Review of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

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Never have I seen the likes of this game. I played all the Tony Hawk games. I was really sad in Tony Hawk 2x. It was ok. I played Tony Hawk 3 on my Playstation and when I played it, I knew the X-Box version would just be something tou could never think of. With the Internet connection and Bam Margera in the mix this game would be the best skateboard game right now.

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With each new Tony Hawk release comes higher expectations. Tony Hawk 3 met and exceeded those expectations. More eye-boggling special tricks were added as well as the essential Revert trick, which, like the all powerful Manuel, allows players to link tricks together and create HUGE comboes for maximum points. Bigger, more realistic looking levels are just BEGGING to be tricked on. The variety of multiplayer modes will give you and your buds hours and hours of entertainment. Create-a-Park and Create-a-Skater are included again, and have been much improved. Not having to buy tricks or stats (stats have to be FOUND instead), and also being able to outfit your character a LOT more thoroughly makes for a much more innovative gaming experience. Being able to listen to your own music instead of being forced to listen to the game's music can make playing more enjoyable. Ollie, the Magic Bum from THPS2 is a playable character!

There were only a few aspects of the game that I didn't particularily like. The first one is the fact that most of the soundtrack for the game wasn't very good. It was just too mainstream. The other thing I didn't like was that on Create-a-Park, there was a limit to the number of gaps you could make. Something that other people may not like is the control sceme. If you think about it, it's VERY similar to how the N64 controller worked with the Tony Hawk games. It might take a little getting used to, but the controls are fine. If you still don't like the controller, I suggest for you to consider buying the new, smaller, easier button pressing controller made by Microsoft. It's called CONTROLLER S.

Avoiding ending on some bad notes I will simply say this: If you are an Xbox owner or are thinking of being one, then you NEED to get this game.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 stands tall as one of the best console games out there. Expect to see Tony Hawk 4 on all three "next-gen" platforms this holiday season!!!

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This game is really good. I am on the Tokyo level and I am trying to beat that and getting very close. The levels that I have played are very interactive and big. The controller is not to big, and I would know cuz I am thirteen but very small for my age and the controller fits MY hands perfectly. Buy this game if you have played and liked or loved the previous Tony Hawks.........

Honest reviews on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

i have favored the tony hawk series in the past. it is not really fun to me as it used to be, but this is a great game, it might have its drawbacks, but despite the time it was made, the controls are pretty good.

as for the xbox 360 compatibility. it works perfect, you can save games to your hard drive, the vibration feature works too. so for those with the xbox 360 and not sure if it works or not, i am informing you it works

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Thank you, Tony Hawk, for finally forcing a game developer to create, distribute and support a good skating game. Great artwork, physics and maps are all hallmarks of this cutting edge video game.

The gameplay is excellent and the corses are challenging. The variations on the controls allow the user to be creative and still achieve the goals. I am still learning new tricks and raising my point levels.

The inclusion of the manual trick has completed changed the game and opened up tremendous new opportunities for the user.

Excellent buy.

See also: Tony Hawk 4

Cheap Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $17.14
Today's Bonus: 14% Off

Right to the point: There is nothing not to like about this collection. I've played it for the last few days and have loved every moment.

This disc brings together a huge collection of almost all of Sega's best games from the Genesis era. All the expected titles are here -the Sonic the Hedgehog games, the Golden Axe series, Space Harrier, Shinobi and much more -plus some awesome stuff you might not expect. (Presumably we'll see games like Afterburner and the lock-on version of Sonic 3 + S&Knuckles in a second installment.)

Two of the biggest reasons to be wowed by this set are:

Phantasy Star series -With the four games included here (1-4), you get some of the best RPGs of the era and dozens upon dozens of hours of gameplay. The ahead-of-its-time Phantasy Star, the stunning Phantasy Star II (which influenced the direction of Final Fantasy in a big way), the amazing epic Phantasy Star IV. Just these four games alone are worth the $30. Heck, DOUBLE that. No fan of JRPG's should go without playing these.

Shining series -Two predecessors of the popular Final Fantasy Tactics series (Shining paved the way for this sort of game) as well as a first-person dungeon crawler, these are fan favorites for a reason. They're great. Ahead of their time and they hold up great.

And SO many more. Shinobi. The difficult roguelike Fatal Labyrinth. Fun platformer Alex Kidd. Tetris clone Columns. Even coin-op classic Zaxxon! A HUGE collection!

All games allow you to save at any time, in any game, anywhere. This is a GREAT feature. Plus it saves high scores, has full 16:9 support for widescreen TVs, and you can toggle on graphics smoothing to make the games look even better than they did upon release. It's a dynamite feature. (The "museum" and interview extras are a nice bonus, too.)

All in all this is one of the best retro gaming bargains of the year. Got my copy a few days ago and already have loads of hours under my belt. The inclusion of not one but TWO fan favorite RPG series gives this disc an enormous amount of play value.

If you have any interest at all in retro gaming, ESPECIALLY if you were a fan of the Genesis era or if you missed out on the Genesis because you had a SNES, you owe it to yourself to grab this collection.

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Late last year, Sonic Team over at Sega released "Sonic Unleashed" which did have its problems, mind you, but didn't really do anything stellar the entire way through. Reviewers pointed out that Sonic's previous games were miles ahead better and I find nostalgia can help make a game's success. After all, that one game that critics hated at the time might've been one of your favorites but looking at it now you go "wow did that game have issues". Therein lies the major issue/fun with the Ultimate Genesis Collection: does the bulk of these games stand the test of time? Some definately do while others will probably get barely a few minutes before you decide it's awful but there's a lot of work to be done here if you get this.

One of the most important and influential game series that kickstarted the Sega Genesis was Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega's answer to Nintendo's Mario and included is a truckload of Sonic games: 1, 2, 3, Sonic and Knuckles, 3D Blast, Pinball and to a degree, Dr. Beatnik's Mean Bean Machine, a puzzle game akin to Dr. Wario, Yoshi's Cookie and Super Puzzle Fighter II. The first 4 are great and well worth the purchase while 3D Blast controls awkwardly, Pinball is decent but not stellar and Mean Bean Machine is good though later stages work a bit too damn fast for my tastes.

Another group featured is the side scroller platformer which run the gamut from Ristar to Kid Chameleon (woo!) to Decap Attack to E-Swat (big eh) to 2 Vectorman games. Beat-em-ups like Streets of Rage and Golden Axe are included and for RPG fans: all 4 Phantasy Stars. It's safe to say that nearly every kind of game is available on here from long drawn-out games to quicker arcade-y stuff but be warned: some of these games are...kind of hard. Not in that underpowered "everyone's better than you" way like a Ninja Gaiden but rather many times in the games you won't even get continues so if you die, boom, Game Over and you're sent back to the title screen which is really disheartening and I'm surprised I don't remember getting more furious when I was younger.

Now of course any collection from greatest hits to game collections is bound to have some stuff missing or curious additions. Fatal Labyrinth well...sucks, the Ecco games are familiar but playing through them, they're surprisingly boring and Super Thunder Blade is too easy to die in. But then, most likely because of dual releases on the Super Nintendo we're missing some other favorites: Battletoads, Toe Jam and Earl, the awesome WWF games, Maximum Carnage, any of the Road Rashes and to be honest, I quite liked the Aero the Acro-Bat games. Most of these games you probably wouldn't give the time of day too while other ones like Ristar and Comix Zone actually surprised me.

Naturally like all Xbox 360 games, there's achievements and these aren't just simply beat game, beat game kind but rather objective based so for example one of Golden Axe's achievements is to use magic a certain amount of times. Easy right? Every time you get a magic ability, use it and eventually, there we go. And thanks to the ability to save games anywhere you want but pressing the Back button, some achievements like the ones for Mean Bean Machine, Columns or Sonic Pinball can be done just by saving states after a certain time and loading save if you die. There's a couple like "Yatta!" that can potentially drive you crazy since it's more luck than anything while others are just simply "Turn to easy, max lives, play".

Another disappointing factor is that the games don't have online play, whether co-op for Golden Axe or Streets of Rage or leaderboards. Imagine competing against somebody to see who can get the highest score in Columns or taking on enemies with other buddies but sadly none of it are implemented and it's strictly offline co-op. But there's quite a few unlockables from videos of the games' developers to additional games (while unlocking Shinobi is cool, Congo Bongo flat out sucks) but it's the games that are important and for completionists, having so much games to beat will surely keep you busy.

The Ultimate Genesis Collection is tough to judge as a game because for every Sonic the Hedgehog or surprising gem like Ristar there's godawfulness from Fatal Labyrinth to Flicky to Bonanza Bros. However getting all Sonics, Phantasy Stars, Streets of Rage, and Golden Axes on one disc is reason enough to get it.

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First let's talk about the value of this game. Essentially, it's 49 Sega games (including the unlockable titles) for about 20 dollars! If I was buying these games separately, it would be well over 100s of dollars because these titles tend to go for 5-6 dollars each. And some are not available on the wii, ps3, or xbox live outside of this disc. Good luck finding a genesis and cartridges too. I most likely would have never played most of these titles if it wasn't for this compilation. Example: Alex Kidd, Bonanza Bros. and Dynamite Headdy. I never even heard of these games but I love them so much after I played them.

This game is great for its nostalgia factor too. I feel like a gaming archeologist playing Flicky and the arcade version of Altered Beast. It's like exploring your grandparents attic for the first time. There's so many interesting things inside this disc. Playing Alien Storm for the first time was crazy cause I didn't expect to play a robot that self-destructed. There were moments in Streets of Rage 3 where I couldn't stop laughing at the sheer silliness of the game.

I also love the multiplayer games like Golden Axe, Streets of Rage, etc. There were times when my husband and i were just "accidentally" beating each other up in Streets of Rage and it was so hilariously fun. I loved every minute of it.

Here's my only problem with the game. The manual isn't really complete. You need to go to to download a complete game manual. I understand this because it is 49 games, and I think if they had to re-print all the manuals to each game, it probably cost a heck of a lot more than 20 dollars. The HD graphic improvements are hit or miss for some games, but it's OK cause you can turn that option off. It's kinda sad that you can't lock Sonic and Knuckles with Sonic 3, but I'm fine with that cause this has 49 games!

Finally, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine just makes me angry.

Honest reviews on Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection

I was ecstatic to hear the collection of titles for this collection. Since I sold my genesis a few weeks ago to buy this I figured it would be a great trade off and I could now play all my favorites on the XBOX360 without having to fuss with having another console hooked up.

I want to point out a few of the things for people on the fence about this collection. First if you enjoyed these games growing up you will love this collection. They play great, look great, and each game has a museum where there is tidbits of information about the game and box art.

Now to the negatives:

1. Sonic and Knuckles in the collection can not be used in "Lock on" mode. So you can not play Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 with Knuckles. This is disappointing considering the fact that Sonic Jam on the Sega Saturn has this feature.

2. No online leaderboards. I was surprised by this announcement. Other gaming collections feature online leaderboards and it would have gave all the games a greater sense of replay value. I am one of those people who loved and conquered Sonic 3 so many times I would have played it over and over just to make a leaderboard.

3. Achievements are fairly easy. ( Where the heck is the achievement for beating Streets of Rage 3 on hard? I can not tell you how many nights I stayed up when I was younger trying to beat it on hard with a friend. This leads me to my next point.

4. No online multiplayer. I will not go into this. Obviously this feature would have been awesome.

Some positive feature include being able to save your game and being able to organize the games by list so that your favorite game will always appear at the top of the list when you start up the collection.

Regarding the video quality. I have a 42 inch 1080p Westinghouse LCD TV and all the games look really bright and colorful when stretched to full screen. By default all games start in a windowed mode and you have to press the "Start" button and select "Video Options". From there you can stretch the game to full screen and enable a "Smoothing" option that makes the colors a little better. You have to do this for every game so it makes a little annoying when starting up each game for the first time.

In the end if you are a die hard Sega fan and want to relive the games of the past you owe it to yourself to pick up the collection. If you are hoping for something new then you might as well skip this collection for now. I doubt Sega will patch in online leaderboards or multiplayer.

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First off, this collection of games is probably only going to appeal to big fans of 16-bit gaming, although I'm sure that it would also appeal to people that have a strong curiosity in playing games from about 20 years ago, and children that are just getting into video games The children in my family (ages 5 to 9) seem to really dig it, while the slightly older crowd (ages 10 to 13) don't seem to be too interested in the older technology.

I think the collection is completely worth it just for the Phantasy Star and Shining Force games, so when all the Genesis Sonic, Streets of Rage, Vectorman, and Golden Axe games are also included, this really does start to feel like a major bargain.

If I have minor gripes with the collection, it's that a couple of strong first party games like Toejam and Earl, and Outrun, would have been nice additions over weaker games like Alex Kidd, or Super Thunderblade Two games that I'm pretty sure most wouldn't spend much time with. The bonus arcade games is a nice touch, although Altered Beast is the only one that I thought was worthwhile (and that's only for the few old schoolers that like Altered Beast to begin with). The addition of the original Phantasy Star was a really nice bonus, and I wish that could have done a little more of that with a couple more Master System games. However, for the 10-20 bucks you can get this collection for, it really is hard to complain that they didn't add enough, so these are really minor gripes.

For people that REALLY love their Genesis games, this collection probably won't be a suitable substitute for the original hardware (and software). The 360 d-pad is really iffy, and I personally prefer playing on the original Genesis controllers. Although it really won't matter on the RPGs, you will notice a difference trying to pull off moves in Streets of Rage. I'm not completely sure if 3rd party controllers are available with better D-pads, so I guess it's worth looking into.

All in all, this is a very solid collection of games for the price. Diehard oldschoolers will probably find a few things to complain about, but I think that most that enjoy this era of gaming will probably walk away with thier nostalgia itch satisfied.

Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Triple Character Pack (Wrecking Ball Reviews

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Every Skylander needs this set of 3 Characters; WRECKING BALL, STEALTH ELF, and SONIC BOOM. You get two additional elements needed to get through all the phases of the game; Life and Air. These don't come with the original game and are an awesome addition to anyone's collection. Wrecking Ball is the element of Magic. With the original character set sold with the Playstation 3 (Spyro, Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt) and these three you will still need to get the Earth, Undead, and Fire elements in order to unlock all the gates within the game. The upgrades for all three of these are AWESOME! You might think they are a little weak when you first start to use them.. but WITH A LITTLE PATIENCE they become VERY COOL!!

WRECKING BALL wreaks havoc by slapping with his tongue and can eventually turn into a force field protected bowling ball with a burp attack! He's so fast in his bowling ball mode..he can be a little hard to maneuver..BUT..he's excellent at the beginnig of a battle when you're surrounded by opponents! After acquiring the "Digestive Detonation" upgrade you can press and hold his burp attack.. (to be released at your convenience)for an even wider ranged impact. His soul gem upgrade enables him to use his tongue to slap and ...slurp up his smaller enemies. His STRENGTHS are ELEMENTAL POWER and ARMOR..(Dark Spyro is a little stronger for elemental power...but..only available at retail in the Nintendo 3DS starter kit).

STEALTH ELF moves very quickly and slices up her opponents; upgraded she moves and leaves another decoy image behind her. The only way to know where she really is... are the green glowing eyes. Additional upgrades turn her into an acrobatic ninja that can do flips; and if you pick the "POOK BLADE SAINT" upgrade she has a bunch of magical knives that float alongside her where ever she goes... and do some of the work for you. These blades makes her a force to be reckoned with.. along with her extremely fast flips. With the SOUL GEM she can REGENERATE HER HEALTH over time.. which is extremely handy beacuse her WEAKNESS is ARMOR...her STRENGTHS..SPEED..CRITICAL HIT and ELEMENTAL POWER.

SONIC BOOM uses a roar and an egg toss (her little babies appear for a few seconds after the eggs break open..my son loves having her babies follow her around... he thinks it's too cute) in the beginning as her weapon. The egg toss is handy in creating a diversion strategy, sometimes the minions(bad guys) attack them instead of her..You can also throw her eggs out in front of you in a bait strategy (comes in handy with spiders) and then with more upgrades mom and her babies can fly. With the soul gem... when Sonic roars at her babies they roar too ...for a wider ranged attack and increased destruction. Sonic and Stealth Elf are among the fastest characters starting out..SONIC along WITH HER BABIES.. are quite capable of doing a LOT of damage...

BEGINNING STATS=baseline where your characters start out. The card that you get with the figures is referring to the online "Skylander's Universe" portion ONLY...So for those that are trying to strategize...or if your on a budget and trying to decide...MAX HEALTH refers to the total number of hit points your character can take before dying...SPEED..self explanatory..ARMOR.. ability to block damage.. CRITICAL HIT..ability to inflict damage.. ELEMENTAL POWER..extra power when your character is in their own elemental zone.. The higher..the Better!

WRECKING BALL'S BEGINNING STATS:

MAX HEALTH:270

SPEED:43

ARMOR:24

CRITICAL HIT:20

ELEMENTAL POWER:39

STEALTH ELF'S BEGINNING STATS:

MAX HEALTH:270

SPEED:50

ARMOR:12

CRITICAL HIT:50

ELEMENTAL POWER:46

SONIC'S BEGINNING STATS:

MAX HEALTH:280

SPEED:50

ARMOR:18

CRITICAL HIT:30

ELEMENTAL POWER:39

RETAIL FOR A TRIPLE PACK...IS $19.99 AT WALMART, AMAZON(direct) AND TARGET. TOYS R' US..$24.99!

ANYTHING ELSE IS MARKET DRIVEN..DON'T PAY ANYTHING MORE..

"SKYLANDERS GIANTS" IS COMING in October 2012!!

The great news is... your current figures will be compatible with the new version! They will have less upgrades than the new series 2 re-poses in "GIANTS", but at least they will still be usable. The series 2 re-poses are backwards compatible with the original "Skylanders" game, but won't have the additional powers. The light-core RE-POSES (that glow on the portal) are backwards compatible, they just won't light up. NONE OF THE NEW CHARACTERS FOR GIANTS WILL WORK IN SKYLANDERS SPYRO'S ADVENTURE. THEY WILL JUST WORK IN THE GIANTS VERSION.

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I don't play Wii, but when my son was shopping with his birthday money, we saw Skylanders, and I said, "I think you need that!" I thought it was so cool (still do). The Starter Pack gives you 1 Magic, 1 Water, and 1 Tech. Naturally you "need" at least ONE guy from each Element. You can certainly buy characters individually, but it's cheaper to buy the Packs. If you choose two 3-packs carefully, you get 1 guy from each element, plus an extra Magic guy.

If you get THIS (reviewing) 3-pack (Wrecking/Stealth/Sonic) PLUS Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Triple Character Pack (Eruptor, Chop Chop, Bash), you cover all the Elements for cheaper than buying them separately. After that, you can add in other characters as your kid likes, but this allows them to unlock all the areas.

I bought the two 3-packs, but opened the packages & re-wrapped each guy separately. My son can "earn" a new (surprise) guy each week by good behavior and cheerful helpfulness. He got Chop Chop yesterday, and was thrilled to add an Undead to his team, after a week of only the 3 original Elements. He has 5 more Saturdays worth of guys (assuming he's nice), then he can select/earn add-on guys on his own. I felt that deferring the collection of characters makes it more anticipatory and stretches out the fun!

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They are awesome. Stealth elf is fast and powerful. Wrecking ball is cute and with upgrades Can be powerful. Sonic boom can fly and has babies that can fight also. It arrived quickly and undamaged.

Honest reviews on Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Triple Character Pack (Wrecking Ball

My son bought skylanders for himself with extra Christmas money, with me knowing nothing about the game. Well, now I am hooked on it. I'm on a mission to get all the characters, and this set has some great ones. I haven't played with Stealth Elf yet, but I understand she is a great character. Wrecking ball has got to be the cutest character, almost acting like a dog all the time. Plus you can upgrade him to have a burb attack and eat smaller enemies. What's not to like about a burb attack. His tongue attack doesn't do a ton of damage, but my son seems to love using him all the time. And he can roll up into a ball (hence wrecking ball) and roll over the enemies. Now, for my favorite character to date Sonic Boom. She has it all. She is quick, you can upgrade her to fly (like Spyro), and she has babies that also attack for you, though with much less power. Her roar (or sonic boom, I guess) does some serious damage, though you can't attack from too far away. But, if you have the babies out, they sometimes go ahead and start attacking before you get to the bad guys. Plus, you can upgrade to have the babies fly and roar too. While I (um, we) only have about 10 characters so far, the combination of these three in this pack is one you can't pass up, if you can find it. My only critique of this game is the limited availability of the characters. That's almost another element of the game, trying to locate the characters you want!

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Bought this for my little brother (he's 14) and he loves it. He plays this game all the time and I guess this is like an expansion pack type thing.

Cheap Iron Man - Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:

7/10

the good-

big levels

good replay value

good powers

the bad-

sub par graphics(terrible at times)

bad sound quality on the battlefield

no lock on system

bad enemy ai

-(you can hide behind a rock and they seem to forget they even saw you)

----------------------------------------------

they really get the feel of iron man down in this game, probably better than any other superhero game, besides of course Spiderman 1-3 and Incredible Hulk Ulitmate Destruction. you can hover, fly, use turbo thrusters for high-speed flight. you have various long range attacks from small lazers to the uni-beam. to those of you who arent familiar, its a huge beam that shoots from the circle on his chest, usually obliterating all in its path. you can also take great advantage of Iron Man's strength, ripping helicopters and tanks in half. you can also upgrade and customize all abilities.

the controls could've been a little more solid, but they're far beyond those of Superman the game, which is really the only base for comparison. there are very few games out there utilizing such an epic powerset. Marvel Ultimate Alliance(as amazing as it is) doesnt really count, its more of a dungeon crawler. a lock on system would've made combat a lot more headache-free. especially against the fighter jets.

in the end, its the only game that truly makes you feel like Iron Man. its honestly epic in every way, there were just a few bad design choices and a rushed release, which would explain the poor enviromental graphics(iron man himself looks good)

so any fan of Iron Man, or super heroes in general should try it. DEFFINITELY RENT before buying. just dont set your hopes too high.

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The demo of IronMan was quite entertaining and fun. It didn't take long to get the hang of the flying controlls and the action was implemented quite well. The graphics were not the most impressive I have seen but the demo got me excited enough to buy the game. The opening sequence of the game where Stark builds his first nonflyable suit was good, but after that it went into a "training sequence" to aquaint you with flying and your "super powers" and everything was going so so till I was to grab hold of drones and shown a red button, well I did it but it kept doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over. Basically this has taken a lot of oomph out the game and made me wonder if Sega used playtesters or beta testers to critique repeitive parts like this. I had hopes that IronMan would be the exception to movie tie in games and I think I was wrong. So if you want to avoid frustation you may want to rent it before plunking down the full monty. If the game experience was at least as good as the demo it might have been a different story for me. I don't like to pay to be frustrated

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This game has been getting a lot of flak lately. Some of it is deserved (the environmental graphics do leave a little to desire, especially since Iron man himself is so well rendered) but there is fun to be had here. To be sure, there are times when the game gets frustrating because it's so hard (I played through the first time on medium difficulty) but as time goes by you realize you have to use your brain in a lot of levels and not just try to blast through them. This involves a lot of dodging and ducking and hiding between objects and choosing your shots. Once you master this the game gets much easier. I suggest using the easy mode if you're looking for a more casual experience.

I've completed the whole game and really have to say it's fun in a fairly mindless way. Sure, the missions do become a bit repetitive in that you're usually going to point A to blow something up and then point B to blow up something else, but the locales are varied. And the actual act of flying around and blowing stuff up in various ways is very fun. In a way, it's not that different from a game like Katamari, where you're basically performing the same task in different places. In this way, it harkens back to some of the more old-school games and is probably best appreciated this way, as the story is somewhat negligible.

The ability to unlock suits is fun, however be warned if you go through a second run of the game be sure to unlock any suits you didn't get to the first time before restarting! If you don't, all the suits in the One Man Army games go back to their original, unmodified versions and it makes it much harder. I learned this the hard way.

This will never win any awards, but it can be vicarious fun.

Honest reviews on Iron Man - Xbox 360

Whenever there's a big budget movie on the horizon, especially one adapted from a comic book, you can almost always bet on a video game tie-in being somewhere in the distance as well. Well, here's Iron Man, and yes, it is nothing else but another lame cash-in attempt that fails to do its comic and movie counterparts any kind of justice. Playing as 'ol shellhead, you take down wave after wave of baddies, with an occasional boss battle thrown in now and then for good measure. Naturally, what kills Iron Man is the fact that the game as a whole is a tedious bore. You have objectives, you take down the bad guys, etc, etc. The whole game is just so repetitive that it pretty much kills anything good about it. Combine this with some frustrating controls and disappointing graphics (and some just plain awful cut-scenes), and you get what we have here. There are some good points to be found, including the fact that the moments of flying around are pretty okay, there's unlockable extra armors, and film stars Robert Downey Jr. and Terrance Howard provide their own voices as well. All in all, whether you are a fan of the comic or the film, the Iron Man video game may be worth a look, but in the end, the game is best left on the shelf.

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Bought this since I liked the movie and was very dissapointed in the game...barely follows it at all and plays horribly.

Reviews of Luxor 3 - Nintendo Wii

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $3.15
Today's Bonus: 89% Off

I am a big fan of the Luxor series and was excited to see that Luxor 3 was being released on the Wii.

My excitement turned to disappointment after I actually bought and played the game. Luxor is a game that demands fast action. However, the controls were very unresponsive, making quick moves extremely difficult. I still enjoyed this game enough to adjust to the poor controls and have fun while playing.

After getting used to the controls, I had a good time playing until the game froze when I made it to the 11th level. When it came time to load the 11th level, a shrill screech was blasted through my speakers and the game was completely inoperable. In fact, the game crashed my entire Wii. I had to unplug the Wii and then plug it back in to make my Wii operable again. I tried several times to reset and reload the game, but to no avail. There are no discernable scratches or smudges on the disc.

This game was released in an unacceptable form and I am very disappointed. Even if the controls are poorly designed, at the very least the developers should have programmed a game that at the very least can be played until the end.

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I am truly upset with Luxor 3 for wii.

Having bought PC & Wii versions of the each in the Luxor series ..... stating I was a loyal customer was an understatment.

After spending 3 weeks playing Luxor 3 to get to level 11 only to encounter a game stopping glinch.

I exchanged that copy and got another copy only to have the same results again.

I called Nintendo to inform them of the error.

They directed me towards Mumbo Jumbo company which does not have a toll free phone number and would require me to send them $ for a replacement cd.

At this point, I am cutting my losses and moving on to another game by another company.

I will no longer buy Mumbo Jumbo games which is just a darn shame.

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Love the game and have played it many times. Just don't continue after Level 11-7, be ready for the game to wipe out your score so you have to start over, and also, several of the puzzles are completely impossible, due to a programming issue. I've played all the levels, but never make it thru Insane due to the game resetting.

Honest reviews on Luxor 3 - Nintendo Wii

The game is immense fun, but there is a problem completing the game on the wii console which i have contacted mumbo jumbo about, and they have offered to mail me a new one....you could not complete the game to open the "insane" portion of the game mode without the wii console locking up...mumbo jumbo said there have been issues about this in the past, so be prepared to have your console lock up (only way is to unplug unit) after completing level 11-7

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I really love the Luxor game on the computer, so I was excited to see that it was available for the Wii. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as much fun on the Wii. It looks like it was simply transferred over to play, using the Wii controller much as you would a mouse. They could have added some cooler features to make the game more fun. It's also very hard to see on your TV, even with the "zoom" feature that the disk has. It's okay, but I think they could make this game so much better.

Reviews of Final Fantasy IX

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The last installment of the Final Fantasy series on Playstation reached stores nationwide in a very low-key manner. The anticipation and exhilaration that associate with the release of Final Fantasy games have obviously lessened. I uncharacteristically DID NOT pick up the new game on the first day it released. Honestly, I was not too excited about the release of this game due to 3 major reasons: 1) Square's quality of work has been questionable these recent years, 2) relatively short period of time has passed since we have seen FF8, 3) the Final Fantasy series has been evolving so much that I was not sure I would still get the same thrill I got when I played FF IV on SNES.

I was not a bit disappointed.

Right from the beginning, Square shows again that FF9 is a product of quality. Even though it has only been one year since the release of FF8, this new installment does not show sign of a rushed production. I could not help but notice and appreciate the amount of effort and passion that were infused into the game. I could say with FF9, Square really strengthens my faith in the FF series, wins my heart, and brings me back to the good old days.

Graphic is one of the first elements that attracted me. The color scheme is very well used to create a nice blend of the whole composition. I did not like the color scheme in Chrono Cross at all because everything is so bright and sticks out like an eye sore. Background, characters, and environment are very well designed in such way that you find unity and harmony. Needless to say, CGs from Square are always top notch, first rated, state of the art quality. The injunctions of CGs are proper, and served to extend the flow of events; nevertheless, they are wonderful eye candies that I cannot get enough of.

Sound, I agree with most critics, still plaques the FF series on the current PSX platform as unsatisfactory. By no measure that the sound is not good, we just think that it could easily be better, given the experience that the composer Nobuo Uematsu possesses, and the quality of music the PSX can perform. I have to say the sound is good enough for me, and I particularly enjoy the polished quality of various sound effects in through out the game.

Do not expect any revolution in the gameplay department. Square just delivers what you would have expected from a FF game. I could not see anything special about the battle system other than it is simple. Yes, people will still complain about the random battles. I did enjoy the employment of materia and junction system in the previous 2 games; therefore I hope Square could have incorporated something special to make the battle system a little more interesting. Mini games and side tasks that are scattered throughout the game are both interesting and fun to play with.

Overall, the game rocks! It has been a long time since I played a good and quality RPG or game on PSX, I greatly enjoy Final Fantasy 9. The story is nothing spectacular but is delivered and presented very well with nice flow of events and timely unfolding of plots. Bottom line, Final Fantasy 9 is great game that I enjoy playing. Graphic, Presentation and Value outweigh minor imperfection of sound and gameplay. Square has successfully perpetuated the legend of the Final Fantasy series.

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Ok, I'll admit it... I thought 8 was alright... but nowhere near the level of excellence that the Final Fantasy series had lived up to in the first 7 games. It made me lose a lot of respect for the series that I've been playing for over 10 years now.

IX has restored that completely. I wouldn't go so far to say that 9 is the greatest FF game... but it's definitely up there.

Being an AVID fan (I have 15 FF titles on 4 systems and still play them all...), I'm glad to see the guys return to the old school, take their minds off graphic eye-candy and special effects (yup, that's right... less CG... and downright cheezy character graphics! I love it!), and put it back where it belongs in the RPG genre: The interaction, dialogue, and storyline here are all divine. I'd go into more detail but I don't want to ruin the surprise. :)

The character work in IX is so much better than what we've seen in recent games... they are personable, and have real depth. Take Zidane for example: the first FF hero since 6 to be a relatively social character. They also all serve a purpose in the game at some point in time... there are no Yuffies or Gaus here wasting space in your lineup and costing you wasted money for the one time in the game you'll actually use them. Even the most doubtful-seeming characters in FF9 (Quina being the first to come to mind) turns out to be a steady contender with good abilities and genuine usefulness.

All you power gamers out there that loved 6, 7, and 8 because *everyone* could use magic to ridiculous results... you're gonna hate this. Yes, there are wizards again now (all hail FF 1-5) and if you're not a wizard, you're not casting. I don't know about anyone else but this makes ten times more sense to me. It also adds something to the game that the last two were missing completely: a *challenge*. Any hardcore FF'ers will agree with me on this one: 7 and 8 were ridiculously easy. Not to say that 9 is going to kick you around... (I'm on my first replay and am yet to see a "Game Over" screen...) but at least you'll have to stop and think from time to time.

The battle and ability systems are simplified. No more sitting in front of your TV for an hour at a time digging through 50 billion junction abilities. You learn just 2 types of abilities: Battle abilities like spells for your wizards, lance attacks for Freya, thief attacks for Zidane, etc etc... and Indirect abilities that enhance your character in some way, like Auto-Regen or Auto-Potion, different status immunities, and HP/MP extensions. These items are learned by equipping your items, with a system similar to the Esper system in 6 or the Materia in 7. Except everyone can't just learn everything this time... For example: Don't even bother sticking a summon jewel on Zidane to teach him how to call forth Ifrit to burn your enemies... he can't do it :)

The only thing that may be confusing at first until you have the time to get used to it is the Synthesis shops. Basically what you do here is combine 2 items to get a different one, that cannot be bought... only found or synthesized. One tip regarding the Synth shop that I learned my first time through the game: DO NOT SELL ANYTHING, unless you have more than 2 of the same item. Sometimes you'll end up needing something old to synthesize a new item when it becomes available through your travels... if you sell the old stuff, it's sometimes hard to find it again. If you need money, there are 2 great ways to get it besides selling your stuff: Fight monsters, and steal & sell Ether (1000 gil per bottle.)

Now that's as close as I'll get to a spoiler.

My last rant: Yes, it's true... Final Fantasy 9 is a melting pot of all the first 8 FF games, and you *will* see a lot of things you've seen before... and even some references to characters and events from other games. If you can't deal with that, don't buy the game... IX isn't the breakthrough that VII was... but it's also not the disappointment VIII turned out to be. It's simply a creation from the legends at Square to reach a hand out to the new school ... and to win the hearts of the old school, as they prepare to head into yet another new frontier of gaming. Remember, this is the last game of its kind... ever. When 10 is released next year, everything is going to change.

Enjoy it while it lasts. I know I will.

Best Deals for Final Fantasy IX

Final Fantasy IX goes back to its cartoony roots, setting aside the gorgeous characterizations of FF8. While FF8 was like playing characters in a well done anime movie, FF IX has you controlling rounded, playful looking characters that give the game more kid-appeal.

The graphics in general are stellar. The opening sequence, the animation of water, of birds, of fire, and of other things normally challenging to an animation crew are amazing to watch. Gameplay graphics are quite good, although at times the pretty backgrounds can make finding an object or figuring out an exit to a room a bit difficult.

FF IX is a bit restrictive in its characters. Your thief, mage, knight, and "princess healer" each need to pretty much specialize within their class. Each can find special items to help them learn and grow, and choose how to aim their growth. This can be done automatically for new players, or with great attention to detail for the more advanced gamers.

Battle is also nice in this way beginners can have the game pause while they choose exactly which magic to fire at their enemies, while those wanting a challenge can have the entire battle run in real time, depending on quick reflexes and fast fingers. In addition to the players, there are also 'helpers', or Eidolons, which add to the drama of a battle.

Active Time Events (ATE) will show up occasionally to fill you in on the storyline, showing short movies of things happening elsewhere in the game. These are well done if you've already seen a particular ATE from a different game, you can simply bypass these. Some ATEs help progress the plot, while others give the player help with new commands.

In all, this is a great game for all playing levels. New and young gamers can set the game up so it gives you time to think during combat, and helps out out with skill setting. Advanced players can tweak all of the details themselves, and immerse themselves in the challenging card games that are part of the plot. There's something in it for everyone!

Honest reviews on Final Fantasy IX

In my opinion, SquareSoft is one of the greatest video game companies and their Final Fantasy games are the best RPGs you can get. Of all the games in the series, the latest entry Final Fantasy IX is my favorite.

With its ninth installment, Square has gone back to a medieval theme and is using a more colorful graphics scheme. This differs from Final Fantasy VII's and VIII's futuristic settings and their dark, realistic graphics, but I always did like the castles and colors of the first Final Fantasies, so Final Fantasy IX suits me fine. Also, it has some of the best music I've ever heard--even better than Chrono Cross'. And the story is more complex and interesting than Final Fantasy VIII's; it's more like VII's where the characters are a mystery and each has his or her own story to tell. And since the characters are developed well, I found that I liked practically every one of them--in Final Fantasy VIII I only really liked Squall and Rinoa.

Final Fantasy IX has my favorite battle system of the series. First, Magic Points are back, so you can't just keep casting spells to your heart's content; you'll first have to make sure you have enough Magic Points. Another welcome return is the challenge of battles; even normal enemies can come close to defeating you, whereas in Final Fantasy VII and VIII, only the bosses ever pose a threat. Like Finaly Fantasy VI for the PlayStation (Final Fantasy III for the Super Nintendo), each character has his or her own special ability. For instance: the main character Zidane is the only one that can steal items from enemies, and Vivi, a young Black Mage, is the only one gifted in using Black Magic. To teach the characters more "Action Abilities" you'll have to equip them with items that harness new powers. Here's how it works: say Vivi is equipped with a staff that has the "Action Ability" Thunder. As long as Vivi has that staff equipped, he'll be able to use the spell Thunder, but if he removes the staff, he will no longer have its powers. So he will have to battle with that staff until he learns Thunder. Once the powers are learned, he can equip a different weapon and be on his way to learning its powers while still retaining the spell Thunder.

The characters will also learn "Support Abilities" from items. These are abilities that support the characters during battles and are always in effect, meaning you do not have to use them first. But you can't have all your "Support Abilities" active at once since you are limited by your supply of "Magic Stones." Each character has a certain number of these stones, and the number will slowly increase as the character levels up. You equip the required amount of these stones to each "Support Ability" that you wish to be active. For example: Zidane has 11 "Magic Stones" and the "Support Abilities" Counter (randomly counters an enemy's attack) and Antibody (protects the character from being poisoned). Since Counter requires 8 stones to be equipped and Antibody requires 4, Zidane can only equip one until he levels up and gains another stone. This system gives you a nice opportunity to customize your characters.

In battles characters may also perform special maneuvers once they go into a "Trance." This is similar to Final Fantasy VII's "Limit Break." Each character has a "Trance Gauge" that slowly fills up as he receives damage from enemies. Once the gauge is filled, the character enters a "Trance" and can perform his own personal ability. If Vivi enters a "Trance," he gains, for that battle, the ability to cast two spells in the same turn.

Throughout the game there are many events that you can get into--from jumping rope, to collecting cards, to even delivering letters. But my favorite has to be treasure-hunting with a chocobo. (If you're new to the series, a chocobo is a birdlike creature that serves as a horse.) Sometime during the game, you'll get a chocobo, which will be able to use its beak to dig up "Chocographs" (treasure maps) in certain areas. These "Chocographs" tell you the whereabouts of treasures by showing you a small picture of an area on the World Map and giving a hint to its location. But your chocobo may not be able to get to the location until it gains the ability to cross certain terrains. At first your chocobo can only cross over plains, but as it finds more treasures it will gain the ability to cross shallow waters, mountains, etc.

Final Fantasy IX is definitely my favorite in the series and may even be my favorite game ever. With its likeable characters, improved battle system, and fun mini-games, I think anybody who enjoys RPGs will have some of their greatest gaming moments playing this title. Well done, Square!

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This is one of the best Final Fantasys yest! I love how it has gone back to its old FF roots of fantasy ONLY! I also enjoy how the job system is somewhat back (with some exceptions). Now only mages can cast spells and warriors use swords...it's great! The characters may look wierd (I like it!) and not be as serious as the Cloud from FF7 or Squall from FF8 (I like it beacuse they aren't nearly as stubborn...Zidane is actually quite outgoing and clever...) but they are certainly a great cast (better than) for the last FF game on the PS console! Also, the game holds a bit more difficulty than the last three games...not that much more though... The game, unfortunately, is more linear than any so far. Where exploration and gameplay lack, the story excells and the FMV's are absolutely incredible. This is also one of my favorite RPG's and Final Fantasy games (FF6 and 7 among others...). A definete buy for any RPG (ANY!)

Reviews of FPS Freek Prestige by KontrolFreek

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I was very skeptical when I first got these, but I quickly changed my mind for the better. I got the for the positive reviews and because they are legal at MLG events. So back to the product. When I I started playing with them I did worse but like other reviews said you just have to get used to it. After an hour I started to do better with 1V1's and so I turned my sensitivity to 10 and my accuracy and my KD started to improve on COD Black Ops.

Overall Performance:

This is not a miracle accessory. It does help a good amount but don't expect it to make you a god at FPS's. If you want to improve your game and have the money to spend the get this. if you are just a casual gamer who just plays every once in a while then keep your money because this is not something you will need. I hoped this helps your decision,

Justin.

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Works perfect, I feel more comfortable and more accurate playing Call of Duty with this on my controller. It doesn't decrease any timing away from your melee knifing. Your thumb may be further away from the controller but the attachment is ATTACHED to the analog sticks so when you melee someone it will be just as normal as if you'd take the attachment off. I am going to clear some things up. IT DOESNT ruin your original analog, it doesnt make your thumb cramp up, and you don't bump thumbs unless you actually are trying to. Best way to use these are to put it only on your aiming side of the controller [the right analog]. There is no reason to put one on the left side of the controller unless you have OCD and like everything symmetrical. I recommend this to all FPS gamers.

Best Deals for FPS Freek Prestige by KontrolFreek

I've tried these special edition Black Ops "Prestige" FPS Freeks as well as the regular version and the Halo: Reach "Legendary Edition" FPS Freeks. I would say that if you're looking for a concave (i.e., Xbox-style) grip, then go with the regular edition (either Classic White, Vipr, or Vipr Ultra) instead; the regular FPS Freek, I've found, offers a better grip because the material the rubber is made out of feels slightly more tacky/grippy, and less slippery. These Prestige Edition FPS Freeks have a harder rubber material that's more slippery to your thumb, I've found. Another reason the grip is worse is that there is a new set raised dots set in a circular ring pattern around the edge of rubber, which I presume was originally conceived as a way to improve grip, but I instead found that these extra raised dots decreased the surface area contact/grip between your thumb and the rubber (and thus, harder to keep a grip).

In short, I would go for the "Classic White" or "Vipr" varieties of the FPS Freek, as I find that they are better designed overall and offer a better grip, as well as being a few dollars cheaper to boot. I might post a review of the regular FPS Freeks and the "Legendary Edition" FPS Freeks sometime in the future. On a side note, the Legendary FPS Freeks are a convex (i.e., PlayStation-style) version of the FPS Freek, with a rounded top that's more similar to the analog sticks on the PS3 controller, if you're more accustomed to that style of grip.

Honest reviews on FPS Freek Prestige by KontrolFreek

This is my video review of the FPS Freeks by Kontrol Freek.

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This is actually my first review, but after my experience with this product, I felt that I should share my thoughts.

I have read many online reviews and heard a few of my favorite YouTube commentators recommend the FPS Freek, so when I recently received an Amazon gift card, I finally decided to try them for myself. I chose the FPS Freek Prestige edition because it appeared to have more grip than the original model.

Let me start by saying right off the bat, I'm already a good COD player. I play about twice a week with a group of 1-4 of my friends. In Black Ops, I'm 11th prestige, so I've had a decent chance to get familiar with the game and each of the multiplayer levels. I mostly play CTF, playing the objective and capturing flags. When I received the FPS Freek on March 29th, I had a 1.18WL and 1.46 KD. As of today, April 11, I have a 1.22 WL and 1.49 KD.

Can I really say that my improvement these last two weeks has been 100% attributable to the FPS Freek? No, but I can say that I was stuck on 1.46 KD for about a month, and that the only thing that I've changed during this period has been the addition of the FPS Freek. Also, I just "feel" like a better player. I'm able to get on target more quickly and I'm winning more of those gun battles that I previously may have lost. It's a great feeling when you're taking damage and you're able to turn around on the enemy and get the kill.

About analog controller sensitivity-I was already on level 4. I have since moved up to 5 and will continue experimenting with higher levels.

Is an improvement of .03 for my KD worth 10-15 dollars? For me, it was plenty worth it. With over 30,000 kills, it takes A LOT to move your ratio in any direction. To be where I am after only two weeks, I am VERY pleased with my purchase. I recommend giving it a try!

*** Here's a tip. If the ~15 dollars seems a bit much to you. Split a pair with a friend. I actually only use a single FPSFreek on the right analog stick. It's really unnecessary to have one on the left analog stick since most of your aiming should be done with the right stick.

*UPDATE* June 7, 2011

Just wanted to update this review and mention that I'm still very pleased with this product. As of last night, I'm up to 1.28 WL and 1.52 KD at sensitivity 5. One of my friends was so impressed at my recent play that he actually purchased a set for himself. For the price of an expansion Map pack, I think these are a great buy.

*UPDATE* July 4, 2011

I'm up to 1.34 WL and 1.54 KD. I just passed the 41,000 kill threshold, so these small improvements while only playing once or twice a week are quite impressive. I'm still very pleased with this product!

Review of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Xbox 360

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For many real time strategy (RTS) games, the Command and Conquer franchise is something akin to Final Fantasy of the RPG genre or how Madden is to sports; they ARE the standard in their respective genre. Since the mid 1990s Command and Conquer set the bar high on how RTS games should be with building menus, console interface (ever tried to command whole units with just a cumbersome controller?), cut scenes, and story. Command and Conquer traditionally also have a stellar cast of characters played by big Hollywood actors including James Earl Jones, Michael Beihn, Michael Ironside, Billy Dee Williams, etc.

That said, after finishing up the last of the Empire of the Rising Sun (Japanese) campaigns, I am happy to say that Red Alert 3 lives up to the tradition set forth by its predacessors.

For those of you, who are not familiar with Command and Conquer or are a casual gamer, here is what you need to know. Red Alert 3 is a real time strategy game where you, utilizing a bird's-eye-view, build a base for your faction, raise an army and quell your enemies into proverbial dust. Simple enough?

Well, RTS games are typically for more advanced players (unless you're playing Starcraft j/k) but Red Alert 3 has an easy enough interface and, better yet, a multi-part interactive turtorial where the tanks from each faction teach you how to play. Despite being an avid RTS gamer, I thought I'd utilize the tutorial to see the new changes made to the interface (that and you get a gamer score for completing all tutorials) and it was worth it. Between the witty banter between the tanks (I swear, the Allied tank sounds just like Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear) and the gamer score, listening to what they had to say was worth it.

Once you have memorized how to play, you'll realize that Electronic Arts really improved the console interface. One of the largest problems with RTS games on a console as opposed to a PC is a loss of control. Ever tried to simultaneously command numerous units with a cumbersome controller? It can turn a great game into a nightmare and by that I'm refering to Supreme Commander. You feel like a lobster with oven mits on as you would traditionally try to carefully select the units you want, which would necessitate you move individual units first into a staging area to be selected in one group. Meanwhile, some 14-year-old in Germany is kicking your backside and cursing at you like some demon child in a foreign language.

EA considerably simplified the interface by allowing the player to hold down the "A" button and a small green circle appears that the user can move around the battlefield and select any units he or she wishes. Now, if you want to control a specific kind of unit, while having the units selected you hold the right trigger and a menu pops up allowing you to only select that kind of unit. As opposed to other interfaces, this makes things a LOT less cumbersome.

*On a side note, I have not yet played Kane's Wrath so I am unfamiliar with their interface so anyone feel free to correct me if they did it first*

To makes matters more simplified, EA fixed several issues that have riddled RTS games for well over a decade. One of them was that in many RTS games if the unit is moving to a location they will blatantly ignore everyone firing at them or plow clean through them. With Red Alert 3, a player can select a fire-move order that allows the unit to engage any unit they encounter along the way but continue once they have eliminated said unit. This makes a bounding overwatch movement (one covers while the other moves than roles are reversed) and other movements MUCH easier.

So, the controller interface is very much improved for console systems and makes commanding individual units and smaller squads MUCH easier. The next interface issue is the balance of power between the three factions. In Red Alert 3 you have the option of playing as the traditional Soviet Union or the Allies but EA has introduced the Empire of the Rising Sun or the Japanese. This makes the game much more interesting as you now have to rotate your tactics MUCH more now although I anticipate more gamers will play as the Japanese given their unique nature (that and, for some reason, gamers are obsessed with that bloody island of copy/cats).

Normally, RTS games with more than two factions fail due to a lack of balance. Even Starcraft possessed balance problems with the three factions they had. For once, the balance seems almost perfect whether it be the advantages and disadvantages of how buildings can be placed or how some weapons have secondary weapons. For instance, the most basic display of balance is how the construction yards work. For the Allies the construction yard takes a traditional method as buildings are built out of site, then you can place them on the field but they take a while. Meanwhile, the Soviet buildings are built out in the open but take less time. Lastly, the Japanese buildings are transported using core vehicles that unfold and deploy the structures. As such, they are highly mobile but also highly vulnerable.

Without going into insane detail, here is the basic run-down on all three factions. The Soviets have brute force power with cheap mass production, the Japanese are an expensive lot with highly technological equipment that requires a mastery to utilize effectively, and the Allies are a decent in between mixture of firepower and technology.

Now, there are some hilarious cultural, but not racial, stereotypes played out in all three factions. No where is this more noticable than the Japanese side. The Japanese have mecha and giant robots. The Mecha Tengu ships have a striking resemblence to Veritech fighters from Robotech and even transform into two of the same modes (Guardian and normal mode). Their giant robots are... well, giant samurais and their doomsday weapons are even larger giant samurais that feed on tesla coils. While this may seem silly, EA does do a good job of balancing the unit's abilities. Not to mention Red Alert 3 is known for its over-the-top nature. Even the units say witty things such as, "beats being in a gulag," or, "I heard the emperor's geisha girls will be there."

On to the more aesthetic elements. Graphics wise, Red Alert 3 is nothing truly remarkable but nothing to sniff at either. Good graphics on RTS are fairly few and far in between and for good reason as you don't want to slow down the console to a crawl since there can be up to hundreds of individual units doing their own thing on the battlefield. Unit animation is very smooth though with one exception. When the commando or spy goes from the water to the ground they can get glitchy and require the player to move them twice. Nothing truly annoying but a glitch all the same.

Next is the music. Marvelous! It inspired the title of this review! Between the heavy guitar music during battle sequences, that isn't overbearing, and the heavy Soviet chanting music I was very much impressed. The only song I did not like was the building music in the Soviet's New York mission. Saxaphone?! Give me a break!

Lastly are the cut scenes with the big Hollywood actors. There are a lot of them and the casting is hilarious. Between Tim Curry as the Soviet Premier, J.K. Simmons as the American president, Peter Stormare (the Russian astronaut in Armageddon) as the time scientist.. and Star Trek's George Takei as the Japanese Emperor, it's just priceless. Aside from the hot girls, who obviously were NOT chosen for their acting abilities (and by that I mean Jenny McCarthy), all the cast members really got into their roles. Heh, the game even includes a poster of all the pretty ladies. Gotta love fanboy service!!

My only beefs are that the endings are too ambiguous. Nothing truly amazing. Red Alert 3 was a very impressive game in terms of evolutionary innovation but still is nothing remarkable. Nonetheless, the beefs are very few and ranks this suck among some of the greater games this year. A must buy for any RTS fan.

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I have been a long time RTS player on the PC and played and mastered skirmishes in games like AOE, AOM, Star Wars RTS, Red Alert 2 among others. This game stands its own among these. I would say compared to these games on the PC, options like number of factions, or unit types, or even buildings are few. Also resource collection in the Red Alert series is lame (have only one type of resource and an ore collector most probably there will be a resource crunch throughout). Having said that I would still highly recommend this game for the skill level and the fun factor. The factions are very well thought out and designed. The graphics are great too. This game requires channelling all the resources to the war! So beware and be ready...

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C&C RA 3 returns you to the battlefield in the franchise's latest fashion: a 3 way showdown. In C&C 3 it was the GDI, Brotherhood of Nod and the Scrin; in this warfare you find yourself with the forces of the allies, the soviets and the new empire of the rising sun.

Almost every unit has a secondary attack which is conveniently accessable via a hotkey option so you don't have to go hunting in sub menu's in the heat of battle. The command stick control returns from C&C 3 with little improvement but this is because it was so well handled last game there isn't much need for more.

The controls are great and in these battles you need it. Each side has very unique units with interesting abilities; for example the Soviet anti-air vehicle can also cross water AND shoot soldiers out from within to parachute to other areas. The land of the rising sun has units that can transform on the fly so your attack chopper can land and become a battlemech of sorts.

The acting in the game is the classic cheesy yet you-got-to-love-it style from previous games. The visuals are done very well and the in battle graphics hold up amazingly. The heat of battle is quick paced and you should be warned: within seconds your entire army can be wiped out. The superweapons are a huge game maker (or breaker) and while the computer can use them with uncanny accuracy you will find they dodge your super weapons with the same skill, putting you at a total disadvantage at times. In player vs player however, the superweapons are on equal ground.

If you are a fan of RTS games I highly recommend this title even though my personal top choice for RTS on the xbox360 is still Universe at War.

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Like the other command and conquers on a console , you use the command stick . There are 3 campaines , and each faction gets many units . Unlike other RTS titles water combat is well implimented . Fans of the series should recignize the trade mark silliness and the silly acting . The special powers , are aquired like in Generals .

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As a big fan of Red Alert 2 and the Yuri's Revenge expansion pack, I was eager to try out Red Alert 3 when it came out. I played it on a friend's PC in Fall 2008, but wasn't too impressed by the overt use of multiple commands. Also, a major factor in putting off the purchase of the PC version was the SecuROM issue as mentioned by other reviewers.

However, after a friend loaned me his XBox 360, I decided to take the plunge and picked up the XBox 360 version of the game. Needless to say, I had a blast playing the game. Red Alert 3 uses the CommandStick interface, which basically allows you to access all the game functions from a rotary menu which pops up when you hold down the right toggle. It does take a little getting used to, but the tutorials presented by the Guardian Tank, Hammer Tank and the Tsunami Tank make it easy to learn the controls. Not to mention, you get a few points, and an achievement for completing the tutorial.

Red Alert is known for its over-the-top acting and fancy units, and Red Alert 3 is no different. Use the tutorials to get a feel for all the units and factions and get an idea of how to play the campaigns.

If you have played Red Alert 2/Yuri's Revenge, bear in mind that the technologies used by the different factions are quite different. Without going into too much detail, the Allies use a similar build technology as in Red Alert 2, the Soviets: something like what you'd find in an Age of Empires game, and the Empire "don't need no stinkin' build radius!". Each faction also has different methods of upgrading their technologies.

The campaigns (which I'm in the middle of), are challenging, but so far I haven't found any situations which were impossible to beat. The units seem more balanced than those in Red Alert 2 (at least, I can no longer execute an effective tank rush with just Guardian Tanks). One new (and odd) feature is that if your commando unit is killed on the field, you can simply retrain her. With Red Alert 2, if you lost your commando, the mission was a failure. I don't know if this is the same case for the AI commando. Regardless, this doesn't take away any of the fun.

I did try a skirmish mission but lost almost immediately to an easy AI. I'd probably chalk that up to my inexperience with the new units, but I did read an earlier review which blasted the AI. With that said, I can't say I know enough about the skirmish AI to complain about it. I'll update this review after I play (and win) some skirmishes.

Overall, Red Alert 3 is a good (if campy) game for the CnC enthusiast.

Cheap CTR: Crash Team Racing

Customer Ratings:

This game is one of those great games that are fun to play with family and friends, and the one that you always end up playing over-and-over. It's great for people who like Crash Bandicoot games or just like to have fun. It has many great features such as: aventure-race through worlds to collect trophies, talismans, and relics to enter boss races, championships, etc. arcade1 or 2 player: the racing with other characters in one of different 25 tracks or a cup race. plus you get to shoot the other racers with rockets, bombs, trap them, ram them, hit them, push them off the road, almost anything you want. vs. 2player game with only each other to trick and beat this time. battle(a 2-player game) great!!! battle it out in an area where players can shoot each other with boms or rockets, ram each other, using all the powerups, trap each other onto tnts, etc.

A great game for people of any age!!

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This game has it all! Great graphics (some of the best I have seen on the playstation), good sound (not annoying), awesome playability, good learning curve, longevity and a sense of humor.

This game is suitable for just about everyone, regardless of skill level or age. The easy controls, wide range of fun characters and cartoony graphics will appeal to younger gamers, but it is sufficiently challenging for the older gamer. Completing the game is a little too easy (I finished Arcade mode and Adventure mode within a month, and I'm not exactly a great gamer) but the time trials, relic races and multiplayer modes will keep even advanced gamers coming back for more.

I have played many racing games on the Playstation, Dreamcast and N64 including Wipeout 3, Micro Machines V3, Mario Kart, Wave Race 64, SnowBoard Kids and Diddy Kong racing, but this game beats them all.

Naughty dog did a great job on this game, just like they did on the previous Crash games.

I would recommend this game to anyone who owns a Playstation.

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There's no doubt about it. "CTR: Crash Team Racing" is a ton of fun, and is the best racing game on ANY console. That's right, you heard me. The BEST.

Developed by Naughty Dog, "CTR: Crash Team Racing" features 8 characters: Crash Bandicoot, Dr. Neo Cortex (Crash's enemy), Tiny Tiger and Dingodile (Cortex's henchmen), Coco (Crash's sister), N. Gin (Cortex's lab assistant), Polar (Crash's pet polar bear cub), and Pura (Coco's pet Bengal tiger cub). You can also unlock 7 other characters who are hidden in the game: Ripper Roo (a psychotic kangaroo in a straitjacket), Papu Papu (a grumpy Indian chief), Komodo Joe and Pinstripe (more of Cortex's henchmen), Fake Crash (Crash's evil twin), N. Tropy (the master of time), and the mysterious, super-secret character Penta Penguin. Each character has his/her own special strengths and weaknesses.

The game spans across 18 race tracks -15 of which are named after the 15 racers (the other three are generic). Some track themes include a beach, a cave, a mine, a pyramid, a castle, a laboratory, a canyon, a sewer, and even through a system of underwater tubes!

Trust me, this is one game you wanna play. Even if you're not familiar with Crash, you'll still enjoy it. Hands down fun.

Honest reviews on CTR: Crash Team Racing

From the creators of the Crash Bandicoot series comes Mario Kart racing for the PSX! Built on a brand new game engine, Crash Team Racing is one of the best looking racing games on the PSX, with detailed environments and high framerates. Select one of eight different characters to race across more than 20 different track in Adventure, Time Trail, Versus, Gran Prix and Battle Modes. Take your favorite Crash Bandicoot character and race him against 3 of your friends for bragging rights!

There's a new mad scientist in town and his name is Nitros Oxide and he's about to wreak his own havoc on this little island paradise. He's absolutely obsessed with speed and fast just isn't fast enough for him so he concocts a crazy idea to speed the whole world up forever!

Tune your own "wheels", pick up goodies and watch out for those environment hazards. This game boils down to pure racing fun. ...

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If you like mariokart you will like this game. The differences in gameplay are miniscule. Great multiplayer fun. If you have ps2 though, you need a ps1 multitap. There are codes to unlock more battlemode stages. I like mariokart64 better but this is a more than adequete game.

Way of the Samurai 3 - Xbox 360 Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $49.99
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I've been waiting for this game for a while and this game was near impossible to find, but I finally found a copy and got to play for the first time last night. It follows the along the same model of the original The Way of the Samurai. There are tons of swords and fighting styles, that will keep you enthralled for hours upon hours, and once you find that certain sword/style that fits you, you can learn new techniques and level the sword so you can become the ultimate assassin, protector, or just plain ole bad a**. This game is full of action around every turn, and the best concept is that you can choose which path you want to take, if you want to become a rich samurai you can join the fujimori clan, or you can be a sole wanderer a ronin,or you can protect the citizens of a poor city who are being heavily taxed, or you can plot against the fujimori clan and join the ouika clan who are a bunch of thieves and robbers, and the beauty of it is it's all up to you which path you choose. The fighting in this game is superb, depending on which sword you use that is the fighting style used, or you can fight bare handed which is pretty fun as well. I thoroughly enjoyed and am still enjoying this game, if this game sounds like something you might like, or if your like me, I really enjoy old samurai movies especially Akira Kurosawa films, you'll love this game. One of my favorite things about this game is one of the faces you can choose for your samurai looks almost exactly like Toshiro Mifune. In all I give this game a 5 out of 5. Maybe more, this is possibly one of my favorite games of the year.

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I'm reviewing this game after putting in about 30 hours so far into it. I'm also reviewing from the perspective of someone who has not played the previous installments in the series, so my comments will be based mostly on the merits of the WOTS3 alone.

I bought the game based on the mostly positive reviews I saw here on Amazon (the decent price point also helped). I too did not see this game in any of my local video game stores or big box retailers so it was nice, being able to find it here.

As for the gameplay you start off as a samurai who wakes up in a village and over the course of the game you can opt to choose to help one (or both, or none) of 2 major samurai factions/clans, or choose to help the village you woke up in, or pretty much do whatever you want and help nobody as well. One great aspect of the game has been the freedom to choose your destiny, and one of the big selling points of this game is the fact there are so many different endings you can choose from.

It is helpful to note that after you achieve one ending, you can carry over your stats and weapons into a new save, so that you don't have to start all over again in terms of accumulating items. Given the deep weapons creation system in this game and the huge number and variety of weapons you can make or choose from, it makes sense that you carry over items in each incarnation of the game you subsequently start.

Gameplay is relatively fun, with the combat mechanics being very deep and fulfilling. You can learn many different moves and combined that with the variety of weapons and stances you choose from, it definitely caters to both the experts who like deep combat, or even button mashers who like to hit X 100 times a minute to slog through a fight. In this respect I give the game props.

How you finish the game is up to you, with all sorts of storylines and decisions presented to the player at many stages of the game. It is nice to see how your choices really do ultimately affect your outcome.

In short, the game plays relatively well and the variety of endings is also very good. But there are also several shortcomings to the game that I noticed as well.

First, even though the game is technically 'open ended', there is a very limited amount of places you can actually go in the game. You're pretty much cycling through all sorts of jobs and tasks and event driven things in those same areas. Mercifully there is a quick hop option you can select to each area, otherwise you'll notice that you're pretty much running around the same stages over, and over and over again.

Also animations in the game are at times stiff and clunky. Someone above mentioned it was a characteristic of previous games as well and has been improved for the current gen version. However, given how far we are in the current gen, the characters shouldn't be moving around this poorly. The graphics also look relatively weak. It isn't as bad as a late stage PS2 game, but it does come pretty close. The animated scenes do look good, and facial models there are decent. The sound effects are not bad, though I recommend you use the Japanese voices with English subtitles. The English voices sound dorky and some of those guys sound like people in a Chinese restaurant. You're better off using Japanese to stay true to the 'feel' of the game.

One last note, much of how you gain favor in the game is related to the jobs that you are entrusted with by whatever faction you choose to serve. Keep in mind a lot of these missions repeat, and some of them can be frustrating or boring (like those 'find and fetch' or 'hide and seek' kind of missions, which get old after the 10th try if you're playing a prolonged session). Not all of them are bad. In fact some of them are pretty fun and exciting to play. But there is just enough repetition that I'm not sure every player will be devoted enough to try and get all of those 20 or 30 or whatever endings in the game.

That said, it's not a terrible game by any means. The cool storyline, exotic setting and fun combat is definitely a major pro. I just think there are other games out there that provide more action and less repetition than this. But if you're into samurai or ninja style games, or if you are too overwhelmed by the chaos of Dynasty Warriors or turned off by the overly deep strategy sessions of Nobunaga's Ambition ... this game might be a good middle ground for people like you. Just be ready to do a lot of jobs, like fetching underwear or apologizing to townspeople who kick you in the head a lot.

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If you like samurai games, this one is pretty cool. There are many different avenues of gameplay. You can hack and slash your way through the game, or try for the many different endings given. The combat system is pretty simple. There are various attacks that you can use...and each weapon has a different set of attacks and stances. The weapon creation system is new and pretty cool. You can make either swords or spears with various different parts you pick up throughout the game. The game has both English and Japanese dialogue for everyone's enjoyment. There are a lot of unlockables, and they stay unlocked for future playthroughs. The graphics are pretty basic, nothing fancy. There's not much audio in the game, but then again you don't really need it. So, feel free to have your own background soundtrack going while playing. Overall, dope game.

Honest reviews on Way of the Samurai 3 - Xbox 360

I loved this game. This is a combination of the best features for each of the other games. So far I have spend about 40 hours playing and have several endings that I have not unlocked yet. Due to work, I have not played it much lately but when things chill out, it has quite a bit of replay value left. I encourage anyone who enjoyed the previous games to try this out. If you haven't played the others, you should play this anyway. Though the graphics are not mind blowing, the gameplay makes up for it. You should look up a couple of gameplay videos and if you find the graphics acceptable, pick it up. I'm not saying they are terrible but some people place a super high priority on graphics.

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As a preface, I have never played Way of the Samurai 1 or 2, so this was my first experience with the franchise. I downloaded the title from the X-Box Live Arcade games on demand. I was drawn to it because of my fascination with Japanese culture and my love of sandbox-type games, but it ultimately failed to deliver. Honestly, I was reminded of the Fable games: you are promised open-ended gameplay with limitless choices, but given a linear experience in which none of your "choices" alter the game in the slightest.

I'll break it down, as people seem to do with these reviews:

Graphics The graphics are pretty basic. I'm not the sort of person who will ever disregard a game because it is ugly, but if that sort of things bothers you, definitely avoid this title. The characters are acceptable, but the environments are bland and forgettable. Honestly, I think I played games that were more polished than this on the previous generation of consoles.

Sound Turn it off. The game cycles through a short list of tracks that get annoying really quickly. The songs are at least in an appropriate style and theme, just very limited. The Japanese voice-acting is fine (I think. I don't speak Japanese, so it isn't fair for me to judge), but the English dubs are pretty bad. You are better off listening to your own music while playing this game.

Gameplay The fighting is the best part of this game. You can play through it like a simple hack-and-slash (I found that most enemies are pretty easy to defeat by just mashing the attack button over and over), but there are layers of depth to the mechanics, as well. You have different styles and different weapons to deploy, and timing counter-attacks and combos well can feel very satisfying. The swordplay is the only reason I have yet to delete this game from my hard drive.

Story I'm really, really confused as to how so many people are complimenting the story of this game in the other reviews. I was so completely disappointed. I mean... maybe I'm playing a different game? Here is the sad truth: this is not a sand-box game. You do not have an open world to explore. Each playing field is limited in size and accessibility, and the entire map consists of, like, twelve of these fields. There are several different factions you can serve, but your choice between them doesn't matter. Your actions don't affect the world you're in, and even though you have the option of making different moral decisions, the only thing they change is your score at the end of the game. You could easily play through this entire story in a couple of hours, and every quest you're given is a basic "fetch" or "kill" quest. Go here and kill him, or go there and find these. It makes World of Warcraft look innovative and original in comparison. There are several characters in the world that you can converse with, which I thought meant that you would be able to pursue side quests, but I found that each one of these conversations eventually hit a dead-end in which the NPC would just repeat the same statement over and over. There just isn't enough content to make this game worth a $27 price tag. If they were to take the gameplay which is genuinely enjoyable and put it into a fleshed out world, I would love this game. As it is, the whole world feels sloppy and thrown together, and the story was clearly an afterthought.

Best Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 - PC Deals

Customer Ratings:

Well this is Westwood's 4th C&C RTS game, and it's GREAT as usual. I gave this 4 1/2 stars, but I rounded that to 5 to display on the title.

Red Alert 2, like all it's predecesors, is a strategy/war game by Westwood,a strategy gaming company owned by the huge Electronic Arts for a while now. It features 2 campaigns, 1 for each side, that walk you through the plot and train you for the regular battles ahead. There is a skirmish mode, which lets you play a multiplayer-style game with the AI. I once used this mode to re-inact the Bay of Pigs invasion, there are so many little options. True fun comes, though, with multiplayer mode, which is the main focus of the game.

Although in previous C&Cs, especially Tiberian Sun, there was a quite a lot of blood and gore when an infantry guy got killed, Red Alert 2 has NO Blood and NO Gore. In fact, when an infantryman is killed now, sometimes he'll say things like "Do'h!" and then fall over and disappear. Still, it's rated "T"like most strategy games. No swearing, either; the president says in the intro movie, "I wouldn't give a wooden nickel about your legacy."

The story is simple: after Red Alert (original), where the Soviets invade Europe in about 1940 instead of Germany because of some complex time-travel assasination that nobody really understands, the Allies install a puppet leader

in Russia. Seeming at first to be an advocate of peace, he later invades the Allies' main supplier and most important fighter the U.S.A. using mind-control and quite a few other intresting technologies. FMV movies will tell you most of the plot.

Once again, Westwod has included graphics that succeed in telling the player what is happening, but not state-of-the-art. They have continued to use their MegaVoxel technology, which models the game in a sort of 2D/3D cross but makes

the units look like an army of mold campared to conventional graphics. (Well that's an exaggeration but they're still quite bad-looking). But as I said before, they still let the player see what's happening, and that's enough,

I think.

The good news is that it needs no such 3D graphics cards that some conventional graphics games do.

Like in the original Red Alert you can pick the Allies or Soviets on a quest for world domination. The Soviets have more in the way of general power, the Allies have intresting technologies to counter that, usually involving prisms

or time travel.

The gameplay is fun and easy to learn. Veterans of C&C will know the interface as soon as they load up the game, it's pratically the same except the the waypoints have gotten confusing and a new cursor has been added to tell you if you are in range to fire or if your units must move first. The tank rush

is easier to resist now, you now have better base defenses and you can garrison buildings with troops. Garrisons are extremely powerful, underestimation of them will lead to a failed assualt that costs you 100,000 credits. The gameplay has been made quicker now, allowing you to finish in about 30 minutes to 1 hour. New multiplayer modes include team alliance and others.

The sound is still sharp, and each class of units has a different selection of random words to say when they are selected, moved, and fired. The music is good, provides ambience and has more speach than any other C&C games. No,

not like somebody is actually singing, but rather every once in a while someone'll say something like, "Gentlemen, it's a nuclear device," or something inaudible in the background.

The game is stable, but like all games you'll get a complete hang once in a while.

This game is a good buy and I had some great fun. It has its set of disadvantages, like all games, but it's gotten better and C&C is starting to get better each release. Obviously destined to be in a museum one of these years. The Last Remaining Copy will behind glass, with a demonstration on a computer to the side. The sign'll say, "Red Alert 2. Archeologists confirm

that it was probobly the best game of the year in 2000."

Pros

+Fast paced, action gameplay

+Easy to learn

+Another bumper crop of new units

Cons

-Graphics not quite, eh, state of the art

-Confusing Waypoints.

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(Note: This is Writer50's son)

Red Alert 2 features a new storyline (not pertaining to the old one), new units, new graphics, new sounds, and more depth, all of which are pretty good! Some of the old units have new features which add depth to the game. Like a Chrono Miner and the engineers ability to fix bridgers. The graphics are great for a game of this kind and if you know how to, you can edit the game in nearly every way. If you like war-strategy games or you liked Red AlertGet This!

Some people (like those other than me that wrote a review for this game) don't know what their talking about!

1. For those you complained about the story, they use the word DECEPTION, it isn't cheesy! It could happen!

2. People complaining about new weapons and the year: It's kind of hard to tell what year it takes place in, but the new units used in the game could be developed in the future!

3. Yuri is added to the game as the Second in Command for Russia, is that hard to understand? In the next game, Yuri wants to take over the world :)

This Game Is Great!

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Just out of curiousity I pulled Red Alert 2 out of mothballs. Especially in light of Generals, does RA2 still hold up? The answer, surprisingly enough, is yes!

The two big attractions for Red Alert 2 are its unique units and its unashamedly B-Grade Movie Acting cheese factor. Firstly to the units. Because RA2 isn't based on any real-life scenarios (Soviet Union invades America? Please.), this gives the developers creative freedom to create the craziest units imaginable. So we have soldiers with rocket packs (Rocketeers), Tanks that can camouflage themselves (Mirage tanks), and shock troopers that fire lightning bolts (Tesla Troopers). To this very day, the units in Red Alert 2 are still my favourites of all time.

The second big attraction is how RA2 revels in its B-Grade movie roots. It was a huge surprise because so many game developers take the "grim and gritty" route. Red Alert 2 wallows unashamedly in its own cheesiness. It also introduced some very memorable characters. Udo Kier is suitably very creepy (in a cheesy way) as the Pscyhic Yuri. Tanya (played by Kari Wuhrer) in addition to being a useful unit in the game, she's played with real charm and feistiness. There's Ray Wise as the US President, who's clearly sending up Bill Clinton. And finally, one of my favourite game characters of all time General Carville, played brilliantly by Barry Corbin. He gets some great lines one of my favourites is "I'm sick and tired of living in Canada. Get me my office back!". And his delivery really fires you up and makes you want to kick some Soviet .

That (to me) is what separates Red Alert 2 from any other game before or since. It flatly refuses to take itself seriously and invites the player to have a lot of fun. The graphics may not be as advanced as Generals, but the gameplay and memorable characters more than make up for it.

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Just wanted to say that the Amazon review notes the cheesy cut scenes as a negative aspect, where as most people I have talked to, and myself, find the overt and excessive cheesy factor to be highly entertaining.

Overall a fantastic game. Gameplay adds just enough new naunces to give it a unique feel. And what the graphics lack in a technical aspect, they make up for in artistic value, and by really helping build up the atmosphere of outrageous sci-fi/history/comedy mishmash background. While not the most well rounded or ground-breaking games around, it is one of the most fun games I've ever played.

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Red Alert has always paved the way for technology (on the game engine side), with the original Red Alert making the leap into SVGA. Red Alert 2 features a truely enhanced 2D engine with huge structures.

You finally get to fight on US soil (none of the previous C&C engines could have done this justice like the Red Alert 2 engine does). Gameplay is more back to basic, User Interface has been revamped for the first time in the series.

This doesn't feel like a sequel. If you've ever enjoyed C&C, buy this now.