Where's Waldo?: The Fantastic Journey Review

Customer Ratings:

I think this should cost $15 or less. At almost $30, it's way overpriced! This review is specifically for the wii version.

There are only 12 scenes and they're taken from the books. Since it's subtitled "The fantastic Journey", I believe the scenes are all from "The Fantastic Journey" book--but I'm not sure on that. Yes, there is some animation and the game does speak most things so it works for kids who can't read. Yes, they did move where people are hidden so it's not a complete waste if you have the book (but the book is totally better!). The book is $8 on amazon (the paperback reissue). Your kids will get a lot more entertainment from the book and you won't have to worry about them scratching a disk!

Pros:

--You can do split screen 2 player.

--Very well animated. Not everything is animated, but there's always something moving on screen.

Great voices.

--They do mix up the gameplay with a few ideas like some "what's different in these two pictures" mini games.

Cons:

--short game, only 12 scenes

--Another draw of the books is that the whole map is spread out in front of you. Here you see a small part of the scene and scroll around. I think the game knows this is a pain because there are many scenes where you can't scroll around (or can only scroll a small area of the whole map).

--Oh and finally there are 15 second load screens! You choose your save game, and there's a 15 second load. You the choose your level, and there's a 15 second load. Then there's a lot of game play without load, but when you're comparing to a book--long load time is certainly a strike against the game.

The game is fun and it plays well. I'm sure they spent a lot of money animating it and doing the voice work. But for $30, it's totally not worth it. You can get the complete waldo for $30! Where's Waldo? The Complete Collection Six books for the same price as one short game! This really should have either been a $10 wiiware game with less animation/voice or it should have included at least 3 books worth of stuff!

If you like the search and find puzzle and want a good game for the wii: I suggest "Ultimate I spy" because it takes the I spy books to the next level. Ultimate I Spy The game lasts a bit longer, uses the I spy gameplay but in 3-d, and plays really well.

If I hadn't played the I spy game first, I might have liked the Waldo game better. As far as the Waldo game goes, you can't just take a book and use the same format in a game. You'll just want the book instead. Imagine a movie based on a book that just read every page of the book--totally wouldn't work! I Spy Wii is a game. Where's Waldo Wii is a book failing to be a good game.

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The WII game is ok but I would suggest renting it or buying it used. There's not too much to the game besides a dozen or so 'pages' where you find Waldo and his friends, special objects, and enemies. There is also compare games (what's different between two pictures) and identify where a small picture clip is on the mural.

This game does not have too many scenes / levels and though it offers a few different types of puzzles there are not enough of them to keep you playing the game beyond the first few uses. As noted, it's a bit annoying that you play a puzzle fairly quickly and then have to wait and wait for the game to load this and that.

I jumped on this game because I got bored of Mii Matching on Play probably will research more before spending nearly $30 on a game next time!

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I enjoyed playing the game. It reminds me of the book, except that there are a couple of levels you can choose from in regards to difficult. I played it on easy and intend to go back and play it on the harder level. There are some timed portions of the game that can be a little more challenging.

Honest reviews on Where's Waldo?: The Fantastic Journey

Bought this for my hubby's birthday and he loved the game, only bad thing was that he finished it completely in a very short time. The graphics are cool for any real Where's Waldo fanatic and my 6 yr old daughter enjoyed playing it too.

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If you and your kids enjoy the books you will enjoy the game. We get the books from the library and they are not always in. Now we can find Waldo at our house anytime and there are more choices.

Cheap Dirt 3 - Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $47.49
Today's Bonus: 21% Off

I've been pumped about this game for a while. I loved the first DiRT, liked the second DiRT, and the third, so far, is everything that I expected it to be. The menu layout and overall feel of the game is a lot better than DiRT 2 in my opinion. DiRT 2 focused too much on the "cool" factor and rallicross, rather than actual rally racing. While I like it, it's not what I wanted in a game. The cars in this game do not disappoint, from classics to new. While rally racing in general has felt a little boring to me lately (WRC has lacked in the variation of cars, IMO), the level of detail afforded to this project is amazing.

The damage model, weather, environment, and car details are by far superior to the past two games. If you enjoy racing games, you will love this. If you enjoy rally racing, you will love this. If you enjoy mudding and making cars dirty, you will love this. If you have a 2-year old child who likes to eat Cheerios, you will love this. Essentially, anyone who enjoys controlling a vehicle in any capacity cannot help but love this game.

Side note: I am still at the early stages of playing this game, so bugs and issues may come up. I will report and alter review if anything dictates a change. For now, the options seem to make this game work well for any gamer level. I look forward to finishing the career mode.

This is how a racing game should be made. Instead of pretty cut scene videos being passed as the gaming experience, DiRT has always relied on making a game that works well to sell more copies. This is NO Shift 2, Hot Pursuit 2, or any other huge let down of a racing game.

*UPDATE* 5/31/2011 After playing the game for a while, I'm still really enjoying it. I am going to bring the star rating down to a 4-star on account of Dirt 3 falling into the whole "drift" phase of racing games. This annoys me because while I enjoy drifting and having fun, they make it crazy difficult for people to achieve the medals. I can hit gold after MANY attempts, but platinum... just insane. Anyway, drifting is judged, it's not racing. They should just make a drifting game so I can stay away from it. It doesn't take away too much from the game except that I now know there are achievements I will NOT be able to get. Also, the rally racing is a little disappointing. While I like the way the cars handle and the overall feel of the game, the rally races are all like 1-2 miles long, which isn't much fun. I miss the good old days of the huge hill clibs and multi-mile rally races. It seems like in this day and age, DiRT 3 is no exception to this shortage of content to come out with games, leaving too much room for a full priced release to have DLC in the future. 4-stars now for making a great game that is still lacking.

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Dirt is back and this time, its back with a vengeance. Dirt 2 showed up a couple years back to dazzle us with the mainstream, flashy bigtime rally feel, leaving Dirt1's essential based, hardcore hill climbs behind. Dirt 3 tries to take it up a notch by taking what worked in both games and intermingling them. Does it work? Lets find out.

First of all this review is highly in depth, if you want to know the jist of things, i'll have a small section at the end for you guys, (use "find" Ctrl + F in your browser and type in: "Wrap up" without quotes to get a summary.) Now with that out of the way, we can review this bad boy.

Dirt 3 relies on extreme simplicity, and in a way this is great, the simplicity applies to its racing, and its approach to menus. With that said, Dirt 3 also does some amazing things despite this, because despite its simplistic features and driving arcadey style, it grows on you very quickly. Before I get ahead of myself, lets just stick with the menus for a bit.

MENUS:

Gone is the trailer, while I liked the trailer, it was slow, dirt 3 prides itself on navigating menus quickly, there's career, options, my dirt etc. all at the main menu, move up and down and you're all set to go. Before you get to the menu, be sure to put in your online activation code to unlock youtube, 5 cars and more bonus stuff like playing online, after that, you put in your name, your spoken name, (code masters is still one of the only companies that allows you to select an actual spoken version of your name or nickname) and your youtube credentials. This will allow you to directly apply things from races to youtube. Cause a 8 car massacre or just kick some royal butt and you can upload it straight to the internet. Yay, now all your friends can see how awesome you are, or how much you suck. Now, the menu is a lot like dirt 1, its a spacious nothingness with floating text, that gives way to floating triangles (pyramids) When you select these, they open up into four events, the three satellite triangles from left to right to top, unlock (in that order) based on points earned in events, selecting a triangle, opens up its list of events shown in right facing rhombuses, that describe the events, select the event, select your car, and you're good to go. This entire process is streamlined and will take if you're rushing a good 10-20 seconds. (main menu to race load) When you've beaten all of the races in a triangle, it will turn gold, and its on to the next triangle. When you've earned enough points, the middle triangle will open, this is the finale of the Pyramid, race it to finish off the Pyramid to turn the whole thing gold. From here on out other Pyramids may appear as you progress, but this menu is easy to get, easy to navigate, fast and easy to use. The one minor gripe I Have is livery selection. When you want to change the look of your vehicles, you have to do it in My DiRT > Garage > select class > Car to change > highlight livery to use > View car. It's a bit irritating but its not horribly detracting. The menu before the race is straightforward as well, speaks for itself and pretty much doesn't need much of anything, its good, it works. Moving on.

LOADS:

Loads in this game are infrequent really, the menu doesn't have any lag and the load to a race uninstalled takes about 20 seconds. The visuals for the load are nice, showing the car you'll be using, but aside from that, its a bit bland, only showing the same foreign beige space the menu resides in. The loads aren't excessively cumbersome, and are completely nonexistent on chosen menu reload during race (choose restart race). Its instant back to the starting grid. However this does not happen if you complete a race and then choose restart, as it will return you to the staging area where you can set up your car. This offers a bit of load, but nowhere near the time it took to initially load the race.

GRAPHICS:

On this 360 console, Dirt 3 as a whole is a wonderfully put together game, the scenery looks very real, the dust, damage, snow, cars, and lighting are all very highly detailed, with minor jaggies throughout. Mostly the shadows in particular. The colors are rich, the bloom is relatively low, (take a look back to dirt one to compare) and the game plays wonderfully. I have had a few hiccups, but I have not had any serious frame rate slowing. Dust, crashes, bits flying off, and several cars on screen does not seem to bother the xbox's graphics or processing units enough to lag the picture. Great job, its immersive and looks excellent.

CONTROLS:

Handbrake has been switched back to B. If you're wondering why the Handbrake doesn't work, that's why. Odd choice going back to dirt 1 control scheme, but I guess its not too bad. Most companies use A for handbrake but its not a problem. Change views with RB, go with RT Stop with LT. Turn with Joy L. Simple controls, easy to use. Joy R can be used to pivot the camera in any direction (useful in cockpit) and Y can be used to look back.

SOUNDS:

Sounds in this game are great, the car's interaction with the road on every surface is wonderfully portrayed and mixed, the engine notes are top notch and both co-drivers are great on either setting The soundtrack has been scaled back top be less "In-your-face" than Dirt 2 as well, sporting a large number of songs and musical genres, but only playing them basically when replays are being shown. This in my opinion settles things down in the menu and keeps things feeling more serious than an arcade romp through the woods. The mood here is one of focus and coming into a race, and the music and tone is good at conveying that. However, the game feels less fast paced and fun this way, but its a trade off. The main problem here is the voice talent. You talk to a guy, your team manager, and your mechanic. I like the mechanic, he's pretty down to earth, gets ticked if you ding your car up a lot, but conversely is very happy when you don't. The manager is okay, she has that "I'm acting feel" to her voice but its fine. Its the last guy I have issues with. The guy is hyper happy, always positive and says amigo and a few other chosen names in the Spanish language. None of it sounds realistic, none of it really makes sense, it seems very 90's or earlier, and its feels out of place in a game like this. I want to punch myself when he talks. But its a small gripe at best, aside from that single blemish, this game's sound is truly spectacular.

DRIVING

Finally! okay sorry for making you wait, here we go. Dirt 3's driving is great, its not a Sim like GT of Forza, but its not really Need for Speed arcade either, if anything its kind of like Need for Speed Shift, if you could take shift 2's driving style and make it work right. Dirt 3 has a very easy to pick up style of play, and on low difficulty settings is very easy to drive and play with. However, on advanced, this game's totally different, the car is harder to handle with no assists, can be wrecked (this must be turned on in difficulty) every corner turns into a battle, its you and machine vs. the course, and in rally, that's all that it should be. Cars are in general pretty tight and get a little more loose around what I like to call their sweet spots. When a car hits its sweet spot, it will require very little coaxing to turn it or keep it straight, Faster or slower than this area and the car will become either much more loose or tight than you are used to it being, and thus may cause you to crash, but don't fret, if you do there is always this:

Flashback returns: Just like in Dirt 2, you can rewind the race to "flashback" to before you made a mistake. If you do this, you're docked a bit of EXP for using a flashback and get to start from there. Penalty and reward, right there in a nutshell for you. Obviously as you progress in your career, you get to use faster and faster cars, and get better and better deals. Dirt 3 drives like a champ, the controls allow for a wonderful almost sim like experiance on the hardest difficulty like dirt one provided, while still allowing a lot of easiness if you need it like Dirt 2 did. The driving is best when assists are off, but it will get frustrating at times, so don't be ashamed to turn down the AI if you need to. Turning in and out works like it should, drifting works better than it should but hey its fun, and cars take a lot more mechanical damage in dirt 3 than they do in 2, meaning that bump might have been well, bad. Dirt 1's damage model makes a stronger return, becoming considerably more unforgiving with damage but still not quite as hard to oversome as Dirt 1, 3, does allow for extensive damage to engine components, Suspension as well. Tires can be popped, making you ride on rim, and cars can still be drivable, but, "well, you're not winning with them" damaged.n Every aspect of the driving in Dirt 1 and 2 has been mixed and refined, to the point its pretty much perfect for the type of game it is.

LENGTH:

From what I can see, Dirt 3 will last a week or more playing intermittently, but I'm sure I haven't played enough to unlock all of the events, and has a lot of features that will keep you playing, But as it stands, Dirt 3 should last a while and should be worth the current price.

PACING:

Dirt3 doesn't move too quickly, but its doesn't move at a snail pace either. The events are kind of short in the beginning but they do get a bit longer as you go, as with any racing game. To further point out things, Dirt 3 has added a "fun mode" which is basically the X games with vehicles, Gymkhana. Donuts, drifting, smashing stuff, burnouts, jumps, you name it. It breaks the monotony of Dirt 3 if it wears on you, otherwise, its just fun crap to do. Dirt 3 doesn't wear itself out, and that's an impressive feat. Keeping you playing for that length of time at the same level of happiness is always a good thing.

MULTIPLAYER

As a whole, multiplayer by codemasters pretty much stays the same, its dedicated server, its fast, fun and awesome, and as always its completely community driven. Some minor changes were made however, Jam session isn't race by race anymore,and runs for several before coming back, but playing ranked is about the same. Multiplayer runs well for the ones I played, no lag problems. One thing I miss is voting. One great addition, Couch battles. Yeah SPLIT SCREEN. As everyone axes it, go head to head with your buddy while everybody else on every other game has to go online to do it.

REWARDS AND UNLOCKS

This is where things might get sketchy for you, you don't buy cars in this game, they unlock by livery, basically meaning that you can't use certain vehicles until you have unlocked their first livery, every time you gain EXP, you gain more towards your next driver level, when you level up, you gain more opportunities with more companies, the better companies you unlock, the better and harder missions in race to beat for EXP become. Basically as you level up you earn more vehicles and liveries. In past dirt games you bought them. In many ways this is intuitive, but in many ways this is a poor choice. You can't specifically target certain vehicles, if you like the Fiat Punto Grande Super 2000 and plan on using it online all of the time, you can't buy your favorite livery for it to use. You have to reach a certain level for it to unlock, AND you don't know what any liveries look like in the future either. In addition the game doesn't like you to play favorites. When you play a a freshly unlocked car or livery, that livery or car's team will give you more exp to do a challenge than a previously obtained one at a lower level. Netting 200 EXP for doing 91 MPH on a track vs 400 or more for the same thing. Sure your ride looks cooler riding faves, but you level less quickly. In my opinion, this was a very poor choice, though it makes sense, it just makes the game feel less personalized, like you have to play it their way. But what balances this out, is multiplayer, playing in multiplayer earns EXP towards one driver level, yep the career and online driver levels are integrated, and therefore using your faves is okay because in a few short races, you've earned back all you missed in career mode by using your favorite Castrol sponsored Celica versus the kicker one. Makes you happy.

WRAP UP

DIRT 3 is a good length, great paced game with quite a few unlocks, it also boasts great sound, and great driving gameplay, while looking wonderful with virtually no graphical issues to speak of. It does have some annoying voice acting and a minor-ly problematic unlock scheme, but all in all its fast fun for single player, online multiplayer or even multiplayer in the living room. Dirt 3 has it all, and takes the best from Dirt 1 and 2 and intermingles it for one awesome rally experience that everyone can take a piece from and enjoy, whether they're first time racers, sim racers, arcade racers or just chewing on the controller enjoying the vibration function, Dirt 3 has something everyone can enjoy. Five stars.

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First, a little background on myself; racing games are all I play. I have been playing racing games since I was a kid, everything from the original Driver and Grand Turismo titles to my previous all time favorites, Richard Burns Rally(PC) and Forza 3(Xbox360). I play with a MadCatz wireless wheel because I'm not about to dish out $300+... In real life I am involved in the local rally community and am currently building a road course STi, so I know a little bit about how cars should behave on gravel and tarmac surfaces.

I have to admit that I never bought the previous two Dirt titles based solely on customer reviews. I haven't been able to play an arcade racer since I was 14, the physics and goofy gameplay turn me off where the expert physics of Forza 3 can keep my tuning and racing for hours on end. While Dirt 3 may still have its arcade-style (keep in mind, I don't even like European-style rally-x in real life) races to please the younger crowd, the stage rallies ooze realism and clearly have a lot of effort put into the physics engine. I'm hooked!

~Pros~

Near RBR-quality stage rally simulation for the Xbox360!!

Awesome car selection; race everything from the same cars you seen on WRC stages to classic stage rally car legends, even the trophy/stadium trucks are a hoot!

Track selection; I'm not that far along in the game, but I've already been blown away by the rally stages...lots of effort to detail here! Nice cambered corners, ditches to hook, power poles in trouble spots, realistic crests, etc.

Huge event range; stage rally, European-style rally-x, drifting, gymkhana, trophy truck racing, etc. I haven't even tried playing online yet...

Graphics; looks and runs great on my 50" TV.

Menu soundtrack; love it or hate it, but if you're a dubstep/modern techno fan you'll enjoy the menu music.

Car tuneabilty; gear ratios, shock damping, ride height, differentials, and brake bias are adjustable and actually make a huge difference on-stage.

~Cons~

Some arcade-style gameplay during circuit races, many early rally-x races are won by avoiding the monstrous pile-up caused by all the AI racers ramming each other into the corner. Tapping other cars doesn't seem to have much of an effect on them, but when they tap you it is fairly hard to maintain control.

Graphics; this is a SLIGHT complaint! If you catch the guy in front of you on stage, the dust he kicks up is pretty splotchy and makes it hard to see (in real life the dust gets crazy, so it's not like you'd be able to see any better...). The helmet cam is a good idea, but for some reason feels "off" compared to the hood view, it's just a little too distracting. Maybe if I "remove" the avatar hanging from the rear view and give it another try I will like it more.

Most cars are fairly hard to drive out of the box, which might make for a few low ratings. Hint: turn down your steering sensitivity, run the differentials fairly loose, and move the brake bias forward. Gravel and snow are hard to drive on in real life, do everything smaller and further in advance than on tarmac, use the brakes and the car's weight to turn the car.

I wish the cars were more tunable... They were right to have the car setup locked (all cars are already built to perfection), but I would have liked to see a tuning system closer to Forza where I could alter my alignment geometry and tire pressure...

Why the heck didn't RallyAmerica hop on this?!? I would have loved to see more American rally stages in this game!

I just hope they release more games like this so that America can catch rally fever instead of the JDM-Y0 drift insanity that has been going around lately...

5/5, if you like racing games, buy this now! I had to go to 3 different Best Buy locations to find this one on the shelf during Memorial Day weekend.

Honest reviews on Dirt 3 - Xbox 360

First, some perspective so you can judge if my review is relevant to your gaming interests. I have a Fanatec GT2 wheel with ClupSport pedals which I use on both my PS3 and Xbox 360. I cannot drive a car using a joystick, never could and never wanted to. I'm looking for immersion and, with the right game and sitting in front of my 65" TV with surround sound, I can experience it. The most important thing to me is that I feel the cars respond accurately to my wheel input. Of the games I've played: Dirt controlled terribly with my previous wheel (Logitech DFGT); Dirt 2 once I adjusted to the feel of off-road racing, felt great with both the DFGT and GT2; Need for Speed Shift and Shift Unleashed these games are seriously flawed as I could never get them dialed in with either wheel, even after updates; F1 2010 controlled beautifully with DFGT (alas, I found F1 racing not to my tastes but the game was great technically by my standards); Gran Turismo 5 handled spot on with DFGT and just the slightest issues with GT2; Forza 3 hands down, the best driving experience I've ever had. When in cockpit view, the hands on the wheel of the car move in unison with my hands and the cars respond as I would expect them to. When I reached 100% completion I had over 124 hours of driving time in the game (never hired a driver).

I have never raced a car in my life and the only off-roading I've done was in my Jeep CJ5 and Wrangler, which were low-speed experiences. I don't get hung up on whether the game is a true simulation as I have no clue what racing, on track or off-road, really feels like. If the game feels like what I think it would feel to drive a 2008 Nissan #23 XANAVI NISMO GT-R (probably my favorite fast car in Forza 3 it just tracks so beautifully) or a 1993 Mitsubishi Pajero Dakar (a fun vehicle from Dirt 2 competitive in spite of its age and size), then it works for me, pure and simple.

Technical I drive with no assists in Dirt 3, as in Dirt 2. I'm not a great driver and I do use the lowest AI difficulty settings but I want to feel the track as it was designed and judge the speed of the curves without a suggested drive/braking line. I use the automatic transmission simply because, as immersive as the experience may be, I've never developed a feel for shifting a virtual car like I have for a real car. I also do not use flashbacks. If I spin out that's part of the experience so I get myself back on the road and keep going. I use the hood view as it provides me the best view of the road (in Forza 3 I alternate between hood view and cockpit view depending on the car I'm driving).

Review for Xbox 360 if you have a Fanatec wheel you will find countless game and wheel settings online to try. I truly believe that the optimum settings vary with each driver so I won't list mine, unless there's some demand for them. What's important is that, with some trial and error, I have found settings that work for me. As my son said of Dirt 2, what you're striving for is controlled chaos and I'm just about there now. I work harder in race at controlling cars in Dirt 3 than Forza 3 but then I'm racing off-road rather than circuit race tracks. The best comparison is when I'm on tarmac in Dirt 3. The cars float just a smidgeon more than I'd like but I don't know if that's a controller-tuning issue or what's to be expected when you take an off-road vehicle and put it on pavement at high speed (my Jeeps would never win any awards for road handling). So, with one and a half hours of actual driving time invested so far, I find the cars sufficiently controllable to satisfy my standards, although I'm still playing with the game's wheel weight setting; my upper back was aching last night from the tension of steering the cars over multiple runs.

Does it meet my expectation of what driving a car fast off-road would feel like? A resounding yes! Again, it may not be a true simulation but that doesn't matter to me. When I race I feel the adrenaline pump and there's a smile on my face. I usually know when I've had a good run and when I've been a bit too sloppy. It's as real as I need it to be and, most importantly, it's F-U-N.

I rarely watch replays in Forza 3 but in Dirt 3, as in Dirt 2, I frequently do. The graphics are equal to the best I've seen (I don't game on a PC so I can't compare to that platform) and the action lends itself to viewing multiple times. In the middle of a rally run you may not realize how much air you caught coming over that hill but in replay you can just enjoy the view. I've impressed myself on more than one occasion. :-) The only thing missing is the ability to save a full run for playback but if it's important to me I just capture a replay with my digital camera. Not perfect but it works.

I had read online reviews about the menu interface and brought an open mind to the game. I can now say, although I don't know exactly why, that I like it. In the abstract, the idea of triangles floating on screen sounds a bit bizarre but it works for me. I won't say it's terribly intuitive but I like the aesthetics of it. I do miss the table in my RV from Dirt 2 that laid out the world but change is good, right? As for the music, I generally turn off music in all my games but, go figure, I like it in Dirt 3. Until I don't I'll keep it playing.

As for load times, which some online reviews have complained about, have they ever played Forza 3? I can take a bathroom break while a Forza race is loading and I never had an issue with it. Dirt 3 races load faster than Forza 3 races.

I love that they've eliminated money and purchasing of cars. Perhaps I got burned out with GT5 and its 1,000+ cars but I really like that I don't have to think about that. Just let me get in a car and drive. As for liveries, it's all good. I generally don't play around with those. I dabbled in detailing in Forza 3 but aside from changing the body color now and then it was nothing I had much interest in.

Some online reviews say that there is always an optimum car to select for each race which means there are cars you'll never drive. That's not how I approach the game. This is my hobby. I'm in no hurry to rush through the game or shorten the experience in any way. When I'm presented with four cars for an event (each with different bonus objectives, btw) I start from the left and race each car until I place 1st with each one. Not only does that allow me to experience each vehicle but it allows me to learn each course a bit better with each run. And I continue to level up in the process. Unlike Dirt 2, it doesn't appear that a race's XP decreases with multiple runs, though I may be wrong about that.

I have not gotten to gymkhana events yet. On the surface, it does not appeal to me (I've never been much for drifting in Forza 3 or GT5) but I'm open to it and will give it a try. Good or bad, I don't anticipate my reaction to it impacting my review. Rally racing is what I enjoy most and Codemasters has nailed that for me.

As stated earlier, Forza 3 has provided me the best overall driving experience and I look forward to Forza 4 (if head tracking pans out I will probably get a Kinect just for that) but for unadulterated fun I have to go with the Dirt series, of which Dirt 3 is the best so far. Everyone's tastes are different so it can be risky to recommend a game to countless unknown readers. I can only hope that my review helps you judge for yourself whether Dirt 3 is worth the purchase price. For me it definitely was.

Happy racing!

Update: I'm not sure if load times are less than Forza but Codemasters breaks them up by offering different views of cars and landscapes rather than have you staring at a static screen with a progress icon spinning. That makes the wait seem less even if it isn't.

A reviewer laments the shortness of the races but I actually consider that a plus. In Forza, once you hit the 6-race events, races average 12 to 14 minutes each so you're looking at well over an hour to complete an event. In my busy, hectic life, I like being able to complete a race event in 4 or 5 minutes. But, if Dirt 3 proves similar to Dirt 2, later seasons will have more races in each event so the time commitment will increase.

Raced on snow for the first time. I was pleased that it felt much more realistic than GT5's snow racing, which is terrible. I live in the snow belt and drive a Subaru on snow-covered roads. It really isn't that bad if you have the right setup. Heck, we plow lakes and race around in circles on the ice.

Although I miss the in-race banter of Dirt 2 (driving can get lonely at times) I do like the fact that when I hit a car in a Rally Cross event, I don't have to listen to an angry driver telling me I'm going to pay for that.

Dropped my wheel weight from 50 to 30 and it made a big difference. I'm very happy with the controls right now.

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Dirt 3 is the perfect balance between realism and fun. Sometimes I'm whispering "I'm amazing" to myself as I slide around a tight corner, considering buying a rally car because I swear I'm gifted. As long as I don't look at the time trial leader board, I can keep thinking that.

The rallying itself is a bit of a less-is-more ordeal. It's true there are a lot more stages, but you do repeat a lot of portions in different ways. However, the varied weather, time of day, and car handling make up for it. The sheer terror of Group B at night is wholly different from the calm Sunday afternoon drive of a 60s Mini.

The other events are nicely mixed in with the standout being gymkhana. I was not looking forward to 'Tony Hawk's Rally' but it's not like that. Gymkhana events are quite enjoyably varied but the best is the DC Battersea compound, which is basically a playground in which to completely destroy your car. Yes, it's awfully childish, and that's exactly what makes it so entertaining. You'll spend 20 minutes in there and have no idea where the time went. (I'll tell you: you spent it jumping, rolling, flipping, spinning, crashing, drifting, and flying into the river.)

I could go on about what it does better than the previous Dirt or Colin McRae games, or express a lament or two about what I miss from older games, but I won't. Rally is great. Gymkhana is great. Everything else is good enough. I don't regret my purchase and I probably won't stop playing it until Dirt 4 comes along.

Discount Dance Dance Revolution Konamix and Gamesis Multi-Platform Dance

Customer Ratings:

I've owned this pad for about 6 months now and all together I'm fairly satisfied with it. As the description says it is the cheapest pad (that I could find) that will work with the PS1, PS2, Xbox, and the PC. Quality wise I would say that this pad is worse than the official pads from Konami. When I received mine it wouldn't lie flat on the floor until I had used it for awhile and there were some creases in the foam on the bottom that still have not gone away. As far as sensitivity originally it seemed fine but recently I have noticed that I have needed to hit the buttons harder to get them to register but that might be the result of my increase in skill level since I started using the pad. Still for $20 I don't think I would be overly disappointed if the pad broke down after 6 or so months of fairly heavy use. Overall I would say that if you plan on only using the pad for console playing stick with an official brand but if you are looking for a pad to use with a PC program (like Stepmania) and still be able to play console DDR titles this pad is a fairly economical choice.

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Discount Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron - Nintendo DS

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $19.99
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We live in Australia and my ten year old autistic grandson is crazy about Star Wars in any way, shape or form. He is very games savvy and gets through levels like other kids get through cup cakes! We constantly trawl the internet looking for new outlets for his passion. We have all the Star Wars Clone Wars TV Series Seasons (apart from Season 5, for which are waiting with bated breath and are hoping SOMEONE can tell us when it will be available in AUSTRALIA!!!). We are delighted with this game. My grandson has not stopped playing it since we bought it so easy over the internet and it came very quickly indeed and he is the envy of his friends who all want it now. I have not played it this game is not exactly for Grannies it is too fast moving and very exciting. But for him! Fabulous. Thank you LucasArts.

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Ten year old boy thinks this game is awesome!!!

11 great levels! Multiplayer is good,but everyone playing has to have the game card to play. The whole

game you are a clone named X1,While in other battlefront games you have a variety of different

characters to be. Amazon says this game is rated teen but when i got it the package says E10plus.

Overall this game is definitely worth the price.

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Awesome great playing game. The graphics are great just a all around great game. Good fun for everyone that plays DS games.

Honest reviews on Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron - Nintendo DS

if you are fan of star wars you are going to love this game dont listen the other commentaries of 2 or 3 stars this game have great graphics and have wi-fi connection to play with youre friends anyway you cant le this game if you are star wars fan

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I bought this game for my son. He loves the game, but had it beat pretty quickly. It remains yet to be seen if there is much replay-ability to it.

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $9.99
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After Prince of Persia and EndWar, this is the third major Ubisoft retail release to come out protected not by any intrusive yet ineffective DRM scheme but simply by gamers' honor. And, on top of that, it is a very good game.

There hasn't been a similar game released for some time now: simplified arcade-like action with easy controls, breath-taking cinematics and impressive graphics that will run in full even in mid-range PC systems. My advice: as with any flight combat game, using a joystick will make things so much more enjoyable and intuitive.

If you are more of an authenticity buff (and still have tons of free time to spare) I would advise going with a combat AddOn for Flight Simulator or a good old Jane's title. You will find no realistic cockpit and detailed controls in H.A.W.X. So, is this flight combat game dummied down? Well, yes. But I promise you: you will have FUN like never before!

Hammerheading over cityscapes and coming in from the Sun over the desert has never been more easy to master. The electronic aids and bare-minimum controls will let you enjoy the fights and start mastering them early on.

This is a 4star game but I decided to give it full marks just because the Canadians at UBISOFT keep walking the narrow path towards a DRM-free future. It cannot be easy to take such bold decisions during such a tight economy. They deserve our support.

RECOMMENDED!

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This is a pretty game, lots of action, lots of things to blow up, makes a lot of noise and seems to be a game aimed at kids. It is not in any way a flight sim except that it happens to take place in airplanes. And thats where any similarity to a flight sim ends.

The planes fly like they are on rails, there is no inertia whatsoever. Engines accelerate the planes with vertical climbs not making much difference to speed. You can jerk a high AOA turn and the speed stays pretty much constant. You can go inverted and pull loop a few thousand feet off the ground~ and make it. There is no speed compression, you can turn as sharp as you want at any speed. You can target enemy aircraft and ground targets about 2-3 seconds apart and fire on them from high off angles and speed at close range and still hit.

Not much of a sim, but fun as a game. EZ entry for people with no knowledge of flight sims or desire to learn all the stuff that goes with it. Its a console game adapted to a PC platform~ nuff said.

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UPDATE

I have to say that I continue to be impressed with this game as I play it more. I may have under appreciated the graphics, I find that the use of the satellite imagery to be a great thing and probably much cheaper than having designers start from scratch in a fictional world like Ace Combat series.

I think the Cape Canaveral map is cool but while playing I was reminded of an Ace Combat 4 map of basically the same thing, the Magellan Straits, Caribbean, Afghanistan, Middle East(Probably Arabia), Central African, and all of the 17 maps are really great. Another thing is that in the first mission, Juarez, Mexico, you support the Ghosts in the earlier GRAW games which is a nice tie in and I'm pretty sure you support the Rainbow Team from Rainbow Six Vegas in the Nevada map. Other noteworthy planes are the YF-23 that lost out to the F-22, the XA-20 Razorback which I've never seen anywhere else, X-29 demostrator, Harrier, EA-6B Prowler, Mig-21, A12 Wing, and other curiosities.

Something I wish was included was fully destructible environments, your missiles splash in the water but don't effect buildings or trees. Another thing that would be great would be add-on maps or a map editor in which we could use google earth imagery or some kind of expansion packs for helos, gunships or even prop planes. All in all I have to update my rating to an 8.5, since I'm a non-console player I can't compare it to the latest Ace Combat but I'm sure it more than holds it's own against it.

GENERAL THOUGHTS

Yeah this is a fun game that reminds me very much of the Ace Combat series for consoles of which I have not played since I became a PC only gamer. It's not a sim by any means but if you want that get the Microsoft flight sim or any of the other ones available on PC. I have to disagree with IGN's review of 6.7, the author clearly misses a lot of the details, such as the ability to release flares when an enemy has you locked, the changeable paint schemes and others, and has an animosity towards this game that is not called for, for me this game is between a 7.5 to 8.5 depending on how much you like the arcade modern jet combat game. I would say for me it's an 8 and that's 4/5 stars here.

The novelty of this game is really what is cool. I'm not much of a sim player and outside of that ,at least for PC gamers, there's not much in the way of cool jet fighter games. Who wouldn't want to fly one of these technological masterpieces but not have to worry about all the details that the real guys do? Not to mention the real-world locations, which is not offered in the Ace Combat series. My review is from a single player offline only POV and not really using any of the bots you can command, as it didn't really make much of a difference but I have to say I have not played this game to the end yet.

STORY

Well it's a pretty minimal story, and thanks for that I don't really follow that much in a game like this or racing games either. I still remember the silly and embarrassing Ace Combat 4 story although I did like the art style involved. This has just an ex-air force pilot(YOU) switching to a private security company that has no loyalties other than money and when it takes a contract to attack your country you rebel. That's all I'll get into as you can get a summary from the official reviews elsewhere. It takes place in 2014, standard Tom Clancy near future time setting.

GAMEPLAY

Well like I said this is an arcade game, meaning you can do about anything with your jet and as long as it doesn't hit the ground you will not be punished for it with things like flameouts or losing control. The combat is non-realistic as well, when you are under attack you can use flares and wildly maneuver your plane in any which way and it always works. Also it's a little too easy on normal difficulty, I had no trouble killing Su-27's, Apaches and various ground targets in the older FA-18 Hornet; I would expect and Su-27 to be a bigger challenge.

Also there is no need to worry about fuel as it's not even on your HUD as well as you being armed with nearly 200 missiles for every mission, even AceCombat5 had limitations that made the game a bit more strategic and challenging. Missiles can't be instantly fired in succession there's a bit of a waiting period after firing 2 to fire more. Your cannon/machinegun is unlimited as well but can't be used continuously as it get's hot and is a primarily burst weapon. The cluster bombs are awesome as well as the conventional large ground bombs with the usual HUD visualizations of trajectory and spread area.

That said it is kind of interesting to turn off the "assistance(HUD Forward View)" with left-ctrl and switch to a side view of the plane you are flying instead of the assisted normal swingman view, it's a little weird and I have not tried any missions with it on. There are no landing sequences to worry about either.

Another thing is if you hold down the missile fire button the camera will switch to the missiles view which is pretty cool. There's also something called the ERS which takes you step by step to an enemy kill, it makes it way too easy and really should be used for training purposes only.

TECHNICAL

I had no problems with the installation on Windows XP and the game picked up my Logitech Rumblepad 2 when I went into the controls settings and specified the joystick. The default settings were fine for my joypad. I have a midrange system and had no trouble getting 1680x1050 with all high. I'm using Q6600@2.4Ghz, 4GB RAM, 8800GT512.

GRAPHICS

These were standard to good, I would say nothing mind blowing but nothing too bad either. The jets all look like their real world counterparts and the real world cities look accurate since they are supposedly based on real satellite images, although they are limited in area. I wasn't hugely impressed with the Los Angeles area, being a resident of LA, I didn't see the Hollywood sign or other things other than the main downtown section. Also the Southern Nevada part is OK I suppose, mainly empty desert and what I assume to be Lake Mead, I used to live in S. Nevada and didn't really see much that was recognizable, I don't remember there being a Hoover Dam but I could be wrong.

The maps that stood out were Chicago, DC, Tokyo, and Rio. There's about 17 maps. The stars are really the planes as they should be.

I liked the water on the screen effect you get when going through rain. The explosions are standard this generation to look at but the explosions from the ground battles are pretty neat if nothing special. The way to really get a good view of the plane and surroundings, if not really all that conducive to play, is to use the assistance off setting using left-control. In summary the graphics are good this generation, that's not really a problem though since it's just cool to have a game like this finally for PC gamers.

SOUND

Pretty standard, everything sounds right from what I know. I turn off/down the music since I don't thing most fighter pilots are allowed that sort of thing in combat anyways and I don't need it to give me a better gaming experience as this is only a game. Some may like the drama enhancement you get from it but I'm not one of them. The explosions are pretty nice, you would of course never hear them like that in a jet but it's a game!

EXTRAS

One thing you should go and get from a third party is a plane and mission unlocker. There are massive amounts of real world planes here and I want access to them immediately, like the SR-71 Blackbird, F-117 Nighthawk, F16, F15,F14,all the migs, Mirage, Typhoon, A10 Warthog, F35 Joint Strike FIghter, F4, older 60's planes, awesome new looking Russian planes, experimental planes, F22 Raptor, next next generation USA planes, Jaguar, F-111, and probably others I've missed. As well as different loadouts of missiles for each planes specialties like precision bombs, ground target bombs, cluster bombs, air to air bombs or a mix of them particular to each plane and it's capabilities. I would guess there are at least 50 planes here not counting the variants of the same plane. My favorites include the F-15 Active, F-117, A10, SR-71, etc.

There are no helos,prop planes, gunships or heavy bombers here, this is all jets, but you do take down Apaches and other helos in missions. The planes also have at least one more selectable paint job, like the F-117 Nighthawk has the standard Stealth Black and also has the Camo pattern for daytime missions. Also there are multiple variants of each jet like the standard F16 and the upgraded F16c which I believe is the non-export USA edition or exported to close allies only as well as variants with different selectable paint jobs.

All of this stuff is unlockable only after finishing in the different difficulty settings or getting better ratings after missions or some online only stuff but who wants to do all that, search for the Hawx unlock on google and have a blast right away!

CLOSING

I recommend this to anyone who likes arcade flying games and doesn't want too much of a challenge. This game is great if you like jets in general and want the chance to fly them in a game with a wide variety. It's not a must have game, unless you are a lover of modern jets, but if you are looking for more variety in your game collection get this one. Of course this is not a fifty dollar game by any means so get it used when the prices come down, I'd say new in the forty dollar range. I'd say if you have the latest Burnout PC game or miss/enjoy the Ace Combat console series and seek a breather from the FPS's, RPG's, MMOG's and other dominant game types, this would fit nicely into your collection.

Honest reviews on Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

First off, I'll admit I'm a simulation type guy. I've played in-depth games like the JANES series, Microsoft FSX, and the sort. However, even I get tired of managing all those switches all the time and I just want to dance around the sky and blow things up. If thats what you want, than HAWX is definitely worth a look.

First off, the graphics are the game's strong attribute. The landscape and the planes are beautifully modeled. The effects however, such as flak, missiles, enemy fire, and certain explosions, seem to be lacking in authenticity when compared to the graphical quality of everything else.

The flight model is obviously very simple and easy to use; I wouldn't recommend hooking up a complex control system to play this game. I tried my Saitek X52 system with rudder pedals, didn't work so well. But a Microsoft Sidewinder with a throttle slider and twist-style stick works outstanding.

The one area that will be a challenge is when the assistence mode (AKA the alpha limiters for those aviation buffs) is turned off. This will allow some very high angle-of-attack manuevering and snap turns. However, the other reason this mode is challenging is because the camera viewpoint in this mode is normally off to the side of your plane, keeping your plane and your target in the same line of sight. But when you get into these close-in tight dogfights, the camera can't seem to keep the enemy plane in view for more than a few moments, and good luck trying to engage with guns in this mode if you run out of your three dozen missiles. Luckily, gun ammo is infinite, and bursts are limited to the gun's heat build-up.

Overall, this game makes me appreciate the other flight sims out there that are extremely realistic, but works in a pinch if I need to give my brain a break and blow stuff up. The one remaining downfall of this game is it is VERY much like the Ace Combat series, its practically a twin. And the missions can get somewhat repetitive. At the time of this review, I've only played ten missions in, so we'll see what remaining missions have in store.

Bottom line, definitely a console arcade game for the PC, shallow learning curve, repetitive gameplay, but awesome graphics and fun, if unrealistic flight modeling. Head to head matches will probably be the main focus of HAWX fans...Lastly, this is just one man's opinion, so feel free to try the game and make your own conclusions.

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When you don't even pay $6 for a game like this....how can you complain. (I bought the PC Download that is less than $5.50)

Seriously though, I played a couple missions and it's a good looking and interesting fighter/flight game. It's certainly not a sim, and it takes some getting use too..but as I said before...it's worth 4 stars in my book as far as price versus content.

Review of Turtle Beach Ear Force X12 Gaming Headset and Amplified Stereo

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $47.05
Today's Bonus: 22% Off

Pros:

+ Super-sensitive mic picks up everything I say, even whispers and mumbles; this was the single biggest factor to my purchasing these to replace my previous headset, the Sharkoon X-tatic SP

+ Great sound, not overly "bass-y", and you can control the amount of bass with the Bass Boost dial

+ XBOX controller connection is compatible with the chat pad and all Rock Band/DJ Hero/Guitar Hero controllers without an adapter, unlike the Sharkoons

+ Extremely comfortable, even with glasses and after multiple hours of continuous use

+ While they're not noise-canceling, I'd say they cut external noise at least in half, if not more

+ Controller dongle/pod is light and well positioned

Cons:

Microphone is so sensitive it often picks up background noise

I don't entirely like the microphone monitoring feature. I don't personally need to hear my own voice when I'm speaking, but it is a useful reminder about whether or not you have your mic muted.

Due to the position of the mute toggle, it can be a little too easy to accidentally change the Bass Boost/Game/Chat volumes inadvertently

Very, very slight static hiss when plugged into USB power, which is apparently systemic to USB-powered headsets. The hiss is less noticeable here than with the Sharkoons, at least

Overall, a huge improvement over my previous headset. The group of people I play with regularly noticed a big difference in audio quality and ability to hear me. Highly recommended if you need a PC and/or 360 headset.

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I just picked these up today, Aug. 16, 2011, which is when they became available. I really love the way these things sound. they are great on movies, music, and especially games. I've had the px 2's, the x11's and these are far superior. The sound is much more rich/full. Without a dss footsteps are crystal clear and no hiss or background noice. the bass boost is great too, if you really want to sound whore turn up the bass a little and those footsteps sound like stomps. I am really pleased because no matter how high i turn up the volume i don't get any distortion. The ear cups are bigger as well making them feel more comfortable than the x11's or px21's. If you liked the x11's then you'll love these. Basically if you have the x11's/px21's and they work then you dont really need these. But if your current headset has distortion or is broken or if your looking to get your first headset for gaming, I highly recommend these without a doubt. This is the best headset you can buy for under $100. Trust me i've tried them all, the plantronics, sharkoon, tritton, & a bunch of others but i just end up returning them because they dont match the quality of the turtle beaches. Hope this review was helpful, if you got any questions please feel free to leave a comment, thanks!

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These headphones are the perfect gift or accesoy to any gamer who enjoys FPS games. I can have the volume as loud as i wanted without disturbing my kids or wife. I can also watch movies and even though they are wired it is long and easy to keep under controll and out of reach of little kids. They are ultra comfortable and the sound is great. I would perfer surround sound for sure but did not have enough to invest in the next grade up. the price was a little high 60.00 but it was worth it. On Call of Duty black ops i can hear enemies entering a building on the first floor while im on the second floor, not only that but i can also hear what direction it is coming from. I ultimatley decided upon the wired pair as well because i read many reviews stating the lower end wirless headphones had lots of interference in the presence of wireless products i.e. baby moniter, laptop, cell phones, and basically anything that is wirless. Bottom line great sound, decent price, and looks awesome.

Honest reviews on Turtle Beach Ear Force X12 Gaming Headset and Amplified Stereo

This is the first pair of headphones I have invested a decent amount of money into, and needless to say I'm blown away. For $55, music has become a completely new drug for me. I have a decent pair of speakers on my computer, but having a pair of headphones that actually have decent (for the money) speakers in them really makes music so much better. Everything comes in clear and deep (I listen to a lot of electronic type music, so it's all over the place). Having the bass control is amazing as well, I honestly didn't think I'd use it, but on songs where it gets out of the range the headphones can handle bass-wise before they sound bad, I can just tune the bass down and it sounds awesome again. It really is useful.

And that was just the music. I play Skyrim, and having the music and the sound effects so close to my ears and crisp really helps set the immersion, along with it blocking out outside noises, sometimes I have to remember to stop playing and actually do something productive @_@

Durability seems good for the price, can't really say much as I haven't had the set too long, but I've dropped them about a yard from my couch onto my floor several times already (not thinking, derp) and they're ok, which I would expect for the price.

Haven't used the microphone, but if it is as sensitive as everyone says, I'm sure there is a way to turn down the sensitivity. These babies are going to make Diablo 3 unreal, can't wait!

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I have researched for over three months now about what to buy. My set up requires me to play Xbox on mute most of the time which sucks, so I've been looking for some headphones to let me hear my games and not disturb anyone else. These are wonderful. I bought them along with the DSS Dolby Digital 7.1 Decoder *check my other reviews to see my thoughts on the DSS 7.1 Decoder*. I was looking for a pair that had the 7.1 (yes I know it's not "real" 7.1) built in, but I've read and heard bad things about the wireless (unless you go super-high end). The wire on this is really not a big deal and not a mess at all. The sound is phenomenal. My father works at an Acoustic Engineering firm and gave these a try and was very impressed for the price point. The sound is awesome and with the DSS makes you aware of where everything is as you move around. Understand that these are 2.1 channel speakers and Xbox only puts out 5.1 channels, so it's not true 7.1, but you won't care once you put them on. When I play an FPS I like to stand near explosions or fires and spin in circles just to hear the sounds move around in my headphones. It's not just for FPS either. I have played sports games, FPS, RPG and racing and it really puts you in the action. It's strange to take them off and realize how quiet it is in the room with how much sound those things really pump into your ears. The separate controls for chat and game are great and the bass boost really does make a difference. My first try with them was 3+ hours and they were never uncomfortable or required readjustment--they just feel nice.

I would highly suggest the wired version and if you want to move past the RCA outputs on the Xbox, get the DSS decoder (it has an optical input)--the sound is digital and you won't believe what you've been missing through TV speakers. I was a skeptic for a long time and have tried many of my friends and relatives various headsets (Tritton 360, Turtle Beach X41, and the new Tritton Trigger) this was better than all of them. For what I paid, you can't beat this product. If you've been on the fence about it, just get it. If you have been debating it, just get it. If you need to keep the place quiet and don't want to miss out on the mind numbing sounds, just get it. These are awesome.

If you would like to leave a comment with any questions you have, feel free--this took me a long time to reach a decision, so I've learned a lot. I would gladly offer my advice and OPINION. Remember that folks, reviews are opinions not the Gospel.

Review of PS3 Bluetooth Headset

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List Price: $49.99
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It comes with the headset, a charging cradle with power adaptor, and a 3 inch usb cable (for synching purposes).

Straight out of the box this looks professional and a high quality design.

It has a power on/off button, a vol+ and vol-, and a MUTE button. All are instinctively located. It can be worn on the left or right ear via a swivel clip common on most bluetooth headsets nowadays.

How do you use it you may ask?

You plug in the headset via the small usb cable to the playstation3 and it automatically syncs it with your ps3. I have heard that you need to delete any other bluetooth headsets in order to do this but that was not my experience. Wait till you see the red ring flash twice and your done.

Don't synch it using the bluetooth discovery method. If you do so it will function like a regular bluetooth headset and some features will not work correctly (such as on screen indication of your volume level, battery life gauge, the mute button, and on screen display if your mute is on or off).

The only complaint I have is that the "headset speaker" is sort of big and the rubber ring that goes around it isn't very soft and can hurt your ear after less than 30 minutes. I did find a solution to this if you just don't jam in into your ear canal that far into your ear it is very comfortable and functional. Just sort of barely seat it into your ear and it works and feels great.

The sound quality is way better than any other bluetooth headset I have used on my ps3 (I have used 4 different ones, all with great levels of success).

It also claims to have a "speakerphone"/microphone function when the headset is in the cradle. I have not had a chance to test this.

In addition the battery life on this claims to be 8 hours with 300 hours of standby which is fantastic.

Finally, it can be used as a bluetooth headset with a bluetooth compatible cellphone.

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I purchased this from another retailer and I thought I'd share some thoughts about it. For starters, it is MUCH better then the Metal Gear Solid 4 bluetooth headset. The MGS headset had way too much static when trying to use it. With this headset I get virtually no static at all. It looks very stylish and professional looking, especially with the little PS logo on it as well.

Is it worth the $50 price tag? Well that all depends on the person using it. It goes great with almost any cell phone, and works perfect with the ps3 and heck it'll work pretty well with any computer that has BT capability as well. The one little gripe I have about it though is that it starts to hurt my ear after about 1-2 hours. It's not because it's a design flaw, but more because I have such large ears. Other then those few little things, I highly recommend this BT headset. Great job Sony!

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some faqs about this...

-this is the same headset that is included with socom confrontation.

-the ear hook is flexible so you can bend/flex it into your desired shape, it is also reversible so you can flip the hook to use it on the left or right ear.

-the docking station uses a USB cable to charge the headset; so not just the ps3 can charge it but any computer with a usb port can.

paired it to my blackberry curve, and it worked perfectly.

look and feels nice.

mic and sound quality is great.

for the guy that gave it 1 star... read the manual!

Honest reviews on PS3 Bluetooth Headset

This headset works great with the PS3. The sound quality is much better than my old Motorola Bluetooth headset i was using. There is little to no echo. The charging stand, speaker works great when you aren't using it on your head. Make sure that you follow the directions and sync it via usb not bluetooth. This allows you to get a lot more features from the headset/speaker stand. (It gives instructions to do this in the manual provided).

I give this item only three total stars because of the comfort factor. The piece that fits over the ear is nice and works but its the piece that goes into the ear that is not very comfortable. If you have the headset on for extended periods of time you will most likely have to switch ears or at least take it out ever so often.

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Everyone should know that practically, every Bluetooth headset works with the PS3. The reason to buy this one is that it is made specifically for the PS3 and it provides certain features that the 'other' sets don't. When properly paired with the PS3 (using the USB wire, NOT the standard Bluetooth pairing process) you will be able to see your set's status such as 'battery charge' or mute on/off on-screen. There is also a voice command mode that would allow certain games to better interpret your voice commands.

To summarize the positives:

integrates with the PS3 better than other sets

may be better at helping the PS3 recognize your voice commands (haven't tested this myself yet)

good, convenient placement for the 'mute' button

good color coordination with your PS3 and your other PS3 peripherals

works with any Bluetooth capable phone

my kids think it's cool

On the negative side:

relatively expensive

not the best design in the world

not very good fit for MY ear (most headsets do not fit well in my ear)

Overall, the negatives are not such a big deal. It gets 4 stars because, if price was not an issue, this would be, without a doubt, the first headset I would pick to use with my PS3.

Discount Tomb Raider: Underworld

Customer Ratings:

Tomb Raider: Underworld is another decent -if not outstanding -installment of the Lara Croft series. The game picks up sometime after the events of Legend, and makes an attempt to tie-up the story. The developers have made an attempt to make this the first Tomb Raider game for the current generation of consoles, and for the most part, they have delivered.

As a Tomb Raider experience, this showing is similar to past games. All of Lara's classic moves are in the game, and the controls are relatively familiar. There are some new moves, such as the adrenaline headshot, which requires you to build-up adrenaline through combat before executing the move. It is effective against humans and animals, but not so much against other enemies you encounter later in the game. There is also a new "adrenaline moment" move, in which the on-screen action slows and you must decide how you want to handle the situation -there's no sequence of buttons to press, and no right or wrong way of doing things. However, I found that these moves were scattered widely throughout the game, and weren't as plentiful or as exciting as the developers had hyped them. The wall climb is another new move, which is well designed and makes you think a little more about how to get to higher ground -you don't necessarily need to look for ledges. In fact, Lara can now climb rock faces as well, so this game tends to mix-it-up for long-time fans. Additionally, in order to find treasures, Lara must break open clay jars -which is somewhat new but also counter-intuitive if Lara values artifacts. Lara's movements are a little more acrobatic, and sometimes her stance just doesn't seem right.

The camera remains the biggest problem in this game, as it had been in both Legend and Anniversary. You simply learn to cope with it, and fortunately it is never a game-breaker. There are "invisible walls", which are areas of a map that Lara can't pass. There are moments when Lara can get stuck in a corner, or simply stuck in the scenery -I encountered several issues where her feet were apparently caught on a rock or a plant. By contrast, although enemies are persistent in this game when you kill them (bodies don't disappear), Lara's feet pass right through them -as if they're vapor. Enemies have no physics at all once they are dead. From an A.I. perspective, the enemies are fairly non-responsive and very easy to defeat.

The game shines in level design. Each level is huge. There are no annoying loading screens or loading delays -everything is loaded in the background, so play is non-stop. The game offers a sonar map on Lara's PDA, which I found totally useless since it did not provide points of interest or way-points. There are many puzzles -sometimes you'll be faced with 2 or 3 puzzles within a level. Puzzles are well-designed but not incredibly difficult. There are no bosses in this game, which is odd and disappointing, considering the number of bosses that appeared in Legend. In a way, however, the puzzles have become bosses because of the skill associated with them (Southern Mexico, as an example).

In addition to the graphics, the sound is superb. The musical score is present at the right moments, but can get extremely repetitive sometimes if you're stuck in a sequence trying to figure something out. CGI animations are smooth, with excellent voice-acting.

The game is fun to play, and the story is tightly-woven and entertaining. If you've played Legend, you'll be satisfied with the one or two twists thrown your way to close that storyline. However, if you didn't play Legend or Anniversary, you might not understand this story at all. I don't think the developers did a good job at making this a stand-alone game. The ending seems very final -there's nothing left to anticipate. I also thought that the game was entirely too short -much shorter than Legend while also much easier to complete. The only replay value is in the "achievements", many of which will be unlocked in the first play-through. It's a good game and worthy of play by fans, but certainly does not trump the previous games.

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If it weren't for the (relatively few) flaws, this game would be a masterpiece. I've been a fan of the tomb raider series for a long long time, but for whatever reason haven't played the last two. I'm glad I gave this one a go.

The pros:

Gorgeous and expansive levels

Great acrobatics

Puzzles are the perfect difficulty

Lots of puzzles

The cons:

Controls take some getting used to, especially the grappling hook

Lara gets "stuck" in the environments sometimes, especially if it's right on top of a terrain change. Can usually escape pretty easily, but it's annoying nonetheless

Invisible walls and "special" walls. I prefer delimiting the boundaries of where you can travel by walls that are simply just too high to jump on. Invisible walls feel cheap. "special" walls are walls that you can jump on and climb (as opposed to unspecial walls that look absolutely identical, but for some reason Lara refuses to grab it). In this sense the environment isn't totally autonomous, I would like to be able to do everything that the laws of physics allow me to do. If there's a wall that isn't any higher than my hands when I raise them straight up, I should sure as heck be able to climb it.

Axis inversion doesn't work on vehicles. This is a little weird, and really feels like a bug in the game, but when playing 3rd person games I really like axis inversion. It's broken on vehicles.

Lack of keyboard mapping. On the Xbox 360 version anyway, there is no option to remap keys.

Autosave feature is a little weird. It uses 8 save slots, the same 8 save slots for if you do manual saves. So if you do a manual save, it will get overwritten later by an autosave.

There is also the obvious comparison to Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. I would rate them about the same, each with its own cons, with Uncharted just having a different set of cons. There are obviously a lot of similarities between the two games, but if you liked Uncharted you won't necessarily like TR:U. For starters Uncharted is much more heavily focused on the combat. In Tomb Raider you might encounter a total of 10 enemies in a level which takes you 3 hours to beat. In Uncharted you would have encountered 100 enemies in that same level. Because of this, the combat system in TR is less refined. There's no "taking cover" for example.

All in all though TRU is a solid, if not the best, game in the Tomb Raider series to date. If you're a fan of Tomb Raider, you will love this game, no question about it.

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"Tomb Raider: Underworld" (TRU from now on) is easily Crystal Dynamics best effort since they took over the TR series from Core Design. It's obvious that the designers have been listening to the fans, and they addressed nearly all of the complaints that people had about their previous attempts.

Here's what they improved:

1. Level design.

Their first attempt, "Tomb Raider: Legend" had extremely linear levels, allowing for practically no exploration. This flew in the face of everything TR was supposed to be about. They improved on this with their second game, "TR: Anniversary," but that was a remake of the original TR game. TRU is the first time that Crystal Dynamics has created their own, original, open levels. They're not quite as open as, say, the levels in TR3, but even on those occasions when you are merely progressing along a predetermined path, the world just feels more open because of its clever design and the massive scale of it all (remember how big St. Francis' Folly in TR1 felt when you first played it back in the late 90s? Well, that's NOTHING compared to enormity of some areas you'll discover in TRU! There's a level towards the end of the game where you have to scale a rotating tower, and the massive scale of it is awe-inspiring. It really adds to the sense of vulnerability you'll feel.)

2. Combat

One of the common complaints about "Legend" was that you seemed to be in a firefight with a ton of mercs every few seconds. TRU scales back the combat drastically, returning the focus to exploring, platforming and puzzle solving, with just enough combat to keep you from ever getting too relaxed. And, if you find the combat too easy (or too difficult), you can adjust the amount of damaged Lara does to her enemies (and the amount of damage that enemies do to Lara.) There are separate sliders that you can move to tailor the gameplay to your preference.

3. Zip & Alistair

These two characters were a mixed blessing in Legend. They helped provide Lara with more personality by constantly chatting with her as she explored, but they also ruined the sense of isolation, and their comments often got a bit tedious (not to mention the fact that they sometimes told you how to solve puzzles when you'd rather figure it out on your own.) In TRU, they no longer to chat with Lara as she explores. They're still in the game, and they show up in cutscenes, but they don't intefere with the adventure. Instead, Lara now has a camcorder, and at key points in certain levels, she'll film certain things and comment on them. It's a good compromise-she still has a personality and we still get some background info on what we're exploring, but the sense of isolation that people enjoyed so much in the original games is back. Also, if you do find that you need a hint, you can ask Lara what to do. Her first response will be somewhat vague, but it might be enough. If you're still stuck, ask her again, and she'll be more specific. This is a very effective way to implement a hint system.

4. The Grapple

The grappling hook that Lara used in Legend and Anniversary is back, but it's implemented better this time around. Just like in Anniversary, Lara can use her grappling hook to run along walls, pull objects, etc. but the designers smartly avoided forcing you to use the grappling hook in situations where it's more frustrating than fun. In Anniversary, for example, there were certain wall runs that were only difficult because you were constantly battling with the controls to get Lara to do what you wanted. In TRU, the designers realized what works and doesn't work, and they seem to have kept this in mind (mostly) when designing levels. You'll still need to do wall runs, but because of the way they're set up, they're more often fun than frustrating.

5. Boss Battles (or the lack thereof...)

There are no boss battles in TRU. This could be seen as a con to some people, but I see it as an improvement. TR games, for me, are not fighting games, and always found boss battles to be more of a roadblock than entertainment. Also, unlike in Anniversary, you're never forced to pull off the tricky adrenaline headshots. If you want to do them, fine, have fun. But if you'd rather just shoot away until your enemy is dead, that's fine too.

6. Lara's moves

Lara finally feels like the character she was always meant to be because her move set has been expanded to give her more flexibility than ever. If you're hanging from a cliff, and a swarm of bats flies towards you, you know longer have to hitch yourself up to solid ground before you can start shooting at them. Just hang on with one hand and shoot with the other. There are plenty of other little new moves like this that really make the game flow better than ever, and all of the moves were motion-captured by an actual gymnast, so it feels more believable than it ever did in previous games.

7. Locales

After the first two TR games, the series started including more and more levels that took place in very non-TR-like locations, such as big cities, hi-tech towers, military bases, Paris streets, etc. TRU really brings the focus back to what TR was originally about-exploring ancient ruins. There are a couple of levels that take place on a ship, but other than that, it's all classic TR environments.

But, as I said in the title of this review, the game is "ALMOST" perfect, meaning not everything is as it should be.

The biggest problem is that in spite of how massive the levels are, it really won't take you very long to complete this game. Now, this is partly due to the fact that Lara simply moves faster than she did in the old games, so getting from point A to point B takes less time. It's also due to the fact that you're rarely left running around aimlessly in circles trying to figure out what to do next, as you often did in the old games. These are both good things, and if these were the only reasons the game took less time to complete, I couldn't fault it at all. But the truth is, there simply aren't enough levels. There are a small handful of massive levels, and a few mini levels in between. What's feels really cheap, though, is that some of the mini levels are actually repeated! (WARNING: If you want to be completely spoiler free, skip the rest of this paragraph) For example, there's a level that takes place on a ship near the start of the game (actually, it's just a small part of the enormous first level.) It's fun the first time around. But towards the end of the game, you have to replay it, and it's pretty much identical, with only the enemies being in different places. Similarly, there's a prologue level that takes place in Croft Manor. Later in the game, you replay the EXACT same sequence. This is a cheap way to pad an already fairly short game.

Another complaint-The game starts out a bit weak. The opening level (after the short prologue level) starts you off in a somewhat disorienting underwater sequence. It looks impressive, but it's not as much fun as it should be. And once you finally get inside, the level still doesn't make a great impression. Not to say it's bad, but it just seems a bit bland compared to the great stuff that comes later. All I can say is, stick with it and you'll be rewarded.

Some people have complained about the camera being uncooperative, so I feel I should mention it here. Honestly, I haven't had any major trouble with it. There are times when you won't be able to see something that you're supposed to jump to, but the game works around this by giving you visual clues. If you suspect that you might be able to jump safely in a certain direction, try pointing in that direction. Lara will prepare herself for the jump if it's do-able. If there isn't a safe way to jump in that direction, she'll either shake her head, or just do nothing. So although you can't always see everything, just pay attention to Lara's reactions, and you'll be fine. This is actually an improvement over previous games, where you often had to take blind leaps of faith with no indication from Lara about whether or not you'd be safe.

One other very minor complaint-The story. It's not that the story is bad at all, and it certainly has some great moments that'll stick with you, but the villains are too rarely seen, to the point where it's easy to forget about them. Legend, I feel, did a better job of keeping the main villain central in the plot. In TRU, you'll see the villains near the start of the game, and then they pretty much go away entirely until the end.

Still, all things considered, TRU is a great game, and now that it's cheaper, its short gameplay isn't really such a factor. If you value quality over quantity, you can't go wrong with this one.

Honest reviews on Tomb Raider: Underworld

The graphics for this game are better than the previous generation as expected, the game play is smoother and climbing much easier than before. I was pleasantly surprised by this game.

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Fun game. Controls and moves are easy to learn, nice graphics, good story, length is fine. Where the game really shines is in its puzzles, environments, and level design. It seems a lot of thought went into these, especially in the Jan Mayen Island and Arctic Sea levels and the Lara's Shadow add-on (all of which are fantastic). Criticisms that the levels are confusing are overstated IMO. You do have to explore the area to figure out what to do next but that's part of the appeal of adventure games. My only complaint is that the camera angles fly here and there (I would like to give the game a 4.5 out of 5 for this reason) but it's not bad enough to be frustrating (just mildly annoying).

I paid full price for the game when it was released last year and don't regret it. At $20, it's a bargain for fans of the series or anyone who is looking for an alternative to first person shooters.

Best Nyko Wii Charge Station Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $22.89
Today's Bonus: 8% Off

As many other reviewers, I quickly learned after getting my Wii that the Wiimotes are understandably battery hogs. I'm a little surprised Nintendo didn't build something like this into the system. Regardless, this charger really does the job, and you almost expect to see a Nintendo logo on it because of the great job Nyko has done with quality and style that matches the Wii itself.

I don't use skins on my Wiimotes (just looks like a hindrance to me), so that hasn't been an issue, although I imagine it would be for any charger/cradle, not just this one. The rubberized battery doors required to use this kit really do improve the overall feel of the Wiimote.

I don't know if battery life matches regular alkalines, but that's because I just put the controllers back in the cradle when I'm not using them, and they always stay charged! I haven't had the indicator on the screen get below the full 4 bars while I've been playing so far.

Also, I prefer the wall plug setup used by this as opposed to some other models that plug into the USB port on the Wii. Those models can only charge one controller and take longer because of the power limits of USB. The wall plug also allows you to keep your charger somewhere else in the room if you like.

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Picked this up the other day....suffice to say they are selling like hotcakes at the Gamestops across the country.

This is a definite purchase for a Wii Owner:

Included in the package is:

Charging Stand

2 Rechargeable Battery Packs

2 Rubberized Battery Covers (Necessary to use)

After unpacking the unit....you see that the rechargeable battery pack slides inthe the Wii Remotes battery compartment with a snap and has a protruding part with the 4 metal contacts for the charging station.....this is why the use of the rubberized battery compartment covers is mandatory as the covers have the hole for access to the battery contacts.

Placing the controllers with everything installed into the charger initially worried me as I wasn't sure if I had to remove the Wrist Straps.

Thankfully...you do not have to....there are small grooves on the left and right of the stand for you to lay the Wrist strab connection through.

Charging of the 2 remotes from install took approximately 3-4 hours.....and everything works like a charm and it looks great.

If you have a Wii....buy it.... with batteries....not too bad :)

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I have owned this product about 4 months and have had to replace the battery pack for one unit already.The Battery pack lasted about 4 weeks and then it stopped working it would just get very hot but had no charge. Contacted customer service who had me return the batteries at my expense and they sent me new batteries in a previously used envelope (I mention this as it is indicative of an extremely small shoe string operation not a solid company). The new battery worked fine for awhile but now one battery pack is definitely getting hotter than the other so will probably not last and is out of guarantee. I think this is a good idea just not a quality product needs to be re engineered and made by a quality company.

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On the intial charge the battery melted and nearly ruined my Wiimote if I hadn't checked on it and realized it felt a little too warm. Customer support offered to replace what they determined was a defective battery but declined to replace my Wiimote or give a refund. Great idea but it seems I am not the only one that is having problems with this product. If you have the money to risk it may work out for you but beware that it is a potential fire hazard and could at the very least ruin your Wiimote which cost $40 to replace. I wish I could give this thing a 0 or even negative stars. Buy at your own risk.

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I purchased mine a month ago. After about 2 weeks, one of the batteries went dead (the other worked fine in either controller). I wrote their customer service, and they told me to return it at my expense and they'd send me a new one. They then returned the battery and it still didn't work -same problem. At the same time, the second battery went bad. Rather than pay more shipping, I just dropped it in the trash. I'm using the stand, just not the batteries...

Reviews of Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV FightPad - Chun-Li

Customer Ratings:

I have the controller with Chun Li on the front. First, let me say that I have read various complaints on web forums from people who say that the diagonals on these controllers don't work quite right. While I don't question the accuracy of these claims, a lot of people (like me) aren't experiencing this problem, so it is clearly something that's only affecting some of the controllers. Oh, and there are apparently some issues with pulling off special moves in Mortal Kombat vs DC. If you're interested in using the Fightpad with that game, I'd suggest you do a bit of research on it, as I'm not sure of the specifics. Now, onto my review ...

I have played with many, many d-pads over the years, and I can say hands down that the best one ever made was the one for the Sega Saturn, specifically the Japanese version. Playing Marvel vs Capcom with that controller is about as close as you can get to 2D fighting game nirvana :) This new Madcatz Fightpad is supposedly modeled off of the Saturn controller. Is it really that good? Well, not quite, but it's still very good. Special moves can be pulled off like butter, and some will say it's actually a little too sensative, because you end up pulling off dragon punches by accident. The d-pad itself is very 'floaty', but I really like it. Needless to say, it is a HUGE improvement over the standard 360 d-pad

At this point, I'm sure some of you are wondering if it's really worth paying $40 for this controller to play SFIV with. Well, let me tell you that this controller also works wonders with some of the more 'retro' style XBLA games, especially Pacman CE. I tried it with this controller and I have a much easier time controlling it than I do on the regular 360 pad. Also, this controller has a 2-speed turbo fire feature, which I tried with R-Type and Mega Man 9; it worked great in both games.

Oh, and it's PC compatable too, though I have not personally tried it.

Overall, I have to give this controller 4 stars instead of 5 because of the problems that some people are having, but I still highly recommend it. However, I would also advise you to buy locally if you can, just in case you get one of the bad ones. That way, it will be easier for you to exchange it if you need to. I would NOT buy it online. As of this writing, it is a bit hard to find. But if you have Gamestops in your area, keep checking there, as that is where I got mine.

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So I'm not a professional when it comes to SF4 and basically just loved it from my SNES childhood. So, I opted for a pad and not an arcade stick. The 360 controller just SUCKS for Street Fighter. It has the worst DPad ever and is too clunky for fighting game usage. I moved to a PS3 whose controller is better than a 360 but still not the best. When I finally was able to find an SF4 gamepad, I was overjoyed. There are definitely pros and cons which I will go over.

CONS: The controller has a diagonal that you REALLY need to get used to. Blocking low, for instance, sometimes doesn't happen at all. I'll be in the middle of a block string then get hit because I'm not pressing down and back. When throwing shoto fireballs, you can't just spam them and hit Down to Forward. You basically have to use the outer edge of the circular pad to make sure that the DownForward also gets inputted.

PROS: Pretty much the rest of the pad is a pro. The buttons are laid out very nicely so that you can easily do throws, focus attacks or combos. The d-pad is designed very well so that you can easily slide your thumb from one area to another. I had no problems with jumping forward issues at all (just fireballs). People complain about the shoulder buttons for being cheap but I love them because they respond perfectly just with a tap. I like wired controllers because I don't have to worry about batteries and this one has a nice, long 10 ft cable.

Best Deals for Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV FightPad - Chun-Li

I am surprised at the high rated reviews this product has gotten. I am a fighting game enthusiast and know a good Dpad when I try one. I loved the old-school Nintendo Dpad, and the Playstation 2 Dpad is also very good. They offered precise feel and control. When I got my Xbox 360, I was shocked at how poor the Dpad was on that controller. Everything else, including the analog sticks are so perfect, but the Dpad is clumsy and ineffective. I'd try to hold back to block and end up jumping or doing some other random direction.

So after reading some reviews on different products, I thought I'd give the Madcatz fightpad a try. When I received the package, I already had a gut-feeling that it was no good. This was confirmed moments later as I tried to play with it.

1) The diagonals were very difficult to locate and I couldn't hit them with any consistency. Very bad news in a fighting game. I found that I had to hit a precise 30 degree angle from the down position to get down-back, and that should be 45 degrees, not 30. But this could have been a defect in the particular controller I got, and might not be an issue in others.

2) However, I'm sure for all of these controllers, the feel of the pad would be the same. The floating Dpad is very loosey-goosey. While this makes it very easy to throw fireballs, any slight pressure will move you away from your intended position. So if you needed to hold back to block, you might accidentally jump or duck.

3) The construction/material of the controller feels very light and cheap. This wouldn't have bothered me too much if the controller worked great but it didn't, and this only added to my disappointment.

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV FightPad - Chun-Li

The D-Pad for this fightpad is horrible!

I really like the layout of this controller. The buttons and d-pad are perfect for me. The killer for this controller is the d-pad, it just doesn't work. I read about this controller having a lot of problems, I figured maybe these problems have been fixed by now, but apparently I was wrong.

The diagonals on this controller just don't work. I have this controller plugged into my computer, I can see the input of the directions I press as I press them, I am getting real-time feedback on it. When I press each diagonal on the d-pad, it doesn't always register a diagonal. What it registers is either right, left, up, or down. If I press down HARD on the diagonal, I may get a diagonal command, but ONLY if I press hard on the diagonal, and it will ALWAYS register another direction first BEFORE it registers the diagonal. There's an arrow located on the d-pad for each direction. Up, down, left, right, and the diagonals all have arrows. When I press a diagonal arrow, it goes in a different direction. Huh? If I press the DOWN-RIGHT arrow, it goes RIGHT, and not DOWN-RIGHT.

Some examples: If I press UP-RIGHT on the d-pad, it registers RIGHT. If I tap UP-RIGHT fast on the d-pad, it will iregister RIGHT and only sometimes will it register UP-RIGHT. If I press down hard on UP-RIGHT, it will register RIGHT and then it might register UP-RIGHT.

It never registers only the diagonals first, it will always register another direction first. UP-RIGHT will always execute RIGHT first, DOWN-RIGHT will always execute RIGHT first, UP-LEFT will always execute LEFT first, DOWN-LEFT will always execute LEFT first.

I can NEVER execute just a diagonal command. I tried this many times. I have other cheaper controllers that have no problems executing movements on their d-pads, why does this more expensive one find going in a diagonal so hard.

The buttons work fine. The feel of the controller is great. But what's the point of all that if the d-pad doesn't work.

Maybe people with working controllers got good ones and the rest of us got bad ones, or maybe they just have lower standards, all I know is that this controller sucks. It's not worth all this money for a controller that can't get the basic function of a d-pad right.

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There are two reasons to buy this for playing Street Fighter over using a traditional 360 controller: The D-Pad, and the buttons. That may not seem like much, but in the end they're both perfectly executed.

The D-pad is an interesting design. Essentially, it is a very, very small joystick with a d-pad mounted on top. Thus you can move right by either pressing down on the right side, or pushing the pad towards the right. Because of this the movement is very fluid and dynamic, but there is a bit more travel than you would get with a traditional d-pad. I've found it to be very helpful with rotation-based moves (down, downforward, forward), but the distance is less helpful for charge moves (back for 1 second, forward). Directions are quite precise, and I never find that I'm accidentally pressing the wrong way. Overall, it beats any d-pad available on the 360 easily, including previous Mad Katz pads and Hori imports.

Further, the buttons are pure beauty to use. The layout is perfect, and the buttons are spaced far enough apart that I have yet to accidentally mispress. Button action is short and sharp, allowing for faster usage. This is the button layout that the game was made for. The shoulder buttons, unfortunately, are somewhat stiff and difficult to use, but they get the job done.

The pad also features rapid fire, which is pretty easy to use. Hold the rapid fire button, and tap the button you would like to set. A light on the controller blinks as it goes. Simple. As a bonus, the controller is curved almost perfectly so that any button can be held down with a simple rubber band, if you're the kind of cheater who does that sort of thing.

10 seconds after starting off with this controller, it felt perfectly natural in my hands. This is the way the game was meant to be played. Instead of fighting against the controls, I felt like I was playing the game. 40 dollars for a pad that you will probably use on one or two games may seem like a lot (and it is), but this controller is just a pleasure. Highly Recommended.