Discount Afterglow Universal Wired Headset - Green

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List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $39.99
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As a more casual gamer, I never really understood the necessity of wearing a headset while playing on the Playstation Network or Xbox Live. The Afterglow headset definitely helped me cross that line. I have become familiar with several other gaming headsets through my roommates and other friends, but never was impressed enough to pull the trigger for a pair of my own. I am very happy to have had these given to me as a gift, because I may have never experienced them otherwise.

When it comes to sound quality, as an owner of a pair of Bose QC Headphones (which coincidentally crapped out on me right after the one year warranty expired) and a pair of V-Moda Crossfades, I am very particular and value headphones with crisp, clear sound and solid bass. When I first took this set out of the box, I plugged them directly into my iPod rather than my Xbox. I was astonished with the sound quality, something I didn't quite expect from a pair of headphones built primarily for gaming. Although I still take my Crossfades out the door with me (they are a bit more streamlined) I have found myself using my Afterglow headphones as my primary music listening headphones while at home. The sound is fantastic whether the volume is cranked up or you're listening at a whisper level. Vocals are very clear, and it is easy to separate the sounds of instruments in the music or footsteps and gunfire while gaming. While they are not noise-cancelling, the quality design of the headphones helps block out a fair amount of outside noise, which I find to maximize the sound experience.

One of the most attractive features of these headphones is the inner headband design. Unlike anything I've worn before, at first I was very skeptical of the suspension style strap. I quickly found that it maximizes the comfort of the headphones, while also eliminating the need for the more common click-slide size adjusters (which I now find irritating) found on most other headphones. This headband makes it so there are no noticeable pressure points on the headphones, which is ideal when you find yourself on a multi-hour gaming or music bender. All other headphones that I have used extensively begin to irritate my ears or head after a couple of hours, I have yet to experience that with this set. Additionally the earcups are large enough to fit my oversized ears comfortably without being bulky, a compromise that I generally find lacking in most headphone designs. The only other notable design feature is the retractable microphone, a great feature which makes these headphones a lot less clunky than similarly priced gaming headphones, without sacrificing any quality. Other than that, the design is very effective, nothing too flashy, but much more than you would expect for the reasonable price.

Another feature I find extremely valuable about these headphones is the multi-platform capability. Unlike many other gaming headphones, these are compatible with all major platforms, something that is very useful as all of my roommates/friends seem to prefer different gaming platforms.

Overall, I definitely recommend these headphones for the casual to serious gamer who is looking for a lot of bang for their buck. I have yet to have any issues with this Afterglow set, and would definitely be interested in hearing what people have to say about the wireless set, which I'm sure will be my next gaming headphone purchase when the time comes. Comfortable design and great sound quality make for a great pair of headphones. The lighting effects are just a bonus! Hope this was helpful.

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Having used many headsets over many consoles, i can gladly say that the afterglow headset can be placed on the top of my list. The sound quality is amazing compared to other headsets at its price and can even be compared to headsets twice the amount paid for it. Every game I have tried with these did not disappoint with the sound quality i received. The only problem I had with them was the tightness I had when I first used them. But after a week of using them they started to mold and fit snug around my head so it wasn't really a problem.

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I will revise this review after I get some service from PDP. I'm a female gamer so it fits my head just perfect alittle big in fact, this is the first headset I have ever owned like this and was a gift from my mom for a late Christmas present. after receiving though is where the 3 stars comes into play I need an adapter cable for it to work on my PS3, that is not provided with the headset you have to contact PDP, so I did like the book said call the 1800 number I called it and got told to go to the website to file for my adapter piece, then just for the heck of it I hooked this headset to my brothers xbox to see what the sound quality was like on there surprise surprise I need another adapter since both systems are HDMI linked and not hooked up with the original cables this piece is needed and in the book it says after you call it's free and 2 days shipping, issue is it's 2 day shipping from when they get your ticket so if they don't get it for several days you don't get to have optimal game sound till then. All in all if you hook your systems up with HDMI be ready to not use your headset for awhile unless you have the original cables ready like I did for my PS3 but also be ready to go down in visual quality for better sound. I will again revise once I receive the items needed to let future buyers know how long it will take.

Ok so as I said I would revise if I received the adapters and I have so my review on this is WOW !!! I never received a message back from the company they just sent the adapters, not a bad thing at all but it does show they are working on customer service just make sure you file the claim ticket at the right place on the website. The sound quality is AMAZING !!! it takes some getting used to if your like me and never had surround sound headsets before. you have to do some adjusting to the sounds and from what I can tell mine are backwards where it says chat it's actually the game and vice versa but it's not a big deal since I know that's the issue I just adjust from knowing that. if you have any issues hooking up your headset don't get frustrated go here( )they have instructional videos for all electronics, plus they will tell you where to go to file your tickets for the adapters I would really recommend these if your really looking for a quality item and to block out sound.

Honest reviews on Afterglow Universal Wired Headset - Green

I am not normally used to wearing headphones, but when my gamer son recommended I try his new Afterglow Universal Wired Headset Blue, I was sold. Not only do they look totally cool with the glowing blue light (especially awesome in the dark), but they feel fantastic, almost too comfortable to take off. "I will never wear annoying ear buds again," claims my son and now I understand why. Plus the sound quality is terrific. My hearing's not great so with Afterglow on I go high on volume and low on disturbing the family. Everybody's happy. Finish off with the fact that these are so very affordable compared to a lot of other headsets on the market that I'm inclined to think we should all have our own!

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They sound ok. They aren't very adjustable, if you have an above sized head stay away from these for sure.

Pokémon Black Version 2 Reviews

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List Price: $34.99
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The answer is YES! YES YES YES!

I found Pokemon Black and White to be the first games in the Pokemon series that deeply disappointed me. I found the music to be, for the most part, boring and uninspired. They took away so many things that had come to make playing the Pokemon games so interesting and varied, such as the berry-growing and the Pokemon contests (which were replaced by musicals). And I disliked the direction they took with the story. I would have preferred if they actually just kept it as before, rather than introducing the idea that maybe having Pokemon battle each other wasn't ethical and then completely going with the argument that "It helps Pokemon reach their true potential." As a 20-year old college student, it just seems a bit ridiculous, though I wonder if children blindly accept this explanation. Also, I felt that the games were lacking post-game content that was varied. The Battle Subway is a challenge, but after a while it gets boring as there is not much variety to it.

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2, however, deliver where the first two games did not. First of all, the music in these two games is beautiful. There are many great new themes, especially in the new beginning cities and towns. The theme for Aspertia City (that's right, CITY it has its own gym and Pokemon Center) is a breath of fresh air, and completely different from all starting themes before it. Quite honestly, it is one of the best in the series.

Story wise, I feel that they toned it down with all of the ethical stuff and turned it more into a traditional hero-versus-Team Rocket story, which Game Freak has always done well.

In terms of post-game content, this game has a lot to offer.

First, there is the Pokemon World Tournament, where you can challenge past Gym Leaders and members of the Elite Four. You can also participate in competitions where you only battle in a certain style, such as double, rotation, and triple battles. I thought this was excellent since these modes are barely used in the storyline.

There is also the White Treehollow and Black Tower, where you have to go to the lowest levels of these locations. The trick is, you don't get to bring items with you and the place is infested with Pokemon trainers with strong Pokemon. I have actually lost various times here. It is challenging, and I like it!

In addition, there is also Join Avenue, a place where you can buy loads of new items, increase your Pokemon's friendliness, and even buy your Pokemon food that can raise their levels and their EV stats, which makes it easier to train Pokemon for competitive play.

Also, there is now a medal system basically, its a trophy system. It is pretty addictive. The game also gets a challenge mode! If you get the key yourself or have someone give you the challenge mode key, you can increase enemy levels and AI! Which is a big plus for me!

A few other changes that I liked about Pokemon Black 2 and White 2:

+When you run out of repels, a little text box pops up and asks you if you'd like to use another. It is faster than having to open your bag and pick it again.

+You are no longer limited to Unova Region Pokemon.

+It is easier to move Pokemon around in the PC. You can actually now choose whole groups of Pokemon to transfer at once.

+Every gym has its own theme! This is excellent! I hope they keep doing this for all new Pokemon games, because it really helps give each gym its own feel.

There are a ton of kool, new additions to the series this time around. So if you are wondering if you should get the sequels to Black and White, I say do it NOW!

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While HeartGold and SoulSilver will hold a special place in my heart as my favorites, Black 2 (I refer only to Black 2 in this review, though most commentary is transferable to White 2 as well) is a strong entry in the Pokemon series without a doubt,and may objectively be the best so far.

Game Freak made a surprising move in announcing "Black and White 2", as no games had ever had direct sequels before immediately visiting a new region ought to have killed the game while it was still an idea. It made it through somehow though, and I'm glad it did, because these games are packed so full of new content I have no doubt that I got my money's worth. From the new storyline to new areas to the medal system (a nod to Steam's "Achievements" and the like), there's no doubting that Game Freak took pains to make this a world worth revisiting.

All the old favorites are present (all... what, 649 of them not all catchable in-game of course) and some Pokemon come in new forms as well. The new starting area is especially appreciated, as starting off exactly the same way B/W did would have started things off on an old, expired note. Also updated is the necessity of HMs once a painful bane of a gamer's existence, they've been almost entirely eliminated from the main story, instead serving as paths to extra areas. They've really packed in the extras as well, though I'd prefer not to say much about them to keep the review relatively spoiler-free.

The game starts rather slowly as usual, and the graphics have received little update, always a weak point of the series. While Game Freak has recently started stepping into 3D territory, battle sprites and animations are as 2D as ever. Likewise, the plot is thin (though in recent games, has shown some improvement, especially in B/W and here). Those who missed out on the original B/W will not find themselves utterly stranded, as the game does a good job of filling in the gaps, though some of the nuances may be lost on them. However, combat is as finely-tuned as ever, and if you live around many other Pokemon fans, there is no end in the ways to compete. It's always a little harder on those living in Poke-isolation, and while wifi takes some steps to relieve that, the "Pal Pad" is always a burden.

Still, these are minor issues in comparison to the big picture. Pokemon has always been strong, and Black 2 is another, if surprising, improvement to the franchise.

Gotta catch em all!

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This game takes place 2 years after the events of Pokemon Black/White. I've played the Japanese version from the beginning to the end and I absolutely LOVE this game, much more than the prequel (even the games before black and white!). I also love this game enough to buy it again in English, even though I've already beaten it before.

And I'm very fond with the new characters and especially your new rival. He has great character development and feels more like a bro than anything else. I'd write more but that's where GameFAQs comes into place. Buy this game, it's very much worth it.

Honest reviews on Pokémon Black Version 2

I pre-ordered both Pokemon Black 2, as well as White 2. The story and flow has not been a disappointment in the least. All of what you can expect from the previous games has been tweaked a bit to improve the gameplay. There are a couple of new features and gimmicks, on of them being PokeStar studios which is a bit of a flunk in my opinion (you battle, and then they add a script to your battle to make it a "movie").

I have always been a fan of Pokemon games and so I know what to expect when I am purchasing. For someone completely new to the Pokemon games I would recommend this series first, I have noticed it has a bigger variety of wild pokemon early on to choose from. Pokemon HeartGold, Soulsilver and B/W are good choices as well but this game will definitely give a new player a bigger list of choices on which Pokemon they want to train.

They did not add any new pokemon in this game unique from B/W but they have expanded the Pokemon you can catch in single areas. There is a feature on your Pokedex that gives you a stamp when you have seen all the unique pokemon to an area (which is useful). With the combination of those features it allows for you to fill your pokedex with ease, as well as a quick and easy way to know where to look for a specific pokemon.

In the opposing light, this game is not extremely different from the others. If you have played the other games that have come out recently, this game is probably not going to be much different for you. If you didn't like Black or White you can assume that you will not really enjoy this one. That being said, this game is a continuation of B/W and you can link your games which has been fun. It provides flash backs and little dialogue occasionally about your previous character in B/W. For a list of the different features I would recommend looking into other reviews or using a guidebook. I have kept from them to reduce spoilers.

The story of this game is different, you will meet new characters and revisit others later on in a timeline. This game is great stand alone and I believe it is excellent if combined with your experience with B/W.

I give this game 5 stars because it has kept me thinking, even as an older player I have to have a new strategy for new types. There are some really nice new items that you can attach that will make your Pokemon more competitive. This game can have an increased difficulty which has been fun but you need to train quickly. It helps children and adults to use critical thinking on which Pokemon to use against the opponents Pokemon. I was also surprised to find out they do have some random difficult wild Pokemon that can wipe your team out if you suck... like me. Anyways.. I digress.

Enjoy!

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Yes I got both black2 and white2....I'm stupid, Nintendo take all my money but I still love their games.

By the way, my black2 was brought in Japan on the release day.(I'm Chinese and I made my travel plan to Japan base on the pokemon relase day) When I was in a huge line with all Japanese friends holding either a ds/3ds playing pokemon and wait for the new one come out, we start talking about why everyone in the world love pokemon so much.

I believe all pokemon fans have been asked the same question, Some people think the game have poor graphics and "naive" game style. They never truly understand what's fun in this game. Usually, I asked them to take a little bit of time and play the game. most people will understand why in short time.

Pokemon is just fun! For lite gamer, it has all cute pokemon and you feel relationships with them are real. even beat through the story is fun. If you are hard core gamer, no problem, Pokemon have the most creative, most competitive and most interesting battle system, and the battle tactics has always developed. pokemon is for everyone.

Now Let me talk about Black/white2

it is still gen5 of Pokemon series, if you know what that means...

It means, it is not a NEW Pokemon game. It is like yellow, you playing on basically the SAME map.

but, that story happened two year after black/white, there will be place that you know, but VERY different in details. a lot of ice is going to make secret pass which do not exist in b/w1. And just like it all time: the soundtracks are amazing!

This time when you are playing, you can catch old pokemon in the very beginning (if you remember in b/w1 you can only meet new pokemons before you beat N).

Of course there are new legendary Pokemons. All of them are awesome.

The story, for the reason to not blow the fun, I will not talk about the story. Everyone knows even pokemon game never actually have a big story, the b/w1 still made a lovely story which it much better that the old four generations. characters like N gave me a huge impact... B/W2 have the same stage, so you will enjoy the story just like b/w1. If you are huge pokemon fan and you want to know more pokemon story wise, there is a manga called "Pokemon special" that I huge recommend.

some weakness about b/w2:

1: Nintendo decided to make this game still, on the ds. So the graphic dis not improve. Personally, I'm super excited for a new pokemon game on 3DS. Hopefully release next year 2013.

2: They still didn't bring back the following pokemon like heart gold and soul silver did. I do not understand why.

3: The character we used in b/w 1. Did not have huge impact to the story.

Overall, B/W2 has all I expect to see, 5 star no question.

Cheap Adaptec AVC-1400 Gamebridge Console Video Game PC Connector

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For anyone out there that is thinking of picking this up. It does work on Windows 7. The installation is a little tricky but it does work.

To install you must do the following:

1. Open cd in explorer window.

2. Go to Software folder

3. Right click on InstallGB.exe and select properties

4. Go to compatability tab

5. Select run in Windows XP (SP3) and run as admin press ok

6. Go to Intervideo folder

7. Do the same for setup.exe

8. Go back and run InstallGB.exe

9. Plug in device when asked and follow install prompts.

Should work just fine now. I had no problems with my install. Worked on the first try. I never was able to get this thing to work properly on XP or Vista due to lack of PC power. Runs beautifully on my Win 7 system. Quality of video capture is nothing to write home about but it does the trick.

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This product does work with windows 7 and vista, but not the 64-bit versions. In a 64-bit environment, the only way to install this is using vmware or another virtual operating system program to install and run a 32 bit system (guest). Install the Gamebridge to the 32-bit guest system and it works at full speed on a relatively new computer.

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I purchased this little gadget several months ago. I really enjoy using the Gamebridge. It is both simple and reliable. I am able to record and preserve video gameplay just when I want and end it when I want to. It works like a digital onscreen VCR (through the software) and if you are an avid gamer, you need a product like this. Though the only thing to be aware of, this product does not have drivers and support for the VISTA operating system. Only if you use Windows XP or Windows 2000 can you use the device. I am one of those PC owners who still has not made the switch from XP to VISTA. Yet I am happy with XP. So looks like I will be keeping XP around a lot longer. Haha! This product is non-nonsense in setting up, plus it is small and not a clutter issue. I recommend it. I use my Gamebridge device to connect to my 15.4 inch screen laptop computer via a USB port. My Nintendo Wii is my most used game machine alongside my laptop. Its neat as the Wii is space saving along with the laptop, which makes things very portable. For some of the videos I have, check my profile page at youtube dot com. Timothy2035 is my screen name.

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It looked just like the picture and it worked. It shipped really quickly and I just love to play it. I would recomend it to anyone looking to play PS thru the monitor on you laptop.

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It doesn't work in 64-bit anything because the drivers are 32-bit only. They always have and will be since Adaptec isn't supporting this anymore. I got it to work on 64-bit Windows 7 by installing VMware Player 3.1 (it's free) and then installing Windows XP Pro SP3 as a VM using the USB passthrough feature. Video performance was the same as it was on my older XP laptop...no lag. Win! I still have a LEGAL version of XP, so your mileage may vary depending on if you do or not. Dualbooting is also another option for some. Personally, XP just blue-screens on install on my machine before it even gets through the first file copy part. Maybe it's my i7 mobile, but who cares, the VM works and I don't have to reboot.

Reviews of Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires

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_Okay. So I bought this game mainly on the basis of my friend's recommendation. I was extremely happy with it, and surprised by the sheer fun of this game. Kill hundreds of enemy soldiers using many many unique weapons and styles of combat, and conquor China. I won't go into every specific detail about gameplay, but I will say this was a very well made game. I'll break it down in an attempt to overview important buying info.

-Graphics: Good. Not great, but good. Game experiances phantom slowdowns every once in a while though. Not -oftenbut so far three times in the time I've played it. I've beaten the game once, and I'm halfway through it again.

-Music: To be honest I've never noticed the in-game music. Too busy slaughtering unworthy minions. I really like the menu backround music though. Catchy.

-Gameplay: It's been said in other reviews that you will encounter enemy officers so absurdly cheap that they will juggle you from full health to nothing without you ever hitting the ground. I bought this game assuming it was an exaggeration by frustrated gamers. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE :( Okay, with that out of the way, comes the other incredibly annoying point in gameplay. Archers/sourcers. Ranged attacks that will range from knocking you back (stopping your momentum), to knocking you straight on your butt. Absurdly cheap and annoying and they appear in large groups. Good news is that they don't deal any appreciable amount of damage and can be disposed of quickly enough. Bad news is that they tend to appear alongside cheap officers.

__Okay, those points made, comes the good news. Officers are (keywords here) *not commonly* that cheap. The game makes it however so you have to be just as cheap in defeating them to stand any chance. But it's possible. Take note that charged attack combos are your friends. And for fair warning, I just went around, killed 820 minions in a battle (took 25 minutes), then got double-teamed by two such cheap officers.

___My last issue with gameplay is arrows. You get a bow and can use it at will. Aiming and firing is quite simple, and it does a decent amount of damage. The main use for it is hitting distant archers or dismounting people riding on war elephants. (you get to ride elephants and horses in this game, yes). What's my beef? You get a very limited number of arrows to begin with, and finding them in battle is rare. I don't see any point in making a rarely used weapon even more worthless. It'd be *balanced* if you had unlimited, since I can take out literally 40 enemies for the time it takes to kill one via bow and arrow. So they really limited something already limited.

-Controls: Almost everything you'd want or need. Except the gaurd button. You are given a button that gaurds you against pretty much all attacks from the front. One would assume this would mean from just the very front, but apparently not. Enemy officers can block attacks even from the sides. You however, can only block attacks from the few pixels in the center of the screen. In other words, does not work 99% of the time. This would be a most negligible point since I've only ever needed to block against officers. Namely, the cheap ones. However, they can block with almost invernerability, while you can't ever block their attacks. Makes those cheap guys even more frustrating.

__Last point on controls however, you do get a taunt! Very funny, especially when you kill two or three people by taunting. In this catagory I'll list that the camera is of course in third person, and it works well. Gaurd button also functions to reorient the camera behind you, which you will need to do from time to time.

-Replay: A game's true value will always boil down to it's replay value. I think the replay value is high. You can always start a new conquoring campaign. And campaigns will always be different every time. The other empires struggling for control will do different things each time, form different alliances, invade different areas and all that. Plus...the campaign mode comes with a "fictional" mode, where you start a campaign with RANDOMLY placed enemies. That just makes it all so much more interesting.

-Edit character mode: The product hilight makes much mention of the character edit mode. It's slightly overrated however. The game gives you access to MANY, MANY unique weapons, which is a big plus. And any custom character can use any weapon. But when it comes down to making your stats, you get only 7 different pre-made sets to work with. Something I found out is that character's run speed, not listed in the stat sets, is also effected by what you choose. Anyway, when it comes to your character's model, the options you get for dressing them up is vastly limited. Definitely better than nothing, don't get me wrong. But for a system that supposedly has been upgraded from a previous game, couldn't they give me more than 3 different heads for my chosen body type?

__In basic, it's nice, but don't expect as much as you'd get from the latest Wrestlemania game.

-Multiplayer: Weak at best. Don't get this game expecting it to be a fantastic multiplayer game. You get four different verses battles, none of which is particularly exiting. Co-op story mode would have been very easily programmed in, and this game would have been fantastic with it. Oh well.

-Other notes: This is definitely a slaher game, but it has its strategy elements to it. Pick who you bring into battle, what political moves you make, manage your gold. How you use your leadership may make your life incredibly difficult or easy, depending on what you do and what sort of luck you have that game. Remember things are different each time, so choose your decisions wisely.

_I gave this a fun rating of 5, because I think it is, but overall is 4 due to cheap officer fights. A little bit of cheapness here and there wouldn't be aggrevating, but spending 25 minutes decimating close to a kilo of troops to be gang-raped by two cheap officers? That's just not cool. As I said before, luckily it doesn't happen often, but if you play through the campaign mode it will happen to you, no doubt.

_I would rate this title a definite buy. How it stands against other Dynasty games I do not know, as this is my first. If that is the information you seek, I'd advise reading articles posted by others who have played them. Standing alone, this is a very fun game however.

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Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires (DW4E) is one of the funnest if not the funnest PS2 game that I own. It takes a number of the characters from the Chinese book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and allows you to play them and fight out epic battles. The style of gameplay during battles in DW4E is the same as all of the games in the Dynasty Warriors series hack n slash, meaning that you basically run around tapping your attack buttons and killing hordes of enemies and finding powerups on the battlefield. After each battle, depending on how many enemy soldiers you've killed and how many "worthy opponents"(opposing generals) you've defeated and how many casualties your force took your warrior will level up. Here is where DW4E is different than the rest: Outside of battle there is a map of ancient China and it is divided into territories controlled by different generals. From here you will choose which region to invade or defend and also your generals will present policies to you to act out. Policies range from healing armies, recruiting local generals, forming alliances, building new items, trading items, building smiths to improve your weapon levels and so on. One of the best features is that you can choose to play any of the generals in your force during battle, which means you can play every general in your force during every different battle or just stick to powering one up. The entire Empire element adds alot to the original DW4 and in my opinion, makes DW4E a better game entirely. There is also an advanced character edit mode -you can create your own general using quite a few different models and fighting styles. Also, if you've played DW4 and have used the character edit option, you'll notice that your created character will only have a silouhette for a portrait. Not so in DW4E. The created characters look and act just like the real generals (although they don't have as cool of outfits as the real generals IMO). There is also a VS. mode allowing you to play head to head with a human or CPU player with 4 different modes (to be honest I haven't really played the VS. mode much). And like all Dynasty games there is an Archives that will allow you to view artwork and backgrounds of each general. If you are a fan of addicting hack n slash action with a mild strategic element involved (believe me it is MILD, not hard to figure out at all and DOES NOT affect gameplay if you're not one who likes that sort of thing), then pick this game up and give it a try. If you are a fan of the Dynasty Series, this is a must have!

Pros:

-Empires mode adds a whole new spin on gameplay

-Advanced character edit gives you more options and makes you feel more a part of the game due to character portraits

-Archive mode allows you to identify more with each General

-Replay value is high due to being able to conquer the map using lots of different combinations of Generals

-Graphics are good and the soundtrack is even better never gets annoying and doesn't overpower the gameplay

-Play as any general in your force at any time even the generic looking men (the ones you will most likely use as liutenats)

-Recruit your favorite generals to create an army full of favorites

Cons:

-Too many generic looking generals/liutenants there are only 3 different character styles for the generic (not main) generals

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I bought this game expecting it to be one of the best games I had ever played based on what I had heard about it but I was somewhat let down. Firstly, there is a serious lack of gameplay modes. Granted, it is only a thirty dollar game but even so, DW4: XL had at least two game modes; Legend mode and Xtreme mode. This game only has one main mode and that is the empires mode which is killer but I crave more.

Secondly, there is no option that allows you to play empires mode with a second player. The two player co op mode was what interested me in the dynasty warrior series to begin with. There's just something about teaming up with a pal to conquer China. The closest thing you can get to this sort of two player hack and slash fun is the versus mode though it's not as fun because I end up losing more often than not. Co op I like; versus, uh, not so much. The game should have included a 2p co op free mode or something so I don't have to change videogames everytime I want to indulge in two player beat downs. Also, you never really get the sense that your guys are improving. In the original DW4 half the fun was powering up your character so that he could go back and kick the crap out of all the characters he had trouble with before ie Lu Bu but in this game once you beat the game all the improvements made to your charcter are wiped clean.

But getting back to the positive, the empires mode is really cool. It is like the Xtreme mode from XL only much more developed. You are able to play as kingdoms and characters you never could before. Kick (...) as Ma Teng or Liu Zhang(even if they are just generic looking officers) When you beat the empires mode you will be treated to an interesting ending with plenty of Japanese rock music to keep you entertained. Gotta love it! Also the chacter edit is much better, which was my only real beef with the first two versions. Your officer actually looks like a real charcter and not a cheap generic loser with an empty sihlouette(sic? probably) for a charcter model.

Anyway, I would have to say this game is definitely a keeper for the Dynasty warriors fan, although all of the hardcore fans probably already have it by now. As a stand alone one player game it is probably better than Xtreme legends but I can't give a five star rating to a game with no co op story mode. To paraphrase the soup nazi from Seinfeld, NO FIVE STAR RATING FOR YOU!!!

Honest reviews on Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires

This game blends the action of Dynasty Warriors series with strategy from Romance of The Three Kingdoms game. The in-game graphic is excellent, maybe the best on PS2. The cut scenes were disappointing, its not real CGI but the game engine's graphic, Grrrrrrrr. The Chinese style music is nice. The action is awesome, true hack & slash heaven!

Unlike previous DW games which had you playing fixed stages one after another, the only cool part was beefing up the weapons but you still play the same levels if you start a new game, which gets old rather quick. Empires gives the option of playing 'free' stages due to the map of China design. Here you try to unify the whole China province/state by province, 25 total. So you can choose where to attack, each province's battle field are all different and nicely designed. During each turn your officers will propose different actions(two from each officers), these actions are basically everything a ROTK's menu would have EXCEPT they are made into a CARD game style, the officers' proposals are completely random. IMO this part is well designed, it gets to the point, most cards have healing troops which allows you to invade after 1 or 2 turns.

The action part is totally awesome. Fighting hundreds and hundreds of ancient Chinese armies. There are cool units like Juggernut(A wheeled wooden tank with fire spiting tiger head), wooden carts(Used by the famous Zhuge Liang), witches, and more. The AI is smart in battle, much better than previous DWs. The AI is smart on the main map too.

Koei did a really good job on this game. Its better than all previous DWs and its only $30. Can't wait for DW 5.

Update: This game is WAY better than Dynasty Warriors 5.

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This is game is very fun. It is a great game, as it can kind of teach you about the ancient civilizations of China and how the feudal hierarchy works. It is also great for gaming freaks or it can be something you can take your anger out on, because sometimes there is a great big group of enemies and you just rush through and slash them all down or use your musou attack and massacre a dozen at a time. It is a great game.

You also have other features like VS mode where you can fight against a Player 2 in different verse modes, and Edit Mode where you get to create your own custom character and add details to it, including what kind of weapon he/she holds, voice, clothes, and more. There is also an art gallery where you are able to view people in the game.

But, a game always has its down-sides to it, and that is why I rated this game's overall four stars. One of the cons is, when you are fighting, and archers some distance away are shooting at you and you keep getting stunned right there on the spot, and just when you are getting out of the stun, another one hits you, and the other archer right next to him hits you, and the other archer, and the other archer... It takes a while for you to get all the way up to them and slash them. Another con is the sorceresses. They are extremely annoying. They come in about groups of five or so. They keep hitting you with their spells and you keep falling down, just like the archers, except sorceresses are more powerful. They are also worse. They keep stunning you right there on the spot and you can't get up off the ground for like thirty seconds, because everytime you get up, another spell hits you and you fall back down again. Soon, you are forced to waste away your musou gauge for that little group of five sorceresses, and if you don't want to waste it, then you will be wasting your time running up to that group trying to slash them, and when you are one inch from them, they hit you again, and they run away to give you another distance to run to hit them. The last con, is when an enemy officer is riding an elephant and they just happen to corner you... This is the worst con in the whole game... They will run up to you and you will fall down, and push you up to a corner, and since they are after you, they will keep riding into that corner with their elephant and you will keep getting hit over and over and over again, and you can't escape because the elephant is so big you can't even move. You are just stuck there until you lose that battle. It is very cheap. That is the reason I rated this game four stars. It is still a pretty good game, but watch out for these.

Reviews of Minecraft - Xbox 360

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List Price: $19.99
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Today's Bonus: 4% Off

Even if it is playing with blocks in 2d rendered environment, it the best, safest, fun game you can get for your children, and your husband or even grampa. It is for all ages.

My children have been playing mine craft on the PC, the digital Xbox version, and even the mobile or pocket version for a year. This version that they can see, relate to, and not have to rely on virtual gaming is the best. For some reason, having this on a disc makes all the difference. It is something my autistic son can now relate to. He can just pick up the disc and take it with him to family or friends houses to share. Whereas before they were lugging their whole gaming system.

Anyway mine craft has greatly improved my sons social interaction, his speech, and his self esteem. He realizes that he is the creator of his own world, not only in mine craft but in the real world now. It has opened up so much opportunities for him. It has also taught all of my children the benefits of sharing, and the loving peaceful environments that do exist if only we could all pull together and build them.

You create your world. And there is no game lag with this version. Xbox live is not required. Yeah! You can build almost anything you want with the blocks. Especially if you play in creative mode. Then everything is provided for you. This mode gives you an easy play. Survival mode becomes a small challenge as you have to go out and work for or earn your items and blocks. You must dig for and mine your items. Example. You must first locate 2 sticks, and either 3 diamonds, iron, or cobblestone to make a pick axe that helps you mine blocks. In order to get the iron, you need a stone pickaxe which you make with sticks and cobblestone. The better the pickaxe the better at breaking and mining certain blocks that use to build other items. Or "crafting" in other words. Sort of like recipes. For food you must go catch a pig for pork chops, a cow for steak, find milk, sugar, egg, and wheat and make a cake etc. For the milk you need the cow and craft some iron buckets. The egg comes from the chicken you find. The chicken will follow you if you have seeds in your hand. Other options are for pets. You can get a dog with a bone and keep him. The dog must be nurtured and fed just like in the real world. If you get 2 dogs you learn you can actually get puppies. As for your health and house, you require sleep and food. If you go too far from your house and something happens n you die your stuff you collected may dissappear if you can't find it in time. So if you have a bed and slept in it, then when you respawn you will be beside your bed. Your stuff will be where you died. So the reason you might lose it. But at least in this version you can fly, and have greater chance of getting to your items before they disappear.

There is so much more you can do. I will be happy to answer any questions if you just leave a comment. This game is truly awesome.

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Minecraft is one of My favorite things it's just so enjoyable. Great game although I tend to find myself moving my body instead of the crosshairs to place blocks. I don't mind but the world is only 630by630 blocks it is still pretty big. It does NOT have everything that the computer it is only Missing 1 Daylight sensors 2 Trip wires 3 trading with villagers (there are villagers) In creative there are monsters and Night. it's also four Player Split screen unfortunately it REQUIRES HDTV 720p screen resolution. Biomes snow mushroom forest desert cavern NPC villages cave I think that is all. All in all great game got for my Birthday I love it.

Best Deals for Minecraft - Xbox 360

Anyone who has played Minecraft on PC knows what to expect from the game on Xbox 360. It's the same game, but there are enough differences to justify owning the console version in addition to the PC version.

Firstly, split-screen multiplayer. This is probably the biggest plus for the console edition. You can play with up to four players on your console, and those players can enter your game at any point as you're playing. You just need to be running the console in HD. (I use a generic HDMI cable.) It's great fun with friends!

Secondly, this edition cannot generate an "infinite" world. Whether above ground or beneath, you will eventually run into an invisible wall. Some will disagree, but I think of this as a plus. A limited (but still rather large) world means you can fill in your world map and explore in a way that feels more immediately rewarding, and you won't get lost as long as you have your map.

Thirdly, the vastly improved crafting system. No longer must you arrange items in specific ways on a grid (often having to look up the various recipes because it's otherwise too cryptic). When you enter the crafting menu it shows you the items you can make and what you need to make them. As long as you have what you need you just select the item you want and it's made! Simple as that.

Finally, the game looks and plays wonderfully on the tv and with the Xbox controller. As soon as you start playing it feels like an upgrade to the Minecraft experience, not a console rehash.

The only downside is you'll lose a lot of time to the game and wonder where the day went, but anyone familiar with the game already knows that!

Honest reviews on Minecraft - Xbox 360

Minecraft may be one of the greatest 21st Century games of all time. The things you can do in this game is unimaginable. You can go on an adventure to slay the dragon by yourself or you can add some friends to spice things up a bit. Not much of an Adventurer and more of an Architect? That's Fine! In Minecraft you can Play Survival Mode where you have Health and can deplete Hunger and the goal is the Do what ever you want. In Creative mode you can fly, have an infinite amount of blocks and build on a Super flat world so you don't have to clear out land. Also, you break blocks instantly! If you don't like to adventure and build than you can even just play PVP (player vs. player) on many death-match style maps that either you or your friends built! There is a way to download maps but I won't go into detail on that because is quite complicated. One thing that you may know is that the game is made out of blocks. It may look like a childish game with the graphics but I will assure you it is made for all ages (unless your 1). I'm 15 and I play it, older family plays it and my little cousins as well. It can be a Casual game or a Hardcore game depending on your play-style. I don't want to spoil to much for you so you have a surprise but if you want to play on Survival mode without all the Mobs (monsters) trying to kill you then you can even play on peaceful mode where it takes the bad guys out! I own Minecraft on both my Xbox 360 Console and my PC and I recommend buying it on the PC IF you have a good enough computer! to see if your PC has what is required type in on Google Search Can I run It and go to the first website and test your computer, It will tell you what you need. I say the PC Version is better because it has a lot more stuff in it rather than the Xbox because it is behind on Updates to the game. Either way, This is a must buy on any and all Platforms.

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In minecraft, you can do almost anything including playing survival or creative mode with all your friends or by yourself. Minecraft is a game of creativity. You have to fool around with everything until you know how to play the game. You can pretty much build anything you want! This is a very fun game and it makes your mind think a lot. I recommend this game to everyone!

Xbox 360 Refurbished 20GB LIVE Starter Pack Reviews

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This item is a great addition to anyone's Xbox 360 Arcade. The price is set nice and low considering the amount of content that it comes packaged with. This package includes a newly factory refurbished 20GB HDD for your Xbox360. This is a decent size, it has plenty of room to store your games' saves as well as downloadable content and Arcade games. This starter pack also contains an Xbox 360 headset and 3 months of free Xbox Live Gold. This is the perfect way to transition into the full 360 experience and all at a great price. The added benefit of having a hard-drive is that the drive contains emulators which allow you to run original Xbox titles that you may have missed out on. For the price of the starter kit, and the contents that it contains, you simply cannot go wrong purchasing this nice addition to your system. I highly recommend it.

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I received an Xbox 360 Arcade for Christmas and this was great, reasonably priced item to help get me started. I'm not a hardcore gamer and I won't be using my Xbox as intensively as some folks will. I put a dozen CDs on there, downloaded a couple games and stored all of my saved games on it and I have plenty of room still left over. I don't doubt that two or three years from now that I may want a bigger HD, but it's also possible that I won't. Even if I do, this is still plenty worth it for now.

IMO, this is perfect for those casual/moderate gamers who just got or are going to get an Xbox 360 Arcade -or maybe even those who want some HD storage space but are on a bit of a budget. It does come with some pre-loaded demos on there, but you can delete all of those if you want. The 3-months of XB Live Gold is a nice bonus if you want to kick the wheels and see if Xbox Live is something that may be of interest to you.

Like I said, this package is great for Xbox 360 newbies. I know it's used, but it sure looks new and performs new. I definitely recommend this item.

Best Deals for Xbox 360 Refurbished 20GB LIVE Starter Pack

Very simply put, you cant go wrong with this. Everything in the package works perfect and purchased separately it would be much more expensive.

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Refurbished 20GB LIVE Starter Pack

I purchased a refurbished 20gb hd and it has work flawlessly for me over 6 weeks or so. It has plenty of room for me --keep one game loaded, occassionally dl a demo, that sort of thing. (Of course I did immediately remove nearly all of the stuff that was on the HD when I got it...fairly easy to do. It's a lot of demos, etc.) Caution if you are interested in downloading a lot of stuff, the 14 gb you have to work with won't last too long. But for me it is just right. By the way, installing it and getting it running is very easy.

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For what you get great deal unless you want to spend 100 at the store

and get a bigger hard drive. But this bundled with the 360 arcade and you save 50 bucks. The other reviewer complained about connections not alawys lining up not sure what hes doing with it, dont know any one who takes it on and off all the time. My hard drive has been on for three straight years never had to be taken off. Also it might be used, but your not paying a 100 bucks for it either. Dont know what that other reviewer is crying about. To me, GREAT DEAL you just saved 50 BUCKS!

Best God of War III: Ultimate Edition - Playstation 3 Deals

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List Price: $99.99
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God of War III: Ultimate Edition

This is my video review of God of war 3 ultimate edition. I made the video to show a little more detail than what can be written.

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This review's coming from someone who doesn't flip out over everything God of War-related, or says that you should get something just because it has to do with God of War. Face itfor the price this 'ultimate' edition's going for, you probably want to be getting your money's worth, right? I hadn't played God of War 3 until I got this set just last week, and I didn't spend more than retail for it, but even then, I can't see how this is an 'ultimate' edition of God of War 3.

First up, the main selling point of this editionPandora's Box. It's a cheaply made plastic box that looks just like the one in the game. The plastic they used to make this is very soft, and you can probably snap the horns off of the sides with even a tiny bit of effort. There isn't a lot of fine detail on this, and it looks a lot like some kind of Halloween decoration you'd find at a party store in October. The bottom of the box has no detail at all either. This could make a decent box to hold candy in style, but given how it looks in-person, there's not a lot of style to it.

When you open Pandora's Box, the art book is waiting for you. This is probably the best thing about this set, aside from the game, and it's a lot better than the one that got released in the UK, which was rushed and had the same quality as your typical instruction manual. The US art book is a hardcover book, about 100 pages, and features tons of great art. Enemies, scenery, sketches, there's a lot of impressive work and if you're one of those fans that wants a GoW tattoo, this would be a good book to scout. The book isn't that big since it had to fit in Pandora's Box, but I don't have any complaints about it because you can see everything clearly.

Under the book, you'll see a black ribbon on the side of the 'bottom' of the box. Pull it up and it turns out that it was guarding a secret compartment (well, I use that term loosely) where the game is. Nope, there are no cds for the soundtracks that the box advertises, but instead, they're included as DLC, along with the Dominus skin, Exile Arena and documentary. There's a code for each bonus inside of the game case. The game features the same art as the retail version, and is identical except it doesn't have a bar code, and just says 'not for resale' in its place.

When it comes down to it, this sucker going for over a Benjamin is a rip-off. The game alone is worth around half of that, the DLC is cheap on its own (hint hint), the art book is nice but you can always find the same images online, and Pandora's Box is a joke. I know you can't expect much of a replica for the price, but they sure as heck coulda tried harder. Maybe if they included the God of War Collection like the UK version did, I'd be more forgiving since it'd be more for your buck. And if this is supposed to be the be-all edition of God of War 3, why include just one of the many skins available? Why not include all of them? But as it is, you're better off just getting the game on its own, and then getting the DLC separately.

I think Kratos would've went off about REVENGE(!) and tracked down those responsible for making it if he had seen this set.

Best Deals for God of War III: Ultimate Edition - Playstation 3

The advertisement showed a special offer when buying the God of War box which should come with a bonus features. However the printed promotion codes which came inside the box were valid only until 2011. I contact PlayStation customers services asking for updated codes to download the extras, but they informed is not possible to produce a new voucher or extend the expiration date of the promotion codes. I'm very desapointed.

Honest reviews on God of War III: Ultimate Edition - Playstation 3

The Good: Mass amounts of improvements, absolutely beautiful and epic on every scale, excellent boss fights, lots of extras

The Bad: Unbalanced difficulty, story takes a dive towards the end, it ends

Well here it is. After waiting 3 years we finally get the ending to one of the best video game series ever created. The biggest question that people have is if the game is enough to stand on its own out of the other next generation games. The answer is yes, so let's get down to it.

The game's story picks up right after God of War II with Kratos riding on the back of Gaia climbing Mount Olympus. The game starts out on the back of Gaia with Kratos fighting hordes of monsters (and learning the controls). The game starts out more epic than ever with an epic boss fight with Poseidon. Giant water serpents come up and try to kill Gaia, so not only do you have to kill Poseidon, but you have to protect Gaia as well. The boss fights are bigger and more epic than ever with Titans that are miles high (fighting Cronos is the most epic of all) and you really feel like your taking these beasts down with satisfying results.

I have to first talk about how the game looks. Yes, God of War III is probably the best looking game made to date and it really shows on every aspect. The sweeping camera angles, the high-resolution textures and models. The gorgeous lighting effects, and everything just feels updated and like it should on the PS3. You can see the pores and details in every characters, the animation is more fluid, the combat even feels better and more fluid, especially if you just played the God of War Collection. I can't really describe just how beautiful this game is. You can see and feel the passion and detail every artist put into the game from the creatures, levels, and even small things like blood, scrapes and nicks on metal just everything.

The combat is what has the biggest upgrades. No longer are you confined to having all your magic items come from your magic meter. There are a ton more weapons (four in total) to get, and each weapon has its own magic attack instead of collecting them separately. The Blades of Exile (yes the name has changed again) have the Spartan Army attack, the Nemean Cestus have a pounding attack, Hades Hooks that let you summon different creatures, and a whip type weapon that sends electric shocks. All the weapons are similar to the Blades of Exile, and the Blade of Olympus is now used during Rage of Sparta mode (yes it's changed and everything turns black). There is now an item meter which is used for your bow, Helios head, and Hermes shoes. All these items sound crazy, but let me explain.

The bow lets you set certain things on fire and is mainly used during the beginning of the game, but not so much later on. The Helios head is used to reveal secrets and blind enemies, and the Hermes shoes are used during wall running sections. The grapple hook still exists, but all of these changes let you use all your items and weapons all the time, and don't rely so much on just magic. Some other changes to combat were made so everything feels more fluid and you never have to stop fighting no matter where you are. You can evade in the air, there is now a grapple attack that pulls you towards your enemy in the air or on the ground. The combat system is just super fun to use now, and all the additions perfect the combat system and make a fitting end to the trilogy.

The QTE's are still in tact, but with a bit of a change. They appear on the edge of the screen according the controller layout so you can now watch what's going on. Using your peripheral vision is see these really helps keep you drawn in, so you don't have to concentrate so much on the buttons. It is a little confusing at first, but after a while you will get used to it. The QTE's are also better placed especially during boss fights. You really feel like your making the big kill this time around with a new camera angle that lets you see in a POV of the enemy your pummeling or in Kratos' view. This adds to the cinematic excitement and brutality of that game.

Another thing I need to talk about is just how much more brutal and explicit the game is. The gore is more detailed with guts hanging out, cuts being visible where you slashed an enemy, skin stretching when heads are pulled, tendons popping, veins breaking etc. All this is visible thanks to the power of the PS3 and is really makes you wince in sympathy. The game even has a more explicit sex mini-game that is about mid way through with Aphrodite. Instead of just panning over to a table with a vase you see two topless women talking about what Kratos is doing to Aphrodite and it is both hot to watch and funny.

The puzzles in the game are what you would expect from a God of War game: Clever, fun, and unique. Just like all God of War games some puzzles are an entire level with little puzzles within that, and Daedalus's labyrinth is one example. They aren't as confusing as the last two games, and are easier to figure out, but just as clever, and some puzzles are now part of the environment so timing and speed are of the essence.

While there are a lot of game changes like the combat, additional weapons, and even Icarus' Ascension (which is a flying section where you dodge falling debris), the game stays true to the series. Everything is just bigger, badder, and meaner but it does have a few slight flaws. The ending story is cut a bit short, there aren't enough epic boss fights, and the difficulty is highly unbalanced. These are really all I could find, but they aren't necessarily flaws. If the game were a bit longer, and those three issues didn't exist it would get a 10. The game is perfect except that little tic-tac sized piece that you feeling is missing and can never pin it. The game has high replay value to unlock trophies, challenges, costumes, and there are a ton of making-of videos for die-hard fans to watch.

I just can't describe the improvements of this game unless you play it yourself. It is probably the best PS3 game out there so far, and is so enjoyable and chock full of excellence that it's almost too much to contain. The amazing scale, beauty, and vast improvements make the game worth a purchase tenfold. I just wish this weren't the end of Kratos' adventures or is it...

ULTIMATE EDITION: If you pre-ordered a copy or can still find one floating around, and want to shell out an extra $40 you can get the Ultimate Edition. It includes a very detailed Pandora's Box, a code to get the God of War Trilogy OST, the Blood and Metal soundtrack, an hour length making-of video, and full color art book. The package is a bit disappointing since the box is made of hard plastic and not die-cast metal, the soundtracks were a pain to get during launch day since the site was bogged down and wouldn't load half the time. The Blood & Metal OST is pretty disappointing since it's nothing special. It has a couple of big names like Trivium and Killswitch Engage, but only three of the songs on the album were any good. I also wished the soundtracks came in physical CD format, but digital is fine. The making of video is filmed like a History Channel documentary and can be a snooze fest for hardcore fans who already know all about the game. The Trilogy OST is fantastic and is probably the best part of the whole package along with the detailed art book. Is it worth $40? Sure, if you're a hardcore fan otherwise pass.

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This is by far the best game I have ever played. The pandora's box is quite good and looks as is it was made of seel. The art book, is really sweet addition. This package is a must for every god of war fan, and all the others should at least get the game.

Halo 3 & Fable II Combo Pack Review

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waited for a while and got the wrong stuff, contacted the seller through amazon and they were prompt to contact me back and arranged to send out the right games. initially i recieved two cases, a fable II case with just a bonus features disc in it, and the combo pack case with just Halo 3 inside of that. The seller sent out the correct copy of Fable II in a fable II case, and just let me keep the bonus disc and case. dissapointing at first but the seller promptly fixed the problem.

as far as the games go... they've been around, check em out on youtube, i like them so that's why i bought them :)

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Best Battlestations Pacific - Xbox 360 Deals

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If you enjoy constructing a plan of attack with your teammates and rapidly adapting once the shells start flying, you will enjoy this game. If you think the Call of Duty Modern Warfare series is the best thing ever, you will probably hate the pace of this game.

Having played Battlestations Midway, I was very pleased with the improvements to this franchise. The graphical detail and sounds are significantly improved and seem very realistic. The sheer number of units you can control (ships, subs, planes, bases) combined with multiple view points make this game the best WWII RTS/FPS combination on Xbox 360.

There is a definite learning curve for the controls and unit strengths/weakness, but once you master them, the game is very fun. Many of the negative reviews that complain about the game being dull or lacking excitement are way off base. 8 player online matches are anything but dull with dozens of ships battling for bases while squadrons of planes fight overhead. (If your idea of an exciting game is being killed 17 times in 3 minutes, then stick to MW2.)

I would have given this game 5 stars if it wasn't for the multiplayer system. The lobby system doesn't provide much information about other players beyond the host's drop rate. Seeing the player's win-loss record would be very helpful when playing with random people. Another multiplayer issue is the lack of a kicking mechanism once the game begins. (All games should be required to include a kick feature to deal with the thousands of pre-teen trolls that inhabit Xbox Live.) Looking forward to what Eidos comes up with for a sequel...

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I had Battlestations midway and I enjoyed the campaign but by the time I bought it there was not really anyone playing online. Battlestations pacific solved this by adding a skirmish mode to the single player. However, there still is online multiplayer which is very fun. Overall it is a good game with good graphics. It is also pretty realistic.

Best Deals for Battlestations Pacific - Xbox 360

Battlestations: Pacific is way better then it's older brother, Battlestations: Midway, with new Planes, new Ships and Better Graphics. In single player mode, you can play as the Americans and relive history, from the Solomon Islands, to Leyte, to Okinawa. or play as the Japanese and rewrite history, fighting "What if" battles. The mulitplayer is great, and if you don't have many skill playing in it, you can sharpen your skills in training and skirmish. all in all, it's a great game that can be played over and over without being boring.

Honest reviews on Battlestations Pacific - Xbox 360

Ive played through both games now. Pacfici is more in depth, detailed and more user friendly than Midway was. This game has more ships, boats and planes than Midway thought of having.

There are also more people who play online than Midway.

The DLC is well worth the extra bonus units and maps.

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I first tried out the demo for this game over Xbox Live and found myself captivated by it. I have since bought the full retail version and after 2 years I still find myself putting this one into my Xbox to enjoy the Skirmish Mode or the occasional campaign mission. I have since tried out its predecessor, Midway...but found it lacking overall in polish and in its user interface. If you are looking for a good action RTS on the consoles, BS Pacific is the way to go.

Review of No More Heroes

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I just got to the very end of No More Heroes and thought a review was in order. In one word: fantastic. I haven't had this much fun with a video game since I can't remember when. Sure, there are technically better games, but I don't know of any that are as stylish and flashy without losing good gameplay. It's just outright fun and cool. A bit short, yeah, but I managed to stretch it out to over eighteen hours somehow. (By struggling on bosses and buying more stuff than necessary.)

Let me take on the various arguments against the game:

"The overworld is boring and the bike controls suck."

The overwolrd is not meant to be like Grand Theft Auto. It's just a map for you to traverse to get from one place to another. It's not supposed to be fun, it's just there to link the main areas of the game. It's also kind of a way of putting the boredom of the daily commute against the fantastical life of being an assassin. But yeah, the bike does control badly, but if you don't go too fast or use the running dash in stead, it's not a problem.

"The story doesn't make any sense."

You've never played Killer7 if you think NMH's story makes no sense. The storyline doesn't make sense because at first it's not explained all of what's happening. Seventy percent of the backstory comes in the last mission or so. Then it all becomes clear. Well not clear, but mostly understandable.

"The fighting controls are bad."

Not really. You tap A to do normal attacks and B to do a stunning kick or grapple and finish off opponenets with a flick of the Wii Remote. You hold the Wii Remote up or down to switch between a high or low stance. It's like any button-masher of old but more fun and intuitive, and those button-mashers weren't accused of having bad controls.

The game goes at a somewhat linear fashion. You slay your way through a boss's lair or general area, take him or her out, take his or her rank, go to the overworld, earn money through jobs and small-time killing gigs to pay for the next match, and repeat. But the bosses themselves are spectacular. They require precise timing and patience to beat. You can't just rush in and swing your sword wildly. You have to learn all their moves, take advantage of their recovery times, and be like the Samurai Travis wishes he was. The bosses are also interesting and unique from a guy that dresses up as a technologically-powered super-hero to a revolver-toting stadium singer. And some of the fights go completely against everything you expect from a standard boss battle. I especially liked rank number 3.

And the music and sound? It goes perfectly with the type of game. Electric instrumentals and driving beats line the halls as you slay your enemies and almost every boss battle track could be considered a favorite of mine. Much of it is very similar to that type of music used in Killer7.

Content-wise, this game's M-rated for a reason. Characters drop the F-bomb on several occasions and there's blood and lots of it. But the graphics are cell shaded and so unrealistic that the violence becomes almost whimsical and never really borders on the side of gory. Honestly, the stuff you see in C.S.I. is worse. And when every few enemies you dispatch yell "My spleen!" it's hard to take it very seriously.

Overall, as I just said, this is a fantastic game. Some may say it's not for them--that it's just not their kind of game, but it sure is my kind of game. And maybe yours, too. From the killer combat system to the plethora of memorable bosses, the sneaked-in 8-bit graphics to Travis's pet cat, I give No More Heroes a Frank Miller's Sin City out of Viewtiful Joe.

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From the makers of Killer 7, No More Heroes is the anxiously awaited bloodbath that mature Wii owners have been praying for. Playing as eccentric assassin Travis Touchdown, you are armed with your trusty beam katana as you set out to become the best in the business. There is much more to the story than that though, but without giving too much away regarding the game's surprisingly deep and complex story, let's just say that things don't always go as planned for Travis. The first thing you'll notice are undoubtedly the excellent, cell-shaded graphics that No More Heroes sports, along with the best use of the Wii motion controls to come from a third-party yet. The game also features some GTA-inspired free roaming with Travis on a motorcycle, and while it isn't as open-ended as one would hope, the game's serious sense of style and just plain insane story and gameplay elements more than make up for it. The game also has a somewhat jittery frame-rate that can become quite noticable when the action picks up a lot, but this is only a minor complaint thanks to the stylized, over the top action, along with flawless sound design and elements that really take advantage of what the Wii can do, despite the fact that the console isn't a technical powerhouse. All in all, No More Heroes is the absolute best, original third-party title to debut on the Wii yet, and is an absolute essential purchase for Wii owners craving a mature-themed game that leaves a lasting impression.

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No More Heroes is the most stylish game to yet grace the wii. The action is fast,and fun without getting boring. The level design is wonderfully original. And the boss fights are among the best you'll ever have the pleasure to play. The only problem is getting there.

To afford the fantastic ranking missions you have to navigate through a huge,and largely empty,city to complete boring side jobs with no retry option. If you lose these often frusturating jobs you have to go back to the agency, re-apply, drive back to the mission site, and try again. this gets old fast.

But if you can ignore this minor issue you are in store for one of the most hardcore, visceral, and enjoyable games you will ever play.

Honest reviews on No More Heroes

Pros:

+A tolerable storyline

+Fantastic Gameplay

+Beautiful Cel-Shaded graphics

+Good soundtrack

+Good voice overs

Cons:

-Incredibly short game

-Side jobs inbetween the main missions aren't exciting

-The game is on the easy side

-Despite good Cel-shaded Graphics, more detail could've been put into Santa Destroy

No More Heroes is a stylish game. A game that isn't aimed at the kids by any means but the adult gamer instead. It manages to do so. The humor is crude and the game is incredibly violent. Parents, that's your warning.

In No More Heroes you play the role of Travis Touchdown. As Travis Touchdown you are the newest member of the United Assassins Association. After the battle with the rank ten assassin, Travis decides that he has to be number one. Your goal is pretty simple. Defeat all the assassins and become the number one assassin in Santa Destroy.

No More Heroes lives up to its M Rating perfectly well. Much of the core gameplay is centered around slashing through the levels to the boss at the end. Your main weapon is a Beam Katana. Despite how some third party games have faired in the past, No More Heroes makes excellent use of the Wii's controls. The A button simply swings your Beam Katana while B is used to make kicks. Whenever you reduce an enemies life gauge down, the game enters deathblow mode. In Deathblow Mode, an arrow appears on the screen and you must wave the Wii Remote in that direction to execute a killing blow. Despite which way the arrow points you can really swing the Wii Remote anywhere. There's more to the motion sensor controls. You can grab enemies and perform wrestling moves by shaking the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, and you can get into weapon clashes where you must wave the Wii Remote in order to win. These moments are involving. The game has a fine balance between the motion sensor controls and the normal everyday gameplay.

After your first mission and you're officially admitted into the UAA, you'll have to start paying to partake in the games main missions. This is where No More Heroes slows down considerably. The rank missions are expensive. There are ways to make money around Santa Destroy by doing part time jobs for people, but they're hardly fun. They're mundane jobs like collecting coconuts or mowing lawns. You can do assassination jobs for the UAA which will allow you to be involved in more action, but these missions go by quickly. Finally, there are missions you can go to where the objective is to kill all the bad guys without getting hit once. These missions, however, are over in a flash.

Even worse is exploring Santa Destroy itself. You can cruise around on your stylish bike but there's really nothing to do in Santa Destroy. You can go train around or buy some clothes to change into or you can buy parts for your Beam Katana. Unfortunately, Santa Destroy is a pretty boring place. You can't interact with the denizens and the city is actually relatively empty. You can also hang around your apartment and watch videos to learn new wrestling moves or play with your cat and the like.

However, when you get to play the main missions, the game is a lot of fun, and the missions are long and satisfying, especially the boss battles at the end. The bosses are some of the most fun to be had in the game. They aren't really that hard, however. In fact, the entire game isn't that hard. It's also pretty short. Any devoted gamer should be able to finish the game within a couple of days.

In terms of graphics, No More Heroes opts for style over substance. The cel-shaded graphics look good. A few nostalgic 8-bit moments come out as well, which is obviously part of the style. Despite how good the graphics are, much more could've been done with it. Particularly with the outdoor environments. At least the game sounds good. With some catchy tunes and good voice overs. There are moments when the dialog can be grating but it's tolerable nonetheless.

No More Heroes is one of the best titles you can buy on the Wii. While the moments in between missions are slow, the main game itself is fantastic with some good production values. A little more could've been done to improve the game overall, but the end result is fantastic.

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First of all, this is a mature title and it's a welcome change of pace from all the "casual" games out there on the Wii. There is blood and mature language, but it's in the style of of what you may have seen in the Kill Bill films. This game is totally over the top and it's funny. It's all about the intense combat, strange characters, witty dialog, wicked sense of humor and overall visual anime-style look of the game.

There are tons of combat maneuvers you can perform with the Wiimote and Nunchuck. Make sure to do the beginning tutorial as once you are done, you will have the controls figured out. The combat is a mix of sword fighting with wrestling type maneuvers (Suplex, Piledriver, Powerslam, etc). The combat never gets boring due to all the variations and moves you can perform (and upgrades). You can charge up your sword swings, stun, block, evade, grab and throw along with combos. It's incredibly refreshing and fun. When you defeat an enemy using a finishing move, little slots at the bottom of the screen start to spin (like a mini jackpot machine) and if you match three slot icons, you will go into 1 of 5 special uber modes for a short period of time. Very cool and different.

After defeating the first boss (shortly after the beginning tutorial), you won't have enough money to pay the Entry Fee of the next Boss fight. So, you will have to do side-jobs, free fight and assassination missions to earn money. You drive your motorcycle around the city to get to the various jobs and missions and stores. I want to point out that this "over world" is strictly to allow you to get from mission to mission or various shops and it's not intended to be like Grand Theft Auto where it's an open "sandbox" where you can do anything you want. But, after defeating the second and third bosses, you will find that there is a lot to do in the city as quite a bit is opened up to you by then.

You can customize your character by going to the clothing store (named Area 51) and purchasing new T-shirts, Jackets, Jeans, Belts and Sunglasses. You can purchase beam Katana upgrades or different types of Katana's from Naomi's lab. You can upgrade your character by learning new wrestling grapple moves (learn by renting videos). There is even a fitness club where you upgrade your strength, health and amount of combos you can pull off. What is unique is that it makes you do all the training movements like lifting the Wiimote and Nunchuck as if they are fitness equipment (Dumbbell, Squats, Bench Press and more).

There are a few hidden items to find by exploring the environment such as Lovikov Balls (used to increase your abilities at a trainer) and money.

You can go back to your motel and just hang out and put on different clothing and watch videos (first one available is the original trailer for the game). You can go to the video store (Beef Head Video) and purchase other videos.

Definitely check this game out. NOTE: After you defeat the second boss, a lot of stuff opens up for you to do in the environment basically, the game keeps giving you more to do after each boss you will not get bored. This game has style and personality and you will have not played anything like this before. It's that original. You can tell that the developer, Suda 51 put a lot of heart and soul into this game and truly enjoyed making it.

Best 3.5 eSATA USB 3.0 External Hard Drive Enclosure Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $88.82
Sale Price: $51.99
Today's Bonus: 41% Off

I play XBox, like, a LOT. And, when I finally got my wireless headphones working and was all set to buy my first Hard Drive enclosure for my newest controller, I thought, "Hey! Why not look for a combo controller and enclosure in one!"

Imagine my surprise when I hooked this puppy up and could enclose my new USB 3.0 External Hard Drive right inside! And, talk about fast! I'm like all rapid firing and stuff, using both joysticks in tandum, and things are all missing me as I dodge and dive in my games. And the whole time I'm downloading the latest Windows 8.1 update right to my controller!!

Crazy fun. Just wish it supported more than 3 Terabytes, cause all the PlayStation controllers support 6 in their Controller Enclosures.

PRO: Wicked fast. And, storage too?

CON: Having issues recovering anything I think I've downloaded. It's like it's not there, even though I forced a USB drive into the side. Broke the plastic a bit to get it in there, but.... Oh, and I figured out that the normal USB 3.0 cord you usually get with devices doesn't fit... I mean, not anywhere. So I ended up just heating up the end of a spare I had and pushing it into the plastic at the top until it fit snugly. Looks like it worked. Just wish I could find my downloads.

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Best Cabela's Big Game Hunter, 2012 - Xbox 360 Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $27.03
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

I'm a hunter myself and most of the time love hunting games. I usually stay on top of these with the release dates but this one passed by me. Im almost a month late getting this after its out. I bought it a couple days ago and have been playing it and I have to say I wish I would have left it at the store. This one will be a play and trade ASAP. I was not a fan of the Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011 from last year. It was not realistic at all, and pretty annoying actually. You couldn't walk 5 feet without something jumping out on top of you, attacking you, forcing you to do a quick heart shot to kill the animal. They have pulled that element over into Big Game Hunter 2012. I guess they had a lot of success with that game so they are trying to put it in with this one and hope for the best.

I've been a firm believer that if you can't make a game challenging without making the gamer do stuff under a time limit, then you shouldn't make the game to begin with. I have had to do that quite a bit in this game. On the first or second hunt, you have 30 seconds or so to shoot 3 running Pronghorn. That is a lot like the Cabela's Trophy Bucks game. That is not hunting. There are enough shooter games out there to where Cabela's shouldn't have to put elements like that in a "hunting" game. There is a new element to this game called the "perfect shot opportunity" Where an animal runs out of the woods in slow motion and you have to shoot it running.

I'm not finished with the game, and I'm sure I'm not even halfway through with it yet, but so far I have hunted more birds, rabbits and foxes than big game.

The one good thing I can say (hopefully.....I'm looking forward to it) is getting the compound bow to hunt with. If Cabela's wants to make a GOOD hunting game. They should take something simple and great like Big Game Hunter 10 and build on it. For example when using a compound bow, Make the user move the joystick to the left like the hunter is actually drawing the bow back. Make a HUNTING game REALISTIC and stay away from this nonsense spray and pray.

Just my opinion, I would say leave this game alone and get Big Game Hunter 2010, Its 10 times better.

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Good graphics. easy to play I would recommend this game. to anyone who likes to hunt, but not actually kill an animal.

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I purchased this game from Gamestop 2 days ago, and completed the story with all gold and silver medals in less than 3 or 4 hours. Story mode is wayyy too short. Cabelas Big Game Hunter 2005 had a much longer story than this. Also, this game is quite easy, and almost feels like a non-challenging simulation. I got a medal every time, and rarely had to restart the levels. I only did at the beginning because I wasn't used to the layout. Although, that makes for easy Xbox Live scores (so that's a plus). The long range hunts and multiple target hunts are quite fun, and the animals that jump out and attack you are easy to kill. No challenge there. I was kinda worried about that at first, but it's nothing too major. The graphics and physics are alright. Big Game Hunter 2010 has wayyy better graphics and physics than 2012. It's not worth the asking price, but if you can find it for like $10 or so, it would definitely be worth it. Easy G's on Xbox Live :)

Honest reviews on Cabela's Big Game Hunter, 2012 - Xbox 360

i don't know what to say i'm going to keep this short so you can do what i think you should do and that's buying the game i hope you like it too. i can't say too much because i don't want to spoil it. the graphics are amazing but the campain is short there's also a gallery mode too. that's all i'm going to say

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Very Good Game. Unbleavible quality. The graphics were great and the story/ plot was even better. Deffinately consider buying this Game.

Cheap Rock Band 2 Double Cymbal Expansion Kit

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $17.15
Today's Bonus: 43% Off

These do add a new dimension to the rock band drums. It does feel a little more like playing a real drum kit. So far, in the last 3 weeks, these have performed well as far as only dropping a note once in a while (you get what you pay for right?).

These are insanely loud man! It's like CRACK, CRACK, CRACK when you hit them. They're louder than the rock band 1 drums and not NEARLY as quiet as the rock band 2 drums. That is a major CON for me.

When my friends and I get together to play rock band 2 these are totally distracting to everybody else in the room, unless you play in a house and not an apartment where you can just blast the volume, that would be nice.

My solution was to put 1/4" neoprene material on the hitting part of these cymbals. It is a marked improvement. They have not lost any sensitivity and are now about as quiet as the rock band 2 drums. If you're going to use these that is a great solution. I bought a roll of this neoprene to pad a poker table I was upgrading and I used some of the leftover. By the way, you can get enough neoprene to cover these for like 5 on ebay.

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I recently purchased this add-on for the Rock Band 2 Drum Set. Over all I really like it. I believe it lends to a more enjoyable/realistic playing experience.

Some Pros: You get two cymbals which is nice and fills out the drum set with out making it too cluttered (Which is why I opted for two instead of three). When you use the freestyle drum trainer, the cymbals work just like cymbals while all the pads act just like drums which is kinda cool. You do have some options as to the height and location of the cymbals. The response seems to be good and I haven't had any problems with them not registering hits. They do appear to be velocity sensitive also meaning the harder you hit the louder the sound in the game.

A Con: The initial setup is kind of tough. You basically get a two piece plastic clamp that you use to secure the cymbal "pole" to the rest of the drum set. The clamp snaps together in two places and then you have little "wing-nut" bolts you use to tighten everything down securely. Those "wing-nut" bolts are hard to use because the distance from the place you screw in the "wing-nut" bolt to the hole it goes in, is kinda far. SO you have to squeeze on the clamp to get the bolt in there. Maybe is was just my setup but I don't think a child would be able to do it on their own.

Other then that I am enjoying this addition to my gaming experience.

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Overall these are a great expansion to your Rock Band 2 drumkit (they don't work at all with Rock Band 1 Drums). The cymbals seem to be solidly made and can withstand some decent beating. I agree with the previous review about the set up being somewhat difficult. You need to be careful to put the wingnut in before clicking the two pieces together. But once everything is on they are very stable and feel like a normal part of the kit.

Game-wise they make for some nice playing in rock band. The cymbals take over two of the colors and you choose which by choosing which plug on the back of the kit. The caps on the cymbals can be changed depending on which color you are using them as. When you plug them in for rock band the cymbals become cymbal sounds while the pads they replace become toms.

These also work with Guitar Hero World Tour. However, it should be noted that you probaly want Yellow and Blue with World Tour while you probably want Yellow and Green with Rock Band because of the way you kick off star power. That means some annoying switching and a bit of confusion after switching if you only get the 2 cymbal kit. I kind of wish I woulda gotten the three just to avoid that.

But they definitely make drumming more fun, more immersive, and more difficult if you want it to be since you can now play a cymbal when it calls for one rather than just another pad. Some Madcatz stuff is a little hokey but these are legit.

4/5 docking one for initial setup and annoying switching of colors

Honest reviews on Rock Band 2 Double Cymbal Expansion Kit

First off, I believe these cymbals fantastic. It makes it feel more realistic and significantly easier to play.

That being said, I initially noticed the same annoying "plastic" sound when I started using the cymbals. I tried putting Rock Band Drum Silencers on the top of the cymbal, like someone suggested, but the sound was still there. I tried tightening the colored wingnuts and that still didn't help. After analyzing the cymbals a little more, I noticed the "plastic" sound was coming from the housing on the underside of the cymbal. The noise was created from the hard plastic housing hitting the hard plastic on the body of the cymbal. Once I realized that, I knew inserting a rubber-like gasket would fix the problem.

To fix the plastic noise:

1. Unscrew the four small screws holding down the plastic housing

2. Cut up a small rectangle of the Rock Band Drum Silencers or mousepad-material (about 0.5" x 3")

3. On the side nearest the cymbal hitting zone, placed the material between the edge of the housing and the body of the cymbal. You do not need to adhere the material to the surface using tape or glue, because the screws will secure it in the next step.

4. Then replace the 4 screws, snuggly squishing the material.

Note: You'll notice the housing won't completely screw down flush with the surface, but that's good since you're preventing the two surfaces from hitting each other, while having a rubber-like material damping the shock.

I've been using the cymbals with this mod for about 6 months with no problems. Now my cymbals are about as quiet as the rest of the drum kit.

I hope this helps someone.

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Fixing the cymbal slippage problem-

This is for those of you who are experiencing the problem of the poles that support the cymbals slipping down in the clamps: I had this problem at first, but the corrective is fairly simple and actually is in the directions. It's hard to interpret on the graphic, but what you need to do is to mount the clamps to the drum set, without the cymbal poles in their holes. Then you have to squeeze the two halves (right/left)that make up the clamp together in the middle as hard as you can (I used pliers) until they snap together completely. You'll know it's right when you hear the "snap" as indicated in the directions and the gap between the two halves is totally gone. Then you can insert the cymbal poles and tighten the wing nuts on both ends. If the two halves aren't snapped together, the clamps can't get tight enough to hold the pole in place. Of course, designing a smooth plastic pole to fit into a smooth plastic clamp probably isn't the best idea, but hey...

For the review-

I'm a long-time drummer that bought this kit to make the decidedly unrealistic RB2 drums get a little more realistic. They do allow you to add the positioning of real cymbals, to a degree. Unfortunately, they lack any realistic flexibility for placement. You can basically rotate them a little side-to-side, based on which pole they're attached to and you can move them up and down, but that's it. You can't place one in the traditional high hat location, to the left of the snare, or to the far right of the drums where you'd normally have a ride cymbal. Adding some sort of boom setup to one of the cymbals would help with this problem. it's also the main reason I didn't buy the 3-cymbal setup, since you couldn't put them in the typical spots for most drummers. The other omission is a lack of a tilting mechanism for the cymbal surface itself. Few drummers like their cymbals perfectly horizontal, but that's pretty much what you get here. That makes doing a ride pattern on the shoulder (top) surface of the cymbal difficult. It's ok for crashes, but doing a sustained ride on the cymbal's edge feels awkward because of the way the cymbals rebound. Along that lines, the "feel" of these cymbals is ok if you can get the right amount of tightness on the wingnuts holding the cymbal down. Too loose and the rebound goes to zero. And yes, these are lounder than the new RB2 drums, especially when you have to play on the edge all the time.

While these comments may make it sound like I don't care for the cymbals, I am actually very glad I bought them. They do add a degree of realism when playing the game, especially when I reach up to hit the crash without thinking about it, rather than going down to the lower right drum pad. They smartly added the feature where the cymbal pads act as cymbals all the time, but the drum pads go either way, just as they do in the absence of the cymbals. That means you can hit the right note (i.e. a crash) either on the pad or the cymbal and not be wrong. The nice thing is that during the fill and rock ending parts, the cymbals sound only as cymbals and the drum pads only as drums, making more complicated fills possible.