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I needed extra length so i could hide these cables inside the wall before i hung my big 55" LED / LCD VIZO HDTV. Every one said MONSTER CABLES but the picture I am getting with these and the cost savings .... Its the only cable to buy.
Showing posts with label when will the xbox one release. Show all posts
Showing posts with label when will the xbox one release. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Best AmazonBasics Ultra-High-Speed HDMI Cable Braided (9.8 Feet/3.0 Deals
just about any hdmi cable under 10ft should fit the bill...when I opened the box for this cable, I was shocked at what I found...this is the beefiest hdmi cable I have ever come across...so maybe it's just my own imagination and expectations, but I felt that the picture was a little better...whatever the case, amazon basics hdmi cable was a total welcome to my blu ray...I would recommend this cable to anyone...glad I bought it...
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Best TRON: Evolution Collector's Edition - Playstation 3 Deals
List Price: $129.99
Sale Price: $38.50
Today's Bonus: 70% Off
Just go buy the standard game instead of this. The lightcycle model is made out of a very cheap-looking plastic. There's a hidden button on the lower back of the rider that makes the bike light up when you press it but it's still not that impressive looking. It's painted like a Hallmark ornament. Seriously, the $15 toy Spinmaster lightcycles are superior to it. Even the box it was packaged in is far more impressive to look at. Sideshow Collectibles used to make some really good high-end collectibles but this isn't "high-end" at all except in price only and the quality is definitely not worth paying the extra $70 for even though the $10 movie coupon kind of softens the blow. I regret buying this and will try to sell it on ebay to recoup some of the loss.
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Lightcycle Review: I've uploaded some images of the actual Lightcycle collectible, as it was really hard for me to gauge whether or not this was a worthwhile item or not. Hopefully, these images will help others decide. The collectible is not nearly as bad as many have made it out to be. It's a mixture of black rubber-like components & black plastic. Obviously, since it's representing something that doesn't have any real texture (in the movie), it's not going to be loaded with detail.Having waited to get this until the price dropped, I'd say that $80 is a good price point for this. I would understand how some might have felt burned for paying $130. But, even then, I would have to say that it's far more 'adult' a collectible than the toy Lightcycle, which didn't seem that great to me. Besides, you can turn on the light on the Tron Evolution Lightcycle and leave it on for display, whereas it seemed to me that the toy is a press-and-it-lights (temporarily) event.
Yes, you heard that right: it DOES light-up. There is a soft-switch well-hidden button in the lower-back of the back of the rider. When lit, it spotlights the front wheel, the engine, and the rider's disc. Now, it would have been ideal if the entire length of blue lines lit like in the movie, ..and maybe really tops if the blue in the display lit-up (neither is true). But, for what it is, it's decent. Certainly, being a big Tron Legacy fan, I'm glad I got it ...and a bit perturbed at all the negative reviews that really slammed this product.
Game Review: Having bought the non-collector copy of the game (as well) months back when it released, I've played through a good amount of it to give a fair assessment. It's not the best game ever; it's certainly not the worst movie tie-in ever, either. When it's good, it's great. When it's bad, it can been insanely frustrating. The biggest problem are the wall-jumping sections that require you to make a jump/back-jump precisely correct ... and if not you fall & de-rezz. And fall & de-rezz. And fall & de-rezz. Over and over until you get it right.
But, when it's on-point, it's a load of fun. The disc-throwing action is fluid and fast, and you feel "like Tron" (even though you play a different character). The cut-scenes are a little rough; not quite up to the par of the rest of the game's graphics, but they're generally short and/or mostly skippable.
Online multiplayer is definitely the high-point of this game, although (bummer) multiplayer can't be engaged in 3D mode. On that note: 3D really adds nicely to feel of this game, bringing it close to the that of Tron Legacy (for those fortunate to have seen the movie in 3D). This is also an element I was worried about. Having just recently got a 3D TV, and having read a review somewhere online that 3D causes severe slowdown. --Not true. I've found that the game runs just as smooth in 3D as not, and it's a very cool additional feature for this game.
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It is an excellent product that does what it has provided on the page, Congratulations on the quality of the product and its featuresHonest reviews on TRON: Evolution Collector's Edition - Playstation 3
Good game, the base is very cool, has a tray compartment, I just found out the light bike illuminates LOL! Decent collector item.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for TRON: Evolution Collector's Edition - Playstation 3
im go straight this not worth more than $60 I buy it on cut price and im really proud of have it!! now this collector is on a good price don't think about and buy it soon is going to disappear capitalist re going to sell it for more than $150 Is really awesome and the game too!!! I buy it at gamestop on a cut price! and im really really happy with the buy!! I highly recommend it !! so buy it soon! before capitalist!!Monday, November 17, 2014
Glory of the Roman Empire - PC Review
List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $9.39
Today's Bonus: 77% Off
While the game is indeed very simple and easy to get into, it is incredibly tedious, and will take a certain degree of micromanagement. In the first few campaign missions, the game is wowing. The graphics are better then any other Rome-based city builder I have seen, the interface is simple, and there is minimal micromanagement. The smaller your soon-to-be metropolis, less micromanagement. But, you simply have to use micromanagement, as the game forcibley makes you enlarge your city. As soon as your city gets too large for just a few administrative and distributive buildings, the citizens start complaining about how they need this, that, ect. So, you must provide this, that, ect. for them. Then, maybe they, for some random reason, will catch the plague. Well you have to fix that! Or maybe a house will be on fire. That needs to be fixed too! Thus, you must lay out many scaffolds at once before you even think about houses. I liked how they incorporated slaves into the game, as workers, and how if you worked them too hard they would revolt. However, if you get a notification that a house is on fire, then it's gone. You can try to get a prefacture up to stop it, but it's already gone unless you begin rebuilding it right away. Add this to the fact that the learning curve may be a bit flat for you, and the game gets fairly boring fast. If you get bored with the campaign and jump the gun to the free-build, then woah! What the heck is a Domus? So, simply, you must continue with the campaign, because you can't start the free-build given the fact that there are too many unexplained buildings.
One of my favorite features (probably because I love Latin) is the ability to change the entire game lettering and wording into Latin, the ancient Roman language. The grammer is a sketchy at times (using "ad" in something such as "there are too many"), but overall it really does well. I would have liked to see some slaves that the Romans might have considered "exotic" (such as african, german, british, ect. people) as maybe a trade item.
The game gets a 3 for fun and 4 overall, it will entertain you garenteed for a few hours, but unless you take time to get through the repetitiveness, it will not continue to excite you.
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It's limited in complexity compared to the old standards like Age of Empires/Mythology/Kings, and has more than a few irritating quirks. For example, the the panoramic view you are given seems more designed to show off the scenery (which is pretty nice) than to get you a useful view of, say, enemy troops. Unlike Black and White, which gives you full range of motion, here as you move upward for a good overall shot, your field of vision is restricted to only what is directly below you, which is a tiny fraction of the map. No horizon shots whatsoever. That combined with the fact that enemy soldiers aren't marked on the minimap means you are constantly surprised when angry Israelis come to kick you off their land.I also dislike the lack of control over troops. Archers running out of towers to get slaughtered by axemen. Velits that won't show up to battle til they're good and ready. I also had a case of disappearing mercenaries on one map where the number dwindled to zero before the first battle. Never found an explanation for that. Overall, the battle aspect of the game from a strategy perspective is nearly nonexistant, so don't get your hopes up. No individual control over units means no say in how your guys respond to attacks, and its generally dull even when they manage a win.
Another quirk which I discovered in the challenge mode is that if someone burns down your only woodcutter's lodge and you have less than 4 units of wood stored, game over. It doesn't actually stop, you just can't build anymore buildings, even a woodcutter's lodge, *AND* all your existing buildings that need wood for upkeep go up in flames. Craptacular.
Also (this is the worst of all), the cheat codes don't seem to work. I tried them all.
One big plus, though, is the Latin. You can play the whole game with Latin narration and text. It's also the absolute first game about Romans I have ever played that didn't have British voiceovers. It sounds authentically Latin (to me). The producers are German, so I guess they don't suffer the same delusions as we anglophones. It's a nice touch.
Anyway, aside from the issues, it was an interesting diversion, but at the end of the day I'm going right back to Age of Whatever. Maybe the next version will knock my socks off.
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To me Glory of the Roman Empire is a work of art and a really great game. The graphics are far above average. Learning to play is simple and the level of the game is not complicated nor demanding. As I mentioned in another interview elsewhere, you can play GotR without having to worry about Caesar making a lot of difficult demands which must be met within a certain period and distract from the actual city building aspects by forcing the player to spend time and exert himself in seeing these are met or, face the possibility of losing the game. There are outbreaks of plague and you will have fires but, these are easily dealt with by building a special building which doubles as a drug store and doctor and erecting fire stations to cover populated areas. All in all I find the game quite enjoyable and my only complaints are that most of the maps are not large enough and the game does not contain and editor.Honest reviews on Glory of the Roman Empire - PC
I have tried installing it twice and when I try to play it it tells me that i'm missing a library file. I've done the research and it turns out that there is no patch for Win 7. So if you have Win 7, or, as I hear, Vista as well, just don't waste time and effort in this game.Sunday, October 26, 2014
Buy Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Special Edition -Xbox 360
List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $38.95
Today's Bonus: 3% Off
This game I had high hopes after seeing it revealed, seeing it as a combination of resident evil and ghost recon game play mechanics but when I played this game it was easily topping one of the worst games I have ever played. Choppy animations, graphics being on par with the PS2, story almost completely lacking, characters with the personality of a rock, entirely to dark environments, complete linear paths, some of the worse AI ever utilized in a game for both enemies and allies. And the list can go on and on but I'm starting to feel like I'm playing this game again which is now collecting dust in my closet and now I'm feeling suicidal tendencies, now I must go and find a local priest to perform a exorcism on this game in hopes of getting the demon out of it that causes me such misery. You have been warned...
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This game should have been the Home Ec. of video games: an incredibly easy A; something you had to try exceptionally hard to get wrong. Congratulations, gentleman. If your goal was to fail a gimme, success.The bottom line: the game play mechanics are broken. It's not even the incredibly bad AI people have pointed out in other reviews, the game simply doesn't work. It's a bunch of pieces mashed together that make little sense.
Not a game even worth borrowing. Do yourself a favor and don't ruin the series for you. Consider this comparable to the disappointing sadness that we all felt from the Mario Bros. live action movie.
I am seriously considering banning a household ban of purchases of any game made by anyone directly involved in the design of this game.
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Seems like Capcom put little if at all any effort into RC. Doesn't keep up with modern zombie shooters or even that of the other RE games. If you want to mindlessly run through levels bludgeoning through zombies with underpowered weapons to a point that it gets tedious beyond the second mission this is the game for you.Honest reviews on Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Special Edition -Xbox 360
If you want a straight Resident Evil game than you should not get this. This is a team based shooter that takes place in the Resident Evil universe and it's not even a great shooter. The one redeeming quality this game has is it is still fun. That is I poured plenty of hours into this game playing through the missions and got a lot of simple enjoyment from it. So if you can get this game for 20 bucks or less and aren't looking for a serious game than I recommend it as a decent buy. If you can't than don't waste your money. I bought it at launch and don't regret buying it. I had a lot of fun playing it but wish I hadn't spent so much money on it.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Special Edition -Xbox 360
Pros:It's fun to play
Not 100% scripted. You will still be able to make one choice later in the game (BUT only for U.S.S campaign)
2 campaigns (Delta and Spec Ops) that are very much different. It includes one or few mutants that didn't make it to Delta campaign.
The game looks good.
Interesting looking characters. Some are even likable.
A new vision on Resident Evil story. I liked it.
Cons:
bugs,
bad menu,
not easy to learn interface,
dumb AI,
Special equipment that you get with pre-orders and special edition is not awesome. Only one weapon in there is powerful if you take a look at stats. But here comes the bad part. It is slow and other ''deluxe'' weapons are not powerful and even worse than other standard weapons. So far I used only anti-material rifle as weapon of choice. Grenade launcher is meh and other weapons are ok. Nothing too special.
Lack of the character introduction. We have a story, but the game is more like run and shoot type.
I am glad that I have the game. I enjoyed it, but there is still a lot of things that can be improved.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Cheap Forza Motorsport 1 Racing First Print BLACK Label for the XBOX
Great collectible! I was leery about buying this on Amazon with the stock photo and all but it is the Original Black Label First Print version fully sealed! I bought 5!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Ratchet & Clank Up Your Arsenal - PlayStation 2 Review
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $14.95
Today's Bonus: 25% Off
I am a huge fan of the series, having played both the original and the sequel. The first game is a stand alone classic and the second was even better. This blows both of them away.
I liked the weapons upgrades in the second game and this greatly improves it. Instead of one level up, there are FOUR. Combine that with the upgrades on challenge mode and your weapons will never get stale.
The minigames in the game are really fun. It has arena matches like those in the second game and adds combat missions alongside the Galactic Rangers. These can prove challenging but reward you with many bolts.
The first game had lots of humor in it. The second had some but not as much. This game returns to its roots and gets you laughing throughout the cut scenes.
Final Review: This game is bigger, better, and more fun than either of the first two games. Fork out the money and get it. Its well worth it.
Difficulty: Medium
Gameplay: Really Fun
Duration: 15-25 hrs (over 25 hrs to get everything)
Recomended: Most Definitely
Wait to Get It: Are you kidding me?
Final Score: 10/10
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The Ratchet and Clank series is one of the best all around gaming fun on the market. The games are long but interesting, you can replay them countless times, and now it's online too!First, the game is fun for kids and adults. There's a fair amount of humor that will go right over kids' heads, that adults will laugh their heads off of. There are all sorts of references to Aliens, Halo, and other pop culture events. There are also many references to the previous two Ratchet and Clank games, so I highly recommend you get those and play through them.
The graphics are really great in a cartooney way. The characters seem quite lifelike far more than in some pseudo-photorealistic games I've played recently. It's a testament to the talent of the animators of this game. You really do come to be quite fond of the various characters involved.
The weapons are simply BRILLIANT and now each one has four levels of upgrade, which makes them change in appearance and improve in functionality. You have lava guns, electric arcing guns, mini-turrets, and my favorites, the little doomie robots. Actually, each weapon is my favorite in certain situations. That's the brilliance here every weapon can be really a lot of fun.
The levels are all plotted out with their own look, feel, music, indigenous monsters, you name it. It is truly amazing how much this affects game enjoyability. Other games I've played recently had music that was lovely, but just didn't fit the mood of the level. It really makes a huge difference to have that done well.
Because you can go back to levels and gain more bolts, look for secret bonusses, find the titanium bolts, use your magnetic shoes, etc. etc., there is always room for more fun. This isn't a game that you play through once and put on a shelf. It's just as much time the second or twentieth time through the game, blasting away with your zappy electric gun or setting loose hordes of doomies.
And let's not forget the plot, which is full of laugh out loud comments and great, sly comments. This game just has everything you could want.
But there's more! The brilliant addition with Up Your Arsenal is the online gameplay. If you become a super player, not only can you kick through the game with ease, but you can take your gameplay online and find out just how good you really are! All of the great weapons and graphics are there for your enjoyment!
A must-buy for PS2 fans, 5/5.
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Ratchet and Clank was a suprisingly fun game. It's your typical 3-D third person shooter, like Destroy All HumansStory
Up Your Arsenal is the 3rd in a series. I have not played the first two, but I am inclined to try them out. It follows the humorous story of Ratchet, a cute cat-like alien wielding a big gun, and Clank, his little robot sidekick. However, from the perspective of most people in the game world, the roles are reversed. Clank is a James Bond like secret agent, and Ratchet is his bumbling chaufer.
This leads into the the comical nature of the story. For the most part, it's not gut busting comedy, but there's enough dry wit to keep you smiling, and sometimes laughing through the cut scenes, and sometimes during the game play as well.
The story also features Captain Quark, "The best superhero the galaxy has ever seen," who though being a coward and moron, overshadows Ratchet as well.
The game is also chalk full of references to other games and movies. There's enough that I'm certain to have missed a lot of them, and those I caught I really enjoyed. A few examples: One of the cowardly troops in the game exclaims "We're all gonna die! Game over, man!" borrowing from the movie Alien. Also there are a number of mini-games that are very similar to some old-school Atari games.
Weapons
Unlike many shooter games, you don't start off with a lame weapon that becomes increasingly useless as the game progresses. I'm speaking of course about that stupid single-shot pistol.
Instead, you start off with a wrench (melee weapon) that can 1-shot groups of small enemies both in the beginning and end of the game, as well as having a powerful jump attack that can 1-shot large enemies in the beginning, and 2or 3-shot large enemies in the end game. It's particularly useful in the end game to clean up groups of enemies to preserve ammo, or take out one or two enemies that have gotten too close.
The first ranged weapon you get in the 1st level is a shot-gun, a weapon powerful enough to be reserved for mid-game in similar games. The remaining weapons only get more powerful from there. The 2nd weapon you'll get is a ranged area-effect bomb that can groups of large enemies in a single shot.
To keep the weapons useful as the game progresses, they each become more powerful, the more you use them. Taking the shotgun for example, in the beginning it has a short range, but wide (cone) effect. When it gets to level 3, it gains a charge up ability increasing the depth of the cone, as well as damage done. At level 4, it can lock-on to enemies, so you can shoot easier while moving, and at level 5 (max) it gets a charge up ray effect with the power of the BFG in doom (no joke, it can level the playing field quite easily)
There are also a series of unique and very fun weapons, such as the Suck Cannon. A gun that vacuums up enemies, and then spits them out at other enemies. Also one of my favorites, the Duck Gun. A gun that just turns your enemies into harmless ducks! Strategically, I haven't found much of a use for it, but it's just fun turning things into ducks!
Difficulty
For the most part, I found the game relatively easy to play. There are about 20-30 different weapons to choose from, but the controls make it rather easy to swap weapons mid-combat. I've been able to use the rope gun to swing from one ledge to another, mid fall, switch to the remote turret launcher, and by the time I land have the laser whip in my hand to wreak havoc.
The game-play was easy enough to be relaxing and enjoyable, but not so easy that I got bored. I typically had to tried each level 1 to 3 times before I got passed it. For the most part each level is unique enough to keep me moving with out that "been there done that" feeling (like what you get in Halo) The levels were easy enough that I didn't feel the levels were impeding my ability to enjoy the story.
The only exception would be some of the last 3 or 4 levels that were to the point of difficulty that I had to spend 3-4 hours trying and retrying to pass them.
One thing to note, is the save style in the game. It uses save points and continue points (similar to Halo). Save points are places where you can start after turning off your Playstation. Continue points are places where you can start over from in the event of death, so you don't have to start over from the beginning, so long as you don't turn off the Playstation. For the most part this wasn't too bad, but there were a couple places where I was forced to repeat a boring (easy) part that took 5 minutes, just to get to die at the hard part, over and over and over again. That got frustrating, but at least there weren't too many such places.
Play Time
Ratchet and Crank is a quick game. With out any prior experience with the game or others in the series, I was able to beat it in about 20 hours of game play. If I tried again (which I'm certain to do soon), I could probably beat it in about 14 to 15 hours play time. Someone who knew it inside and out could probably beat it in about 10 hours.
Replayability
The game is loaded with hidden location, and unlockable features. Even after the 20 hours of play time, I'll be going back to levels I've already beaten to find those secret locations, so I can unlock more skins, cheats, etc. Similar to Rogue Squadron, there are places in earlier levels that are inaccessible with out tools or weapons that are earned later in the game, encouraging the player to go back and replay some levels to unlock various secrets.
It's also a fast enough game, with enough humor that I wouldn't be surprised to find myself playing it through from beginning to end again with in the year.
Honest reviews on Ratchet & Clank Up Your Arsenal - PlayStation 2
Without doubt, the Ratchet & Clank series has my favorite PS2 games. This installment of the series has the solid foundation of the first two and thus it's still a good game. However, this game simply didn't deliver the entertainment of the first two.Pros:
1) The game writers retain their sense of humor, which I believe is CRITICAL in a Ratchet & Clank game.
2) The major new feature of this game is a mini-platform-game. It's a Super Mario Bros. type game with Cpt. Quark and it's really fun.
3) They replaced the rocket ship battles with hovercraft battles and they are almost all optional.
Cons:
1) The game was too short. I completed the single player in 20 hours and I usually complete Ratchet & Clank in 40.
2) Multiplayer mode doesn't make up for a lacking single player game. Unreal 2004 is much better for this type of multiplayer game.
3) The diversity of monsters is disappointing. The first three worlds show the usual Ratchet & Clank gameplay of each world having its own monsters and the best weapons to kill them. The following worlds see the same monsters over and over so combat gets repetitive.
4) The many ways weapons upgrade is pretty fun, but if you use a weapon infrequently, it'll become useless later because it doesn't have the power you need.
5) The laser-allignment puzzles to open doors have changed to speed challenges requiring minimal intelligence and fast reflexes. There are no intellectual puzzles anymore.
6) Nearly all of the acrobatic challenges are restricted to the arena and they aren't very challenging. There is only one significant swingshot and powered platform challenge. The skating and rail-grinding challenges are completely gone.
7) There's only one 'asteroid' world.
Overall, this version of Ratchet & Clank is much more focused on combat and far less on puzzles and acrobatics and the combat isn't as varied as it used to be.
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I've loved all three of the games in the Ratchet and Clank series, this one no less. I'm not an active Online gamer, epecially where Shooter games are concerned, so that wasn't a big deal. Unfortunately, it seems that the Online mode caused the One-player mode to come up a little short in this installment. There just seem to be fewer levels. That could only be a perception, however. As I've not counted the number of levels/missions, I can't back that up with statistics. It just seems that I flew through the main story more quickly than I did the first two (or at least the second, Going Commando).Pros:
1. New weapons (the Rift Inducer is really cool), with more levels of upgrades than before.
2. Freebies from saved games of R&C 1&2
3. Online capable
4. New mini-games
5. Acquiring bolts is much easier
Cons:
1. One-player mode seems to lack size in comparison to Going Commando (fewer worlds?)
2. You don't have the 'dogfight' missions in your spacecraft. Sure, there are hovercraft missions, but they aren't as cool.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Xbox 360 Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Telecaster Player's Edition Reviews
First let me start off by saying that I am a huge Rock Band fan. I've stayed with the series ever since the beginning and have over 400 downloaded songs to go along with the exported songs from Rock Band 1, 2 and 3, Lego Rock Band, and the AC/DC track pack. I play all the time with friends. And just as I have upgraded my drums to the ion kit when the originals died, so too was it time to say goodbye to yet another guitar ( I think this is number 5 or 6? We have played a lot). This time however, instead of going for the usual standard rock band guitar, I thought I'd give one of these Player Edition Telecasters a try.
There are a a few differences obviously. Most are in the product description. So there shouldn't be any real surprises here. It's almost exactly the same size as the standard Strat. So it's not like you're getting one of Madcatz's oversized Bass guitars. The Fret buttons are 3/4 and after playing this for about a week, I don't really see any huge benefit or drawback to this. I just hope that it helps in the long term. I've had a few guitars quit on me early because one of the Fret buttons stopped working unless it was being pushed down by the righteous hand of God. I will say however, that the Frets are much, much quieter on the Telecaster than the standard Stratocaster. (As a side note, because of the 3/4 Frets, if you play Lefty, DO NOT buy this guitar. You will be excruciatingly frustrated).
Another difference is the strum bar. It is much stiffer than the standard guitar. It has that solid, "clicking" feel to it that is reminiscent of the early Guitar Hero 2 X-Plorer guitars. It's nice in that it gives you a more solid feel. However, it is almost too stiff for my taste. In really fast sections it can actually ware down your hand/ wrist if you are strumming a lot of notes in extensive sequences (Foo Fighters Monkey Wrench as an example).
The back button is also now a touch-sensitive overdrive button located between the strum bar and the neck of the guitar. While I am still getting used to it, I don't really like it very much. I'm just too used to raising my guitar into the air to set off overdrive. Anytime I've tried to hit the touch sensitive button, I've just lost my score multiplier (something I normally don't do when tilting the guitar). And that is exactly what the button is supposed to help alleviate. Still though, I can imagine that it would benefit some people.
All and all it is a solid guitar. I have no real complaints about it other than the wireless Xbox guide button takes far too much effort to turn on or be recognized. It's just what the rock band guitars should have been all along. A solid, fun, real looking piece of entertainment. The extra buttons are more out of the way (No more accidentally turning your Wah-Wah's off) and the whammy bar is a blast (It's solid metal and sitting on a massive spring. It also rotates down and out of your way if you're not planning on using it).
Final Verdict: If you play a lot of Rock Band and want something a little flashier than the standard Stratocaster, but don't feel like shelling out $200 for the Wooden, full sized versions of the guitars, get the Telecaster. No promises on increasing your scores though (It hasn't noticeably helped mine yet).
As I've noticed that they seem to be sold out of them on Amazon, try ordering them from NewEnglandMusicSupply.com. I bought the Butterscotch one from them a while back. And they seem to keep them in stock.
There are a a few differences obviously. Most are in the product description. So there shouldn't be any real surprises here. It's almost exactly the same size as the standard Strat. So it's not like you're getting one of Madcatz's oversized Bass guitars. The Fret buttons are 3/4 and after playing this for about a week, I don't really see any huge benefit or drawback to this. I just hope that it helps in the long term. I've had a few guitars quit on me early because one of the Fret buttons stopped working unless it was being pushed down by the righteous hand of God. I will say however, that the Frets are much, much quieter on the Telecaster than the standard Stratocaster. (As a side note, because of the 3/4 Frets, if you play Lefty, DO NOT buy this guitar. You will be excruciatingly frustrated).
Another difference is the strum bar. It is much stiffer than the standard guitar. It has that solid, "clicking" feel to it that is reminiscent of the early Guitar Hero 2 X-Plorer guitars. It's nice in that it gives you a more solid feel. However, it is almost too stiff for my taste. In really fast sections it can actually ware down your hand/ wrist if you are strumming a lot of notes in extensive sequences (Foo Fighters Monkey Wrench as an example).
The back button is also now a touch-sensitive overdrive button located between the strum bar and the neck of the guitar. While I am still getting used to it, I don't really like it very much. I'm just too used to raising my guitar into the air to set off overdrive. Anytime I've tried to hit the touch sensitive button, I've just lost my score multiplier (something I normally don't do when tilting the guitar). And that is exactly what the button is supposed to help alleviate. Still though, I can imagine that it would benefit some people.
All and all it is a solid guitar. I have no real complaints about it other than the wireless Xbox guide button takes far too much effort to turn on or be recognized. It's just what the rock band guitars should have been all along. A solid, fun, real looking piece of entertainment. The extra buttons are more out of the way (No more accidentally turning your Wah-Wah's off) and the whammy bar is a blast (It's solid metal and sitting on a massive spring. It also rotates down and out of your way if you're not planning on using it).
Final Verdict: If you play a lot of Rock Band and want something a little flashier than the standard Stratocaster, but don't feel like shelling out $200 for the Wooden, full sized versions of the guitars, get the Telecaster. No promises on increasing your scores though (It hasn't noticeably helped mine yet).
As I've noticed that they seem to be sold out of them on Amazon, try ordering them from NewEnglandMusicSupply.com. I bought the Butterscotch one from them a while back. And they seem to keep them in stock.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Discount The Walking Dead - Xbox 360
*UPDATE* My review is based on a XBox Live download of this game. While the disc content is the same, news of issues with disc based version have hit the internet. While the company prepares to patch this users without internet connections will be unable to download the fix. I recommend users without the internet to AVOID buying this product at this time. Users with the internet may want to look in A)Downloading this title off XBox Live or B) Make sure a patch has been released fixing this issue. The below review based on game content only:
Be forewarned that despite being a game set in a zombie apocalypse that it is not really an action game. This is actually a good thing. The game is a point and click adventure game with action moments mixed in to create a fun zombie slaying experience. The action sections aren't why this game succeed's, it is amazing due to the characters and dilemmas you are face with.
This game is presented in an episodic format. The narrative is split into five different episodes. Each episode takes between 2-5 hours to complete. This will be some of the most engrossing time you will ever spend with videogame.
I came into the Walking Dead with high hopes and middling expectations and was blown away. Telltale Games (the developers) have made a Walking Dead product that presents a better story than the television show and is more comparable to the books in terms of quality presentation of a great story.
This game has won a few early Game Of The Year awards and will receive more as we get into January. This is based solely on the fact of just how good and engaging the story is. The gameplay is merely a tool to present it, so while it is fun to kill zombies here, it won't be the reason you keep playing.
If you like the Walking Dead show or books even the slightest bit, then you owe it to yourself to play this game.
WARNING = MSRP is 29.99. Many of the resellers are listing it at a higher price point. Make sure you pay no more than $30 for this product.
After wasting an hour or so and getting hugely frustrated, I realized I had some extra MS 'XBOX Live' points to spend, so I gambled 400 points to download the online version of Chapter 1 (of 5), and guess what? It works just fine!
So, the problem is with the DISC version of the game. Online download = NO problems.
P.s. The game itself is AWESOME! I loved Chapter 1, and will be downloading the other 4 chapters ASAP. IF the disc had worked, I would have given 4 or 5 stars.
DON'T BUY THIS DISC...!!!
You play as Lee Everett, a former professor on his way to prison in the back of a police car. He's been convicted of murder, and would've gone away for a very long time had the infection not complicated things. Taking shelter from the undead, he meets a young girl named Clementine who has been surviving on her own for several days. The pair make an alliance of circumstance and set out into a world ravaged by the the walking dead. Along the way, they meet up with more groups of survivors emotional baggage and all while trying to stay one step ahead of the undead (and, in some cases, the living) and keeping some kind of goal in mind to keep them moving forward.
To say much more would be to spoil one of the finest stories ever written into a video game. There's a reason the zombie genre has been gaining popularity, and it's only partly because of the zombies. The threat of the undead places ordinary people in extraordinary situations. They're up against a mass of creatures that always play by the same set of rules, and it's usually a failure of human cooperation that dooms the survivors. This is where THE WALKING DEAD walks the line so brilliantly, even compared to the first couple seasons of the television series. Lee's only goal in the game is to keep Clementine safe, and the best way to do so is to keep his ragtag group of survivors from getting at each other's throats. They'll occasionally have some vague goal in mind: going to this town or that, heading for the coast or trying to find help in other places, but survival is really the main goal of the game, which is where the choices come in.
If you've played Obsidian Entertainment's ALPHA PROTOCOL, then you'll be delighted to hear that Telltale Games took heavy inspiration from its fantastic dialog system. Unlike games like MASS EFFECT, where you can sit and think over a decision that's really bugging you and make an informed decision, THE WALKING DEAD employs a time limit on the decisions that need to be made in a hurry. In my opinion, you will likely be faced with some of the most stressful choices you've seen in a game in some time, choices that sometimes have no good outcomes with one only being slightly worse than the other, and you'll have to make them *now*. By the end of each episode, I was absolutely exhausted.
This isn't made any better by the fact that you'll likely end up caring about most of the characters. Though you won't necessarily like all of them in fact, you might actually end up despising some of them circumstances are such that you rely on them for survival. This requires to either play the peacemaker, the antagonist, or even the indifferent one in the group. The choice is pretty much yours.
The "point and click" format works in this instance. Make no mistake, this is a cinematic experience first and foremost. The drama unfolding in front of you, and the ways you're allowed to influence it, is the centerpiece of the game. There are only a few isolated sections where you'll see some action, but they're usually just for effect. In large part, you'll be chatting it up with your group, making/breaking alliances and friendships, investigating different environments, and surviving through scattered quick time events. It doesn't require much investment on the gameplay side of things, but you'll want to stay on your toes through every cutscene.
I can't say enough good things about this game. On the negative side of things, some people might find it a bit off-putting that their decisions don't have enough repercussions down the line. Characters will react to your choices, but the story doesn't change around all that drastically, except in a few key instances. Some then might argue that your choices don't matter, but I'd say they matter no more or less than in games like MASS EFFECT, though the ending for THE WALKING DEAD is much, much more refined. I can honestly say, given my emotional investment with the characters and the story, each and every choice mattered to me.
THE WALKING DEAD has to be one of my favorite games at this point, and I never would've imagined that it would be. In my opinion, it's definitely one of the best zombie stories out there not to mention one of the best video game stories, period made all the better by the fact that you can have an impact on it. There are emotional highs, lows, moments when you just want to yell at your fellow survivors through your TV, others when a choice with only seconds left to be made might leave you sweating like a bomb defuser. This is more a story about the human condition than anything else, and how it won't always work in Lee's favor. As one of the characters dutifully points out, "The dead don't kill their own. It's the living you gotta worry about."
Be forewarned that despite being a game set in a zombie apocalypse that it is not really an action game. This is actually a good thing. The game is a point and click adventure game with action moments mixed in to create a fun zombie slaying experience. The action sections aren't why this game succeed's, it is amazing due to the characters and dilemmas you are face with.
This game is presented in an episodic format. The narrative is split into five different episodes. Each episode takes between 2-5 hours to complete. This will be some of the most engrossing time you will ever spend with videogame.
I came into the Walking Dead with high hopes and middling expectations and was blown away. Telltale Games (the developers) have made a Walking Dead product that presents a better story than the television show and is more comparable to the books in terms of quality presentation of a great story.
This game has won a few early Game Of The Year awards and will receive more as we get into January. This is based solely on the fact of just how good and engaging the story is. The gameplay is merely a tool to present it, so while it is fun to kill zombies here, it won't be the reason you keep playing.
If you like the Walking Dead show or books even the slightest bit, then you owe it to yourself to play this game.
WARNING = MSRP is 29.99. Many of the resellers are listing it at a higher price point. Make sure you pay no more than $30 for this product.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Well, I guess I just paid $30 for a printed game instruction manual. Just like the other 1-star reviews state, the DISC version of this game is massively flawed! Tons of LAG, jerky controls, loss of dialogue, skipped scenes, etc, etc. UNPLAYABLE. "They" obviously didn't bother to work out all the 'BUGS' before putting this game on hard disc.After wasting an hour or so and getting hugely frustrated, I realized I had some extra MS 'XBOX Live' points to spend, so I gambled 400 points to download the online version of Chapter 1 (of 5), and guess what? It works just fine!
So, the problem is with the DISC version of the game. Online download = NO problems.
P.s. The game itself is AWESOME! I loved Chapter 1, and will be downloading the other 4 chapters ASAP. IF the disc had worked, I would have given 4 or 5 stars.
DON'T BUY THIS DISC...!!!
Best Deals for The Walking Dead - Xbox 360
Don't get me wrong, the game itself is great. However, there is a problem with the xbox 360 discs. It lags and freezes up really badly, and is virtually unplayable. Apparently it's not just a bad batch, there is a problem with the code and all they can tell people is that they are working on it. I ended up having to return this because it is so bad. I have since downloaded it onto my game system and the game works great that way. I just didn't want anyone to waste their money.Honest reviews on The Walking Dead - Xbox 360
I bought the first couple episodes of THE WALKING DEAD on a whim, being a fan of the show only at the time. Though the price was right, in the back of my mind I was still wondering if it was going to turn out to be just another cash-in of a popular franchise, or even if I'd warm up to its "point and click" format, with which I had absolutely no experience. All of my skepticism was washed away by the end of the first episode. I've played many, many RPGs that tout choice and consequence, moral dilemmas, etc., only to offer up the superficial good reaction/bad reaction with everything else proceeding as normal. THE WALKING DEAD gives new meaning to the concept of choice in video games, dealing with mature situations that few developers would even think about touching. And this is only the first season.You play as Lee Everett, a former professor on his way to prison in the back of a police car. He's been convicted of murder, and would've gone away for a very long time had the infection not complicated things. Taking shelter from the undead, he meets a young girl named Clementine who has been surviving on her own for several days. The pair make an alliance of circumstance and set out into a world ravaged by the the walking dead. Along the way, they meet up with more groups of survivors emotional baggage and all while trying to stay one step ahead of the undead (and, in some cases, the living) and keeping some kind of goal in mind to keep them moving forward.
To say much more would be to spoil one of the finest stories ever written into a video game. There's a reason the zombie genre has been gaining popularity, and it's only partly because of the zombies. The threat of the undead places ordinary people in extraordinary situations. They're up against a mass of creatures that always play by the same set of rules, and it's usually a failure of human cooperation that dooms the survivors. This is where THE WALKING DEAD walks the line so brilliantly, even compared to the first couple seasons of the television series. Lee's only goal in the game is to keep Clementine safe, and the best way to do so is to keep his ragtag group of survivors from getting at each other's throats. They'll occasionally have some vague goal in mind: going to this town or that, heading for the coast or trying to find help in other places, but survival is really the main goal of the game, which is where the choices come in.
If you've played Obsidian Entertainment's ALPHA PROTOCOL, then you'll be delighted to hear that Telltale Games took heavy inspiration from its fantastic dialog system. Unlike games like MASS EFFECT, where you can sit and think over a decision that's really bugging you and make an informed decision, THE WALKING DEAD employs a time limit on the decisions that need to be made in a hurry. In my opinion, you will likely be faced with some of the most stressful choices you've seen in a game in some time, choices that sometimes have no good outcomes with one only being slightly worse than the other, and you'll have to make them *now*. By the end of each episode, I was absolutely exhausted.
This isn't made any better by the fact that you'll likely end up caring about most of the characters. Though you won't necessarily like all of them in fact, you might actually end up despising some of them circumstances are such that you rely on them for survival. This requires to either play the peacemaker, the antagonist, or even the indifferent one in the group. The choice is pretty much yours.
The "point and click" format works in this instance. Make no mistake, this is a cinematic experience first and foremost. The drama unfolding in front of you, and the ways you're allowed to influence it, is the centerpiece of the game. There are only a few isolated sections where you'll see some action, but they're usually just for effect. In large part, you'll be chatting it up with your group, making/breaking alliances and friendships, investigating different environments, and surviving through scattered quick time events. It doesn't require much investment on the gameplay side of things, but you'll want to stay on your toes through every cutscene.
I can't say enough good things about this game. On the negative side of things, some people might find it a bit off-putting that their decisions don't have enough repercussions down the line. Characters will react to your choices, but the story doesn't change around all that drastically, except in a few key instances. Some then might argue that your choices don't matter, but I'd say they matter no more or less than in games like MASS EFFECT, though the ending for THE WALKING DEAD is much, much more refined. I can honestly say, given my emotional investment with the characters and the story, each and every choice mattered to me.
THE WALKING DEAD has to be one of my favorite games at this point, and I never would've imagined that it would be. In my opinion, it's definitely one of the best zombie stories out there not to mention one of the best video game stories, period made all the better by the fact that you can have an impact on it. There are emotional highs, lows, moments when you just want to yell at your fellow survivors through your TV, others when a choice with only seconds left to be made might leave you sweating like a bomb defuser. This is more a story about the human condition than anything else, and how it won't always work in Lee's favor. As one of the characters dutifully points out, "The dead don't kill their own. It's the living you gotta worry about."
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Walking Dead - Xbox 360
So far I am really loving this game and I'm moving on to the fourth chapter, but before receiving it (I pre-ordered it here at Amazon) I read several disparaging reviews here on Amazon about the Arcade version being wonderful and the disc version being horribly glitched, bugged, and generally laggy. This got me worried for the day that I received it. As soon as I put the disc in it prompted a 3MB update (I didn't even attempt to play without updating) and I immediately obliged. After the update I have not had any lag issues during game play or save issues or glitches otherwise that I'm aware of. Occasionally the opening sequences at the beginning of each new episode (recap sequences) are a little choppy, but not bad. Just for your information and comparison purposes, I am playing on a Xbox 360 Slim 250Gb with what I assume is a first print disc. I won't get into reviewing the game itself, as there are numerous well written reviews right here, I just wanted to offer up my experiences of the DISC version of The Walking Dead. Thank you and I hope you have the chance to enjoy this game.Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Discount House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
List Price: $29.95
Sale Price: $17.05
Today's Bonus: 43% Off
This game is a no-brainer. If you were ever a fan of the House of the Dead in the arcade, then you have to dish the $30 to get it. If you're as bad a shot as I was in the arcade, you'll make up the money in about 10 minutes worth of play. :)
If you've never played the game but are looking for a new title to use your snazzy Wii Zapper on, then this is also the game for you. It's super responsive and accurate, and gives you lots of satisfaction based on the sound effects and gore.
For those expecting something new and fantastic for the Wii release, you may be disappointed. The graphics are the same as the tried and true versions, and the voice overs are still the very poorly-acted (but admittedly nostalgic) ones you love to hate.
Parents, fear not. You can "censor" the level of gore if you're still OK with your child playing this type of game. (It's rated M for mature, i.e. 17+). You can make the blood be green instead of red, and also minimize the amount of gore in the options menu. Accessory-wise, you don't need the Wii Zapper or other comparable shooting peripheral. It works fine with the controllers as they come out of the box, but since the arcade version had guns, it's nice to have this extra.
Here's what you get with the game: House of the Dead 2, with arcade and original modes, boss mode and training mode. You start with the basics, and as you get further and further into these modes, you unlock more and more things. House of the Dead 3 has arcade mode and extreme mode, with the same ability to unlock more and more as you go through the game.
The only minus for this game (which still doesn't affect my rating of it) is the occasional lag you may experience during zombie-intense shooting moments (maybe once or twice during an entire start-to-finish game). It doesn't affect game play, but I'm sure some of you avid gamers out there would find it very annoying.
Overall, getting 2 games in one for 30 bucks is a great deal, and I'm a very, very happy camper that my arcade fave has made a return for Wii.
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Sega's long running arcade light gun shooter series makes a welcome return with this compilation. The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return features nearly perfect ports of the original games, which in itself tells you everything you need to know right there, as both games are showing their age. The shooting calibration using the Wii remote is nearly perfect, while Extreme Mode is also included as a bonus of sorts. Sadly, that's the only real bonus that Sega included in this package, which really would have benefited from other extras or at least enhancements to the games themselves. Flaws aside though, The House of the Dead 2 & 3 are still great and fun shooters that new and old fans alike will get some enjoyment out of, but old fans of the series will be left wanting a little bit more bang for their buck with this package.Best Deals for House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
I'm a huge fan of the House of the Dead 2 arcade game from the 90s and have been waiting for a good console reprint to come out. This game plus the Wii perfect shot gun is as close as it comes to the original arcade game. I initially tried the zapper, but it didn't have the right feel. I now have an order out for another perfect shot gun, so I can play multi-player as it was intended.Overall, the game is exactly like the old arcade. They didn't change or add anything from what I can tell, so if you looking for an upgrade to the old game, this isn't it. As such, you cant save your games and need to restart from the beginning when your credits run out. You do receive additional credits as you accumulate play time though. If your looking for a no-brainer FUN shooter, this is absolutely it.
Honest reviews on House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
House of Dead is a lot of fun, but it's also rather dated and very brief. Each game is actually only about 30 minutes long if you can make it to the end. I like it a lot and I think it's worth the price, but if you're expecting a full game you'll be really disappointed. There's a whole lot more to Umbrella Chronicles, which also boasts better graphics and voice acting (except for the 8yo girl who voices a grown woman of course). I still easily prefer House of Dead over Umbrella Chronicles for one huge reason your bullets have an effect on the zombies. It takes way too many shots to kill a zombie in UC, and you can barely even see that you hit them. When you shoot a zombie in the head in HoD, their head explodes and little chunks go spinning off into the air... MUCH BETTER!Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
ITS AWESOME. SERIOUSLY. AS CLOSE AS YOURE GONNA GET TO THE ARCADE EXPERIENCE. NOT BUYING THIS GAME WOULD CAUSE ONE TO SUFFER, LIKE G DID.Monday, August 4, 2014
Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Xbox 360 Reviews
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $13.36
Today's Bonus: 55% Off
I don't know why everyone is so negative.Most games are so complicated that they are not fun.If you liked the movie buy the game.I thought the characters were very well done.Just remember its suppose to be fun.If you want complicated buy the silly war games.This game can be had for well under 10.00 and worth every penny.Its funny but people don't mind shelling out $60.00 for the same old MADDEN year after year with no complaints.I have never paid that kind of money for a game and never will especially with Amazon around.So if you pay that kind of money its your problem so don't knock the game because of the price.Highly recommended game.
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This game will let down anyone playing it on the 360 they threw this together in a few weeks and didn't take advantage of the 360's processing power. The graphics are worse than would be expected for the older XBox, the gameplay is lacking, minor bugs hamper gameplay and the game is not much fun. I rented this and beat it in a few hours, picking up a few hundred achievement points in the process, but never found it to be challenging or fun. Rent it if you must, but don't expect to spend more than 5 hours playing it.Overall this is a huge letdown, just like most games that are tied into movies. The goal isn't to create a good game, but to have something extra to sell fans the moment the movie comes out. I wish there were some better games based off Marvel Comics... is that so much, as a fan, to ask of the publisher?
Best Deals for Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Xbox 360
This game is absolute poopie. Terribly developed and produced. The storyline isn't terrible, and would have made for a good game, had the game itself not been so horribly made. Everything from the graphics and presentation to the gameplay is terrifically undercooked in this game.Honest reviews on Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Xbox 360
Its a nice try by 2K to make a Superhero game but they did not really pull it off. A mediocre Game and a easy challenge. Not a A Grade Game But descent.The campaign is short and easy other than the few times you have no idea what to do and considering how simple the game is thats sad. The game also has ZERO 360Live Features.
Another Movie-To-Game Disaster.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer - Xbox 360
Gameplay much like X-men or Marvel Ult. Alliance, except more repetitious and a lot less fun. Dialogue makes a few sorry attempts at humor, and characters are not drawn consistently (they actually look slightly different throughout the game). Game will take approx. 4 hrs to beat on normal mode, did not bother playing advanced mode. This game is a dud that I am sure will soon be able to be picked up around $25-$30, and really may not be worth that.Saturday, August 2, 2014
Best Shattered Union - Xbox Deals
Shattered Union takes place in the not so distant future where a mishap has allowed the most unpopular president in the history of the United States to remain in office for a second term with no election taking place.
Washington DC is nuked... the entire governing body of the US is wiped out, chaos ensues. States secede from the Union and form their own governments. Europe, feeling the effects of the economy collapsing in the US sends a force of EU "Peacekeepers" to restore order. And so... the battlefield is set, the US is at War with itself for the second time in history.
It's up to you to restore peace and order, to unite the country once again. Seven different factions are at your disposal to accomplish this task.
Pacifica
The California Commonwealth
The Great Plains Federation
The New England Alliance
The Confederacy
The Republic of Texas
European Union
Each faction is comprised of their own strengths and weaknesses, but are very similar in terms of battle units. Which are a virtual smorgasbord of units based on real life American military vehicles as well as some fictional units to keep things exciting. Abrams super tanks, Bradley's, Apache Gunships and Stealth Bombers are all yours to command. Each faction also has their own variation on a super tank. A massive tank unit that is generally the most powerful unit on the field. It's basically the Chuck Norris of tanks.
Beyond that, each faction has their own set of special weapons or tactics that can be unleashed on the field of battle. These range from troop buffs to laser guided tomahawk missile strikes as well as nuclear attacks and other things that are best discovered on your own. These special tactics become available only when you have a certain political reputation, be it evil or be it for the greater good.
The actual battles are played out like any hex based strategy game. You take turns moving your units in a turn based fashion that will instantly be familiar to any Advanced Wars Vet, as well as anyone familiar with the excellent Panzer General series. The battle system is pretty straightforward. The unit with the most destructive power will do the most damage. So if you take a Humvee heads up with a tank... the Humvee is going to be demolished in a timely manner.
Each unit has its own set of attributes that rate it's strength against each unit type, its defense, fuel, movement, sight and weapon range. Generally there is a ying to every yang. For example, to take out a tank, you'll want to use aircraft units. To take out aircraft you will want to use anit-aircraft units... etc. The trick is finding out the best method to deliver the greatest amount of pain and destruction, while taking a small amount of it yourself. You'll also want to keep a close eye on your fuel supply, as there are no supply units in this game and running out of fuel is quite common for the rolling battle fortress tanks. You can't kick any butt if you can't get there. Strategic movement and troop placement are very vital in this game.
In-between battles you will be presented with a tactical map screen of the United States. The map displays each factions current progress. There is not a lot to do here. You can buy and repair units or you can attack a neighboring state. You can do both of these in one turn as well. Each state has its own resources. Money, Oil, Tank Factories, population etc. When you control a state you will reap the benefits. Take Texas and its oil and your units will have more fuel during battles. Take a state with high cash flow and you will earn more money per turn. Take a state with Tank Factories and the price to build tanks will go down. You get the picture.. so it's important to take states strategically and to keep track of your supplies and resources.
All of your units are available in all of your territories that you control. So there is no need to micro-manage your units and place them in different states. This is very helpful and eliminates a lot of nonsense. The rule is that you can use each of your units once per battle period. So, say for example, you attack someone with half of your units. You then will have half of your units remaining if someone else attacks you. But if you attack someone all-out, you will be left defenseless if someone attacks you on their turn. So It's always a good idea to keep some in reserve for defense.
The story is delivered via news broadcasts in-game and are entertaining, but sadly, they're few and far between.
The graphics are well done, nothing spectacular here, but there are some nice details. Zoom in and you can see skyscrapers in the small city hexes. When a tank drives across the landscape you'll see treadmarks streak across the screen. Bridges and highway overpasses, interstates, great lakes, and rolling hillsides. You'll have to pay attention to the smaller details to really appreciate the graphic engine.
Each unit is comprised of a fully 3d model and are well done with small details shining through. The battle animations are second to none and occur in real time with real time damage. It's always nice to sit back and watch your super tank unleash hell on a smaller unit and then watch as it bursts into flames and finally explodes. I get a genuine feeling of satisfaction out of it.
The sound effects are excellent. You'll hear engines roar, and cannons will BOOM! and ring true. Each unit has unique sounds and weapons and it's a pleasure to hear them all.
Music is ambient and fits the mood of the game well. I don't think anything ever sounded out of place.
All in all, Shattered Union is a well thought out game and is easy to pick up and play, even for newbs to the genre. But to master it.. well that is a more difficult task
For me personally, there is nothing better than sitting down with a quality strategy game and having a cold drink to waste the day away, and this game is one of the best for doing just that.
4 out of 5 stars
-Luke
Graphics are decent, sound is good. The aspect that makes the game fun to play over and over are the special weapons you gain after X ammount of turns. Each faction has different capabilities. And in Skirmish mode you can toggle them to either low collateral damage or high collateral damage weapons. High Collateral examples are (but not limited too) Napalm, carpet bombing, Artillery barrages, and a Nuke. Low collateral are precision weapons, electronic attack, cruise missiles, etc.
This game won't keep you riveted for days on end, but makes for a fun few hours spent waging war from time to time.
Washington DC is nuked... the entire governing body of the US is wiped out, chaos ensues. States secede from the Union and form their own governments. Europe, feeling the effects of the economy collapsing in the US sends a force of EU "Peacekeepers" to restore order. And so... the battlefield is set, the US is at War with itself for the second time in history.
It's up to you to restore peace and order, to unite the country once again. Seven different factions are at your disposal to accomplish this task.
Pacifica
The California Commonwealth
The Great Plains Federation
The New England Alliance
The Confederacy
The Republic of Texas
European Union
Each faction is comprised of their own strengths and weaknesses, but are very similar in terms of battle units. Which are a virtual smorgasbord of units based on real life American military vehicles as well as some fictional units to keep things exciting. Abrams super tanks, Bradley's, Apache Gunships and Stealth Bombers are all yours to command. Each faction also has their own variation on a super tank. A massive tank unit that is generally the most powerful unit on the field. It's basically the Chuck Norris of tanks.
Beyond that, each faction has their own set of special weapons or tactics that can be unleashed on the field of battle. These range from troop buffs to laser guided tomahawk missile strikes as well as nuclear attacks and other things that are best discovered on your own. These special tactics become available only when you have a certain political reputation, be it evil or be it for the greater good.
The actual battles are played out like any hex based strategy game. You take turns moving your units in a turn based fashion that will instantly be familiar to any Advanced Wars Vet, as well as anyone familiar with the excellent Panzer General series. The battle system is pretty straightforward. The unit with the most destructive power will do the most damage. So if you take a Humvee heads up with a tank... the Humvee is going to be demolished in a timely manner.
Each unit has its own set of attributes that rate it's strength against each unit type, its defense, fuel, movement, sight and weapon range. Generally there is a ying to every yang. For example, to take out a tank, you'll want to use aircraft units. To take out aircraft you will want to use anit-aircraft units... etc. The trick is finding out the best method to deliver the greatest amount of pain and destruction, while taking a small amount of it yourself. You'll also want to keep a close eye on your fuel supply, as there are no supply units in this game and running out of fuel is quite common for the rolling battle fortress tanks. You can't kick any butt if you can't get there. Strategic movement and troop placement are very vital in this game.
In-between battles you will be presented with a tactical map screen of the United States. The map displays each factions current progress. There is not a lot to do here. You can buy and repair units or you can attack a neighboring state. You can do both of these in one turn as well. Each state has its own resources. Money, Oil, Tank Factories, population etc. When you control a state you will reap the benefits. Take Texas and its oil and your units will have more fuel during battles. Take a state with high cash flow and you will earn more money per turn. Take a state with Tank Factories and the price to build tanks will go down. You get the picture.. so it's important to take states strategically and to keep track of your supplies and resources.
All of your units are available in all of your territories that you control. So there is no need to micro-manage your units and place them in different states. This is very helpful and eliminates a lot of nonsense. The rule is that you can use each of your units once per battle period. So, say for example, you attack someone with half of your units. You then will have half of your units remaining if someone else attacks you. But if you attack someone all-out, you will be left defenseless if someone attacks you on their turn. So It's always a good idea to keep some in reserve for defense.
The story is delivered via news broadcasts in-game and are entertaining, but sadly, they're few and far between.
The graphics are well done, nothing spectacular here, but there are some nice details. Zoom in and you can see skyscrapers in the small city hexes. When a tank drives across the landscape you'll see treadmarks streak across the screen. Bridges and highway overpasses, interstates, great lakes, and rolling hillsides. You'll have to pay attention to the smaller details to really appreciate the graphic engine.
Each unit is comprised of a fully 3d model and are well done with small details shining through. The battle animations are second to none and occur in real time with real time damage. It's always nice to sit back and watch your super tank unleash hell on a smaller unit and then watch as it bursts into flames and finally explodes. I get a genuine feeling of satisfaction out of it.
The sound effects are excellent. You'll hear engines roar, and cannons will BOOM! and ring true. Each unit has unique sounds and weapons and it's a pleasure to hear them all.
Music is ambient and fits the mood of the game well. I don't think anything ever sounded out of place.
All in all, Shattered Union is a well thought out game and is easy to pick up and play, even for newbs to the genre. But to master it.. well that is a more difficult task
For me personally, there is nothing better than sitting down with a quality strategy game and having a cold drink to waste the day away, and this game is one of the best for doing just that.
4 out of 5 stars
-Luke
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I just found this game on amazon and recently began playing on my Xbox 360 (You need the latest firmware update over xbox live) the gameplay is great and the story line is fun I hope the make a modern version of the game like Endwar. On a side note the resolution is only 480P so on an HD tv the picture will be smaller than your used too but still playable. Great game to pick up if you have a 360 and like strategy!Best Deals for Shattered Union - Xbox
I played the story line once and it was fun. Now I just do the arcade mode (skirmish) when I want to roll around blow stuff up. Fun time killer. Not incredibly hard. Then again I'm of an AF Ops Intel background so I know what to take out to give me the upper hand, lol. (Hint: target air defenses then bomb with impunity.) I load up on bombers heavy armor and Artillery, use Helo's to open up the battlespace and clear the fog of war, and have fun.Graphics are decent, sound is good. The aspect that makes the game fun to play over and over are the special weapons you gain after X ammount of turns. Each faction has different capabilities. And in Skirmish mode you can toggle them to either low collateral damage or high collateral damage weapons. High Collateral examples are (but not limited too) Napalm, carpet bombing, Artillery barrages, and a Nuke. Low collateral are precision weapons, electronic attack, cruise missiles, etc.
This game won't keep you riveted for days on end, but makes for a fun few hours spent waging war from time to time.
Honest reviews on Shattered Union - Xbox
A turn-based strategy game for the Xbox console! If you are the sort that loves Panzer General, then you will love this game.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Shattered Union - Xbox
This is similar to the game "Super Conflict" I used to play on Super Nintendo. Aaaahhh... I love the smell of nostalgia in the morning.Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Astro Boy: The Video Game - Nintendo Wii Review
List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $22.88
Today's Bonus: 43% Off
What a waste of a game for an awesome movie. I bought it b/c it was only 14.99. Within the first 10 seconds of playing it I realized why. The game play is only side to side and the graphics and story line are terrible. My 7 year old enjoys it, but she would not be able to advance on to the next levels unless I played with her. It's very difficult for that age range. Very disappointing overall compared to other cartoon movie games and the lego games.
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I bought this game for my 6 y.o. son who loves the American movie and books of Astro Boy and the original comic stories from Japan. It is rated E 10+ which I didn't realize, thought it was just E, and was unhappily surprised w/the level of violence. I still don't want my kids, even 10 and over to play violent video games. **The game is challenging though at least, the graphics are neat, and my son loves to play it. For my purposes though, I wouldn't have gotten it had I seen the game ahead of time, just because of the "fantasy violence."Best Deals for Astro Boy: The Video Game - Nintendo Wii
My kids love this game!Pros: Easy setting gives you infinite lives. This game also has two player anytime you just jump in. It offers hours of fun for any player.
Cons: A little repetitive, and not exactly like the movie.
Honest reviews on Astro Boy: The Video Game - Nintendo Wii
Quite simply, one of the worst Movie-tie ins I have ever played. It harkens back to the old school side scrolling shoot-em up/beat-em ups from the original Nintendo. Yes, the graphics are better, but the gameplay is worse, and the story is all but non-existent and boring. Got this as a gift for my 5 year-old, and he would rather play Super Mario Bros (SMB) 3 or New SMB Wii. We have a few Wii games, and this one has seen the least screen time b/c all the rest are so much more fun.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Astro Boy: The Video Game - Nintendo Wii
This was purchased for my grandson and this is what he told me to say. He took it to his dad's and he is hooked.Thank you
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Best HDE® Silicone Skin fits Xbox 360 Controller - Purple Deals
List Price: $7.99
Sale Price: $3.25
Today's Bonus: 59% Off
Bought this as a joke for my daughter to keep her brothers from using her new controller. The skin fits perfectly, looks great, and actually improves the feel of the controller grip. It sort of back fired, since all the kids like the feel of the skin and the boys use the controller even if it is purple. Perhaps now I need to buy skins for the boy's controllers in their favorite colors...
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super soft, good grip, goes nicely around all the controls and buttons. looks best on white controller. not as bright as the picture thoughBest Deals for HDE® Silicone Skin fits Xbox 360 Controller - Purple
Definetly worth the money. Fits the controller Perfectly It arrived when it said it would be. I highly recommend thisHonest reviews on HDE® Silicone Skin fits Xbox 360 Controller - Purple
Bought this for my teen grandson who loves purple...it matches his comforter perfectly....He thought the skin was way cool...no slippage when he's battling.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for HDE® Silicone Skin fits Xbox 360 Controller - Purple
This controller cover ks very handy. Before I got it, my controller would always slip out of my hand when I would play. Now when I play it doesn't go anywhere.
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