link to the Steam site.)
On the box: 0 times.
In the documentation: 1 time (mentioning that an account with Steam is required.)
Well, now as I've got it and have gotten mired in it, I find that it takes forever to register, and that you can more or less kiss any hope of it working goodbye if you do not have complete control over your network settings (i.e. if you are on a college campus). One day I will get this to work, but I will not purchase another game that has something like this. Assuming that I even get notice of it. I have no doubt in my mind that Half Life 2 is as revolutionary as the original, but I suggest everybody make sure they know what they're getting into.
For those who want to see the volumes of things that impede Steam working, check out the support section of their website:
I was at E3 with my pyscho gaming buddy cleaning the Pizza flavored drool off his chin when we got a preview of HL2. Like most, I counted the days, cursed Valve and Sierra for delay after delay, put all my faith and hope into Doom 3, was underwhelmed, went back to playing Desert Combat...basically went insane with anticipation.
In the brief moments before firing up HL2 for the first time, I was hopeful, but expecting to be dissapointed.
And I was.
Really, no multi-player! I'm one of those that have an absolute allergy to single-player games. Small beads of angry sweat began to form on my back...
But I soldiered on, and in:
10 minutes I was impressed,
at 30 minutes I was completely immersed,
at 1 hour chills were running up and down my spine, and occasional girlish yelps of horror began emanating from my pitch dark office...
...by the third hour I came to the conclusion that HL2 was/is the most impressive game software I've ever had the privilege of living in. Some highlights:
1. The engine is truly revolutionary. Doom 3 has a darn good engine, HL2 in my opinion is vastly better. Indoor AND outdoor environments are near photo-realistic (I have a 3.2GHZ w/ 1GB RAM), the physics are jaw-dropping AND deeply integrated into the play of the game, texture and lighting, faces, water, you name it, this engine is now The Standard.
2. Vehicles. Well, not only do they have them, they're really fun to operate (or be chased by as the case may be).
3. The Gravity Gun. This weapon comes later in the game, and in my humble opinion, is easily the most fun weapon I've ever used. Picking up and throwing items, using it to activate latent elements of the environment (often as weapons) is unbelievably fun. Which brings me to:
4. Humor. This game has some really funny moments. I almost busted a gut when I ran out of heavy/sharp things to fire at zombified creatures that were teaming up on me in close quarters. I desperately pulled over a large can of paint, fired, and splattered huge gobs of white paint all over their (now more upset) faces. I died, but I died laughing. And finally:
5. Immersion. The screams were obvious signs of immersion, but beyond that, I noticed myself making facial expressions of anger, empathy, anticipation...all throughout the game I found myself genuinely caring. That's a first for me.
I really could go on and on, but I can't, literally, I fear that dawn isn't far from my window and I'd like to pretend that I myself won't be a zombie tomorrow.
Enjoy,
Christian Hunter
Santa Barbara, California
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
As one of the 3 people in the universe who didn't much care for the original Half-Life, I was hardly awaiting with baited breath the release of this sequel. The things I didn't like about the original, namely the clunky and flawed controls, dated graphics even for 1998, outweighed the undeniable genius of the game as a story. I wasn't ruling out Half Life 2, but I was much more interested and looking forward to Doom 3.Fast forward to the present. Having just built myself a top-notch gaming PC capable of running both games with ease, I took the plunge, but decided to install and play Doom 3 first. My initial reaction to that game --awe at the graphics and production value, creepy atmosphere-was quickly replaced with tedium and boredom as the game played out like a 21st century scavenger hunt (find the key card! Get lost in the dark!). When I played Half-Life 2, however, I was BLOWN AWAY. The graphics are as good as Doom 3, but the big difference is that you can actually see them, because the entire game is not in dark tunnels, but rather takes place over a variety of terrains, ranging from beautiful coastline to wonderfully post-apocalyptic cityscapes. This game is truly deserving of all of the "Game of the Year" awards, and here is why:
GRAPHICS: Simply stellar. The textures are terrific, and the water effects are super, second only to Far Cry. The character models are very nicely done, and the way their eyes follow you around the room is both creepy and amazing.
SOUND: Very, very good. The sounds and music are very well done, and complement the game's moods quite ably.
GAMEPLAY: A gift from heaven. The game engine is ruled by physics so real, you're going to try picking up every object just to see what happens. A brick feels and reacts different that a doll, a tire swing responds realistically to a push, and bodies fall convincingly when shot or falling. The control is simple, smooth and effective, and the weapons are generally balanced. I wish there had been a better sniping weapon than the crossbow, but hey, that's what mods are for!
STORY: Again, stellar. It's so noticeable when a story grabs you, and when a story is just filler, a pretext for the setting of the game. In Doom 3, I couldn't care less why I was there. I certainly wasn't about to read the myriad boring PDA's you find on corpses, and the story is really trite. Half-Life 2, much like Knights of the Old Republic, makes YOU the star of the game, and gives you little chunks of info, but never overwhelms you with random names that mean nothing to you. As a result, you internalize the info, and actually come to care about the other characters. The scripted scenes are always logical and never forced, and they are just plain funny at times. I can't say enough about the great immersive world of this game.
NEGATIVES: Much like everyone, I dislike the "Steam" program which basically means that each time you play half life, you need an active internet connection. It's the company's way of authenticating your software, and while it's logical to be paranoid, (after all, this game's code was famously stolen by a hacker last year) it's a bit much. That said, most people have internet, so this is somewhat moot.
OVERALL: I personally don't care for online games; I find that people often act like children or jerks, and that the few games that are fun to play in multiplayer are shooters like Unreal Tournament of the Battlefield series. I can't express enthusiastically enough how happy I am to see that a game developer still cares about putting out a polished and amazing single player game.
Best Deals for Half-Life 2 - PC
I followed this game from about a year after it was announced and I had the privilige of sitting through all of the releace date set-backs and I can tell you, it was worth it.I will now list the games pros and cons as to catagory
Grafics:
This game looked exellent and near-photo realistic. The grafics were also very stable and I had no problem running them on my mid-range PC. Lip-synching was dead on and all of the emotional ranges the charicters could go through was amazing. All of the enviromental effects were superb as well, the water was amazing and reflected EVERYTHING, enemies, geografic features and even explosions. All of the items were extemely well off and all of them were photo-realistic in quality. Metalic objects had a sheen to them, and textures even up close looked very beleveable.
Sound:
The sound design was incredible, halfway through the game, my ear was trained to hear the individual, distinctive sounds of any number of the multiple creatures that could be just around the corner. Nothing is more freaky than hearing a poison headcrab and tring to find it just by tring to listen for it. The dialog was exellent, and the music, while rather artificial, fit the mood of the game.
Level design:
The levels were well spaced out and very well planned. The only issue I have with this part of the game is that the level take FOREVER to load on a 2.1 GHZ prosessor, which is above average (It takes about 1.5 minautes to load a new area, just count those seconds out without anything to do, its a very long time)
Gameplay:
With an extremely impressive physics system and a way to impress your will upon that system, the average gameplay is addictive and you can play in any form you want to. Imagne running through a hallway, and there is a zombie at the other end! so you pick up a 2X4 with the gravity gun and hurl it at the zombie! The zombie hunches over and slides down against the wall. You pick up a radiator to block the bullets from a man with a machine gun across the hall, then you throw it at him! It beans him in the head and his entire upper body flips around and he flies over a railing to crash down on the floor below! That is the standard in half life 2 if you play with the gravity gun.
Overall:
This game is worth a 10 out of 10 for all of the great things that are in this game. And this game has almost infinate replay value. This one is for the ages.
Honest reviews on Half-Life 2 - PC
I don't know about other gamers, but I've been getting frustrated with games recently. They look better than ever, but there's still a lot of room for improvement. Game play, also, is in desperate need of betterment. So without further ado, allow me to make Half-Life 2 the "poster boy" of recent PC games. I like this game a lot, but I just feel that it reflects some of the contempt that the gaming industry is showing toward its customers.I won't say too much about Steam because other people have been very vocal about the troubles it's causing. I needed to wait about an hour to install the five CDs and then sign up with Steam. It was an unpleasant experience, but not that bad.
As for the graphics, they're better than anything else I've seen including Doom 3, but they're not perfect either. Outdoor levels have low resolution, and as a result the trees often look fuzzy. Nevertheless, buildings look good with vivid colors and lots of detail. This graphical sophistication comes at a price, and my system really strained under the weight. I'd recommend a 3 Ghz CPU, 1 GB RAM, and a 256 MB graphics card if you want to run the game smoothly.
Sound is very good although it often stuttered. Evidently my hardware is a little slow for this game, and I believe the demanding graphics slows your system which can adversely affect the sound.
Considering the game play, it's very similar to the first game. The crowbar is back along with the head crabs. You can really get engaged in the game play, but in some parts of the game it fell flat. I found myself fending off tough enemies while having little idea of how to either escape or destroy them. It could be as much fun as swatting at a cloud of pesky gnats! Finally, after several tries, I would find the place to get away or the weapon to kill the thing attacking me. Do yourself a favor and get a good strategy guide for this game. It will save you a lot of frustration.
In closing, I find myself wishing that game developers and publishers would take better care to see that the customer is getting a good product. Half-Life 2 delivers some fantastic experiences, but these achievements are marred by frustrating and annoying game play on some of the levels, the demanding system requirements, and a bug or two that disallows continuation of the game. And I must really protest the requirement to set up that annoying account with Steam. Personally, I'm fed up with all this, and as a result, I have no plans to buy anymore computer games for the foreseeable future. So developers and publishers, you just lost a customer.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Half-Life 2 - PC
Well, after having shelled out what, after all, is a lot of money, I haven't been able to play this game yet. They've got got this little anti-piracy software called Steam (Completely understandible, after how much the developers went through prior to launch) on there that you have to register with before so much as running the application. Too bad that this has been an unpleasent surprise and a heretofore insurmountable obstacle! So we understand how often this is mentioned:On the website: 1 time (a link to the Steam site.)
On the box: 0 times.
In the documentation: 1 time (mentioning that an account with Steam is required.)
Well, now as I've got it and have gotten mired in it, I find that it takes forever to register, and that you can more or less kiss any hope of it working goodbye if you do not have complete control over your network settings (i.e. if you are on a college campus). One day I will get this to work, but I will not purchase another game that has something like this. Assuming that I even get notice of it. I have no doubt in my mind that Half Life 2 is as revolutionary as the original, but I suggest everybody make sure they know what they're getting into.
For those who want to see the volumes of things that impede Steam working, check out the support section of their website:
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Reviews of Batman: Arkham Asylum -Xbox 360
First off, thank you Eidos for finally producing a comic book game that lives up to its source material! The graphics and character animations are nothing short of spectacular. Be sure to take a good long look at the Joker model from every possible angle, amazing detail all the way from the spats on his shoes to the holes in his tattered suit and on to his lifelike hair.... simply beautiful.
Another tip of the hat for bringing in the voice talent from the animated series. As far as I'm concerned, Mark Hamill is THE voice of the Joker and Kevin Conroy's menacing voice never has to resort to the sometimes ridiculous rasp that live-action actors insist on bringing to the role of Batman. Another big plus I haven't heard a single line of dialog repeated yet... not even from the generic thugs.
As for the gameplay, I'm loving the free-flowing fight system, very cinematic. I'm not very far into the game as yet, but the what I've played so far has been outstanding. All of the moves I'd hoped to see are there, not to mention those wonderful toys!
Now for the ugly... I wouldn't bother with the Collector's Edition unless you're a big fan, very disappointing. The game case is great... huge, but cool. My big issue is with the batarang, what a piece of plastic garbage!
When I first opened the box I thought the batarang had been damaged during packing, it seemed to be covered in random scratches. Upon closer inspection I realized that these scratches were intended to simulate a brushed metal surface. I'm pretty sure someone just takes it and runs it randomly over a belt sander before placing it in the box. As it stands, I'd be embarrassed to display it with my other memorabilia. I'll probably end up doing some work on it myself in order to make it display worthy.
The leather bound journal is also a bit disappointing, I was really hoping for a bunch of new artwork, but all that's there is illustrations and character bios from the game itself.
I'm hoping the "making of" DVD will compensate for the other weak extras, but unfortunately, I can't review it until I finish the game and avoid any spoilers.
To sum it up... BUY THE GAME!!!!... but buyer beware of the Collector's Edition.
p.s. Another big shout out to Amazon for their "deliver on date of release" shipping option. It was well worth the $5 and change to receive the game on its release date. I probably would have bought the game locally if they hadn't offered the option. Gotta love instant gratification!!
WARNING!!! Do NOT buy this special edition! This is the second worst special edition game I have ever bought. The Batarang is NOT made of metal, nor is it highly detailed, nor does it have any articulated accents!!! It IS however made out of horribly molded plastic and it is FUSED to an extremely cheap grey plastic base!!! To make matters worse, someone took a box cutter and scraped it up all over so it just looks like a complete piece of junk!!! It looks like they literally rubbed this plastic piece of garbage on the sidewalk too!!!
I saw this special edition at E3 and thought WOW!! They have pulled a complete switch on us, this is NOT the finely crafted Batarang they had in the display case.
I payed full price for this garbage too!! $100!!! That's $40 for a box (which is the best part sadly), a leather book with some pictures and this horrible horrible horrible excuse for a Batarang.
I am extremely disappointed. Just get the great game. The people who put this special edition together are jerks, thieves and ripoff artists.
I haven't even finished this game yet and am already looking forward to the next Batman game from Eidos. Just simply an amazing game.
My only very minor gripe is that there is a fair bit of back-tracking in the game, but unlike other games with a back-tracking issue this one fills the areas where you have already been witn new and sometimes tougher enemies. Still I'd rather continue on a different path to get to the next area than going back through the same rooms/paths I've already been on.
That is a seriously minor gripe though and like I said because the areas are repopulated with enemies it really isn't much of an issue at all.
All in all I was considering this as a rental because I'd heard it was pretty short, but got tired of finding the empty shelf at Blockbuster and went ahead and bought it and I'm really glad I did. Outstanding game worth every penny.
***EDIT***
I didn't realize I was on the Special edition when I decided to review the game. My review is for the Standard edition and solely on the game.
Another tip of the hat for bringing in the voice talent from the animated series. As far as I'm concerned, Mark Hamill is THE voice of the Joker and Kevin Conroy's menacing voice never has to resort to the sometimes ridiculous rasp that live-action actors insist on bringing to the role of Batman. Another big plus I haven't heard a single line of dialog repeated yet... not even from the generic thugs.
As for the gameplay, I'm loving the free-flowing fight system, very cinematic. I'm not very far into the game as yet, but the what I've played so far has been outstanding. All of the moves I'd hoped to see are there, not to mention those wonderful toys!
Now for the ugly... I wouldn't bother with the Collector's Edition unless you're a big fan, very disappointing. The game case is great... huge, but cool. My big issue is with the batarang, what a piece of plastic garbage!
When I first opened the box I thought the batarang had been damaged during packing, it seemed to be covered in random scratches. Upon closer inspection I realized that these scratches were intended to simulate a brushed metal surface. I'm pretty sure someone just takes it and runs it randomly over a belt sander before placing it in the box. As it stands, I'd be embarrassed to display it with my other memorabilia. I'll probably end up doing some work on it myself in order to make it display worthy.
The leather bound journal is also a bit disappointing, I was really hoping for a bunch of new artwork, but all that's there is illustrations and character bios from the game itself.
I'm hoping the "making of" DVD will compensate for the other weak extras, but unfortunately, I can't review it until I finish the game and avoid any spoilers.
To sum it up... BUY THE GAME!!!!... but buyer beware of the Collector's Edition.
p.s. Another big shout out to Amazon for their "deliver on date of release" shipping option. It was well worth the $5 and change to receive the game on its release date. I probably would have bought the game locally if they hadn't offered the option. Gotta love instant gratification!!
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Okay, so the game itself is Excellent!! Just buy the regular edition game. SAVE YOUR MONEY.WARNING!!! Do NOT buy this special edition! This is the second worst special edition game I have ever bought. The Batarang is NOT made of metal, nor is it highly detailed, nor does it have any articulated accents!!! It IS however made out of horribly molded plastic and it is FUSED to an extremely cheap grey plastic base!!! To make matters worse, someone took a box cutter and scraped it up all over so it just looks like a complete piece of junk!!! It looks like they literally rubbed this plastic piece of garbage on the sidewalk too!!!
I saw this special edition at E3 and thought WOW!! They have pulled a complete switch on us, this is NOT the finely crafted Batarang they had in the display case.
I payed full price for this garbage too!! $100!!! That's $40 for a box (which is the best part sadly), a leather book with some pictures and this horrible horrible horrible excuse for a Batarang.
I am extremely disappointed. Just get the great game. The people who put this special edition together are jerks, thieves and ripoff artists.
Best Deals for Batman: Arkham Asylum -Xbox 360
Amazing game with an awesome story that fits nicely in Batman lore. Graphics are unbelievabely detailed right down to damage to the bat suit as you progress through the game. The slight collection side quest of Riddler trophies actually adds to the game rather than being frustrating like the collection sides in games like GTA.I haven't even finished this game yet and am already looking forward to the next Batman game from Eidos. Just simply an amazing game.
My only very minor gripe is that there is a fair bit of back-tracking in the game, but unlike other games with a back-tracking issue this one fills the areas where you have already been witn new and sometimes tougher enemies. Still I'd rather continue on a different path to get to the next area than going back through the same rooms/paths I've already been on.
That is a seriously minor gripe though and like I said because the areas are repopulated with enemies it really isn't much of an issue at all.
All in all I was considering this as a rental because I'd heard it was pretty short, but got tired of finding the empty shelf at Blockbuster and went ahead and bought it and I'm really glad I did. Outstanding game worth every penny.
***EDIT***
I didn't realize I was on the Special edition when I decided to review the game. My review is for the Standard edition and solely on the game.
Honest reviews on Batman: Arkham Asylum -Xbox 360
I had been waiting for this game since I seen the previews for it a year ago and it was well worth the wait! First off 5 stars go toward the game itself, the collectors edition however gets 2. When I heard about the sweet 14 inch batarang that was going to come with it I was willing to spend the extra money thinking it would at least be a full fledged replica, sadly it is not. It's made out of what feels like ceramic not really a plastic at all and worst is the stand is permantly attached and feels like it will break if you even try to take it off. And even worse is the paint is crap, just solid black no silver on what would be the "blade". The only item I was pleased with other than the game itself was the leather bound journal which contains character bios and some really great artwork. Also included were downloadable crime ally challenge maps and since I got it at game stop I also got one called "dem bones" which features the scarecrow both of which I have yet to try. Anyways all that aside time to talk about the game. I picked it up at midnight last night but only got to play for 2 hours before I had to go to work and so far its been one of the best games I played on the 360. I'm a huge batman fan and I grew up with the animated series from the early 90's which I was hit with a great feeling of nostalgia when I heard Kevin Conroy as Batman, Mark Hamill as The Joker and Arlien Sorkin as the lovely Harley Quinn, I don't know yet if any of the other actors reprised their roles yet beside them. On that note, I'm in awe at what they have done with Batman's rogues gallery in terms of looks, Joker looks more like a twisted version of Jack Nicholson's Joker, Harley looks very sexy and this is how she should look if they make a sequel to The Dark Knight haha, Killer Croc is very intimidating and I can't wait to face him one on one, and The Scarecrow looks like a mix between a tagger and err... a scarecrow. Fanservice aside, Batman AA looks beautiful and really reminds me of Bioshock in terms of sheer details in buildings,character models, lighting, etc. I'm really glad the developers took their time in making this game. As for gameplay the perspective is over the shoulder just like RE 5 and Gears of War which I didn't like in games at first but after awhile I don't mind it as much. Combat is very very entertaining, its great to just get out numbers by some of The Jokers thugs and just clear the room with little effort (when unarmed that is). Attack buttons are hit, counter and stun. While it is easy to button mass on the x button the whole time, you won't get the most out of it as you would if you utilize all the moves in combat which is very easy to learn. Right now all Batman has is his trusty batarangs which can be used in a varitey of ways: stuning enemies, breaking locks and stuff like that and are also very useful during a fight. Certain parts of the game require you to do into detective mode which turns everything into a x-ray screen that can detect armed thugs and help with puzzles. A feature that I really loved was the grappling hook, with it batman can shoot from object to object without alerting anyone plus when an unlucky victim walks under you, you can repel down, get him in a choke hold and string him from the roof to set a trap for more bad guys. Arkham Asylum really gets a hold of all Bruce Wayne's qualities as a fighter and a detective and no other Batman game had ever succeded in doing this. So all of this is just a taste of what to expect I don't want to ruin too much for all of you, just go and buy it if you are a Batman fan or just rent it if you are looking one of the few good action games out there.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Batman: Arkham Asylum -Xbox 360
The Game is good, am planning to trash the collectors items so i can make space for something else. I really can't complain as i got the collector's edition on a lighting deal for about 50 dollars.... If you are planning to buy the collectors edition, it is not worth the money, just go buy the game...Sunday, November 23, 2014
Reviews of Worms Forts Under Siege - Xbox
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $13.68
Today's Bonus: 32% Off
The whole idea of having worms in 3D forts, sounds like it would be fun but the actual gameplay was lacking. There are problems with the physics of the game that make many of the weapons very difficult to use. The graphics do look pretty nice, and are one of the pros in the game. The multiplayer games do lack the quickness and speed of the old 2D worms games that made them enjoyable and ideal for a fast pickup game. The controls and the aiming for many of the weapons are hard to get the hang of, so it requires a lot of time just getting a knack of your weapons, before you can become even mildly proficient with them. Overall, this game is a disappointment to the worms series, and I would not recommend purchasing it.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
This is a good family game that the whole family can play. It is strategic, so you have to think about your next move. You can't find it in the stores very often, but Amazon had it & it shipped right away.Best Deals for Worms Forts Under Siege - Xbox
My son of 10 years old absolutely LOVES this game. His friend brought it over for a B-day Party Sleepover and after that night... my son was begging for it for Christmas from then on. It's a classic. It's multi-player, so him and 3 friends play all the time... now that he got it for Christmas. =)Honest reviews on Worms Forts Under Siege - Xbox
Kind of like the (stronghold) series..but with worms. Couldn't find it locally..Used Amazon..they always come through..Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Worms Forts Under Siege - Xbox
This game is cool the graphics are cool to and buy this game because it is fun so buy it.Saturday, November 1, 2014
Reviews of Frag FX Shark Controller for PS3, PC and Mac
i'm a pc gamer. hardcore. mouse and keyboard since the quake 3 arena days. i have never been able to compete on the consoles because i can't get my thumbs to make a controller do what i want. while all of my friends play on consoles.
for people like me the Shark is a godsend.
i own the original wired fragfx, a fragenstein, and a scorch. the shark performs well above all of these.
the mouse movement on the shark is perfect. playing mw2 with the in game sensitivity at 9 and the shark set around 2.
my only problem with it is the size. the mouse is just too big. i need to hold my hand a certain way just to reach all of the buttons..kind of annoying. and we can really do without the rapid fire and macros.
when i wear this one out i'll definitely buy another.
The mouse feels good, the buttons take a little getting used to, but are intuitive and easy to adapt to. The mous pad is good too. However, it's a little too big for me and I have good sized hands 7 inches from my middle finger to the bottom of my palm. Because of the shape, It actually fits better in my left hand than my right, of course then the buttons are imposable to use. I could have gotton used to the size but didn't want to since it wasen't very compatable with some of my games (See details section below).
There is a lot of disinformation surrounding this product. There are a lot of positive reviews from people playing Calld of Duty (Newer ones) and a lot of bad reviews calling it a "rip off". Aparently compatbility is hit or miss since PS3 was not made for a mouse and the fragfx shark has to emulate a thumb stick. To be fair to Splitfish they made a niche product, great for some of todays most popular games, but it's game manufacturers that are not making their titles compatible with Splitfish controllers. But then, why should they? It is a 3rd party controller. Also, why would Sony make the PS3 compatable with mice when most console gamers like the dualshock 3? I should add that some users don't like to use mice and the only refuge they have from the advantage a mouse gives users is on a console.
Pros:
The Concept is sound
Wireless, no lag
The design looks sweet
The "fragchuck" is almost perfect!
Great Battery life
Works with some F.P.S. games
Cons:
Price!!!
Dosen't work with some F.P.S. games
PS3 Games were ment for Dualshock controllers
3rd parties don't get much support from developers
OK as an optical mouse (Not great, Not laser)
Mouse is a little too big in my opinion
Disinformation about it
THE BOTTOM LINE: DOES IT WORK, AND IS IT WORTH $89?
Yes and no to both points! It works with some games and not with others. It may be worth it if your game is supported, you get past the learning curve, and you really want to take your "hard core" gameing up a level, or if you seriously want to get into PC gaming without the keboard. Otherwise, it's not for you and you will end up unsatisfied. I suggest you keep everything, and thouroughly test out all your games as soon as you get it, then you can get a refund if it does not meet your expectations.
Price I would consider keeping it for (Opinion):
$34.99
Price I would buy the Fragchuck alone (Opinion):
$29.99
DETAILS:
There was no combination of ingame look sensitivity and "dead zone" sensitivity that removed diagonal "staircasing" without making tracking too slow for most of the games I've tested. I saw reviews that mentioned the same thing before I purchased. I decided to give it a try anyway. To their defence, I tried evey combination of dead zone to ingame look sensitivity in the games below with limited success.
Homefront (Demo):
Staircased at dead zones of 0-5 and required too much mouse tracking with 6-9. 6.5 was almost workable except it required me to repeatedly pick up the mouse and reset it to look around. Was less efiecient than the dualshock.
Call of Duty: Classic
Same as aboave, but worse.
Call of Duty: Black Ops (Demo)
Works really well but seems to move up/Down slower than lept/right. No staircasing/jittering with ingame sensitvity at max (Insane) and deadzone = 3. Workable but will take some getting used to. Recommended for this game but it's not perfect.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Demo)
Same as black ops aboave. Abviously, these are the game it was intended for.
Killzone 2 (Demo):
I was able to resolve staircasing and jittering. Requires maximum ingame sensitivity and a deadzone of 4. Too slow of movement, mouse has to be picked up and drageed all over in this one. Not recomended.
Killzone 3 (Demo):
Better than above but not as good as COD:MW2 or black ops. It is still too slow. too much mouse tracking.
Battlefield 1943:
No staircasing. I needed a dead zone of about 3 to get rid of the jittery/jumping when trying to "pixle point" at an object. Although better, I found tracking was still too slow/difficult to play with. Would take some getting used to. It makes driving vehicals or flying extreemly difficult, if not imposable.
Infamous:
Works well enough to play. Better feel than the dualshock but jittery/staircasing not completly gone.
PC USERS:
When set as a mouse it is fine, sweet to have four extra buttons! Not as good as my logetech MX 5000 laser mouse but it tracks as well as an optical (A cheap one). Also, since I was a console gamer before PC, I tried this on a game I have always dreamed of having a "fragchuck" for...The Descent series. Although windows 7 x64 recognizes it as a gamepad and all of the buttons/analog stick work, it would not recognize the anolog or mouse movement in Descent 1. In Descent 2 this problem is fixed but the mouse has dead zone issues, and when that is ajusted it's too slow, requires too much movement, and is'nt as accurate as my MX5000 laser (Not even close). So, it was esentially useless. Too bad! Fine, I can just use the MX5000 instead by choosing the mouse and joystick option. Worked perfect, very addicting. I set drop bombs to the motion sensative melee and afterburners to the joystick button (L3)! That is sweet and there are 10 buttons on the fragchuck, if you count L3 and the D-Pad, to assign functions to. They could have packed 2-3 more buttons in though. I also, tested a few other FPS games (Older School) that did not work to my satisfaction. Bottom line: if your game supports joystick and mouse operation in tandom (and gives you complete control over button reassignments) then it "might" work like you want it to, otherwise it's a crap shoot. Don't know about newer games like far cry, fallout, and etc.
Note:
I really wanted it to work for me and to give it a fair review. I even pulled it back out of the return box to test it agian on a few titles I forgot about, just to make sure I wanted to return it. No go. Given the range of experiance I got out of it and the problems I was able to almost resolve, I would say my unit was not defective. It just almost works. Maybe it will work better for the games you want it for. Good Luck.
PS:
that guy on youtube (zDD) is displayed prominantly on the packaging and endorsed by Splitfish. Not to say his videos are fake, but his incentive is to paint the product in a positive light. Therefore he's not going to post a video showing what games it doesn't work in! A one sided story is at best a half-truth. So, don't be supprised if your experiance is different form his.
The Frag FX Shark does work as promised, depending on the game being played (based on what I've read). I have only tried it on COD MW3. The best thing about the Frag FX specifically is the sensitivity dial on the controller. This makes it as plug and play as can be with this type of setup. No need to download game specific firmware or any other garbage. The controller is fully customizable as well (remap buttons, macros, blah blah). Basically, you plug in the wireless stick into a USB slot, turn on the mouse and controller, and presto -it works. It is recommended to set in game sensitivity to max and then adjust using the dial on the controller. I've found slightly past 2 to work best for me.
Yes, there is some staircasing with the Frag FX. It won't affect gameplay much for the average gamer and it might even get sorted out with a firmware update later on.
The wireless works well and I had 0 problems with interference. I have a wifi TV, 2 routers, cellphone, cordless house phone, iPad, and the ps3 all in the same area. Did not have any problems at all.
My biggest issue with the product is the ridiculous size of the mouse. I can get over the cheap feel of the plastic, but the size of the mouse is as if it was designed for Captain Banana-hands. This isn't enough to make me return the product.. it is, however, the MAIN reason I knocked the Shark down to 4 stars. The only other issue is more of an annoyance than anything else... even when the controller and mouse are turned off, if the USB stick is plugged in, the ps3 will assign it to controller 1-4. This is annoying in 2-player games if you want to use the dual shock controller and play by yourself as the game will ask player 2 to hit X to join (or automatically add player 2 into the game).
If you are a typical gamer, this is a great product at a great price. It's not as great as a PC mouse in terms of accuracy or quality, but it does do the job.
If you are a hard-core FPS gamer looking to dominate everyone just get the XIM3. This is one area where you definitely get what you pay for.
For reference: (based on my e-findings)
FRAG FX SHARK $60 (when I purchased) $90 now
See above for review
pros (no setup, sensitivity dial, includes lap board, great fragchuck design, 'snipe' button which slows mouse movement)
cons (cost, mouse size, staircasing, works better on some games than others)
AIMON PS ELITE $80
pros (better mouse, less staircasing, better 'quality')
cons (complicated setup, firmware flashing required for each game, no MAC support to do said flashing, possible wireless signal issues, cost, no sensitivity dial)
EAGLE EYE $55
pros (real keyboard and mouse, cost)
cons (complicated setup, need PC to set up the hardware, game specific settings required)
XIM3 $150
pros (unsurpassed accuracy and quality, real mouse and keyboard, LCD screen to assist setup, 1:1 conversion)
cons (requires an xbox controller to be plugged in, can make a mess with all the cables necessary to use product, very high cost, no mac support for updating firmware, made for xbox and requires adapters to use on ps3)
note: $300 on amazon market. It costs $150 at the maker's website (google xim3)
SUMMARY:
Average gamer who wants a plug and play solution? Get the FRAG FX SHARK
Want a higher quality product and don't mind tweaking settings and tinkering? Get the AIMON PS ELITE (then head to their forums and read up)
Want to use a real keyboard and mouse at low cost? Get the EAGLE EYE (then head to their forums and read up)
Insist on the absolute best, regardless of price (hardcore gamer)? Get the XIM3 (then head to their forums and read up)
You can't really go wrong with any of the 4 options.. I got the Frag FX because there's no setup and amazon prime shipping was offered.
I will update this review after testing the Frag FX on Battlefield 3.. I've held off because I doubt it will work very well as the game itself currently has lag issues.
i mostly play call of duty black ops so the controller was worth it to me if you play games other than fps it might not work good but for fps it is alot of fun. It makes target acquisition much easier as well as following moving targets.
the build feels sturdy doesnt feel cheap. It is really easy to set up
comes with a mouse pad that is pretty good
A few side notes. I have heard reviews say the mousepad isn't good. I am hoping to buy a better mousepad to compare but the one it comes with does seem a little smaller than I would like.
I bought a 4 pack of pre charged duracell 2000 MaH rechargeable batteries with the charger at walmart for $13 and still haven't ran the first 2 batteries dead. The battery life is very good, and with rechargeable batteries cost should be minimal.
UPDATE...... I bought a rocketfish gaming mousepad from best buy and would highly recommend it. A little bigger, way more responsive, and has a speed and control side. I prefer the speed side but both are better than the one provided by splitfish.
for people like me the Shark is a godsend.
i own the original wired fragfx, a fragenstein, and a scorch. the shark performs well above all of these.
the mouse movement on the shark is perfect. playing mw2 with the in game sensitivity at 9 and the shark set around 2.
my only problem with it is the size. the mouse is just too big. i need to hold my hand a certain way just to reach all of the buttons..kind of annoying. and we can really do without the rapid fire and macros.
when i wear this one out i'll definitely buy another.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I play games in bed with my TV at the foot. It gets uncomfortable after awhile with my arms holding a dualshock 3 over my stomach. This controller allows them to rest on either side of me. You can also set this controller to the same input as your dualshock Eg. 1. That way you can have a dualshock in your right hand and the fragchuck in your left. I love the "fragchuck". It fits well in hand and everything for the left hand is there, plus motion sensitivity, macros, rapid fire, and more! Could pack 2-3 more buttons in, though.The mouse feels good, the buttons take a little getting used to, but are intuitive and easy to adapt to. The mous pad is good too. However, it's a little too big for me and I have good sized hands 7 inches from my middle finger to the bottom of my palm. Because of the shape, It actually fits better in my left hand than my right, of course then the buttons are imposable to use. I could have gotton used to the size but didn't want to since it wasen't very compatable with some of my games (See details section below).
There is a lot of disinformation surrounding this product. There are a lot of positive reviews from people playing Calld of Duty (Newer ones) and a lot of bad reviews calling it a "rip off". Aparently compatbility is hit or miss since PS3 was not made for a mouse and the fragfx shark has to emulate a thumb stick. To be fair to Splitfish they made a niche product, great for some of todays most popular games, but it's game manufacturers that are not making their titles compatible with Splitfish controllers. But then, why should they? It is a 3rd party controller. Also, why would Sony make the PS3 compatable with mice when most console gamers like the dualshock 3? I should add that some users don't like to use mice and the only refuge they have from the advantage a mouse gives users is on a console.
Pros:
The Concept is sound
Wireless, no lag
The design looks sweet
The "fragchuck" is almost perfect!
Great Battery life
Works with some F.P.S. games
Cons:
Price!!!
Dosen't work with some F.P.S. games
PS3 Games were ment for Dualshock controllers
3rd parties don't get much support from developers
OK as an optical mouse (Not great, Not laser)
Mouse is a little too big in my opinion
Disinformation about it
THE BOTTOM LINE: DOES IT WORK, AND IS IT WORTH $89?
Yes and no to both points! It works with some games and not with others. It may be worth it if your game is supported, you get past the learning curve, and you really want to take your "hard core" gameing up a level, or if you seriously want to get into PC gaming without the keboard. Otherwise, it's not for you and you will end up unsatisfied. I suggest you keep everything, and thouroughly test out all your games as soon as you get it, then you can get a refund if it does not meet your expectations.
Price I would consider keeping it for (Opinion):
$34.99
Price I would buy the Fragchuck alone (Opinion):
$29.99
DETAILS:
There was no combination of ingame look sensitivity and "dead zone" sensitivity that removed diagonal "staircasing" without making tracking too slow for most of the games I've tested. I saw reviews that mentioned the same thing before I purchased. I decided to give it a try anyway. To their defence, I tried evey combination of dead zone to ingame look sensitivity in the games below with limited success.
Homefront (Demo):
Staircased at dead zones of 0-5 and required too much mouse tracking with 6-9. 6.5 was almost workable except it required me to repeatedly pick up the mouse and reset it to look around. Was less efiecient than the dualshock.
Call of Duty: Classic
Same as aboave, but worse.
Call of Duty: Black Ops (Demo)
Works really well but seems to move up/Down slower than lept/right. No staircasing/jittering with ingame sensitvity at max (Insane) and deadzone = 3. Workable but will take some getting used to. Recommended for this game but it's not perfect.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Demo)
Same as black ops aboave. Abviously, these are the game it was intended for.
Killzone 2 (Demo):
I was able to resolve staircasing and jittering. Requires maximum ingame sensitivity and a deadzone of 4. Too slow of movement, mouse has to be picked up and drageed all over in this one. Not recomended.
Killzone 3 (Demo):
Better than above but not as good as COD:MW2 or black ops. It is still too slow. too much mouse tracking.
Battlefield 1943:
No staircasing. I needed a dead zone of about 3 to get rid of the jittery/jumping when trying to "pixle point" at an object. Although better, I found tracking was still too slow/difficult to play with. Would take some getting used to. It makes driving vehicals or flying extreemly difficult, if not imposable.
Infamous:
Works well enough to play. Better feel than the dualshock but jittery/staircasing not completly gone.
PC USERS:
When set as a mouse it is fine, sweet to have four extra buttons! Not as good as my logetech MX 5000 laser mouse but it tracks as well as an optical (A cheap one). Also, since I was a console gamer before PC, I tried this on a game I have always dreamed of having a "fragchuck" for...The Descent series. Although windows 7 x64 recognizes it as a gamepad and all of the buttons/analog stick work, it would not recognize the anolog or mouse movement in Descent 1. In Descent 2 this problem is fixed but the mouse has dead zone issues, and when that is ajusted it's too slow, requires too much movement, and is'nt as accurate as my MX5000 laser (Not even close). So, it was esentially useless. Too bad! Fine, I can just use the MX5000 instead by choosing the mouse and joystick option. Worked perfect, very addicting. I set drop bombs to the motion sensative melee and afterburners to the joystick button (L3)! That is sweet and there are 10 buttons on the fragchuck, if you count L3 and the D-Pad, to assign functions to. They could have packed 2-3 more buttons in though. I also, tested a few other FPS games (Older School) that did not work to my satisfaction. Bottom line: if your game supports joystick and mouse operation in tandom (and gives you complete control over button reassignments) then it "might" work like you want it to, otherwise it's a crap shoot. Don't know about newer games like far cry, fallout, and etc.
Note:
I really wanted it to work for me and to give it a fair review. I even pulled it back out of the return box to test it agian on a few titles I forgot about, just to make sure I wanted to return it. No go. Given the range of experiance I got out of it and the problems I was able to almost resolve, I would say my unit was not defective. It just almost works. Maybe it will work better for the games you want it for. Good Luck.
PS:
that guy on youtube (zDD) is displayed prominantly on the packaging and endorsed by Splitfish. Not to say his videos are fake, but his incentive is to paint the product in a positive light. Therefore he's not going to post a video showing what games it doesn't work in! A one sided story is at best a half-truth. So, don't be supprised if your experiance is different form his.
Best Deals for Frag FX Shark Controller for PS3, PC and Mac
After several hours of researching the Frag FX Shark, AIMON PS, EagleEye, and XIM3, I finally settled on purchasing the Frag FX Shark controller. Here's the lowdown:The Frag FX Shark does work as promised, depending on the game being played (based on what I've read). I have only tried it on COD MW3. The best thing about the Frag FX specifically is the sensitivity dial on the controller. This makes it as plug and play as can be with this type of setup. No need to download game specific firmware or any other garbage. The controller is fully customizable as well (remap buttons, macros, blah blah). Basically, you plug in the wireless stick into a USB slot, turn on the mouse and controller, and presto -it works. It is recommended to set in game sensitivity to max and then adjust using the dial on the controller. I've found slightly past 2 to work best for me.
Yes, there is some staircasing with the Frag FX. It won't affect gameplay much for the average gamer and it might even get sorted out with a firmware update later on.
The wireless works well and I had 0 problems with interference. I have a wifi TV, 2 routers, cellphone, cordless house phone, iPad, and the ps3 all in the same area. Did not have any problems at all.
My biggest issue with the product is the ridiculous size of the mouse. I can get over the cheap feel of the plastic, but the size of the mouse is as if it was designed for Captain Banana-hands. This isn't enough to make me return the product.. it is, however, the MAIN reason I knocked the Shark down to 4 stars. The only other issue is more of an annoyance than anything else... even when the controller and mouse are turned off, if the USB stick is plugged in, the ps3 will assign it to controller 1-4. This is annoying in 2-player games if you want to use the dual shock controller and play by yourself as the game will ask player 2 to hit X to join (or automatically add player 2 into the game).
If you are a typical gamer, this is a great product at a great price. It's not as great as a PC mouse in terms of accuracy or quality, but it does do the job.
If you are a hard-core FPS gamer looking to dominate everyone just get the XIM3. This is one area where you definitely get what you pay for.
For reference: (based on my e-findings)
FRAG FX SHARK $60 (when I purchased) $90 now
See above for review
pros (no setup, sensitivity dial, includes lap board, great fragchuck design, 'snipe' button which slows mouse movement)
cons (cost, mouse size, staircasing, works better on some games than others)
AIMON PS ELITE $80
pros (better mouse, less staircasing, better 'quality')
cons (complicated setup, firmware flashing required for each game, no MAC support to do said flashing, possible wireless signal issues, cost, no sensitivity dial)
EAGLE EYE $55
pros (real keyboard and mouse, cost)
cons (complicated setup, need PC to set up the hardware, game specific settings required)
XIM3 $150
pros (unsurpassed accuracy and quality, real mouse and keyboard, LCD screen to assist setup, 1:1 conversion)
cons (requires an xbox controller to be plugged in, can make a mess with all the cables necessary to use product, very high cost, no mac support for updating firmware, made for xbox and requires adapters to use on ps3)
note: $300 on amazon market. It costs $150 at the maker's website (google xim3)
SUMMARY:
Average gamer who wants a plug and play solution? Get the FRAG FX SHARK
Want a higher quality product and don't mind tweaking settings and tinkering? Get the AIMON PS ELITE (then head to their forums and read up)
Want to use a real keyboard and mouse at low cost? Get the EAGLE EYE (then head to their forums and read up)
Insist on the absolute best, regardless of price (hardcore gamer)? Get the XIM3 (then head to their forums and read up)
You can't really go wrong with any of the 4 options.. I got the Frag FX because there's no setup and amazon prime shipping was offered.
I will update this review after testing the Frag FX on Battlefield 3.. I've held off because I doubt it will work very well as the game itself currently has lag issues.
Honest reviews on Frag FX Shark Controller for PS3, PC and Mac
I was scared when ordering the shark. I thought it may not be worth the money. but i am glad i did get it. It works great in call of duty and battlefield bad company 2. i also tried it in fall out 3 and new vegas. I works ok but it does smoothly go diagonally in these games. ALso in the fallouts you can not get the sensitivity high enough to make it seem like you are playing on computer i have to constantly pick up the mouse. In call of duty is where it shines it gives me pixel by pixel aiming i can turn quickly up down side to side diagonally it all works really good.i mostly play call of duty black ops so the controller was worth it to me if you play games other than fps it might not work good but for fps it is alot of fun. It makes target acquisition much easier as well as following moving targets.
the build feels sturdy doesnt feel cheap. It is really easy to set up
comes with a mouse pad that is pretty good
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Frag FX Shark Controller for PS3, PC and Mac
I just picked up the new fragfx shark... I have never used a mouse for gaming before, as I never game on a pc. Been gaming on consoles since Atari, but wanted to try this out based on all the hype about mouse being better than analog sticks for aiming and all. The thing cst $90 plus shipping, but I took the plunge to try it out with black ops. Got it in thursday after playing black ops for a few days with my dualshock 3. The first day I thought i had wasted over $100 on something that I could never learn. My first 3 matches I went roughly 1 kill and 23 deaths average. Considering I had been going 21-16 K/D with the dualshock it wasn't very promising. I decided to stick it out for a week before putting it on craigslist and ebay.. I am sooooo glad i did that, because after only 2 or 3 days I finally got used to using the mouse to aim, and now I feel quicker and better in game. Played a round of Battlefield and went 36-9 K/D playing conquest on white pass, No camping , moving from flag to flag the whole time. On Black Ops had my first ever 7 kill streak and did it twice with a k/d of 21-9 in one game. granted the game is new and I undoubtedly got better as I learned the maps, but I have been playing BFBC2 since launch and this was my best round ever.. I got the Shark which is wireless, and I have noticed no lag, but the price is steep. I have no experience with any of the other models, but this one works great for me and I will probably never go back to using the dualshock for an fps.A few side notes. I have heard reviews say the mousepad isn't good. I am hoping to buy a better mousepad to compare but the one it comes with does seem a little smaller than I would like.
I bought a 4 pack of pre charged duracell 2000 MaH rechargeable batteries with the charger at walmart for $13 and still haven't ran the first 2 batteries dead. The battery life is very good, and with rechargeable batteries cost should be minimal.
UPDATE...... I bought a rocketfish gaming mousepad from best buy and would highly recommend it. A little bigger, way more responsive, and has a speed and control side. I prefer the speed side but both are better than the one provided by splitfish.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Discount The Walking Dead - Xbox 360
*UPDATE* My review is based on a XBox Live download of this game. While the disc content is the same, news of issues with disc based version have hit the internet. While the company prepares to patch this users without internet connections will be unable to download the fix. I recommend users without the internet to AVOID buying this product at this time. Users with the internet may want to look in A)Downloading this title off XBox Live or B) Make sure a patch has been released fixing this issue. The below review based on game content only:
Be forewarned that despite being a game set in a zombie apocalypse that it is not really an action game. This is actually a good thing. The game is a point and click adventure game with action moments mixed in to create a fun zombie slaying experience. The action sections aren't why this game succeed's, it is amazing due to the characters and dilemmas you are face with.
This game is presented in an episodic format. The narrative is split into five different episodes. Each episode takes between 2-5 hours to complete. This will be some of the most engrossing time you will ever spend with videogame.
I came into the Walking Dead with high hopes and middling expectations and was blown away. Telltale Games (the developers) have made a Walking Dead product that presents a better story than the television show and is more comparable to the books in terms of quality presentation of a great story.
This game has won a few early Game Of The Year awards and will receive more as we get into January. This is based solely on the fact of just how good and engaging the story is. The gameplay is merely a tool to present it, so while it is fun to kill zombies here, it won't be the reason you keep playing.
If you like the Walking Dead show or books even the slightest bit, then you owe it to yourself to play this game.
WARNING = MSRP is 29.99. Many of the resellers are listing it at a higher price point. Make sure you pay no more than $30 for this product.
After wasting an hour or so and getting hugely frustrated, I realized I had some extra MS 'XBOX Live' points to spend, so I gambled 400 points to download the online version of Chapter 1 (of 5), and guess what? It works just fine!
So, the problem is with the DISC version of the game. Online download = NO problems.
P.s. The game itself is AWESOME! I loved Chapter 1, and will be downloading the other 4 chapters ASAP. IF the disc had worked, I would have given 4 or 5 stars.
DON'T BUY THIS DISC...!!!
You play as Lee Everett, a former professor on his way to prison in the back of a police car. He's been convicted of murder, and would've gone away for a very long time had the infection not complicated things. Taking shelter from the undead, he meets a young girl named Clementine who has been surviving on her own for several days. The pair make an alliance of circumstance and set out into a world ravaged by the the walking dead. Along the way, they meet up with more groups of survivors emotional baggage and all while trying to stay one step ahead of the undead (and, in some cases, the living) and keeping some kind of goal in mind to keep them moving forward.
To say much more would be to spoil one of the finest stories ever written into a video game. There's a reason the zombie genre has been gaining popularity, and it's only partly because of the zombies. The threat of the undead places ordinary people in extraordinary situations. They're up against a mass of creatures that always play by the same set of rules, and it's usually a failure of human cooperation that dooms the survivors. This is where THE WALKING DEAD walks the line so brilliantly, even compared to the first couple seasons of the television series. Lee's only goal in the game is to keep Clementine safe, and the best way to do so is to keep his ragtag group of survivors from getting at each other's throats. They'll occasionally have some vague goal in mind: going to this town or that, heading for the coast or trying to find help in other places, but survival is really the main goal of the game, which is where the choices come in.
If you've played Obsidian Entertainment's ALPHA PROTOCOL, then you'll be delighted to hear that Telltale Games took heavy inspiration from its fantastic dialog system. Unlike games like MASS EFFECT, where you can sit and think over a decision that's really bugging you and make an informed decision, THE WALKING DEAD employs a time limit on the decisions that need to be made in a hurry. In my opinion, you will likely be faced with some of the most stressful choices you've seen in a game in some time, choices that sometimes have no good outcomes with one only being slightly worse than the other, and you'll have to make them *now*. By the end of each episode, I was absolutely exhausted.
This isn't made any better by the fact that you'll likely end up caring about most of the characters. Though you won't necessarily like all of them in fact, you might actually end up despising some of them circumstances are such that you rely on them for survival. This requires to either play the peacemaker, the antagonist, or even the indifferent one in the group. The choice is pretty much yours.
The "point and click" format works in this instance. Make no mistake, this is a cinematic experience first and foremost. The drama unfolding in front of you, and the ways you're allowed to influence it, is the centerpiece of the game. There are only a few isolated sections where you'll see some action, but they're usually just for effect. In large part, you'll be chatting it up with your group, making/breaking alliances and friendships, investigating different environments, and surviving through scattered quick time events. It doesn't require much investment on the gameplay side of things, but you'll want to stay on your toes through every cutscene.
I can't say enough good things about this game. On the negative side of things, some people might find it a bit off-putting that their decisions don't have enough repercussions down the line. Characters will react to your choices, but the story doesn't change around all that drastically, except in a few key instances. Some then might argue that your choices don't matter, but I'd say they matter no more or less than in games like MASS EFFECT, though the ending for THE WALKING DEAD is much, much more refined. I can honestly say, given my emotional investment with the characters and the story, each and every choice mattered to me.
THE WALKING DEAD has to be one of my favorite games at this point, and I never would've imagined that it would be. In my opinion, it's definitely one of the best zombie stories out there not to mention one of the best video game stories, period made all the better by the fact that you can have an impact on it. There are emotional highs, lows, moments when you just want to yell at your fellow survivors through your TV, others when a choice with only seconds left to be made might leave you sweating like a bomb defuser. This is more a story about the human condition than anything else, and how it won't always work in Lee's favor. As one of the characters dutifully points out, "The dead don't kill their own. It's the living you gotta worry about."
Be forewarned that despite being a game set in a zombie apocalypse that it is not really an action game. This is actually a good thing. The game is a point and click adventure game with action moments mixed in to create a fun zombie slaying experience. The action sections aren't why this game succeed's, it is amazing due to the characters and dilemmas you are face with.
This game is presented in an episodic format. The narrative is split into five different episodes. Each episode takes between 2-5 hours to complete. This will be some of the most engrossing time you will ever spend with videogame.
I came into the Walking Dead with high hopes and middling expectations and was blown away. Telltale Games (the developers) have made a Walking Dead product that presents a better story than the television show and is more comparable to the books in terms of quality presentation of a great story.
This game has won a few early Game Of The Year awards and will receive more as we get into January. This is based solely on the fact of just how good and engaging the story is. The gameplay is merely a tool to present it, so while it is fun to kill zombies here, it won't be the reason you keep playing.
If you like the Walking Dead show or books even the slightest bit, then you owe it to yourself to play this game.
WARNING = MSRP is 29.99. Many of the resellers are listing it at a higher price point. Make sure you pay no more than $30 for this product.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Well, I guess I just paid $30 for a printed game instruction manual. Just like the other 1-star reviews state, the DISC version of this game is massively flawed! Tons of LAG, jerky controls, loss of dialogue, skipped scenes, etc, etc. UNPLAYABLE. "They" obviously didn't bother to work out all the 'BUGS' before putting this game on hard disc.After wasting an hour or so and getting hugely frustrated, I realized I had some extra MS 'XBOX Live' points to spend, so I gambled 400 points to download the online version of Chapter 1 (of 5), and guess what? It works just fine!
So, the problem is with the DISC version of the game. Online download = NO problems.
P.s. The game itself is AWESOME! I loved Chapter 1, and will be downloading the other 4 chapters ASAP. IF the disc had worked, I would have given 4 or 5 stars.
DON'T BUY THIS DISC...!!!
Best Deals for The Walking Dead - Xbox 360
Don't get me wrong, the game itself is great. However, there is a problem with the xbox 360 discs. It lags and freezes up really badly, and is virtually unplayable. Apparently it's not just a bad batch, there is a problem with the code and all they can tell people is that they are working on it. I ended up having to return this because it is so bad. I have since downloaded it onto my game system and the game works great that way. I just didn't want anyone to waste their money.Honest reviews on The Walking Dead - Xbox 360
I bought the first couple episodes of THE WALKING DEAD on a whim, being a fan of the show only at the time. Though the price was right, in the back of my mind I was still wondering if it was going to turn out to be just another cash-in of a popular franchise, or even if I'd warm up to its "point and click" format, with which I had absolutely no experience. All of my skepticism was washed away by the end of the first episode. I've played many, many RPGs that tout choice and consequence, moral dilemmas, etc., only to offer up the superficial good reaction/bad reaction with everything else proceeding as normal. THE WALKING DEAD gives new meaning to the concept of choice in video games, dealing with mature situations that few developers would even think about touching. And this is only the first season.You play as Lee Everett, a former professor on his way to prison in the back of a police car. He's been convicted of murder, and would've gone away for a very long time had the infection not complicated things. Taking shelter from the undead, he meets a young girl named Clementine who has been surviving on her own for several days. The pair make an alliance of circumstance and set out into a world ravaged by the the walking dead. Along the way, they meet up with more groups of survivors emotional baggage and all while trying to stay one step ahead of the undead (and, in some cases, the living) and keeping some kind of goal in mind to keep them moving forward.
To say much more would be to spoil one of the finest stories ever written into a video game. There's a reason the zombie genre has been gaining popularity, and it's only partly because of the zombies. The threat of the undead places ordinary people in extraordinary situations. They're up against a mass of creatures that always play by the same set of rules, and it's usually a failure of human cooperation that dooms the survivors. This is where THE WALKING DEAD walks the line so brilliantly, even compared to the first couple seasons of the television series. Lee's only goal in the game is to keep Clementine safe, and the best way to do so is to keep his ragtag group of survivors from getting at each other's throats. They'll occasionally have some vague goal in mind: going to this town or that, heading for the coast or trying to find help in other places, but survival is really the main goal of the game, which is where the choices come in.
If you've played Obsidian Entertainment's ALPHA PROTOCOL, then you'll be delighted to hear that Telltale Games took heavy inspiration from its fantastic dialog system. Unlike games like MASS EFFECT, where you can sit and think over a decision that's really bugging you and make an informed decision, THE WALKING DEAD employs a time limit on the decisions that need to be made in a hurry. In my opinion, you will likely be faced with some of the most stressful choices you've seen in a game in some time, choices that sometimes have no good outcomes with one only being slightly worse than the other, and you'll have to make them *now*. By the end of each episode, I was absolutely exhausted.
This isn't made any better by the fact that you'll likely end up caring about most of the characters. Though you won't necessarily like all of them in fact, you might actually end up despising some of them circumstances are such that you rely on them for survival. This requires to either play the peacemaker, the antagonist, or even the indifferent one in the group. The choice is pretty much yours.
The "point and click" format works in this instance. Make no mistake, this is a cinematic experience first and foremost. The drama unfolding in front of you, and the ways you're allowed to influence it, is the centerpiece of the game. There are only a few isolated sections where you'll see some action, but they're usually just for effect. In large part, you'll be chatting it up with your group, making/breaking alliances and friendships, investigating different environments, and surviving through scattered quick time events. It doesn't require much investment on the gameplay side of things, but you'll want to stay on your toes through every cutscene.
I can't say enough good things about this game. On the negative side of things, some people might find it a bit off-putting that their decisions don't have enough repercussions down the line. Characters will react to your choices, but the story doesn't change around all that drastically, except in a few key instances. Some then might argue that your choices don't matter, but I'd say they matter no more or less than in games like MASS EFFECT, though the ending for THE WALKING DEAD is much, much more refined. I can honestly say, given my emotional investment with the characters and the story, each and every choice mattered to me.
THE WALKING DEAD has to be one of my favorite games at this point, and I never would've imagined that it would be. In my opinion, it's definitely one of the best zombie stories out there not to mention one of the best video game stories, period made all the better by the fact that you can have an impact on it. There are emotional highs, lows, moments when you just want to yell at your fellow survivors through your TV, others when a choice with only seconds left to be made might leave you sweating like a bomb defuser. This is more a story about the human condition than anything else, and how it won't always work in Lee's favor. As one of the characters dutifully points out, "The dead don't kill their own. It's the living you gotta worry about."
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Walking Dead - Xbox 360
So far I am really loving this game and I'm moving on to the fourth chapter, but before receiving it (I pre-ordered it here at Amazon) I read several disparaging reviews here on Amazon about the Arcade version being wonderful and the disc version being horribly glitched, bugged, and generally laggy. This got me worried for the day that I received it. As soon as I put the disc in it prompted a 3MB update (I didn't even attempt to play without updating) and I immediately obliged. After the update I have not had any lag issues during game play or save issues or glitches otherwise that I'm aware of. Occasionally the opening sequences at the beginning of each new episode (recap sequences) are a little choppy, but not bad. Just for your information and comparison purposes, I am playing on a Xbox 360 Slim 250Gb with what I assume is a first print disc. I won't get into reviewing the game itself, as there are numerous well written reviews right here, I just wanted to offer up my experiences of the DISC version of The Walking Dead. Thank you and I hope you have the chance to enjoy this game.Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Buy AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet - Flat Cable
Great idea for an HDMI cable, unfortunately it does NOT produce good results. Bought 4 of these for my new Denon surround system and liked the idea of the 90 degree plus the angle curve on these cables. Unfortunately they lose signal constantly and I had to replace two of them already. For instance, had one going to my PS3 and it would constantly drop the signal, LCD would black out and refresh till it picked up the signal from the Denon and showed it on the screen again. Same thing happened to my Blu-Ray Player. I simply pulled those cables and replaced them with the higher end ones I had pulled out previously and no problems since.
Monster and the others selling $100+ cables, spend vast amounts of money on advertising to massage the ignorant and arrogant out of their money.
This Amazon Basics High Speed HDMI Cable articulates two directions (very cool). The cable is clean looking, well put together and does not look cheap. At this price a guy can buy several, just to have around.
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Had already bought a Philips HDMI Swivel Cable but this FLAT AmazonBasics is 100 times better than the Philips one. Great construction. Till now, ZERO problems...Best Deals for AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet - Flat Cable
Analog cables are like a garden hose, the bigger they are, the more signal can get through. Digital cables, unless physically broken, or compromised in some way have no signal loss if the o or the i get through signal received. It is the signal converter that turns it back into high quality audio or video.Monster and the others selling $100+ cables, spend vast amounts of money on advertising to massage the ignorant and arrogant out of their money.
This Amazon Basics High Speed HDMI Cable articulates two directions (very cool). The cable is clean looking, well put together and does not look cheap. At this price a guy can buy several, just to have around.
Honest reviews on AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet - Flat Cable
Super cable! Love the fact that it's flat and that the actual connector swivels to make room. Don't know if the internet component works because I wasn't aware that you needed a compatible device for it's proper use. Solidly built. Worth every cent.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for AmazonBasics High-Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet - Flat Cable
I liked the concept of the cables but had problems with the implementation. I was really pleased with the idea, but had problems a few weeks after I started using them with "digital artifacts" on some channels from my HD TV box. Since they were brand new cables and we had been having off and on problems with the HD box, I didn't even suspect the cables. But after going around with the cable company for a bit and setting up a service call, I decided to change out cables just to be sure. I tried a few other cables and all the others worked fine, but every time I switched back to the AmazonBasics cable I had the artifacts show up. I ended up switching back to a regular cable. I purchased these so they would tuck back nicely behind my TV and not stick out visibly from the side (which they did) but I figured if they were going to give me problems it wasn't worth it. So I returned them. I *may* have simply had a bad cable, but I didn't want to go through the hassle since I had some working cables available.Friday, September 5, 2014
Best Dr. Mario Online Rx Deals
I haven't seen this game in years it's one of the early games came out around the time of Tetris and is played much in the same manner. Fun for one or two players it's mostly easy that's why I like it.
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We used to love playing this! It was so hard to find in any other format. This was my first time ordering a game online to download on the WII and I was glad that the process proved to be very easy (I googled the how-to online and printed off the directions). We are having a great time playing it, just as fun and addicting as I remembered it. I play with family members or the computer option and it has a lot of different playing levels so that I can play against someone of any skill and still make it challenging.Best Deals for Dr. Mario Online Rx
I bought this off the Nintendo Channel and it is worth every penny if you enjoy puzzle games. The gameplay is fun to play and keeps you entertained for sometime. The graphics look great and so does the sound. The multiplayer and online features are excellent. The newest option called Virus Buster is a great addition to an already excellent game. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who loves puzzle games and loves Mario.Honest reviews on Dr. Mario Online Rx
The experience purchasing this product was absolutely flawless and within minutes the game was downloaded and being played. Those that are looking at this product likely don't need a review of Dr. Mario, but rather how the modern virtual console version works. I can say it's perfect and haven't experienced any issues with anything.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dr. Mario Online Rx
We play this a lot on the Nintendo 64, and love it. We figured now would be a good time to upgrade, and we now play this on our Wii. There are a couple downfalls to the switch. One is the versus, 2 player mode. It does not have the best 2 out of three, so we have to keep track of who's ahead. This is annoying because we often have tournaments with many other people, so when we have to count the wins ourselves it can be overwhelming. The controls are very touchy, and obviously different from the older version. Another downgrade, in my opinion, is that the player's score is not displayed on the screen when playing in two player or multi player. Another downfall, however very minor, is that the system does not allow you to change the background, and we have lost the original characters for play! You can choose your own Mii. which is good. All in all, it's a great game and it's keeping the classics alive.Thursday, August 28, 2014
Cheap The Incredible Hulk - Xbox 360
A few years ago, a little game called Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction was released, and was a surprisingly great take on the Marvel character with free-roaming and destructive environments, plus the overall feeling gameplay-wise that you really were the Hulk. This new movie tie-in Incredible Hulk game from Sega seems to want to follow in the same footsteps, but alas, it is a disappointing, and quite frankly boring, next-gen smash-a-thon. Smashing up a pretty looking New York City is as fun as one would hope, and is by far the best aspect of the game to be sure. After that though, things begin to go downhill in terms of gameplay and overall presentation. Once you get bored with just causing destruction, the gameplay elements at their core just aren't that varied, and the boss fights are underwhelming as well. Graphically, the game looks halfway decent, but there are noticeable graphical glitches and occasional bugs that hamper the experience. Oddly enough as well, just like with the Iron Man game that was recently released, the game's cut-scenes are just plain bad. The good points of the game once again involve laying waste to the environment, and film star Edward Norton lends his voice as Bruce Banner as well. Considering how enjoyable Ultimate Destruction was and still is, it's disappointing how Incredible Hulk ends up faring. It's worth a look for Hulk fans, but in the end, you're better off sticking with an old copy of Ultimate Destruction.
PS 7-11 has a $5 off coupon = Red Hulk version for 54.
The game does have its downfalls with certain moves from UD not being in this one but the game tries to make up for that with different moves and abilities replacing them. One particular thing that I noticed is that the game has a tendency to freeze up a lot whether you're running it off the hard drive or on CD. Not sure what causes this (maybe something in the game engine), but may become an annoyance.
For 20 bucks off of amazon here, you'll have a great time smashing stuff with this fun game.
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Overall, this is a pretty good game. There are some things that they took out of it that were in the previous hulk game that would've gone great in it. Also, the game froze up completely on me sometimes and i had to shut the console off and turn it back on again to play the game, so i did lose some progress because of these annoyances. But otherwise I really liked the game.Best Deals for The Incredible Hulk - Xbox 360
I have the version from GS, the one with the Red Hulk, and it is a good game. It could have been much better. Basically it is a trimmed down Ultimate Destruction. Now that game was great. I still play it on my 360 it is that good. Bottom line: if they wanted UD2 they should have kept things the same and just updated the graphics and story, if they wanted a whole new game they should have made one. The games seems a rushed movie game built around UD. If you like the Hulk or smashing stuff this game will deliver, just don't expect a revolutionary game.PS 7-11 has a $5 off coupon = Red Hulk version for 54.
Honest reviews on The Incredible Hulk - Xbox 360
My son loves this game..The game was in great shape no problems with it my son plays it over and over. I would buy more games from this Amazon .. Thank You!!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Incredible Hulk - Xbox 360
Probably one of the few games based off a movie that doesn't totally suck. Simply put, if you enjoyed "Ultimate Destruction" you'll get a kick out of this game for sure. The destruction element is ramped from UD quite a bit and the story I thought was decent. Not the best story ever but not crappy either. If anything it's like Grand Theft Auto meets Rampage.The game does have its downfalls with certain moves from UD not being in this one but the game tries to make up for that with different moves and abilities replacing them. One particular thing that I noticed is that the game has a tendency to freeze up a lot whether you're running it off the hard drive or on CD. Not sure what causes this (maybe something in the game engine), but may become an annoyance.
For 20 bucks off of amazon here, you'll have a great time smashing stuff with this fun game.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Best Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive Deals
I don't have the "black" one but I couldn't find the one I needed to write the review for. It's the same thing anyway but mine is the one that is the same color as the original 20GB Xbox 360 drive.
The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I think it is overpriced and should be offered by Microsoft at an "upgrade" price for people who had already purchased the 20GB drive.
Anyway, the drive comes with a kit (disc and USB cable) that allow you to easily transfer all your data from your old 20GB drive to the 120GB one. The transfer was easy and hassle-free. The entire process took less than 90 minutes. When I turned on the 360 afterwards with the new drive attached, everything booted up exactly as it had with the old 20GB drive. There was no further configuration or registration needed. All data had been preserved perfectly downloaded demos, trailers, and other content, saved game data, music, etc. The new drive is even a little bit faster than the old one although it's possible that my old one had gotten fragmented and that was slowing it down, so maybe it's really the same speed.
Anyway, this is nice. Now every time I want to download something I don't have to scrounge for some free hard drive space by deleting stuff I would really rather keep.
And a note to Microsoft in case you are reading this you should more clearly advertise that this drive comes with the data transfer kit. I have been considering buying this drive for months now, but was hesitating because I didn't think I would be able to transfer all my data from the old drive. At one point I even called the Xbox support line and specifically asked if there was a way to transfer the data over, and the lady I spoke to made no mention of the transfer kit. She told me that if I logged in and "recovered my gamer tag" that all my saved data would be restored. I brushed this off simply because that would have to mean that every bit of my 20GB of data has been sent over the internet to Microsoft's servers and even if this had been the case, I would have probably had to leave my 360 turned on for a couple of weeks to wait while it all downloaded again.
Installation was completed in less than 5 minutes and the transfer of the 20 GB took 1 hour, 19 minutes. I am currently downloading 7 GB of game demos I can play, as well as TV and movie clips. Tons of FREE content if you have the hard disk space.
I believe I can even transfer my home photos to it to use as a slideshow.
Super simple installation. Insert CD, pull out USB connections, plug transfer cable into new drive and other end in the rear USB. Push A. When finished, remove CD, turn off unit, remove USB cable, and change out new drive for old (2 seconds or so to pop out old and insert new). Turn on and enjoy.
For people who are continually running out of space on their 360 this is a Godsend. If you're downloading HD movies you'll really appreciate this. If you want to store your music on your 360 you'll love this. However, if you're just using the xbox 360 hard-drive for your game saves then this is more than you'll ever use.
It would be better to wait until you're having problems storing everything you want on your 20GB hard drive and then decide if you need this. If you do decide it is worthwhile later you might be able to pick it up for a little less money.
EDIT_____
Now with the New Xbox Experience it is possible to install games on your hard drive. Since most games are about 6 GB it makes a 20 GB hard drive seem super small. Still, I don't think most people need this, but an avid 360 fan will find plenty of use for the extra space.
Another space concern I've found is downloading extra game content. Those map packs and extra songs for Rock Band fill up your drive pretty quick and they aren't things you'll ever want to delete. If you are looking for someone who plays Rock Band, or Guitar Hero, a lot they might be in real need of this.
There are two types; the black one that comes with the elite 360 and the chrome/silver one that is sold independently.
The Silver one should come with the data migration kit that allows you to transfer all your memory from your 20gb hard drive to your new one. MAKE SURE THAT THE VENDOR INCLUDES THIS CABLE or you will be up a very deep creek without a BOAT.
You can only get a Black hard drive used if someone were to sell their hard drive from the elite 360 (a rare occurrence, but it happened to me). This hard drive wont come with a data migration cable at all UNLESS the previous owner received one from Microsoft. ONCE AGAIN, MAKE SURE THAT THE HARD DRIVE YOU BUY HAS A CABLE WITH IT or you will be unable to transfer your data from old hard drive to new.
Microsoft can offer to send you a free migration kit, but that's ONLY IF YOU FILL OUT A FORM AND SUPPLY THE SERIAL NUMBERS OF YOUR OLD 360 AND THE NEW ELITE 360 YOU JUST BOUGHT. Bought a used hard drive and not a elite 360? Plum out of luck, cause you can't get one from Microsoft unless you supply that information. You could buy one off eBay, but they usually go for upwards $10-$15 IF YOUR LUCKY, $20-$40 IF YOU'RE NOT.
Right now I'm looking for a Data Migration Cable because i didn't have the knowledge I'm giving you all right now. Either buy the 120gb Hard drive NEW and guarantee you'll get the cable with your purchase, OR GET IN TOUCH WITH THE USED HARD DRIVE SELLER AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE A CABLE TO SEND WITH THE HARD DRIVE THEY'RE SELLING. DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID.
More than likely, you will receive a Third-Party Hard Disk that will not work with your Xbox 360. If you receive this item, it does not come with a transfer cable or disk. My advice is that if you get one of these, return it immediately and try again as the Hard Disk will perform incredibly well as a shiny, brand spanking new, "Made in China" paperweight.
If you are lucky enough to receive an official Microsoft Hard Disk, then you WILL get the transfer cable and disk you will need in order to move your stuff to your new Hard Disk and you can call it a day.
Luckily for all of us, Amazon.com's return policy is excellent in regard to problems of this nature and if you get duped by one of these fly by night storefronts Amazon will return your hard earned cash within a few days.
Final word on this product: BE CAREFUL. If you get what is shown on this page then you are golden, otherwise be prepared to return it.
The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I think it is overpriced and should be offered by Microsoft at an "upgrade" price for people who had already purchased the 20GB drive.
Anyway, the drive comes with a kit (disc and USB cable) that allow you to easily transfer all your data from your old 20GB drive to the 120GB one. The transfer was easy and hassle-free. The entire process took less than 90 minutes. When I turned on the 360 afterwards with the new drive attached, everything booted up exactly as it had with the old 20GB drive. There was no further configuration or registration needed. All data had been preserved perfectly downloaded demos, trailers, and other content, saved game data, music, etc. The new drive is even a little bit faster than the old one although it's possible that my old one had gotten fragmented and that was slowing it down, so maybe it's really the same speed.
Anyway, this is nice. Now every time I want to download something I don't have to scrounge for some free hard drive space by deleting stuff I would really rather keep.
And a note to Microsoft in case you are reading this you should more clearly advertise that this drive comes with the data transfer kit. I have been considering buying this drive for months now, but was hesitating because I didn't think I would be able to transfer all my data from the old drive. At one point I even called the Xbox support line and specifically asked if there was a way to transfer the data over, and the lady I spoke to made no mention of the transfer kit. She told me that if I logged in and "recovered my gamer tag" that all my saved data would be restored. I brushed this off simply because that would have to mean that every bit of my 20GB of data has been sent over the internet to Microsoft's servers and even if this had been the case, I would have probably had to leave my 360 turned on for a couple of weeks to wait while it all downloaded again.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Price is a bit steep since I just got my Xbox 360 5 months ago but a must have item for me. The 13 GB of usable space on the original drive is too small to hold demos, clips and ripped CDs. I started ripping my CD collection to the Xbox 360 and quickly ran out of space. The Media jukebox is wonderful for playing my CDs over my sound system.Installation was completed in less than 5 minutes and the transfer of the 20 GB took 1 hour, 19 minutes. I am currently downloading 7 GB of game demos I can play, as well as TV and movie clips. Tons of FREE content if you have the hard disk space.
I believe I can even transfer my home photos to it to use as a slideshow.
Super simple installation. Insert CD, pull out USB connections, plug transfer cable into new drive and other end in the rear USB. Push A. When finished, remove CD, turn off unit, remove USB cable, and change out new drive for old (2 seconds or so to pop out old and insert new). Turn on and enjoy.
Best Deals for Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive
Most people who already own a xbox 360 this product may be very tempting and some people have been waiting months on this. You could use this to store music on your xbox hard drive as well as videos and xbox live arcade games and game demos.For people who are continually running out of space on their 360 this is a Godsend. If you're downloading HD movies you'll really appreciate this. If you want to store your music on your 360 you'll love this. However, if you're just using the xbox 360 hard-drive for your game saves then this is more than you'll ever use.
It would be better to wait until you're having problems storing everything you want on your 20GB hard drive and then decide if you need this. If you do decide it is worthwhile later you might be able to pick it up for a little less money.
EDIT_____
Now with the New Xbox Experience it is possible to install games on your hard drive. Since most games are about 6 GB it makes a 20 GB hard drive seem super small. Still, I don't think most people need this, but an avid 360 fan will find plenty of use for the extra space.
Another space concern I've found is downloading extra game content. Those map packs and extra songs for Rock Band fill up your drive pretty quick and they aren't things you'll ever want to delete. If you are looking for someone who plays Rock Band, or Guitar Hero, a lot they might be in real need of this.
Honest reviews on Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive
Normally if you buy a 120gb BRAND-NEW, you wont have to worry about this issue, but IF you buy a USED hard drive from one of the other vendors on this site you NEED to make sure what type of hard drive your getting.There are two types; the black one that comes with the elite 360 and the chrome/silver one that is sold independently.
The Silver one should come with the data migration kit that allows you to transfer all your memory from your 20gb hard drive to your new one. MAKE SURE THAT THE VENDOR INCLUDES THIS CABLE or you will be up a very deep creek without a BOAT.
You can only get a Black hard drive used if someone were to sell their hard drive from the elite 360 (a rare occurrence, but it happened to me). This hard drive wont come with a data migration cable at all UNLESS the previous owner received one from Microsoft. ONCE AGAIN, MAKE SURE THAT THE HARD DRIVE YOU BUY HAS A CABLE WITH IT or you will be unable to transfer your data from old hard drive to new.
Microsoft can offer to send you a free migration kit, but that's ONLY IF YOU FILL OUT A FORM AND SUPPLY THE SERIAL NUMBERS OF YOUR OLD 360 AND THE NEW ELITE 360 YOU JUST BOUGHT. Bought a used hard drive and not a elite 360? Plum out of luck, cause you can't get one from Microsoft unless you supply that information. You could buy one off eBay, but they usually go for upwards $10-$15 IF YOUR LUCKY, $20-$40 IF YOU'RE NOT.
Right now I'm looking for a Data Migration Cable because i didn't have the knowledge I'm giving you all right now. Either buy the 120gb Hard drive NEW and guarantee you'll get the cable with your purchase, OR GET IN TOUCH WITH THE USED HARD DRIVE SELLER AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE A CABLE TO SEND WITH THE HARD DRIVE THEY'RE SELLING. DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Xbox 360 120GB Hard Drive
As the title states, if you order this item, you may or may not get an official Microsoft product. If you, like me, read through the reviews on this page, you have seen a lot of 5-Star ratings, and lot of 1-Star ratings. The reason for this is that Amazon.com sells this item from the storefronts of various venders. Amazon.com has no control over what product these sellers send you.More than likely, you will receive a Third-Party Hard Disk that will not work with your Xbox 360. If you receive this item, it does not come with a transfer cable or disk. My advice is that if you get one of these, return it immediately and try again as the Hard Disk will perform incredibly well as a shiny, brand spanking new, "Made in China" paperweight.
If you are lucky enough to receive an official Microsoft Hard Disk, then you WILL get the transfer cable and disk you will need in order to move your stuff to your new Hard Disk and you can call it a day.
Luckily for all of us, Amazon.com's return policy is excellent in regard to problems of this nature and if you get duped by one of these fly by night storefronts Amazon will return your hard earned cash within a few days.
Final word on this product: BE CAREFUL. If you get what is shown on this page then you are golden, otherwise be prepared to return it.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Cheap Kinect Disneyland Adventures - Xbox 360
List Price: $14.99
Sale Price: $11.99
Today's Bonus: 20% Off
In many ways, Kinect Disneyland reminds me of the game Epic Mickey that came out for the Wii last year. It's a fantastic concept and the attention to detail will absolutely delight die-hard Disney fans, but gameplay itself can be a little shaky at times. But overall, it's a winner, especially if you have younger kids in the house who are always begging you to go to Disneyland or Disney World.
The concept and the graphics of this game are amazing. You start the game out at the Train Station and the scene swoops onto Main Street USA, which should be familiar to anyone who's been to the parks. You define your character by choosing a boy or a girl, and give him or her a face (you basically can choose one by race), and then a hair style, hair color, shirt, and pants. There's only limited customization you can do (I'm guessing you can't use the Xbox avatar because it's just too cartoony for this world).
You meet a "magic ticket" that tells you how to move around. You point your arm straight ahead to walk, and you can point your arm to the left or right to pivot. I've heard complaints about this, but you do get used to it eventually. Still, I probably would have liked to see the option to use the old Xbox controller for walking around, as walking by pointing isn't all that intuitive.
The ticket will lead you around to meet different characters. Of course, the first character you meet is Mickey, who gives you an autograph book. You're basically given different tasks to do around Disneyland. You need to find Donald to sign to book, and then return it to Mickey. Then you need to get Goofy's autograph. And so on. It's not really challenging, as the golden ticket will lead you straight to the right character and there's also a map you can use to see where any character is at any given time. Once you encounter a character there's a fair amount of interaction you can do with it--you can shout "Hey there!", get their autograph, dance a jig with them, high five them, hug them, and take their picture with a magical camera that Mickey gives you.
And so this is basically the first way to play Disneyland Adventures: walk around the park, interact with the characters, and solve different quests that they give you. You can collect coins throughout the park which you can eventually use to purchase virtual souvenirs in the stores. There are also "magic items" you can collect which will unlock secrets throughout the park.
You can just walk around and explore the park if you like. In some cases you'll bump across different rides you can take just for fun, for example, riding the roller coaster in Mickey's Toontown or the Dumbo Ride in Fantasyland. The attention to detail is spectacular, right down to the first-person view you see while sitting on the rides, to the storefronts along Main Street, to the views you get walking from land to land, right down to the location of the Fastpass ticket machines and the crowds (whom you can eavesdrop on).
Of course, as you walk from land to land, you'll come across the "attractions" (if you don't feel like walking around, you can "fly" from land to land by pulling up a park map). These are basically mini-games, and there are a staggering number of them. Each attraction is broken into different parts. The best way to describe each mini-game is that they're idealized version of the Disneyland rides; for example, on Space Mountain, you're really flying through space and on Thunder Mountain Railroad you're really in a mine shaft. You can collect coins in all the rides are well.
Here are the attractions:
FRONTIERLAND:
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: there are two parts to this one; in the first one, you're pumping a mine cart to try to get in front of a runaway train, and in the process you can reach out and grab coins (which will be a recurring theme through all the games). In the second one, you're running on the top of the train trying to get to the front to stop it. There's actually no running involved; your character runs on his own and you basically need to lean left and right and duck to avoid obstacles.
ADVENTURELAND:
Jungle Cruise: there are three parts to this one. The first part was very much like the ride, complete with smart-alecky boat captain and rhino-infested waters. Here, you man a water cannon as your jungle cruise floats down the river, shooting barrels (which release coins) and the occasional rhino or elephant. The second part of this game is a blast--you need to mimic a guard ape's motions to disarm the ape, and then get into a fruit fight trying to hit a bunch of apes by throwing bananas. In the third part of this game, you're kayaking down some rapids, trying to steer out of danger by leaning left and right.
CRITTER COUNTRY:
Splash Mountain: There are two parts to this one. In the first, you run after Br'er Rabbit (you'll run automatically but you can in run place to go faster). Eventually you get to Splash Mountain, where you jump into a boat and steer by leaning left and right. In the second part, you're in a barrel going down the familiar waterfall, again leaning left and right to steer and swinging at mushrooms and items thrown at you for more points.
Winnie the Pooh: The graphics of this one were phenomenal as you're transported to Pooh Corner, drawn in the exact style of the movies. For the first part of this, you fly through the air holding onto balloons, following Winnie the Pooh on his baloon. You can flap your arms to move higher and duck to go closer to the ground. You need to collect coins and honey. In the second part, you're bouncing along with Tigger by bouncing up and down as if on a pogo stick, giving an extra bounce to avoid obstacles and to collect honey. In the third part, you're essentially playing a game of "catch" (a lot like baseball in Kinect Sports 2) where Piglet and Roo are chucking presents at you from a bush.
NEW ORLEANS SQUARE:
Haunted Mansion: In the first part of this game you're flying through the Haunted Mansion, steering to move left and right to avoid obstacles like chairs, cabinets and paintings. Occasionally you have to match the poses of paintings to fly through them. In the second part of the game you need to escape the mansion by leaning left and right to run and pointing a flashlight at ghosts to make them explode into a pile of coins.
Pirates of the Carribbean: The first game here is a very realistic game where you paddle a boat with two oars, but then the game turns into one very much like the kayaking game above..
TOMORROWLAND:
Astro Blasters: This was a rail shooter game where you fight alongside Buzz Lightyear. As before, you fly by leaning left and right. You shoot by pointing your arm straight out at what you want to shoot (the blaster will fire automatically when you point at a target). As levels progress, you get into a spaceship flying through tunnels, battle Zerg by taking out shield generators, and escape by flying. This was definitely one of the more fun ones, which should appeal to young boys.
Space Mountain: Here you get in your space ship and fly through space graphics inspired by the ride. To steer, you basically hold your hands out like they're holding a steering wheel, and navigate up, down, left, and right. From time to time you'll have to shoot things with a blaster.
Finding Nemo: There are three parts to this game: Coral Reef, Bruce and the Sunken Ships, and East Australian current. The first game is a game of "hide and seek" where you need to hide behind certain objects so Nemo can't find you (easier than it sounds as there's a current you need to swim against and objects bumping into you). In the second and third games you're swimming and collecting coins (which feels pretty much the same as the flying games)
FANTASYLAND:
Peter Pan's Flight: Again, this is a flying game where you're leaning left and right to steer and collect coins. What makes this one special is the stunningly beautiful graphics that come right out of the movie. In later levels of this game, you're battling the Jolly Roger (basically dodging and swinging at debris and cannonballs being fired at you), flying through Neverland, and having a sword fight with Captain Hook..
Matterhorn: Here, you start out on a bobsled following Goofy down the Matterhorn. It's definitely cool, but on the other hand, it feels a lot like the other flying games (lean left and right to steer, avoid obstacles, and pick up coins). The second part of the game is a snowball fight, very much like the banana fight in Jungle Cruise. The third part of the game is skiing, again, a lot like the flying games.
Pixie Hollow: This is one of those rare games that don't involve flying. In it, the fairies of "Tinkerbell The Movie" sit around and tell stories, and you need to strike the correct pose to get them to continue. This is definitely one for younger girls.
Princess Faire: Think "Just Dance", but with Belle, Ariel, Tiana, Cinderella, or Aurora acting as your trainer as they dance to their signature Disney song. It's not as sophisticated as Just Dance (if you strike the right pose at the right time, you basically get the points), but I think a lot of young girls will get a thrill out of this one.
It's a Small World: The graphics and music in this one are very reminiscent of the ride, if not the content. In it, you crank a boat to "sail through the world", stopping at various lands such as Africa, the South Pacific, and the American Old West. Each time you stop, you'll need to mimic the moves of a dancer to get points and coins.
Alice in Wonderland: Another game which has fantastic graphics that are reminiscent of the Disney movie, but with gameplay much the same as above (for example, as you're falling through the rabbit hole you need to lean to your left and right to avoid obstacles and collect coins)..
First, the good. I found the graphics and animation to be amazingly detailed and accurate. For example, when playing Winnie the Pooh, the graphics, with all the scenes, the characters, and even your avatar drawn in the familiar style of the movies. Similarly, in the Finding Nemo games, the graphics take on a computer-generated Pixar feel. In the Peter Pan game, the graphics of flying through London are stunning just like in the movie. And so on. The designers and illustrators of all the mini-games definitely kept true to the originals, and Disney fanatics will be thrilled to spot a lot of little details.
The same can be said for the voice talent and music. Everything from the narrator of the Haunted Mansion to the voice of Buzz Lightyear to the sound effects of Space Mountain to the music in Splash Mountain are completely accurate to what you find in the park and in the movies and cartoons that inspired them. There were some cases where hearing a particular ride's music brought back memories for me from years ago at Disney World.
I was also pleasantly surprised at how physical many of the games are. In some of them I definitely had an elevated heart rate and felt I got a little exercise out of them.
The one gripe I do have about the game concerns the gameplay itself. As you might be able to tell from my descriptions above, there are a staggering number of games but a lot of them feel very redundant and repetitive. Despite the dizzying number of different milieus, there seem to only a small handful of games at the core: namely flying games (where you lean to the left and right to avoid obstacles), rail shooters, snowball fights, and follow-the-leader games.
After the fifth or sixth flying game, you can't help but think to yourself, "this again?" I think out of the 50 or so games, there were only a handful that I really felt "this is really something new and original" with regards to the gameplay. I would have loved to see as much creativity and originality in designing the games as there was in designing the game audio and visuals. Although one last thing that should also be noted is that the games do support two players, which of course adds a whole new dimension--what may otherwise be an exercise in tedium as one player can become a thrilling competitive battle for two.
Overall, this is a very fun title which should definitely appeal to fans of the Disney theme parks and the cartoons (which is basically 99% of us). I'd say that young players will definitely appreciate the game more; ironically, the very repetition that may make the game a little tiring for adults may be welcome for kids, as they can master the moves easily and play essentially the same games in different environments.
Kids will also love exploring the virtual park and interacting with all the characters, and certain parents will love that this game can keep their kids busy for a long, long time. If your child loves collection those blinging coins in Lego games, they'll appreciate collection coins throughout this world--and spending them. It's still not a substitute for actually going to the parks, but it's the next best thing.
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Wow! I've only played a couple hours, but wanted to share some impressions.I've been to Disneyland a handful of times and the park is faithfully recreated in the game. Playing it brought back memories from my actual visits.
Presentation: The graphics are very nice and colourful as you'd expect, its amazing how much detail they put into the park and all the tourists, you hear bits of conversation while walking from tourists. The Disney Characters are wonderful as are their voices. The Music is perfect and properly placed, such as the teacup song in the wonderland area of Fantasy Land. I did notice very minor pop up and a couple snags when rotating quickly or riding the dumbo type rotating rides, but its nearly perfect.
The Gameplay: There is so much to do, I was happily suprised with the variety. Certain Characters will give you items(a wand, Buzz Lightyear Gun so far) to interact with in Disneyland while traveling to your next ride/adventure, or completing a quest for Mickey or Alice.
Character Quests: So far Alice has asked me to find an item for her she lost, which led me to the Mad Hatter who asked me to take some photos for his album. Cinderella has asked me to find 3 items for her etc. I think there are over 100 quests.
Fast Pass is activated by raising both arms, if you don't feel like walking the whole park to get to your favorite Land or Ride.
The Kinect controls: Are well done with a bit of practice, pointing to walk works well, you don't have to point with your arm straight out to walk it can be low minimizing fatique, you can move your arm to turn/rotate or move your shoulders. It all comes naturally after a little while, once you remember to lower your arm to stop. I'm impressed with the controls, navigating Disneyland for real can be a challenge ;)
Most selections can also be made with Voice Recognition (Return to Park, Yes, No, Clothes, Map Navigation etc.), something I'm enjoying more with Kinect, now that I'm ued to talking to my Xbox!
I've only really explored Fantasyland and a bit of Tomorrowland. In these 2 areas I've discovered you can ride the rotating rides with a first person view, nothing too special but a nice touch.
The Main Rides/Adventures: So far are really fun and longer than I expected. And each have multiple parts, such as falling down the rabbit hole, croquet with Alice and the Queen, and The Tea Party.
Here's a list of the main attractions:
Fireworks (conduct a show over the castle)
Mickey's Parade
Space Mountain
Buzz Astro Blasters
Finding Nemo Submarine
Pixie Hollow
Peter Pan
Wonderland
Matterhorn
Princess Fantasy Faire
Its a Small World
Big Thunder Mountain
Winnie the Pooh Adventures
Splash Mountain
Haunted Mansion
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise
Enchanted Tiki Room
Lots to play and remember most have multiple parts/games.
There is a shop in each Land where you can buys clothes, hats, costumes, for your character.
My son is a little young to play (nearly 2) but he loved watching and even tried to fly with Peter Pan (his favorite movie). When I exited to the title screen he applauded, and when I turned it off he got sad for a bit, so yeah your kids will love this, unless they hate disney for some odd reason?! Its fun for the kid in all of us and a great family game, with the easy drop in drop out feature.
I highly recommend it!
O O
(^.^)
Best Deals for Kinect Disneyland Adventures - Xbox 360
Ditto on the positivies thus far, as far as the most helpful negative review have you tried saying XBOX fast travel. Then a menu with things you can say comes up. You can get very far, very fast with this.My ten year old typical was definitely a huge boon to sortig out this game, but my autisitic son loves the peter pan flying game. We own a wii, and an xbox,I've bought so many games from walle to toy story on wii, to sesame for kinect(I still have hope, he's been under the weather since we got that one). But this disney game always brings a smile to his face.
Fast travel is very nice, even my daughter still uses it sometimes but she has also figured out you can just point straight ahead. She loves to play this game for her "older" brother. A lot of her friends come over and they sometimes don't know how to play with her brother, but they totally get into it with this.
The girls do seem bothered when there avatar's change somewhat randomly, but they quickly got over it in favor of all the fun to be had.
One last note the voice commands are so good they even respond to my special needs sons commands, and he is considered nonverbal! He loves to order the game around.:)
Ofcourse it helps that he loves Disney and Mickey!
Honest reviews on Kinect Disneyland Adventures - Xbox 360
I bought the game for my 8 year old niece, but quickly found that the adults and teenagers in our home were fighting over who would get to play next! The graphics are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen on Xbox360, and the attention to detail is simply amazing. I know there are lots of familys with young children who haven't been able yet to afford going to the park,(I've been there) and this is the closest thing to actually being there that you will ever see! For those who have been to Disney, There are times when (with a little imagination) you really do feel like you're actually at the park, and interacting with the characters who are scattered about is great fun, but I imagine it could get a bit repetitive after a while. I still can't get over the way the game looks, (try finding some youtube videos of the game and you'll see what I mean.) It's a strange feeling to virtually walk around the park, and see places and compare things that you've seen when you were actually there, as an example someone in our group said "there's the table we sat and ate our lunch at!" My family has just started to unlock the seemingly endless quests, minigames, and the like that the game has to offer, so I will probably add to this review after we've played it some more, I just wanted to let anyone who might be looking for that magical Christmas present know that this game is a blast to play, and will suit ANY person who likes Disney no matter their age. It does require a Kinect, whish is a camera looking device that sits atop the tv and allows for a person to interact with the game by just moving their body, instead of using a controller. I would suggest either a new one from Amazon, or possibly looking somewhere like craigslist for one, as you can get them pretty cheap second hand. Well, I have to go now, it looks like it's time for fireworks over Cinderella's castle!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Kinect Disneyland Adventures - Xbox 360
I recently returned from a trip to Disneyland with my wife and 3 year old, so this title caught my eye at the store.You pick an avatar and move him through a combination of quests and experiences set in the Disneyland park. The game has a faithful rendition of Disneyland itself that you can wander freely through. You can get your avatar to walk (well, trot really) pretty much anyplace you wan go normally in the park, just by pointing forward to walk, or to the sides to turn. (works better than it sounds). There's also a park map you can access that lets you jump to different places in the park if you don't feel like taking the time to walk there, which is a nice timesaver.
Some rides (such as the teacups) you can ride and have it look like the real thing. Others such as the matterhorn, big thunder mountain railroad, and the haunted mansion are mini-games which follow the theme of the ride, but not the actual structure of it. There's reasonable variety to the games, and I really enjoyed them. The voice acting is also quite good, as you would expect from a disney-branded title.
The disney characters play a prominent role in wandering around disneyland. You can collect their autographs, hug them, dance with them, or high five them. You can also stop in some of the shops and buy clothes and pins for your avatar.
One of the best things about this game: it's just as fun to watch as it is to play! My toddler and my sleepy wife were both spellbound as I played for the better part of an hour.
The controls are a little too sensitive for my tastes, but at least they're responsive. I figure I'll get more used to them over time.
Overall this is a great family game, especially for any family that either wants to visit disneyland or has recently been. I really was shocked at just how faithful to the park's layout and look and feel (well, except for the crowds which are quite sparse) the game is. Awesome!
Pro:
+ It really feels like walking around disneyland!
+ Nice, safe environment to interact with the various characters, and some cute 'emotes' to do with them.
+ fun mini-games for some rides
+ good navigation, both for walking around, and for jumping to places without having to walk.
+ voice menus work pretty well, I was very happy with this as a time-saver!
+ Great fun to watch as well as to play.
Con:
I wish I could ride a rendered version of ALL the rides rather than just a few
controls are a little sensitive and take some getting used to
Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to my Disney fanatic friends!
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