Discount XBOX S-VIDEO & AV 2-IN-1 CABLE

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If you have an Xbox and a TV with an S-Video connection, you are really doing yourself a disservice if you use the standard Xbox composite video connection. This cable will replace the standard cable and give you a much improved picture.

So what's the "but"?

If you also plan at some point to hook the Xbox up to your stereo via a Dolby Digital toslink cable for some 5.1 sound, you will need to replace this cable with either Sony's Advanced AV pack or a Monster Gamelink 300X cable. This entry level cable does not have the hookup for Dolby Digital and neither does the Xbox. You need a cable that has the toslink port: either the AV Pack or the Gamelink.

So, good cable, good price but not if you want Dolby Digital!

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Overall this cable is decent for its intended purpose (S-VIDEO).

It is not on par in build quality as the OEM standard XBOX cable that came with the game. The cable that plugs into the back of the XBOX fits in too loose. It can accidentally be pulled out a little too easily than the original cables.

The cables actually had my XBOX graphics acting jittery on the television. I quickly switched to the original cables and everything was fine. (Maybe I had the S-Video and the RCA Video Cable plugged in at the same time)

For starters this is an economical way to go.

For 10.00 more I would stick with Microsoft's Advanced AV Pack allowing for future purchases using Dolby Digital components.

I rated this 2 stars because I am very demanding when it comes to fit finish and quality. The rear plug stability into the XBOX just turned me off:(

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Just a couple days ago I was plugging my Xbox back into my TV. I noticed an S-Video input as well as Av inputs on the back. I purchased this cord and plugged everything and let me tell you it makes the picture a whole lot better. If you have S-Video inputs AND AV inputs on your TV, buy this right away! It smoothes things out, lets you see mush better, it's great!

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While not nearly as good as the "Advanced AV output" pack, this cable is perfect for those of us with TVs lacking component video inputs. It also gives you a standard composite video output so you can completely replace the cable packaged with the XBOX, not having to worry about older televisions not being supported.

All in all.. If you don't have a $1,000+ television, but still want that little extra clarity on your games, buy this. Even if your television doesn't have SVIDEO in, buy it! The composite video out will continue to work as your bundled XBOX AV cable did, however, you will have the SVIDEO out incase you ever do buy a TV with SVIDEO inputs.

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If your television or vcr comes with an S-Video jack, this is a must purchase item for your XBox. After all, you didnt buy the best gaming console on the planet, to not have it look the best it can be!!!!

Reviews of Timeshift - Xbox 360

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $19.44
Today's Bonus: 3% Off

What a wonderful First Person Shooter. First--the Single Player takes a solid 20 plus hours (indoors, outdoors, in the air, and on) to play with the use of Slow, Reverse, and Stop time and your ability to literally gib--and reverse, gib and reverse, and play with your enemies. The game is technically astonishing with a depth of dynamic shadows, incredibly detailed environs and a butt-kicking (no-slow-down) frame-rate. Then when you get great at it--you can play it again against AI that is better than first rate and makes great use of your ability to confuse them (temporarily) with the time powers.

The Multiplayer though?

It puts other games to shame. I have never seen more game types--faster play for up to sixteen, and had such fun with everything from Rocket Arena to Team Deathmatch. There are new modes like King of Time (get the player with the time powers and you become the target) and Meltdown Madness where you use your four time grenades (Multiplayer has weaponized time bubbles) to slow the coolant to your enemies reactors. This is more fun than Halo 3, Half-Life Orange Box, and Bioshock combined (and actually longer than the new content in the three of them if you include multiplayer. Highly recommended.

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How games like this get overlooked while mediocre games like Rainbow Six Vegas get all the hype, I'll never know. What a little gem of a game. If you're a fan of Sci Fi shooters, you'll like Timeshift. First the bad. The story is almost non existent. But what it lacks in story, it makes up for in gameplay. In the beginning, I found using the time shifting abilities a little cumbersome. But once you get used to it, boy does this game get fun. The graphics are excellent, the guns are cool. The environments are varied and challenging. The enemies are smart and will flank you fast. The game never feels redundant. One of Timeshift's greatest assets however is the checkpoint system. I HATE games where if you die, you have to repeat the last 6-10 minutes of gameplay you just finished before you died. This can ruin what might be an otherwise decent game. That never happens in Timeshift. The checkpoints are perfectly placed. It becomes apparent that the developers put autosaves just before really challenging parts. A huge plus! All I can say is don't let this game pass you by. I am a fan of shooters like Resistance, Halo, Call Of Duty franchise, and in my opinion Timeshift is just as worthy a shooter.

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The ability to manipulate time is but one of the many interesting and fun facets of this FPS. Not unlike F.E.A.R. you can slow down time (bullet time) and rush your enemies in order to take them out before they can even draw their weapons. Timeshift takes that a step further by giving you the ability to stop time alltogether or to reverse time. It's a novel concept, but it is starting to get a little tired. That being said, it doesn't necessarily detract from the overall experience of Timeshift. The graphics look pretty polished (still not as good as Gears of War) and it's pretty amazing to watch explosions in reverse time. I experienced some mild framerate issues during one timeshift, but it hasn't happened again. There are many situations that require you to manipulate time in order to get through the level. For example, a hallway might get decimated before you have a chance to walk through it. No problem. Simply reverse time, watch the hallway reassemble, and you're on your way. There's a little bit of platforming, lots of shooting, and plenty of bodies flying to satisfy most FPS fans. I guess the only real downside is that it resembles F.E.A.R. too much in it's gameplay. There isn't any real horror element to speak of though. The plot of Timeshift does mirror F.E.A.R. in that you are pursuing a crazed leader bent on domination, just in an alternate reality so to speak. Despite it's similarities to F.E.A.R. I still recommend this title. The ability to manipulate time is enough to keep you satisfied and intrigued.

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I'm amazed that this game hasn't gotten better reviews! The story is literally the only weak portion of the game, it has superb graphics with no frame rate issues or jaggies, super fun and diverse gameplay, and competent AI to make your stay enjoyable. I've beaten it on Easy and I can definitely see playing it at LEAST one more time on a harder difficulty. Big thumbs up from someone who plays a lot of console FPS. $29.99 from Amazon? A steal....

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The story mode on this game is actually fun and challenging. I have to wonder what game people are comparing this to (most likely COD4), but when comparing it to the Halo series it blows them out of the water. (I wish the main character could jump a little like master chief tho.) The destructable environments look great, the gameplay is very difficult, and at times you will be stuck and can't figure out where to go or what to do, and all of these things combined make TimeShift a fun and welcome challenge.

When it comes to fps games there isn't much that we haven't seen. The ability to control time is seemingly all thats really left. Sierra (whom I've never heard of) did a very good job developing a 4D game, and I'm very excited to see what they can do with their sophomore effort. So if people can drop $20 and buy this game new like I did I think that the next TimeShift will be one of the best FPS games ever.

Cheap MotoGP 08 - Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:

*now with %100 more 125cc and 250cc*

First off, let me just say that this game is in no way related to THQ/Climax's version from the previous year. So, if you're expecting to powerslide around every corner and hate using brakes, turn around right now. Now it's Capcom/Milestone's turn. (for the next 4-5 years, apparently) The latter of whom actually aren't new to 2 wheels just to next-gen consoles and MotoGP games, but date all the way back to EA's SBK 2000.

The first thing you'll do when you first pop in the game is the tutorial, (that can be skipped) which simply puts you in a quick race while giving you advice for every thing you're doing wrong and, ultimately, recommends one of three handling models arcade, advanced, sim. 'Arcade' is designed for people who have never touched a bike game or don't know the difference between MotoGP and Motocross. The only time you'll fall is when you slam into another rider or wall at a reasonably high speed and you can brake very late into corners. In 'sim' expect to fall a lot. Braking and turning at the same time will reduce your cornering ability or cause you to loose your front end. Heavy throttle on corner exit will cause your front end to lift maybe adding in a wobble or the rear will slip out and, eventually, you could drop your bike. 'Advanced' is a nice compromise between the two. Overall the handling feels much more realistic than the previous versions, Braking skills and careful throttle control are required to be competitive. It should be noted also that most modes allow you to change opponent difficulty separately if you still have trouble with the handling model.

Game modes include, quick race, custom championship, time trial, challenge, online, and career which is where the meat of the game occurs. You start off as a rookie in 125cc and can only join the lower tier of teams. Through the course of five seasons, you'll earn bike upgrades and points as you race which allow you to change to a better team or move up through the ranks all the way to the GP class. Online allows up to 12 others to compete and has only minor lag issues, though has little in the way of features. You can't change bike setups, only features single races no points tallying championship, lap times can only be set here nowhere in single player, and apparently PS3 has no voice chat.

Graphics, for the most part, are good, nothing mind-blowing, but get the job done. The tracks themselves are lacking in atmosphere and animation (no wavy flags, cardboard people, etc.) and objects in the distance are simply a wall of textured trees or hills rather than being an actual model. However, the rider/bikes look great and animate nicely, (feet shift gears, fingers reach for clutch or front brake) which is what you'll mainly notice anyway. Thanks to this, replays look fantastic. Frame rate is solid even with 35 other riders around in 125's. Bike sounds are decent though a bit muted. They sound like what you might hear in the on-board shots in televised races but lower, so if you like to use 3rd-person cameras or watch replays you may be disappointed in this regard.

Overall, despite it's shortcomings and lack of polish, I still highly recommend this game especially if you're a fan of the sport or bikes in general. (It's not like you have a lot to choose from anyway) Once you get over the initial shock of transition from last years version and less than stellar online portion what you'll find is an enjoyable single player game that's a little bit closer to the real thing.

*points of note I forgot to mention that may break the game for some*

-Throttle/front brake not mappable to right stick on Xbox360, but is possible on PC and possibly PS3.

-Only rumbles when you drive off track, not under accelerating/braking, which makes the awesome on-board view much harder to manage if you're trying to push the limits of the bike.

-Regarding leaderboards, fastest times are only uploaded in ranked matches which only allow a single race before returning to the lobby, thus is played by nobody.

-AI is pretty good against itself, but tends to ignore you and your racing line.

-(really nitpicking here but the point has been raised by others) it's impossible to lock rear wheels even in sim, has semi-auto rider movement where the rider automatically sits up or tucks but can be overridden by the player, overly sensitive throttle modulation where the rear end may sometimes slide abruptly even if you think you're applying a constant, and even acceleration.

-PS3 has now received a patch for voice chat but only in lobbies, not in-race.

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The product came as expected in good time. The packaging was excellent with no damage. The game is alright if you have played all the other gp's out and your bored.

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The game arrived a LOT earlier than thought and was in GREAT shape....it looked like a brand new game and plays the same. Thanks a lot. MotGP08 is better than the new 09/10 and is more fun to me personally....I know some others may disagree but thats why you have choices...LOL!!!! Enjoy!

Honest reviews on MotoGP 08 - Xbox 360

I enjoyed this game. However, I couldn't play it with anyone else because it doesn't have multiplayer options.

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This game is as half **ed an effort that a game can be. You can't save setups (not that there even are any usable available), you can't save replays, the AI is awful, no damage modelling of any kind (not even tyre wear), the bike physics are mediocre at best (brakes for example are worthless). Oh and the online crashes regularly.

Graphics are ok and there are all 3 classes, but that's all that is good about his game.

Buy Jade Cocoon: Story Of Tamamayu: Playstation 1

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This is one of the very few RPG's I've played more than three times. (The other notable mention is Final Fantasy VI.) If you take Pokemon, strip out 90% of the childish nonsense, give it beautiful music, dreamlike landscapes, a plot, character development, and interresting monsters that can take on a multitude of forms, you get Jade Coccoon.

Jade Coccoon has a dreamlike fairy-tale quality that I enjoy. There is character development and an actual plot. The sound track is beautiful; I wish I could find it. The character Po tells some good stories (the first about Alcana is the best), which is a nice diversion. My favorite element of the game is that there is no clear "good guy" and "bad guy", there is conflict on both sides. It also touches on some theological questions in an interresting way. The graphics are also quite good for a PlayStation game, and actually add to the mood and setting rather than just act as flashy eye-candy.

My only problem with this game is that it seems slightly rushed in development. There are elements in the story that seem as if they will be developed, and they just "go away". There is also a slight bug: If you save a game while carrying firefly coccoons and turn off the PlayStation, when you re-start, the special abilities and spells of the creatures in the firefly coccoons will be erased. (However, sometimes this works to your advantage for breeding.) Purified coccoons left with Mahbu are safe. The game has also crashed three times on my PS2 (twice when Levant is summoning the first Minion of a fight), but for 50+ hours of play, that isn't bad.

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Yes you do fight with monsters and yes you are a kid. But this game has a rich storyline with many character relationships. Different from pokemon you can fight yourself. Although the graphics are bit out dated they still look awsome and the anime videos are fantastic. The music works well with the game and the voices of the characters are well placed for those who dont want to read. Overall its a great game and well worth the money.

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Don't get me wrong, this is a good game, but I would recomend renting it before you buy it. The game gives it its all, and it really tries hard to be original, but it has its drawbacks.

It IS over too quick. The monsters are sometimes very creative, butt after a while, you begin to realise that the "150 base minions" are just the same, with four different elements (water, wind, earth and fire). The story line is original, but you can see the end coming a million miles away.

You will probably complete it in under twenty hours, but it would take you a long time to catch all 150 minions! If you are looking for something new, give it a try: it is an original game.

Review of XBOX 360 Component AV Cable 24K Gold Plated 6ft.

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You've bought your kid every video game system out in the last two years. But now you have a new problem. They want them all hooked up at the same time so they can easily switch from one console to the other. Impossible without buying 4 TVs? WRONG!

You can hook up all 4 video game systems at the same time, to the same TV. The only thing that could make this cable better would be a coaxial digital audio cable (or optical). But until such a device comes along, this one is the king.

This one cable eliminates most of the black spaghetti from behind your TV. I can't believe it's so cheap.

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Discount Nintendo Wii U Console 8GB Basic Set - White

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List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $289.95
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There are a lot of places you can learn about the Wii U. So in the beginning of my review I'm going to talk about whether you want the regular or the deluxe. And I'm here to tell you: maybe you don't have to buy the deluxe.

I've checked it out and here is the deal.

The Deluxe gives you:

1) 24 GB more memory than a basic. Of course, you can add a cheap USB drive and duplicate this.

2) A cradle for charging, but, the battery on my video remote isn't lasting long so I usually have the video remote plugged directly into the wall (because you can't play when its in the cradle!). So the cradle is not worth any extra money.

3) NintendoLand, which you can buy separately. Nintendoland is a suite of mini games. Nintendoland does a good job of introducing you to everything the Wii U can do. If you love minigames, maybe you should buy the deluxe. If you just want dedicated titles like "ZombiU" or "Pikmin 3" then you might choose the basic Wii. After 2 weeks my daughter wants us to buy another game, because none of the mini games in Nintendo Land are very deep, and some are about as good as a $1 game you'd buy in an app store. (race game, balloon game, yoshi game: I'm talking to you)

4) The Deluxe also gives you 10% back on all digital purchases, for each $50 you spend. So to get $5 back, you have to spend $50. Most people I know prefer to buy hard copies of their game so they can resell or trade them. But if you like to buy software online then you would want to get the deluxe.

You would want to consider the basic Wii U if:

1) You don't like minigames (aka Nintendoland)

2) You only buy hard copies of games.

Otherwise, consider the deluxe.

In regards to the memory: A 32GB memory stick will run you about $15-25, in fact, you wouldn't even know this one was there: SanDisk Cruzer Fit CZ33 32GB USB Flash Drive (SDCZ33-032G-B35). And you get to keep that USB drive even if you get rid of your Wii U.

You will see in the comments that someone claims the SanDisk won't work on the wii, but, I'm using one right now. What can I say? One test is worth 1,000 expert opinions... Installing the SanDisk was easy. In my case, I inserted it when the Wii U was off. Then I turned the Wii U on and it said "There is a new USB drive... do you want to format it and yes it?" I hit the button that said "yes" and it was set up just like that!

I'm a positive person in general, so I will be happy with my 32GB, but, if you are considering the 8GB, take heed.

If you are on the fence about the wii U, here is my main review:

I remember that Nintendo came under a lot of criticism for not having an HD version of the Wii. HD was around when the first Wii came out, and a lot of people were a bit skeptical that they stuck to the lower resolution. As HD became common, Nintendo told fans that they had to do something "more" than just come out with an HD version of the Wii.

Well, thats just what Nintendo did. The Wii U is more than "just Wii HD". But Nintendo hasn't changed the Wii experience very much. You still use Wii remotes every time you play. The Wii U is not "completely different" like the Wii was when it came out. The Wii U is the Wii's younger, smarter brother. And if you liked the Wii, you'll like the Wii U.

The 3 main features of the Wii U are:

1) Its HD, which brings it (finally) up to speed with the Xbox and Playstation ... and everything else out there.

2) The Wii U has a single video controller. The video controller opens up new game experiences. Whoever is playing on the video controller sees something different than the other players. For generations people have wanted multiplayer games that didn't use a "split TV screen", and the Wii U gives you that in one console. This is a really big deal. The video controller is also a touchscreen which you use to flick something at the screen, or move things on screen. The new video controller allows for new control options ... just like the "Wii balance board" allowed Nintendo to sell yoga and ski games.

3) Videos, videos, videos. Netflix, youtube, TiVo, amazon instant video. It will keep track of the TV shows you want to watch, and when they will be on. You'll also be able to use the Wii U as a social outlet to chat about TV shows and movies. Nintendo calls this Wii TVii, and it would be a revolution in TV watching... if only all the features were available now. So you can use the Wii U as a control for all your Video experiences with your TV. The video controller will act like "PIP Picture in Picture in the palm of your hand". I use the Wii U with Amazon Video to watch movies for free, and the Wii remote lets me see information about the movie on IMDB WHILE the movie is playing. For sports, you'll be able to watch instant replays on the small screen... while the rest of your buddies continue to watch the big game on the main screen. So its going to be a remote controller on steroids. To be honest, this is going to be a really big big deal but since not all the features roll until "later" I can't give the WIi U a star for it yet. Maybe it will change your life, maybe not. Time will tell.

And that concludes the main appeal of the Wii U. We finally get HD, the video controller adds a new dimension to the usual Wii gaming, and it also serves as a "TV command center".

FAQ:::Some people have asked me about the Wii U, and the short answers are:

1) No, you don't have to own a Wii to have a Wii U.

2) You can only use ONE video controller with your Wii U. All other players use the old Wii remote.

3) 5 people can play at once, making it even more of a "game party" console than before.

4) You can't play DVDs or Blu Ray discs. Blue Ray is Sony Playstation territory, as you probably know.

5) You can surf the internet on it (why would you want to? I don't know)

6) Should I get the deluxe? Probably. You get 32gb of memory, which will become more important the longer you have the console, and the more you do with it. You get the Nintendo Land game. You get the cradle for charging the video gamepad. And until 2014 they will give you a store credit of 10% every time you make a purchase of digital content (games). If you buy digital content regularly, you might "earn back" the extra $50 you pay for the deluxe Wii U. (I tried this yesterday, read below for more info on the credit)

The Wii U has a host of "lesser" features:

1) A person can play the Wii U without having the TV on. Expect a smack on your head if you want to play ZombiU while your wife watches a movie.

2) Its backwards compatible with all older Wii games (but maybe not dance pads!), which is nice if you bought Zelda Skyward Sword this summer.

3) Just as with the old Wii, you can download games from the Nintendo store. If you buy online content for your iPhone, Xbox, or PS3, you know that this is a big deal. I used to buy songs for guitar hero to add to the songs that came in the box. If you buy this DELUXE version, you get a 10% credit back for all online purchases, see more about this credit in "The Bad" below.

4) The Wii U video controller is like a universal remote. You can turn on your TV and change the volume from the gamepad which is a convenience.

5) Most of the old Wii hardware is compatible too, which is nice, EXCEPT that round "gamecube style" connector is not present on the Wii U. Games that use a mat like "outdoor challenge" and "Dance Dance Revolution" become history in your house.

6) There is a big, easy to find "download again" button for all digital content, so if your Wii U got fried by a power surge you wouldn't lose your purchases. That's always nice.

The bad:

1) The menus aren't intuitive. There are two menus... the Wii U menu and the Home menu. The Home menu is found by pressing the Home button. Note that now that downloads are automatic, the unintuitive menus aren't so bad. But they still seem redundant.

2) Transferring data from the Wii to the Wii U should be easier. In particular I didn't like that when I imported my Miis, I had to do a separate step on the Wii U before I could actually use them in the games. The day I got it the patch took way too long to download and install, and after I transferred my data from my Wii I felt like I had spent 2 hours on the whole thing. But, since then, there has been no problem.

3) Freezing. I did have a problem with NintendoLand locking up, but, that went away after one day. This will be something they fix and becomes a thing of the past. I wouldn't sweat it.

4) Long updates. I feel that the time that it takes to download stuff and install it has improved over time.

5) Installing downloaded content. I wrote a long rant about how annoying this was, but as of the most recent update you can buy items in the store and they download and install automatically, as they should.

Ok now that I'm done complaining...

Your decision matrix:

1) If you still like playing on your Wii, and you have the money to spend, buy a Wii U and sell your Wii. You'll enjoy it.

2) If you are considering between an Xbox+Kinect and a Wii U, I think its a tough call. I really like the "second screen" gaming, it really opens up a lot of possibilities. But most of the wii U stuff looks really juvenile. The kid down the street told me he still wanted an Xbox because the Xbox has games for teenagers. I said "whatev."

3) As a side note, every kid who has seen and played our Wii U in the last two weeks has put this as the top item on the Christmas list. Its the "next big thing" for them and you can be sure that the little things that I complain about in this review won't matter to them. Not at all.

Games: Nintendo now has decent amount of digital content to buy online. I paid .35 for "kirby's great adventure" or something like that. Its a grainy looking old game, but it was only thirty five cents. Nintendo has started offering games at the $2, $5, and $8 price points as well. I'm VERY pleased to see this, because I want to be able to log into the shop and grab a game for cheap when I want to.

I rate this item 3 stars out of 5 because three stars means "it's ok". Nintendo has made a lot of improvements in 6 months, and while they have fixed most of the problems with the system, I find myself reluctant to raise the review to 4 stars until some more exclusive games are released. Pikmin 3 has been delayed until August, for example.

The Wii U is getting better. I think it may turn into my favorite console of all time, if they can just get some good exclusive games out, and improve the use of the video controller in those games. I really don't want another game where the video controller shows a map. Gimmie a break.

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Plenty of people have given lengthy reviews on everything you want to know about the Wii U, so I won't rehash the basics here. I'll just share my initial reactions after unboxing my Wii U Basic last night.

The box for the Wii U contains an owners manual and "Quick Start" guides in English, French, and Spanish. There's also a card advertising Club Nintendo; you'll get a hefty 160 points for linking your Wii U to your Club Nintendo account, which is more than halfway to Gold Status (you'll get a calendar or some other crappy gift if you hit 300 points in a year). Nintendo giveth and taketh away; unlike previous systems there's no warranty extension for registering a Wii U with Club Nintendo.

You'll get an AC adapter for the Wii U console, as well as a charger for the GamePad. You'll also get an HDMI cable to attach to a TV (if you prefer to use your old component (YPbPr) cable or composite (RCA) cables from your Wii, you can do that as well). Finally, you get a new Wii sensor, but no Wii remotes. The Wii sensor is the same as on the Wii, so if you it set up for your Wii already, you can just swap your old one out and swap this one in (you can save the sensor in the box in case you need a replacement or you want to resell it).

The Wii U itself is sleeker than the Wii, with rounded corners and a slightly longer body. It's still much, much lighter and more compact than either the Xbox or the PS3. The unit has four USB ports and an SD card slot. A lot of people are decrying the fact that 8GB won't hold a lot, but you can effectively expand the memory by using USB jump drives, SD cards, or even USB hard drives that you probably already have for your camera or PC. From that sense, I didn't see the memory size as as much as a downside as others.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the GamePad, but my first impressions were very good. It's comfortable to hold, and the joysticks and buttons are easily accessible by your thumbs. I was impressed by the crystal clear picture quality, and the surprisingly loud and clear sound coming out of the two stereo speakers. There's a little slider on the back of the unit where you can adjust the volume, and there's a headphone jack. Something I missed at first was the stylus at the top of the unit that pops in and out of it like on a DS. While you can use either your finger or the stylus for most touchscreen interaction, the stylus does keep the screen free of fingerprints, plus it gives better precision on certain games.

There's also a camera and a microphone built in--a clever differentiating move considering that Xbox and PS3 cameras are usually on the other side of the room. It'll be interesting to see what applications developers come up with for these. Nintendo has already released a small handful of cool applications that make use of the camera such as Video Chat and the ability to make a Mii from your real face (similar to the 3DS). One of the most anticipated features of the GamePad will be the ability to use it as a TV remote. RIght now you can turn your TV on and off, but in the future the TVii app (which will be a free download in December) promises to let you control your TV from your GamePad; if this means the end of confusing, esoteric universal remote controls, I'll welcome it.

Setting up the hardware was pretty simple, just plug in the AC adapter to the console, plug in your HDMI cable to the TV, and plug in either your existing or your new Wii sensor.

I wish I could say the software setup was as simple. Let's put it this way: I started the process at about midnight, thinking it'd take about 5 minutes. I ended up going to bed at 3 AM. It's not a terribly complex process (you actually get your first taste of "two screen action" as you use the GamePad to make your choices, while detailed instructions can be read on the TV), but it does drag on and has a few awkward moments. But it's critical to make sure the process completes without interruption; some people are reporting their units are getting bricked if they power down in the middle of the update.

You start out by syncing the GamePad to the console, which is simply a matter of pressing the red "sync" button on front of the console and the same kind of button on the back of the GamePad. Once you do this, you'll be able to control the console from the GamePad (including turning it on and off).

You start by setting the time and date, which was disappointing to me; it's the 21st century, and there's no reason they couldn't have put the Wi-Fi setup up front so the system could pull this from the Internet. You then confirm the resolution of your TV, which read a glorious 1080i. You can configure your GamePad to turn your TV on and off (I decided to hold off until TVii becomes available), and then as with the Wii you designate the position of your sensor bar. You, of course, have to accept the obligatory legal stuff, and then you get to the Wi-Fi setup.

Wi-Fi setup was a snap. The system found my Wi-Fi network right away, and unlike other devices I could walk my GamePad over to my router and key in the WEP key without running back and forth or using up Post-It notes. You do all your typing on the GamePad; the digital keyboard was a little small for my fingers, but I made do.

The next step is when the system asks you to connect to the Internet and check for updates. It took, I kid you not, a full hour for it to download the latest update and install it. So if you're giving the Wii U as a gift, you might want to open the box and set it up for your recipients first if you plan to play it with them.

The next step is setting up your user accounts. I found this part very, very confusing, but I figured it out. Basically, you have to create your personal account on your console first, including creating a new Mii with a nickname and month and date of birth. Once you're done with that, you'll have the option of linking that account to what's called a "Nintendo Network ID", which is a completely separate process where you set up a username, full date of birth, and e-mail address, and you have to confirm the account via e-mail. The Nintendo Network ID is optional and not required to play most games, but to get the most out of the online experience, as well as be able to download apps and make purchases, you'll need to sign up for it.

Now the burning question I had, which I couldn't find an answer to easily, is how can I get my Mii from my old Wii? After all, I spent a long, long time getting him perfect and I've grown quite attached to him (I tried to re-create him on the Wii U but it didn't quite look the same, and when I tried to create a Mii from my photo, it was a cool process but a little too lifelike for my taste :P). The good news is that it's possible to grab your Mii's from your old Wii, but the bad news is that it's a pretty convoluted process. You basically have to go to the "Wii menu", go to the Wii Shop Channel, download a Channel called "System Transfer", and follow some pretty complicated steps to transfer your old system data to a SD card (512K or greater) with both consoles attached to the Internet. I ended up doing this a few days later and it took yet another hour, which I wasn't thrilled with.

Which brings me to the second thing I found a little off, which was the fact that there's a "Wii U menu" and a "Wii menu". My guess is that they're trying to relegate all the gaming related stuff to the "Wii menu" and start positioning the "Wii U menu" as more of a general entertainment console (there are already pre-installed icons for NetFlix, Amazon Video, YouTube, and Hulu Plus). But I wasn't thrilled at having to deal with two menus and figuring out what goes where. Surprising, as Nintendo has usually been pretty good at user interface design.

One other annoyance is that there are times that the system will appear to hang for many seconds, even minutes at a time, particularly when going from Channels or games back to the Wii U menu. At first I thought it was something I was doing, but many others appear to be experiencing the same thing. Hopefully Nintendo is working on a fix, as this behavior can get really annoying really fast.

Since this review is on the console and not the games (which I'll post reviews for separately), I'm basing my review on my impressions of the hardware, the software, and the setup process. The hardware easily gets 5 out of 5 stars from me; you can see right away that the GamePad was an impressive feat of engineering, although there is a part of me that is disappointed that they didn't see fit to improve their motion controls (the MotionPlus is evidently the most advanced they'll take the Wiimotes for a while). My initial thoughts with the two-screen approach is that it's going to take some getting used to (I found myself fixated on the GamePad for most of the setup process and ignoring the TV), but they've proven with the DS that it can enhance gameplay.

The setup process and the user interface, on the other hand, could have been improved. Not to say that features are missing, but the interface is just a little confusing for my tastes, and since I work with user experience for a living, I think I have a higher tolerance than most. The good news is that since these flaws are in software and not in hardware, they're certainly things that Nintendo can improve over time.

A lot of people might be wondering whether to get the Basic unit, or to splurge and get the Deluxe unit for an extra $50. With the Deluxe unit, you get more built-in memory, the Nintendo Land game, and a charging stand for the GamePad. As I mentioned, you can easily expand the Wii U Basic with USB drives or SD cards at very low cost to meet or exceed 32GB, so that's not a huge deal. A lot of people are saying that New Super Mario Bros U is by far a better "showcase" game for the Wii U than Nintendo Land is, so I don't think missing that is a huge deal breaker either (especially considering that in a few months the secondary market will likely be flooded with used copies of Nintendo Land). And finally, a charging stand is a nice thing to have, but certainly not necessary. So at the end of the day for me, it came down to color: did I prefer white or black?

To sum up, I'll give the system in itself a solid four stars--it didn't give me the knock-my-socks-off experience that unboxing the original Wii gave me, but I see a ton of potential if game developers can truly use the new features that the GamePad (combined with other peripherals like the Balance Board and Wiimotes) offer. I will definitely be a fan.

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Okay, first a little background, and then I'll get to the review: I'm not a Nintendo fan. Yes, I'm in my 40s, and I owned a Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the 80s and 90s. I enjoyed both quite a lot, but then, didn't everybody? Nintendo really had it going back then.

When they introduced the N64, however, I was nonplussed. Mostly, I was ticked that they stuck with cartridges in an era when CDs were king. This choice limited what they could do with the N64, and I still cringe when I think about how much more awesome games like Mario 64, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and WWF No Mercy would have been if they had a little more room for data on a CD. Still, I did enjoy those few games, and a couple others got my attention. Ultimately, though, the N64 was a flop for me. I was unimpressed with the game lineup.

When Nintendo threw the GameCube at the public, I held off. It seemed like it was "too little, too late" and for the most part, I was right. The games didn't impress me all that much. The forced jump to 3D for Metroid didn't make me happy. The lack of third party titles was glaring. The choice to use proprietary discs made me wonder what could have been if they'd used DVDs instead, like the PS2 and Dreamcast. Eventually I picked one up, used, and played with it for a while, but ultimately sold it because there were no games I wanted to play.

And then, finally, the Wii arrived and I totally skipped it. I wasn't into the gimmick, and I was really not interested in another standard definition console after shelling out the big bucks for an HDTV when they were first out, and still quite expensive. As the years went by, a few games piqued my curiosity, but I still never jumped at the Wii.

In-between all this, I enjoyed the original Game Boy, the Gameboy Advance, and even the Virtual Boy. I messed around with the DS, but didn't keep it, and didn't transition to the DSi or 3DS.

So basically, I bailed on Nintendo in the late 90s because I felt that they were losing touch with what I wanted as a gamer. They always seemed late to the party with new technology, or if they were first with something, it was kind of gimmicky and I just didn't see the appeal. When they announced the Wii U, I said pretty much the same thing: "A gimmick controller, and they're release all the same games again. I really don't want to play another Mario, Zelda, or Metroid title."

Boy, was I wrong!

I got a Wii U because I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and figured that if I could decide later whether to keep it, or sell it. Eventually, being the gadget freak I am, I had to hook it up and give it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised.

THE SETUP

The first pleasant surprise was that the box contained some nice things. This was just the Basic Set-The white one-And it was still packed with an HDMI cord, a nice, low-profile Wii sensor bar, and of course the GamePad and console along with all the necessary cords. It's packaged smartly, with everything neatly wrapped and in its place. It reminded me a bit of a 1990s Apple product in this regard-Simple, elegant packaging with everything you'll need to get started. The HDMI cable was almost like a little apology from Nintendo for making us wait for an HD console.

There are two AC adapters with the Wii U. One is for the console, and the other is for charging the GamePad. The Deluxe Set comes with a charging cradle, too, but in the Basic Set the charging cable is plenty to keep you gaming, and if you want the cradle I'm sure there will be tons of them on the market soon (aside from the first-party version that's already out there, I mean.)

Once everything was connected, I powered on and was taken through a very simple start-up procedure which included a system update after establishing an Internet connection. On the screen (despite what some "journalists" might have told you) is a message telling you not to remove the power supply while the system updates. Even if you do, though, the system is dummy-proof. You'll get a black screen while it finishes the update (in a "recovery" mode) and then it will apply the update and come back to the Wii U menu. If you see the black screen (if you're stupid enough to unplug the device while it's doing a system update, that is) then don't panic. Your console is not "bricked"-It's just fixing your mistake.

For most of us, this will not be a big problem.

After the update (1GB, not 5GB as some people are reporting) the system is ready to go. You're encouraged to make a Mii, which is pretty easy and done on the GamePad, and then you're let free in the Wii U menu to start playing. You'll be greeted by a screen full of Mii characters, all popping up little messages and drawings. Oh, yes... you can send drawings done on the GamePad's touch screen as messages in the Miiverse. Kinda nifty.

THE ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE

As I have the Basic Set, I do not have NintendoLand. It sounds cool, but I'll wait for that one. Instead, being a big fan of zombies, I picked up ZombiU. I also picked up Super Mario Bros U because I was told it's fantastic. Without getting into game reviews here, I'll just say that I'm very pleased with both games-Especially with the integration of the GamePad's touch screen into regular gameplay. It's very cool. Nintendo has lots of practice doing this sort of thing, too, with the Nintendo DS systems.

Rather than talking about individual games here, I'll talk about the other things that impressed me about the Wii U. Namely, the Web Browser, Netflix, and TV Remote functions.

WEB BROWSER

The Wii U has one of the best TV Web browsing interfaces ever. Via the GamePad, you can surf the web seamlessly. You have a keyboard on the touchscreen for when you need it. You have the ability to smoothly zoom web pages in and out and pan them left and right via the analog sticks, as well as handling basic up/down scrolling the same way. You can save bookmarks, open multiple tabs, and do anything on the Web that doesn't require Flash. Apple fans will feel at home, and really, anybody still reliant on Flash these days (as opposed to HTML 5) is just dragging their heels.

The Web Browser interface of the Wii U simply shines. I've used Web TV, MSN TV, PS3, Dreamcast, and a variety of other methods to access the Web on my television (including an HTPC with a standard web browser), and by far the Wii U outstrips them all in ease of use. Some have a bonus mark due to Flash compatibility, but the Wii U's GamePad interface makes up for that omission in a big way. I didn't expect to use the Wii U as a web browsing device, but now I could see skipping the HTPC or PS3, and going straight to the Wii U if I need to get online on the TV.

And here's the kicker: You can also access the Web on the GamePad screen itself. You don't need to rely on the TV at all. If you want to walk away (to within about 25 feet of the console, anyway), the GamePad will act like a tablet and let you get online via the wireless connection with the console. Very cool.

NETFLIX

Again, the Wii U beats the pants off other devices. I have a PS3, HTPC, Sony Set-top "Smart TV" box, and have used several other Netflix devices (Roku, WDTV, Xbox 360, etc.) and I'm here to tell you that the Wii U's Netflix integration is beautifully done. You can scroll through titles on the GamePad, control movie functions on the GamePad, and even have the video transferred to display on the GamePad so you can watch as if it's a tablet. When watching a movie on the TV screen, the GamePad provides information about the film you're watching (cover art, title, length, summary, scrubber/time bar, controls, etc.) -It's the best way to watch Netflix, hands down. The only negative-one I hope will be fixed in a future update-is that the GamePad screen does not shut off after a while, so you're burning a couple hours of battery if you watch a movie with it unplugged, even if it's displaying the movie on the TV. I suspect this was an oversight, and that future versions will offer a "turn off GamePad screen" option due to popular demand. Right now you can turn off the GamePad screen, but when you tap a button to bring back your movie, the GamePad screen wakes up.

Still, this is the best Netflix device out there. I stand by that. I'm not the only one saying it, either. Go ahead and look it up. I'll wait. . .

See? Pretty cool, huh?

TV REMOTE FUNCTIONS

Right now, this is very basic, but it's just so easy to use! You pick your TV's manufacturer from a list, and test the settings until it works. For my Zenith TV, it worked on the second try. Once you do this, hitting the "TV" button on the GamePad turns it into a TV remote. You can change channels, adjust volume, and change inputs (to switch between Wii U and TV shows, I'd suppose!) all from the GamePad screen. No more juggling two remotes to jump between console and TV!

Here's a tip: The "A" button on the GamePad works as the "Enter" button for the TV Remote functions.

In the future this mode will be made even more useful with Nintendo's TVii service. We won't know what's up with that until December, but Nintendo seems pretty stoked about it.

OTHER THINGS

[*] The Stylus: It's cool that they have a nice little stylus built into the GamePad, much like on the DS.

[*] Rearranged Buttons: It takes some getting used to, but the four buttons on the right side don't respond in American style, with the bottom button as "Yes/Enter" and the right button as "No/Back". Instead, they're Japanese/European style, with the right button (A) being "Yes/Enter" and the bottom button being "No/Back". At first this seems an odd choice for a market that Nintendo themselves spoiled with the rearranged American-style buttons, but it becomes obvious that they made the choice because they put their right analog stick ABOVE the buttons, instead of below or to the side of them. This means that when you reach down from the analog stick, it's easier to hit the right button than it is to hit the bottom button. Just bear in mind that you may need to get used to a change if you come from any other American console.

[*] Wii Remote: The system does not come with a Wii Remote. You need to pick one up separately. Until you have one, you can't enter the Wii Menu or play multiplayer (local) games on Wii U. Luckily, the Wii Remote is ubiquitous these days, and you can find them dirt cheap if you shop around. Once I acquired mine, I was pleased to see how easily it synced and then worked to control the Wii U's cursor in Wii U and Wii modes. I was also very pleased with the way it worked for Super Mario Bros U as an old-school NES-style controller.

[*] Nintendo's Store: The online store is frankly a little sparse right now. There's no Wii U Virtual Console at the moment, though if you go into the Wii Menu and enter the Wii shop, you'll find the Wii Virtual Console games are still available and seem to be perfectly capable of functioning on the Wii U, in Wii mode. This leads me to address the way they handle backwards compatibility... This is not like the PS3 or Xbox 360. When you inserted a legacy title into those consoles, they'd just start the game in an emulation mode. With the Wii U, you have to actually enter the Wii Menu to find the Wii games. In effect, you're switching the Wii U to Wii mode and then loading games from that mode. When in this mode, it's just a Wii, without Wii U functions. I found this to be a strange choice, and no doubt it will curtail the use of the GamePad's advanced functions for any Virtual Console titles bought from the Wii mode. Sadly, when in Wii mode, the Wii U will not do anything fancy with the GamePad. That is saved only for Wii U games and software.

[*] Storage Questions: A lot of you are saying "Why did you get the white console? The black one has more storage capacity!" and my answer is pretty simple: Because Nintendo intends for us to use external storage with the Wii U. Hooking up an external 500GB hard drive was no problem for me, and now it sits quietly in my entertainment center with the Wii U as its eternal partner, doing its thing. Why bother spending extra and getting the fingerprint-prone black version when I could have a nifty white Wii U and end up with approximately the same amount of storage space? The 32GB will be burned through quickly enough, and I suspect Deluxe Set owners will be connecting hard drives to their Wii U shortly after they buy the console. If you're worried about storage, you're fretting over nothing. Unlike Microsoft, Nintendo was kind to console owners and let us use our own hard drive to upgrade without needing a special caddy or partition. Just connect the drive, and let the Wii U format it. Voila, you're done.

[*] Disc Playback: This is my biggest gripe. Nintendo decided, once again, to use proprietary discs. What this means is that the Wii U can't play DVDs or Blu-ray Discs. While this doesn't affect me personally (I have a PS3, after all), I suspect there will be people out there who only justify having one gaming console, and it would be really nice to integrate disc playback so that the number of HDMI ports taken by hardware isn't continually expanding. I don't dock Nintendo any stars for this decision, but I do think it was a cheap choice.

[*] GamePad Concerns: The GamePad is a great controller. It's not as heavy as you'd think, and it's not what I'd consider bulky, though it is big and unusual. As a controller, I like it. However, as a tablet it suffers. The GamePad is limited by range and line-of-sight with the Wii U console. If you put a wall between the GamePad and the Wii U, the signal is in danger of dropping past about ten feet. That's unfortunate, because being able to wander all around the house with the GamePad to play SMBU or watch Netflix would be very handy. As it stands, unless you have your Wii U in a wall-less zone, your mileage (or footage, rather) may vary. The other concern is battery power. The GamePad lasts about four hours, give or take, depending on what power-saving settings you choose. Remember to dock/plug in the GamePad whenever you're done using it! Hopefully, better batteries come along in later years.

[*] Fun Factor: When it comes down to it, Nintendo knows how to make a console fun. Little touches like Miiverse really add to the experience. The fact that the console comes with a camera, motion detector, touch screen, and discrete wireless speakers is a testament to Nintendo's understanding of small things adding up. Some tiny omissions, such as the lack of a TOSlink/optical audio port (meaning you MUST be able to pass-through surround from your TV or have a surround receiver that handles HDMI if you want surround sound), are a detriment to this fun factor, but ultimately Nintendo hits most of the right highs and avoids the lows that drag a console down.

FINAL VERDICT

I am a former Nintendo owner who never quite became a "fan", per se, of the Nintendo brand. You could even say that I was disgruntled by the time the N64 launched. The Wii U turned that around. I may not be a "fan" yet, but I do like the hardware and the software that goes with it. So far. If third party developers continue to show up, and if Nintendo continues to do cool stuff with the GamePad and services like TVii, Amazon Video on Demand, and Hulu Plus, then the Wii U will be a must-have console for a family of gamers. Not just for the kids. Not just for grandma and grandpa. Not just for mom and dad. Not just for hardcore gamers. It will be the console for everybody in the family, no matter how seriously or flippantly they take video gaming. Even when viewed as just a Web browsing console with Smart TV functions, the Wii U is a winner.

So as it stands at the moment, Nintendo managed to turn this nay-sayer into a yeah-sayer. We'll see if they can maintain this level of happiness with future updates, software releases, and other goodies. For now, the Wii U remains in my entertainment center, and I'm certain it will get much use.

Honest reviews on Nintendo Wii U Console 8GB Basic Set - White

Much more appropriate for my 5 year old than an Xbox which is all about how much blood and guts they can fit in.

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This is by far one of the best platforms I have ever owned. We have had original Wii and Xbox but the new Wii U has got to have the best realistic looking graphics I have seen so far with any game platform I have had. The price is compatable with Xbox and Playstation. Graphics are by far better that Xbox and playstation at least from my point of view. Wii U positives are:

1 Plays all of Wii U and Wii games so if your Wii platform is breaking this would be best bet so you do not have to get Xbox or playstation and get all new games again

2. more advanced Graphics, very realistic looking

3. Affordable games

Cons:

1. Has limited games being so new, but you can play all your old Wii games on it. The wii discs work just as good as wii u discs

I am really happy with my Wii U system. My old Wii has had trouble for about a year now and its time to get rid of it. I am very happy I get to keep and play all my wii original games on a new Wii U platform. I definately recommend this if you have an old wii platform.

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Customer Ratings:

Overall, this is a good iteration of an RTS on a console. While the controls are not perfect, they are good, and after working with them for a half hour or so you will find them second nature. There are a few minor things in the control scheme I would like to see, but overall you can play the game without fighting the controls.

The story is not great, but few people play an RTS game for the story. The graphics are good, and the game retains the 'strategic zoom' functionality that allows you to zoom all the way in to watch individual units do battle, or zoom all the way out to a strategic level where all units are represented by icons.

Unlike the first iteration of this game on Xbox, which was basically unplayable, this version runs really well. There may be some slowdown when the battles get really large, but overall the frame rate seems acceptable.

The gameplay has been simplified somewhat from the first game, which I think is good. I know some people, particularly on the PC side, are upset over this, but I truly think it makes for a more streamlined game.

Overall, if you are looking for a good RTS to play on your console, give Supreme Commander 2 a try.

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I've always loved one rts the most and that has been Command and Conquer Generals. I feel this game comes the closest of any other rts of living up to generals for me. I played the first supreme commander and it takes a lot of playing time to learn all of the depth of that game. The sequel has really streamlined some things and made it for me a lot more fun to play. I love how you can use the research tree to keep your opponent guessing what you are going to be building or defending your base. Some others have given this game a terrible review. The bad reviews come from people who loved the first game and all of the depth and micro management that comes with it. I love this game because it is about getting your troops up and fighting and does away but not completely with the micro management. I feel this makes the game much more acessiable to most gamers and its these changes that I love the most between the first and second game. If you loved command and conquer generals give this game a try. I think you will really enjoy it. I own both the pc and xbox version and I think both versions are very enjoyable.

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I had been playing Civilization Revolution for the 360 for some time, so I went looking for a new strategy game. I searched through quite a few titles when I came across this game. I thought I would get it since it was a great price. I tell you that this is now one of the best Xbox games I own. The controls do take a little while to get used to; however, once you do the game is lots of fun. I have played almost all of the campaign at this point and I can tell you that this will take away hours of your life before you even know it. This game is very addictive. The only downside is that I like to have a lot of story, and while there is a small amount of story present, I would like more. However, I still recommend this game to anyone who likes RTS games.

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I've played a ton of RTS on the PC and on the 360. This is the only one that really nails the controls. The use of the radial dial makes it a snap to control and the team put in a 'stretch cursor' which really helps in selecting and grouping your units. I LOVE the strategic zoom and to this day wonder why other titles don't do it.

There is a free demo that you can download on Marketplace as well. Try it out and judge for yourself. It's a great game!

Thanks!

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Just like command and conquer, only a Square Enix production. I play this one with friends and family, were always doing something on this game. If your like the RTS bandwagon jump on and have some fun!

Three factions, Three stories, countless hours of gameplay.

Review of Kirby's Epic Yarn

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I picked up my pre-ordered copy this morning and have spent all day playing it. It pleases me to report that Kirby's Epic Yarn not only breathes new life into the Kirby franchise but also marks a return to Nintendo's roots of stylish graphics combined with innovative game mechanics.

The game is very easy to control and players from ages six to ninety-six should have no problems learning how to play. You hold the Wii controller sideways so that the D-Pad is on the left and the 1 and 2 buttons are on the right. Button 2 controls Kirby's jumping and other movement functions such as turning into a parachute when falling. Button 1 is Kirby's action button and is used for attacking, latching on to various objects, throwing enemies and even shooting projectiles. The controls are very intuitive and responsive. You won't need to think about how Kirby moves and jumps, it really will come naturally to you.

As you most likely know, the graphics follow a fabric theme. After an unfortunate encounter with a sorcerer, Kirby loses his classic abilities and is transformed into a creature made of yarn. He finds himself in a strange kingdom called Patch World. The developers really ran with the fabric theme as the game looks like a big fluffy bed. Backgrounds are made of pieces of fabric. Buildings and other items are patches. You don't so much open a treasure chest as you pull it off of the fabric to reveal the treasure hiding underneath it. Kirby can also manipulate the environment around him. At one point you may be working your way up a tree and pull on a certain button which will cause the whole tree to collapse to a more manageable height.

The game also sounds great. The whimsical music reminds me very much of the Forrest Gump soundtrack and you'll hear pianos, flutes and other classical instruments in what turns out to be a very pleasing playlist of melodies. The game sound effects sound cartoony, particularly when unraveling enemies into bits of yarn but are very appropriate to the atmosphere.

I hesitate to refer to Kirby's Epic Yarn as a sandbox game but those elements are certainly present. You can wander around a palace, go to the plaza where you can listen to the game's music or watch videos, collect rare items or even decorate your apartment with furniture. As Kirby you wander across Patch World and must walk to a level and select it in order to play. Various patches and items reveal new levels as Kirby hunts for bits of magic yarn to stitch Patch World together.

The game does have some very challenging moments but Kirby's Epic Yarn may seem relatively slow paced compared to some action games out there. This game is very reminiscent of classic Nintendo titles in that regard.

I feel that this game is a very worthy addition to the Wii library and have no problems recommending it to my friends as well as the younger members of my family.

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I love video games. I work in the video game industry. So with those two caveats out the door, and regardless of if you believe either (not my problem) I will give the short and sweet things that make this title fantastic.

The emotion it breeds in you is one of comfort and genuine happiness. Titles like this are exemplars of how games can be a fantastic artistic medium (and I'm not saying that just because it is cute, Bioshock is a fine example on the uglier end).

The story is told in a great children's book manner.

The characters are incredibly approachable even though they are all made of a few strands of string.

The levels of creative in ways that is often not seen outside of the indie scene.

The storyline is simple and yet you still want to see how it ends.

The gameplay is easy but still engaging enough to keep you playing from end to end, the level of stress this game produces is freakishly low.

If you play this thing late at night it can quite literally put you to sleep. I'm not saying that as a negative, it's that perfectly bound up. It aims to create a "dreamworld" and leaves you unconscious with a wii controller in your lap.

I can be a cynic at times, some titles leave me utterly in awe at how terrible they are. I wonder if the developers had ever even played the title they developed.

But this...I can say with the utmost certainty that if you buy this, you will enjoy it, the odds of you not liking it are so fantastically slim that I would nearly bet money on it.

Nearly ;).

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I'll start off by saying this: get this game. No matter what type of gamer you are, from casual to pro, even if you've never picked up a controller in your life, if you own a Wii, you must play this game. Think of it as classic Mario platforming action, amped up to next-gen quality and improved ten fold. Do not be fooled by the game's bright colors and childish look. At the bare minimum, Epic Yarn is an easy game, perfect for casual gamers and Kirby fans. But in order to hundred-percent it, you'll have to navigate your way through dozens of hilariously original platforming levels that test your brain and your finger agility as you slip past yarn monsters, over volcanoes, and even face off against a fire-breathing dragon, and all without losing your coins. You don't die in this game, you just lose coins, and in order to get a gold coin rating, you'll have to meet the required amount of coins. During the first couple of levels, this may seem like a walk in the park, but the game picks up very fast, and soon even the most experienced of gamers will be struggling to earn their share of coins once the level is through.

Kirby's Epic Yarn is a very fun game to rock through solo, but the local co-op is where it's at. You and a buddy can smash, throw, and hit each other to areas previously unaccessible when going through solo. You can overtake bosses and enemies like never before and even sacrifice your friend to save yourself. Of course, you're in this together. If your friend is hurt, you both lose from it. That's right, as you collect coins in co-op, they are added to a single counter, so you'll need to work together with the utmost cooperation in order to earn gold medals there.

And if these phenomenal points are not enough, Epic Yarn boasts what must be the best looking graphics to hit the Wii yet. It's often said that the best looking games on Wii accept its graphical limitations and create something new. That's exactly what the developers did here. The patchwork world is not only beautiful, but also hilarious when you see an everyday object transformed using items found in a sewing basket. It's the best looking Wii game I've ever seen.

So, without further ado, the final scores:

SOUND: A great, classic platforming soundtrack is hurt slightly by the repetitive squeals of the characters. 8.0/10

GRAPHICS: The best looking Wii title I've ever seen, accepting the system's graphical limitation to create a style and flair unlike anything seen before. 10/10

GAMEPLAY: Your classic platformer, amplified times ten. This game takes all the best elements of the genre and makes them all better, while adding its share of new ideas. 9.5/10

REPLAYABILITY: The story is fairly quick at around seven hours, but you'll be coming back for the endlessly entertaining co-op with friends, not to mention the huge amount of collectible furniture hidden in the levels to design Kirby's apartment with. 9.0/10

OVERALL: An outstanding product that should not be missed by anyone who owns a Wii. 9.5/10

Honest reviews on Kirby's Epic Yarn

I have 4 children ranging from 5-12. We are all big fans of Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart. My only problem is that the younger set will cry and fight over little things like who gets the fire flower. Also, the younger one will get left behind on Super Mario, which results in him losing his life. These things cause major tantrums. Not a fault of the games, I know that. The older kids and adults obviously don't have these problems;-) However, Kirby's Epic Yarn solves all these skirmishes with the little guys. No one is left behind or dies. Finally, they can play by themselves without a referee! For this reason, I give it 5 stars!!

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I bought Kirby's Epic Yarn for two reasons on the day it came out, it came with a credit towards a future game purchase and I had heard nothing but good things from the few places I care about ratings online. There are some minor spoilers ahead (no major storyline revealed, just gameplay aspects).

Right of the bat, the game's unique visuals grab your attention after the very short introduction to the reason why Kirby is made of yarn. The game looks great and the controls are pretty tight and easy to pick up. I was actually pretty surprised at the overall simplicity of said controls as I was expecting more options of things Kirby could do. The premise of the game is to move through levels and collect jewels which are a currency of sorts in the yarn world Kirby is now a part of. The more Kirby collects, the better your overall score on the level (bronze, silver, or gold medal) each level contains two hidden items and the music from the level both of which are tracked in indexed as they are collected. The first few levels were pretty easy and it became apparent collecting items would be semi-important. As I moved along in the game, I noticed the levels were not getting much if any harder and I was very surprised at how little the special Kirby powers were adding to my game experience I thought they would be in almost ever level and make the levels more difficult.

The game has 9 different worlds and 9 bosses that need to be defeated. Only 2 presented a semi-challenge the rest of them were a joke. You really never die, only (temporarily) lose the currency you've collected thus far if you are hit by an enemy or if you fall into a pit. Two regular levels offered the hardest challenges in collecting enough money to get gold medal scores at the end of the stage. The currency collected in levels allows you two buy more items and fabric (for decorating your apt) in two stores. The items collected help decorate apartments for the yarn man housing Kirby which lead to more easy side missions which can be ignored altogether.

I am 93% complete with this game and did so in about 12 hours of gameplay. The game is short, easy, and leaves much to be desired. I play a lot of video games and I don't feel this game was worth fifty bucks. If you can pick it up for 30 (good luck since Nintendo never drops the price of first party titles) and want a casual and relaxing game then this is for you. If you are looking for an exciting and challenging game (for Wii) get Super Mario Galaxy 2 and try to get all of the stars in the game.

I recommend this game for younger audience, not hardcore gamers.

Xbox 360 Rock Band Fender Precision Bass Replica Review

Customer Ratings:

This feels like the real Fender Bass, about 5" longer than the Rock Band 2 guitar. The split strum bar is fantastic...it took me a few minutes to get used to it and using two fingers works best for me. Real basses don't have a whammy bar and neither does this, but it does have a knob built-in if you want the whammy effect. It is not wireless but that's because Microsoft won't allow 3rd party wireless with the XBox 360. I saw someone playing this Fender Bass on YouTube and he is really, REALLY good! That's why I bought this and this thing rocks! My friends with the little rinky guitar are jealous because this looks so awesome and now they want one too.

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This bass was alot of fun to play and has a great feel, but it could have been better.

First of all... The Good.

Has a more realistic look and feel than most guitar controllers. Its larger than the Rock Band guitars by about six inches and feels like a really comfortable size. The huge tuning pegs on the headstock just add to the great bass look

The fret buttons are good quality and accurate. They are better than the original Rock Band guitar but not quite as smooth as the Rock Band 2 guitar.

The split strum bar is a really great feature. It allows for two fingered bass play and feels very natural for a bass. The strum bars also have a 'positive click' when pressed and they don't feel 'squishy'. You know when you've plucked the note.

The extra fret buttons at the bottom of the neck are a nice addition, but really not necessary for the bass. They added them to allow it to be used as a lead guitar, but without a whammy bar (more on that next) it's not great as a guitar.

Now for The Bad...

The whammy bar... or in this case whammy 'knob'. To add to the look of a real bass, there is no whammy bar. But to make this more functional as a guitar they added a knob directly below the base of the neck that you spin back and forth to add whammy. It's a small knob, making it difficult to find at first without looking down. Once you find it, the knob doesn't feel good at all when you spin it. It has a cheap 'grinding' feel to it. Overall, the whammy knob just isn't fun to use.

Another knob... the five position selector. Takes the place of the toggle switch on the Rock Band guitars. Basically, the same comments from the whammy knob apply here again.

ANOTHER knob... the Start/Back button. This one just seems strange. Instead of the good ol' push buttons for Start and Back, they used a knob. Turn it left for the Back button and right for the Start button. I don't know if mine wasn't working properly, but on the song selection screen, my back button did not work. You should press Back to change the sorting option for the track list, but mine did nothing. I could not change the sort and had to scroll through all the songs to find what I wanted.

I get the reasons behind using all the knobs to give the bass a more realistic look. But in the end I would still prefer ease of use and function with larger, better quality knobs.

And finally... The Ugly!

NOT WIRELESS!!! WHY?? It took years for consoles to finally use wireless technology that actually works great and we still have good ideas like this bass that don't use it!

Price! Why am I paying the same price for a wired guitar as a good quality wireless? Normally, a wired guitar controller runs about $10 cheaper than a wireless version (the original Rock Band guitars, for example). But this bass is the same price as the awesome Rock Band 2 guitar right now. That's probably because of the split strum bar, they charge a little more.

After all this, I am not keeping mine. I can overlook the minor shortcomings with the knobs because the size is nice and the fret buttons and strum bar are good quality. But I am done dragging cords around behind me when I play.

Best Deals for Xbox 360 Rock Band Fender Precision Bass Replica

The split strum bar is fantastic and takes playing bass in Rock Band to a whole new level. It allows you to pluck notes and makes you feel like a true bass player. The fret buttons are also very responsive and comfortable to play. I found the overdrive to be very responsive to launch with a quick tilt or lean. Overall I would highly recommend this bass guitar to anyone who is a fan of Rock Band.

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Rock Band Fender Precision Bass Replica

Takes a bit of time to get familiar with the split strum bar, but once you do, watch out! Bass is so much more fun with this controller. Strumming is accurate, overdrive works really well, and the overall design is well thought out.

My only gripe is that it is not wireless, but it looks like there may be a wireless version coming down the pike since there is a battery door molded into the back of the Bass (which is non-functional at this time)

If you are on the fence, jump off the fence and get one of these.... you 'll really enjoy it once you get used to it.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Xbox 360 Rock Band Fender Precision Bass Replica

This peripheral is in all ways superior to the fender strat that comes with RockBand. It's heavier and far more sturdily built, which has always been a big problem with guitar controllers. It's also bigger, which is great if you don't have tiny arms. The two strum bars are probably my favourite part, which allows you to strum more authentically and doubles your speed. Some people might find the changes to the whammy bar and start/select buttons a little tough to get used to, since now all functions of the guitar have been turned into knobs, but it is a reasonable change.

Oh, and the tuning pegs actually turn!

Discount NFL® Detroit Lions - Blast Vinyl Skin for Microsoft Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $34.99
Sale Price: $22.49
Today's Bonus: 36% Off

I bought this for my son for Christmas! He loved it and it was very easy to put on his Xbox 360. I thought the price point was just right and my item was delivered wayyy before Christmas. Excellent product and I would buy skins from this company again!

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Buy Thrustmaster RGT Force Feedback Racing Wheel - PC

Customer Ratings:

I own a business with 12 PC simulators in an LAN running Nascar Racing 2003 season, so I've seen lots of wheels in the last 5 years. Starting with the PROS: The price was good, solid feel, pedals are comfortably apart from each other, lots of force/resistance. CONS: noisy (squeaks), small diameter wheel and the deal breaker *** The buttons cannot be assigned to keyboard commands *** There are only drivers for windows, no actual programming software. I used Saitek wheels (no longer available) for years, have (2) Logitech G-25's (not cost effective) and have since moved on to the Logitech Driving Force GT (Stellar Wheel). This wheel may be good for newer games that all the commands are not linked to keyboard strokes but doesn't work for my needs.

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Great wheel! Bought to play for iracing.com sim and it works perfect. Requires a little caliberation, but it does caliberate itself...kind of weird because the wheel moved by itself when it did but it was cool. Works perfect and I love it!

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Well, it's a cheap wheel, if you compare to the top ones, like G27. But cheap should not be such a bad quality one! It doesn't work as I expected. It has a low response, doesn't work on 5 axis mode on most of the games, and attention... the pedals are NOT aluminium, as the ad says, but average plastic! It was a bad choice for me!

Honest reviews on Thrustmaster RGT Force Feedback Racing Wheel - PC

This is the first steeding wheel, Clutch, cotroler that I have ever purchaced. It is very impressive. The clutch works great, if you set it up correctly. The steering wheel is the best settup that I have ever had with the NASCAR 2003 Papyrus sim. I have ever had! It is a great experience!!!!

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I had high hopes for this wheel. A good racing wheel for half the price of the most of the others is what I wanted.

What I got was much more disappointing. The Wheel worked great for a little over 30days. I recently had purchased iRacing and wanted a cheap way to use some good force feedback.

The wheel worked great at first.

Then the screws that hold the wheel to the base came out. All four at the same time. I figured it would be a simple fix, pop the face plate off and screw the thing back down.

No it doesn't work that way. There is a bundle of wires that run from the base into the wheel. When I gingerly pulled the wheel from the base, some of the wires pulled out.

There is no way to fix this. First the sequential shifter stopped working, then the pedals which are attached stopped working.

I am out 100 bucks for being cheap and not buying the Fanatec wheel to begin with.

Lesson learned. Stay away from this wheel. It simply is not worth the money.

Skylanders Giants MiniPro EX Wired Controller for XBOX 360 Reviews

Customer Ratings:

Got this for my 5 year old son to play Skylanders with. We have the blue one and it's my first experience with a wired Xbox 360 controller. This is our third Power A controller (we have used two of their Power Pack Mini Wii controllers for the last two years to great success).

I used it myself for around a four hour gaming session (Skyrim) to make sure it was responsive before turning it over to him. Overall, it's a solid 8/10 controller. The thumbsticks are generally responsive and smooth. I can feel the slightest resistance pushing "Up" with the left thumbstick. Like I'm feeling the mechanisms rubbing inside the housing. It's very slight though and I usually forget about it unless I'm really paying attention to it.

The light up feature is very cool and my son loves it. You click a button on the back to light up the four colored face buttons and the shoulder buttons. Face buttons feel good, as do the triggers.

My one gripe is that the shoulder buttons are too "clicky." I much prefer the "smooshy" feel of the regular Xbox controller's shoulder buttons. I've been using Dragon Shouts in Skyrim for 180 hours and suddenly switching to the Microcontroller was an adjustment. You really need to push it in the center of the shoulder button, and not just tap the corner of it. I think it might actually be too tough for my 5 year old son to do that, but you don't use the shoulder buttons in Skylanders so it's not an issue right now.

One thing I didn't realize about having a wired controller connected to the Xbox. It will ALWAYS be Controller 1, even if you turn on your system using another wireless controller using the center guide button. And you can't "turn off" the controller or else it will power down the whole system. My son doesn't have the coordination to plug it into the USB port in front of the Xbox behind the hidden door, so we pretty much leave it in all the time, which means I'm constantly having to turn off the Xbox after I start it up with my regular controller, unplug his and then restart the Xbox with my wireless controller.

And of course, I forget to re-plug his wired controller in all the time when I'm done, and God forbid my wife learns how to plug in the USB controller, which often results in an angry phone call to me at 3:00PM from her that usually goes like this, "Why the @$#! can't you remember to plug it in before you got to bed," followed by, "How the @#!$ is this supposed to go in again?" Even though I've showed her like 10 times now how to do it.

Overall though, I would buy this controller again and recommend it to anyone with small children (or small girlfriends/wives). :)

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I got this for my 7 year old daughter and I have to say I would rather use this controller too! It is the right size for smaller hands. It has lights that light up the buttons and has generally been a joy to use.

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Received the blue controller! Great for kids small hands, light up buttons and graphic designs make it easy to win over kids!

Best Age of Empires II HD Deals

Customer Ratings:

I loved this game when I was growing up, and this works great on my windows 7 machine.

The one and two star reviews for this game are unfounded. They are related to a lack of understanding about digital distribution of PC games. So here are some bullet points to help people who read reviews but not product descriptions:

*You need an internet connection to download and install this game.

*You need to install Steam and register a Steam account to install this game. (Steam is regarded by many as one of, if not THE, best PC game digital distribution services available today.)

*After the above have been done, you CAN play this game offline by launching steam in OFFLINE MODE. (You can easily google how to do this if you need help.)

*If you have problems, please contact support from the APPROPRIATE COMPANY depending on your problem, and wait an appropriate amount of time until any problems have been resolved before giving this product a poor review purely because you don't like the digital distribution service that has been made very very clear is required.

Thank you, and enjoy your purchase.

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I played this game before, and really loved it. Not sure why some people rate it 1 or 2 stars and write long sad stories about how they can't make it work. Weird...

Here are the simple steps. I am on Windows 8.

buy the game, you then download a small Amazon program which just puts 2 web pages on your desktop. 1 is the product key for Steam, other is for instruction to download Steam.

follow the instruction to download Steam. Once Steam is installed, you will need to create an account.

once in Steam, click "+Add a Game" in the lower left corner. Use the product key from Amazon. You then download AOEII, about 1.5gb.

once the game is downloaded, click on the AOEII HD icon, Steam will launch again to run a first-time setup

I first tried playing while on-line. I got a prompt to press some key combination if I wanted to jump into Steam Community

I then exited and relaunched AOEII after unplugging the network cable. Worked fine, and I completed the first game. You can't play multi-player mode while you are off-line.

The whole install took 10min while I did something else at the same time. If I focused on the install, it probably takes 5min. Didn't experience any issue what so ever.

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I have the old version of AOE2, it doesn't work on windows 7. This version works, and awesome playing this game on Windows 7. My brother has this game too on Windows 7 and it works. This is via Steam and it's a new release by Microsoft, release date Apr 9, 2013.

So it works on windows 7. No problem, no CTD, as for lagging, I don't notice. Worth it.

Honest reviews on Age of Empires II HD

It was and still is a great game!! I agree with a couple of the other reviews that talked about it being a bit choppy but it hasn't bothered me at all. While this is the original AOE II game, this is the HD version and is provide by Steam gaming service. It was recently developed further by a studio named Hidden Path (which has some of the programmers that worked on the original game) but is now being worked on by SkyBox Labs. Most of these changes are related to making the game work better with today's faster processors and graphics cards. It seems like the original version had a max civilization limit of 200 but the HD version maxes out at 500. I've found the AI to be very aggressive when setting the difficulty level at hard or hardest. I've had the game for only a week and have already logged about 24 hours playing time. I highly recommend the HD version to any AOE fans!!

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HD is really only slightly better and I have not really taken advantage of the larger view capability. Either way, for a few bucks....it's well worth the hours of wasting your life and realizing its everything you thought it could be and more.