Review of 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure

Customer Ratings:

Being a fanatic of the movie and series, it should come as no surprise that I was excited when this game first came out. Years later I stumbled across it with the rest of my collection of dalmatian paraphernalia and decided to try it out again to relive my younger days.

All in all, they didn't do as great a job as they could have. If you've played the title Puppies to the Rescue for either PC or PlayStation, you have the ever basic formula of this one. However it is no comparison to me which game is better.

Patches London Adventure has you running around collecting bones, steaks, barking at enemies and saving puppies. This is the same premise as in Puppies to the Rescue, but for some reason it doesn't come across the same way. The graphics are downright laughable in comparison, the goals are mediocre and most levels incredibly easy. There are some levels that prove me wrong some had me frustrated for hours but this is the general rule. Movement is kind of choppy and slow, unless you roll or jump everywhere you go, which isn't practical if you run into an enemy.

Another thing is that the music is exactly the same as in Puppies to the Rescue. No joke. Its as if they were too lazy to come up with something more original (its still good music but works better with the other game, in my opinion). That or the company making this game didn't take the time to come up with an improved and more enhanced addition to the Dalmatian family and instead pushed for something so it would be released in time with the movie.

Overall I guess the game is... cute. If you're a true 101 Dalmatians fan or collector then its probably worth playing at least once. But to the average gamer who happens to like Disney titles, stick to almost ANY other dalmatian game.

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Dance Dance Revolution DDR Super Deluxe Xbox Dance Pad w/1 in foam Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $38.99
Today's Bonus: 22% Off

First off... this is agreat pad, quick accurate response but it is NOT FOR XBOX 360. So given that games are not forward or backwards compatible... it is for the old XBOX. So it is pricey and is obsolete for the new games... HMMM does anyone make an adpater for this plug and converting to USB for the 360?

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The sensitivity on this pad is fine, but you may want to put a no-skid rug backing, or yoga mat down as it travels on carpet.

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I bought one of each, a foam pad and a non-foam pad. The foam pad is better; it allows you to play for longer in your socks; your feet don't start to hurt.

Honest reviews on Dance Dance Revolution DDR Super Deluxe Xbox Dance Pad w/1 in foam

The kids jump around, burn off energy and get some activity out of this. Good news for any parent. Thanks!

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Sorry for the mistake my wife she just began playing she took the time to write the review but I began playing today and I played several years ago at heavy mode and sometimes non stop mode the pad is no good the bottom arrow does not work properly and the start button doesn't work at all I know how the pad respond and react and not what I was expecting

Discount Tropico 4 - Modern Times DLC

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $5.00
Today's Bonus: 75% Off

Let me start out by saying that I spent a long time trying to figure out how to download this... which is a pain but I am hoping to pass on this information so no one has to go through it again. Given the lower price then the actual full copy, every Tropico fan should purchase this rather than have to wait for the disc to arrive. When you purchase this item you will get an email with the information regarding the product key but no download link. Here is what you need to do in order to get this to download (*Please note* you need the full version of Tropico 4 for this to work):

Go to the Kalypso(manufacturer of Tropico 4) download launcher in this link

**UPDATE** Amazon does not allow links so just google "Kalypso Download Launcher"

If you have an account (which you should) then login, otherwise create a new account and link the product key from the original game with that account.

Click on the "redeem code" link of the webpage

Type in the code provided to you when this is purchased

Once you see that it has gone through successfully, open up Tropico 4. The main title screen should pop up and at the bottom prompt you to download the Modern Times DLC. Once you proceed and download it, it will install and you should be able to play.

*NOTE* Make sure you have the most current updates for Tropico 4 before you install the expansion pack. I ran into the issue where when a new update came out, I had to redownload and install the expansion pack again.

Assuming that you have successfully installed it, the expansion pack is fantastic! It has great new features like new modern buildings, edicts, and scenarios that creates a whole new dimension of gameplay. You have to be a fan of Tropico 4 however, this DLC will not change your mind about Tropico if you did not like the original Tropico 4. For all the Tropico fans out there this is a great buy, and for only $19.99 you are adding a lot more hours of fun and entertainment.

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I can't decide whether this expansion deserves a 3 or a 4 star rating, so for the sake of argument I'll give it a 3.5, but Amazon won't allow that, so 3 it is.

Edit: A lot of the missions are bugged, maps are re-used during the campaign even with only 12 of them. I'm not finding the later missions to be much fun and the references to the current political problems in the world seem forced and unfunny. Between the bugged quests and disappointing missions I'm going to lower the score to a 2, there are just too many little annoyances that are ruining this expansion for me.

I pre-ordered this on Steam for $16.99, if you're thinking of buying this remember that if you own Tropico 4 on Steam you need to get Modern Times from Steam as well. The boxed version of this expansion for some reason costs $29.99, do yourself a favor and just get this one instead, it's only a small download, about 600 MBs or so, took me about 7 minutes on a mediocre connection.

So, what does this expansion offer? You get 12 new missions in a continuing story on different islands much like Tropico 4's main story line. As far as I can tell the island designs are a mix of new and old, but I'll have to comment further on that when I complete it, I'm only on the third island so far.

One of the new features is the Time Line, it's a series of historical events that will have an impact on your island. For example the Cuban Missile Crisis will force you to use the Conscription edict, and the Bird Flu Scare will increase the price of beef, and so on. You will also unlock the new buildings in the expansion at certain time intervals, so that you gradually get access to them and upgrade as new things are developed.

The new buildings are distinctly different from the Tropico 4 ones in that they lack the personality and the detail. Most of the new buildings are just gray pieces of concrete with windows that look uninspiring. Which is a shame because part of Tropico's charm is the little details added to the buildings that make them distinctly Tropican. The new buildings feel like they belong in a Sim City game and feel really out of place most of the time. Some of them are very useful and sadly some of them make the game a bit too easy. Tropico 4 was already a cakewalk compared to 3, and the Modern Times buildings such as the Bio Farm, the Organic Ranch and the Modern Apartment Building are a bit too good. I found myself just flying through the first two islands with a boat load of money and abundance of happy Tropicans. I wouldn't mind if Kalypso balanced some of these buildings out, maybe make them a bit more expensive or turn up their upkeep so that the game isn't too easy.

You also get 10 new edicts relevant to Modern Times. Some are good, some are bad, some seem a bit too good. I would have liked to see a few more interesting ones. I do think whoever put in the "Ban Social Media" edict deserves a pay raise, it's probably one of the funnier things of this expansion. The new edicts probably won't blow your mind or make you think, but at least they're somewhat useful.

Now on to my biggest complaints. First of all, it seems like there wasn't that much effort put into actually changing or adding gameplay. There is no learning curve, you can just win games the exact same way as before, the Time Line may add some extra grievances but not enough to actually change the flow of the game. The new buildings mostly function the same as the old ones. It's just trading the old charming buildings for the new, garish and soulless concrete skyscrapers and gigantic farms. Its charm and tongue-in-cheek humor are what sets Tropico apart from other building simulations and I feel like these modern Tropican islands are just dull. They could have added some flavor to the new buildings but most are eyesores and make me wish they weren't so damn good so that I wouldn't feel obliged to build them over the older ones. One thing I do really find irritating that is that you have to demolish old farms and ranches to make room for the new ones, which are gigantic I might add. Because you can't just demolish at your whim you will have to wait till all your goods are out, fire all your workers, wait for the demo guy, free up more space and then build your new things. This is bad design, you should either start with the majority of these buildings available or make them upgradeable somehow. It's not game breaking, but it's not very fun either.

One minor complaint is the voice acting. Several of the major characters, such as Sunny and Antonio Lopez, now have different voice actors, but instead of replacing all the dialogue they just added the new dialogue with the new actors to go along with the old dialogue from the old actors. It sounds weird, especially with the new Sunny having a completely different inflection and accent. I can live with it, I just found it rather odd to hear two different voices for the same character.

Still, I think the Steam version was decent value, you get some new, albeit ugly buildings, some new edicts, 12 new missions and new islands for $19.99. It's better value than the terrible DLCs they've been releasing at least. I don't think this expansion will offer much replay value, but you should be able to get a few hours out of each map at least.

It's not great, it's not terrible, it's alright. It's not a must-have unless you really love Tropico, but hardcore fans may not like the new buildings.

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I love this game and all it's upgrades. I orginally gave this a 4 star, but have upgraded my review to 5 stars after spending much more time playing the expansion. The game play still hasn't really changed, but the upgraded building are fun and well thought out. Now if I could only start the game with them....

Installation was a snap. You buy the DLC and Amazon gives you a code. You then open the game and hit the "Enter code" button and cut and paste your new code into the box and then click "Continue". The game asks if you want to download new content. You say go-for-it and the game patches itself. Mine took about 7 minutes and then it was good to good. No muss, no fuss.

Overall, I love this game and would recommend it to any wanna-be city building dictators out there.

Honest reviews on Tropico 4 - Modern Times DLC

After playing much tropico set in the 50s-70s, it's a nice touch to add the more modern buildings and challenges. I like the campaign, the storyline is full of goofy characters in typical tropico style, and the campaign is also a good challenge. I really enjoy this addition to the game.

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Modern Times is really good. My only complaint is there is a bit of deterioration in some of the frames. It's an exciting upgrade. I love the biofarms but I dunno how to get my car factories to go hybrid. All in All U will love this upgrade.

Buy Xbox 360 Charging Stand

Customer Ratings:

Three stars for failure to mention this is only for black (slim) Xbox 360's.

The package comes with cooling base for vertically mounting the Xbox 360 and two (bonus!) batteries. The batteries feel pretty light, so I'm not sure how long they will last (probably good for an emergency). The base does not accommodate a white Xbox 360, but this can be overcome with some wedges or tape to make it fit tight. There is a lip around the base that helps secure the black Xbox with the white Xbox, it just sits on top and is not very stable.

Pro's

The charger charged all of my controller battery packs, which other chargers would not do (previous charger would only charge two of my 5 batteries)

2 Batteries included

Reasonable price

Charges 2 batteries simultaneously without removing them from the controllers

Red indicator lights tell you when the batteries are charging

Con's

On/Off switch is in back and hard to access

Doesn't fit white Xbox 360

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Reviews of Scania Truck Driving Simulator - PC

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.95
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So I am the kind of person who likes to come home after a long day and drive trucks around. For me it is relaxing and it takes a lot of stress away. Well for me to be satisfied, the game needs to be realistic. This game meets that expectation. The people at SCS have come a long way from 18 wheels of steel convoy (the first game I bought from them). The game engine is great for this simulator. The graphics are sharp and will keep you exploring the world. The truck that you will be driving is a Scania R series. There is a lot of detail to it and its a fun drive. Here is where one of my complaints come in. You cannot get a different truck. I liked being able to buy different trucks and customizing them but I have not found a place to do that and I don't think there is one. I also do not like the fact that there is no large map view. I used to look at a large map of the game and see where I wanted to drive to and what I wanted to haul. Hauling loads has changed too. On your mini map display you go to these green dots and find a trailer there. You then hook up to the trailer knowing nothing about the job really except the name of the place you are going to. When you attach the trailer a checkered dot appears on your mini map and you have to find a way to get there. (you cannot look at a large map to find the best route because there is no large map. Only a mini map.) Well I have done a lot of complaining but I haven't really gotten to the good. Besides free-roaming there are other options in the main menu. In the menu you have:

Driving License: This is where you can take lessons on how to drive your truck with a trailer. This is very helpful if you are like me and have never driven a real truck in your life. It helps you learn how to handle a truck and trailer while maneuvering through an obstacle course and how to back up your trailer while avoiding cones.

Driver Competition: This is where you can compete in events that require a high level of skill. You will be performing maneuvers in an obstacle course (This is very fun but also very challenging!)

Dangerous Drives: This will test your skill when in dangerous situations. The situations range from driving next to a cliff, to a flooded road filled with debris, to a tight ally with parked cars, to an unmaintained bridge that is falling apart, and more. These are very fun are good practice.

Freeform Driving: This one is simple. This is open world driving where you can deliver a variety of cargo and explore the environment.

Time Reaction Test: This will test your reaction time on a closed course. Each test will get harder and you will have to be on the edge of your game because something could pop out at any time.

Overall this is a great game with amazing graphics and fun challenges that will keep you entertained.

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OMG this simulator is superb good.. never ever seen one like this.. i highly recommend this to everyone who love simulator games. only problem i got with this simulator is there is no problem.. SCS software really made this simulator really changelling. if u have logitech G27.. omg u will feel like u are driving the real truck and also the sound is so freaking good...its amazing..~

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During the summer, SCS Software was supposed to release their what I call "big project", aka Euro Truck Simulator 2, in the summer. In August. But, they couldn't meet that deadline, so instead they released this game. And I've gotta say, they sure have come a long way since Trucks & Trailers. That is one of the very few SCS Software games that I DIDN'T buy. I hated it, every part of it. I was concerned about Euro Truck Simulator because I feared it would be just like it. But fortunately, they released this game which gave me more than a little bit of hope. This game is nothing less than AMAZING!!! It really is. SCS has clearly worked hard on it. Here's a list of the things that really make this game stand out:

Compared to German Truck Simulator or Trucks and Trailers, the physics in this game are nice. You can actually drive without skidding all over the road or crashing into the guardrails. Don't get me wrong, GTS was good, but not even close to this game. It feels so realistic when you're inside truck, speeding along the road. The engine sounds so real, for those of you who don't know it is a real recording from a real truck. That alone makes it a pleasure to drive the truck.

License from Scania. This whole game is Scania-themed, and while I've never seen one in person, it looks like Scanias are amazing trucks. It was really good of SCS to get a license from them instead of using the Swift brand that they usually use. This also makes driving nicer.

The fact that the transmission works like a real automatic (where you have to switch to the reverse gear, not press the reverse pedal). It's so easy to set up; and is something that I felt the games were always missing. By the way, the menus are all nice and attractive and easy to work with. The main menu music is inviting, nothing too crazy, but nothing dull either.

The dangerous drives are a true challenge. Some of them will have you on the edge of your chair as you drive past some of the craziest scenes ever seen in a trucking game. From navigating through a crowded backstreet to twisting down a curvy mountain road to picking up a trailer at a rock concert, you've got so many challenges to try. Be sure to update to the latest version of the game (it will tell you in the profile screen) because SCS has added quite a few new drives.

The city that SCS has crafted that is full of trailers to be delivered is beautiful. A great city to drive in, so realistic. In the latest version, a new section is added to the city, which is also very nice. SCS has really put a lot of effort into giving their fans everything they can. I've spent hours and hours making deliveries here.

Just with the city alone, this could be a game. The fact that there are dangerous drives and reactions tests and European challenges (based on real ones), and more, this game has a lot of content that will keep you busy for a while. You don't even have to have a high-end computer to enjoy this game. It looks good on mid-range too, very good. The graphics never cease to amaze me, I just played the game for a while and loved every minute of it. When I bought this game, I never expected to get so much out of it. I've never seen a small company like SCS Software do so many updates to their games like they have. If you want a game that's worth every cent, buy this one. Don't worry about it spoiling Euro Truck Simulator 2, because they are definitely different games. I won't be getting that game until Christmas, and I'm so glad I have a game like this to hold me over until then!

Honest reviews on Scania Truck Driving Simulator - PC

A lot better than I expected. It has it's flaws, but what game doesn't? They have released updates, and will continue to do so from what they say. Great graphics, but needs a fast comp to really benefit. There is a modding community. This is the only truck-sim worth looking at, nothing compares. A keeper, look forward to add-ons in the future.

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I would recommend as a first time trucking if you plan to play any of the Euro truck games. The challenge part of the game is the best part, this part will really test you. I bought it for my 9 year old son and he loves it.

Reviews of 50 Cent: Bulletproof - Xbox

Customer Ratings:

This is one of the worst games ever created. It deserves zero stars. Talk about pointless. The graphics are sub-standard, the storyline is non-existent and the game is solely based on violence. Now don't get me wrong, I usually don't have a problem with violence in video games but when there is absolutely no other point to the game, don't act like it has some story line. Mowing down cops and street thugs is not a storyline and it becomes so boring so fast it will make your head spin. You'll have more fun throwing your controller across the room after about ten minutes than you'll ever get from playing this piece of junk. If this game didn't feature the name "50 Cent" it would have landed in the bargin bin immediately. It's not even worth the bag it would come in if you were fooled into buying it. Don't waste your money on this piece of garbage, not even for a rental.

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This is pretty much the worst and most over-hyped game of 2005 and made a lot of 'bottom 10' lists in many magazines last month. And it bloody deserves it.

The problems with this game begin before you even lift it off the shelf in the store. I mean take a look at the cover. It's 50 Cent, one of the few African American 'role models' around these days, in a defencive pose with a stereotypical 'angry black guy' look on his face (oh, please don't hurt me Mr. Cent!).

Now I am not a fuddy-duddy conservative who blames people like Marilyn Manson for corrupting kids or whatever because I know kids are more intelligent than adults give them credit for. But America is a very racist country and when 50 Cent misrepresents the Black Community and backs up the xenophobic myth that all Black people are evil or killers or gang-bangers in some way I can't help but get very annoyed.

Second of all is the fact that this drivel game is no more than a laughable male fantasy. Yes, I know Mr. Cent has been shot 9 times but it was all at once with low calibre bullets. It's not as if he goes out and gets shot at every day and is immune to all lead fired in the direction of his person. I know 50 Cent has had a really, REALLY, RE-EALLY tough life, that I would not wish upon anyone. But when violence and death have haunted you your whole life the LAST thing you should do is capitalise on a game that glorifies gun-play and gang warfare. That's just disgusting and perverse and if Mr. Cent truly 'kept it real' (what a ridiculous, meaningless phrase) he would treat his demons with respect. Using music as a way of working through them is fine but starring in a video game where the main enjoyment comes from blowing people away certainly is NOT. As I have said, there are few African American role models and he should set an example to those following behind him. While his innovative music may have made him a huge success this game smashes any credibility I feel he may have had.

Third? Well the story to the game is childish and stupid anyway. It's not even entertaining accidentally as it's just way too dull.

And fourth? Well don't get me started on the horrible targeting system and awful controls. It'll make you want to smash your control pad into your TV screen. What a horribly cheaply programmed game!

Fifth? Well, that would have to be the bland, graphics and tedious environments. It all adds up to a pretty (read VERY) unsatisfying experience. Mere days after being released most stores had zillions of copies traded in as those foolish enough to buy it blind quickly discovered what a rotten game it is as well as a hideously over-indulgent and grossly misjudged vanity piece. BEWARE!!!

Graphics C

Sound B-

Gameplay D-

Lasting Appeal D

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very good first person shooter. the missions SUCK after the first 5 stages are opened up..and its hard to figure out what to do in the latter levels so i just gave up. also its hard to target your guy when shooting alittle..but not alot. i just keep going through the first level in Queens getting as much money as i can to buy videos and music...but that will get old soon. rent it, its worth the experience..the exclusive music 50 did for it is good too...

iLL .

Honest reviews on 50 Cent: Bulletproof - Xbox

Okay...this is a review, not a g-unit bash commentary. Unlike some people, I have the b@lls to say that I actually do enjoy some of 50's music. Though not without his issues(you all know what I mean), he is an interesting person. This game was obviously a companion piece to his get rich or die trying movie. Universal kind of dropped the ball on this one. It's not a terrible game, but it reeks of a rushed product. In game graphics are good, but the cinemas seem kinda washed out. The music, well, it's all g-unit so you'll either hate it or love it(ha!).I personally thought that some of the game exclusive tracks were better than his released stuff. Now, the gameplay.....Have you ever been stuck in the mud with some heavy ass boots on? That is a good description of the controls. Why is 50 so slow? The targeting is not as bad as everyone says. Of course its going to be hard to get a head shot. Do you really think anyone can get off a perfect shot everytime? Surprisingly well written story. The "overkills" are by far one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. Think Dead to rights, but much more graphic. Voice acting varies from decent to hilarious. Our friend Marshall Mathers is funny as hell as the crooked cop. Anyway, yeah I bought the game, I liked it. I'm just saying that it could have been so much more. All games can't be Halo after all.

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Its a good game I've been wanting for a.while its a challenging game I play it alot I still haven't passed it but its a great gem I love 50 cent and yea its great

Dark Souls Collector's Edition -Xbox 360 Reviews

Customer Ratings:

When I was younger I remember games that took dedication and countless deaths. Anybody remember the Contra Code? Those extra lives made the game feel like "normal mode" more than a cheat. Gone have been the days of 100+ hour dedication to an RPG or even most Main Stream RPGs in general, which for the fans of us out there is a real let down. Then came Demon's Souls. Demon's souls was brutally uncaring about your little "easy mode" common place playstyle that has made gaming a subplot to cinematography. I remember how frustrating it was dying over and over elarning how to fight every enemy I encountered and what playstle worked best for me.

That feeling is back. The sequel is everything the first game was and takes that a step further. Granted, there's not as much outright surprise since we know it's a direct sequel but by making the world one open expanse it has upped the feeling of dessolation 3 fold. Instead of going onto a new section and feeling like I "beat an area" I just go further into the realm they've built and feel my nerves fry. My wife watches me looking like a little nervous kid and gets quite a kick out of just what this is able to do. In 3 words; I am Impressed.

This game is not for the faint through. Its difficulty surpasses almost anything thats come out within the last decade and if you are one of the folks who just loses it when you die then perhaps you should go back to Elderscrolls on Easy Mode. Provided you are willing to laugh at the ruthless unfliching combat and tricky set ups of traps or sneaky shots by a boss this just might remind you of what got you started into "punching buttons" in the first place.

Graphically it is beautiful with minimum issues and the occasional hit detection with surfaces (sometimes a wall shouldnt let a sword go through it) but there isnt much else to complain about. Its as grim as it is pretty and the visuals will make you feel uncomfortable with every step.

In closing, if youre willing to watch your character be mangled, destroyed, maimed and can laugh about it you will find a visceral emotional connection with Dark Souls you wont find in many games to date, but it will require your patience, intelligence, skill, and temperment to be as honed as the game itself or you wont make it out alive.

4.9/5

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For the sake of brevity I will only discuss the extras that make this the Collector's Edition.

This limited edition which I received probably because I ordered the 'standard' version the day it became available at Amazon adds the following:

IN THE BOX

The regular, shrink-wrapped game comes inside a nice tin box. I say 'nice' because... a tin is tin box. Good graphics on the outside.

You will also find an art book. The actual art is beyond gorgeous. Leaf through the pages and you'll be dreaming even more about the game you're playing. However, I wish the all-color pages were put together in a spiral binding or anything that would make possible opening the book at an angle larger than 90 degrees without cracking the spine.

There is also a card with a code you use to download the extra content. More about that later. The code didn't work but, after my son emailed Bandai, they sent us a download link that did work and allow us three days to get the content.

DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT SUMMARY

The files are large but I'm glad we were able to get the extra content. This is what's available.

* Mini Strategy Guide in English, German, French, Spanish and Italian 23 MB each.

* Bonus Map 1 MB

* Behind the Scenes Video Pt. 1 229 MB

* Behind the Scenes Video Pt. 2 286 MB

* Behind the Scenes Video Pt. 3 257 MB

* Dark Souls Official Soundtrack, Pt. 1 207 MB

MINI STRATEGY GUIDE

A 45-page (PDF) sample of the full 400-page guide. The idea is that if you like what you see, and I do, then you order the full guide. After browsing through the PDF I decided to order a full copy.

THE MAP

A small .pdf. It doesn't have a lot of detail and it would be impossible given the multi-level structures plus underground but it will help you understand approximately where you are in reference to everything else at any given time during your game. Worth printing.

BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO

Actually titled 'Behind the Game', it's a set of 3 QuickTime 720p videos, 4-6 minutes each where producer Nei Hirono gets as acquainted with the father/author of Dark Souls and Demon's Souls, Hidetaka Miuzaki and the game's major themes. We learn that Hidetaka dreamed Dark Souls ever since his childhood, having been inspired by such books as 'Sorcery'.

The game's three major themes are:

High fantasy (Kings and Knights)

Death and Darkness (we knew that)

Purgatory and Flames (we are aware of this)

Overall, good clips, worth watching.

SOUND TRACK

This is a full album. 23 tracks of hauntingly beautiful, incredibly depressing music. Not for everyone but... beautiful.

Prologue 1

Shrine

Demon

Gargoyle

Dragon

M06_Pinwheel

Quelaag

Chaos

Golem

Priscilla

Sif

Dragon

Discharge

Smough

Sunlight

Gwyndolin

Kings

Demon

Chaos

Nito

Scaleless

Cinder

Nameless Song 1

IS IT WORTH IT?

Speaking for myself, I would probably pay a little (but not a lot) more for the art book and the music. The tin box could be a collector item for anyone collecting these things. The videos are nice but shorter than I expected. The map or something like it should become available online soon if it's not there already. I am pleased with my copy. My experience with other collector's editions is that the prices drop, eventually but you never know.

--

>> Brush your teeth, it's the law!

Review of Playstation Move Navigation Controller

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List Price: $29.99
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One of the questions most people will have is: is the Move Navigation Control required to play the Move? The quick answer is--not right now. I'll put it another way: I ordered one with my Playstation Move Starter Bundle. After playing 5 different Move games and demos, it's still unopened in the package. My guess is it'll stay that way for a while.

The Move Navigation controller is really just a Dualshock controller that's designed to fit in one hand more comfortable. As with the Dualshock, it has a joystick, four directional buttons, and the most commonly used "X" and "O" Playstation buttons all within easy reach of your thumb.

Sony designed the Move controller (wisely IMO) not to have a joystick nor directional buttons. That makes it simpler and more elegant, but it also makes certain things (such as scrolling through a menu list of options) awkward to do with the Move controller alone (although not impossible--you can navigate through menus using the Move controller alone by pressing and holding the Trigger button and moving the controller up, down, left, and right).

But so far I've found so far that just holding the Dualshock in my left hand and controlling the buttons and joystick with my left thumb is sufficient, if a little clunky, for most of what I need to do (unless you have freakishly long thumbs the "X" button will be hard to reach--but happily, pressing the "Move" button on the Move controller will do what you need in most cases).

I'd assumed that like the Wii Nunchuk the Navigation Controller would have motion control built-in so you can control the on-screen action with both hands. It doesn't. For games that require motion control using two hands, you'll need to buy a second Move Controller. Most games that support two-handed operation will also provide the option to play one-handed, but I strongly recommend getting the second Move Controller, as it makes the experience truly immersive. Gladiator Duel on Sports Champions is a great example.

As new games are created for the Move I'm sure the Navigation Controller will become more useful, especially with FPS-type games where you need to move and shoot at the same time. But if you're looking to save a little money, I'd recommend holding off on the Navigation controller for now and spending the money on a second Move controller instead until you find a game that really needs it.

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This was originally titled the "sub-controller" and that was much more fitting. Sony is somehow getting away with charging $30 for half a dual-shock. Only, it's not really half a dual-shock as it features NO RUMBLE. So, you're getting half a six-axis, right? NO. There is NO motion control feature included for your $30. This, to me, is the most disgusting thing about the Move setup, especially considering you REALLY DO need the navigational controller for games like RE5 and Heavy Rain (you can play with half a dual-shock, but it gets to be very uncomfortable very fast).

I can almost guarantee Sony will add rumble to the navigational controller within the next 6 months (probably prior to the release of Killzone 3). So, if you're not a hardcore gamer, I'd wait. If you ARE and you REALLY want to use motion control on RE5 and Heavy Rain, I would recommend this, albeit reluctantly at this price.

Is there anything wrong with the controller? Not really. It's well designed and mostly comfortable. The bumper button is too close to the thumbstick, which can lead to numb fingers and a sore wrist, but if you don't have large hands, this may not be a problem. Sony just needed to add either motion or rumble or both to justify this price. Nintendo charges $19.99 for their sub-controller (IE "nunchuck") and it has motion control.

The navigational controller would be priced right at $19.99 with rumble. Or at $9.99 as it currently is. Better yet, Sony could have included it in the starter pack and made everyone happy.

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Holy PS3 accessories :)

The Navigation Controller is Motion Controller's (aka 'the Move') natural complement. It is not a 'must buy' at this time but it helps to have one for certain games where it's meant to be operated with 'the other' hand. If you don't have one, you can get away with a DualShock or a Sixaxis.

To make an informed decision on whether a purchase is warranted at this time (or ever) it's important to be aware of the following:

At the time I am writing this, not too many 'Move' games need the Nav. Probably because, one week after Move's official launch there aren't too many Move games out there but that will change I just ordered Heavy Rain which does use the Nav and I've had Little Big Planet 2 on order for quite a while.

There is nothing that that Nav can do that your DualShock or Sixaxis can't. In fact, the Nav Controller is nothing but the left side of the DualShock 3 plus the X and O buttons (PS button too) and minus rumble and motion sensitivity. You can, therefore, use your DualShock instead of the Nav on games that may require it.

These being said, the Nav is a well-designed, quality built accessory that does what it's supposed to do very well. It may not look like much but holding and using it feels 'natural' and all the familiar controls are easy to reach even though it may take a little practice to get used to the unexpected but necessary O and X. And, of course, the Nav does NOT come with a wrist strap because it does not need one. The Nav Controller will not be used to hack and slash or punch or parry. As its name implies, its main use is for 'navigation', meaning mostly the analog joystick, but the L2/L3 triggers and the D-pad are also there when needed in Aragorn's Quest you use the L2 to raise the shield.

Rating the Nav controller for what it is and what it does, I find no faults with it whatsoever. I appreciate its exceptional design, quality and its apparent durability. Some of the early Move games that take good advantage of the Nav Controller include Heavy Rain, MAG, Aragorn's Quest at the time of this review, Little Big Planet 2 coming up in a couple of months, many in between, I hope. To the extent that the Move proves itself a success with game developers, the Navigation Controller will find its uses and its users. I believe it to be so because holding the DualShock in one hand while swinging the Motion Controller with the other is not a good way to play a game.

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The nav controller is pretty much a duelshock rolled into one piece to fit in your hand. everythings laid out nicely and it fits in your hand perfectly. Has the analog stick, x and o button, d-pad, and the L1 and L2 buttons. The L2 feels nice as it has a little curve to it now, so your fingers dont slide off(never had that problem, just heard people complain before) It doesn't take nearly as long to charge compared to the motion controller. Does not come with a strap which I heard people complaining, but you dont swing it. no need to be moving it, so that why theres no strap. Been using it as i play heavy rain, which i really love with the move. Theres about 3 games out right now that youll need this nav controller for, and more in the future. if you want to play RE5, MAG, or heavy rain, then I say go buy this. If not, just wait on it then. All in all, this is a great addition to the controllers and comes in handy.

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The PS3 Move Navigation Controller may look like a Wii's nunchuck, but it serves a very different purpose. Where the nunchuck has motion sensing, the PS3 Move Navigation Controller is solely for button pushing.

This small, easy to hold device lets you use your left hand for button related tasks using the joystick for moving around a landscape, using the standard X and O buttons for performing actions. So for example if you are in a sword game you can have the motion-sensitive wand in your right hand, swinging your sword, while using your navigator in your left hand to walk across the field of battle and seek out your next opponent.

You might ask, if all this controller does is let you use a joystick and a few buttons, why even buy it? Why not just use a normal controller in the left hand? Certainly you can do that but the normal controller is set up for two handed use. Many people find it challenging to hold that controller just with the left hand in a way that easily gets them access to the joystick and the two buttons. With this navigation controller setup, it clearly is all arranged for one handed use.

If you want to play a game that requires both hands to be motion sensitive for example a boxing game where you punch with your left hand and also punch with your right hand this is NOT the controller you want. For that type of activity you'll want two wand controllers, one for each hand.

That means that for a typical player on a PS3 move system you need two wand controllers PLUS one navigation controller. You wouldn't use all three at the same time, but some games will have you using the two wand controllers and other games will have you use the wand in one hand and the navigation controller in the other.

You can see where this is going. If you have two gamers in the household who want to play head to head games, you now need FOUR wand controllers plus two navigation controllers to have them covered. It's time to give your PS3 system its own shelf, to handle all these accessories!

In any case the nav controller works well, is very useful for games, and I highly recommend it for any Move gamers.

We purchased our controller from Amazon with our own funds.

Reviews of Logitech PlayStation 3 Cordless MediaBoard Pro

Customer Ratings:

I tried a standard wireless Logitech KB with the PS3 and while it worked, the range was only about 10 feet. As my couch is about 20 feet from the PS3, I had to string the KB receiver into the middle of the room. No such problem with the Mediaboard. I walked into a back bedroom over 50 ft away and it was able to transmit that distance through a number of walls. It is glossy black with a chrome strip on the top to complement the PS3. The X and O buttons are mapped to the Enter and Esc keys respectively; which works well since the X is usually "OK" and O is typically "Back". The touchpad beats using the D-pad to move around the PlayStation Store. I have not used the media buttons on the top since I have the Sony remote. Once you pair up the Mediaboard to the PS3 (which is an easy process) you don't have to do it again. I was concerned that I would have to pair it up each time I turned on the Mediaboard or PS3.

I only have three small issues with the Mediaboard. One, the power switch is a slider built into the chrome strip. There is a little nub in the center that I assume was to provide some grip. It doesn't help since the surface of the button is slick. I just use my fingernail to move the switch back and forth. Second: no Start button. You need to press Start to begin downloads from the Playstation Store. Not a big issue as you can use the arrow keys to move to the Start image on the screen and hit the Enter (X) key. Third: no PS button. A strange omission. It might have to do with the fact that the Mediaboard does not show up as a controller on the PS3.

I highly recommend the Mediaboard for anyone looking for a keyboard for their PS3.

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Just received this keyboard last night. Was worried from the reviews that construction might be flimsy. Not the case. I had the Logitech DiNovo desktop (keyboard, number pad, and mouse) previously. The number pad went missing pretty quickly and the keyboard was not the toughest of keyboards. The left CTRL key stopped working after about a year. I was using it for my living room computer (music, net surfing, etc), so use was not tremendous. Another year later, the keyboard croaked and mouse went missing, so it was time for a new bluetooth combo. Not much out there at the time of this writing Logitech DiNovo Edge keyboard (expensive) and the Microsoft combo set, but it requires WinXP SP2, which I wasn't keen on. I considered the Bestbuy Razorfish, but that looked pretty cheap. I found this one for PS3, but was worried about compatability with a regular computer (I don't have PS3). I got the box, opened it up, used another keyboard and mouse to set up, and DONE! Up and running in under 3 minutes. The keyboard weight is perfect. Not too light and not terribly heavy. Doesn't feel cheap. Looks great with piano black and chrome finish when its sitting unused. If you've used a laptop touchpad, you can use this thing. A couple tweaks on the mouse movement settings and all set! There is no WIN key, but use Ctrl-Esc instead. The key stroke depth is great. Longer stroke than the Dinovo Desktop also quieter. The touchpad also has scrolling BIG PLUS. The keyboard even has two keys on the bottom left which emulate the left and right mouse buttons, making dragging a bit easier than using just the right hand. Finally, there's a power switch, which helps with battery life. Two AA's and this thing goes! For the money, this is the best bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo around. Keep in mind, this is used on an entertainment computer, not a gamer. Gamers obviously need a better mouse, but the keyboard is still great. Overall, for a living room / entertaining computer, this keyboard rates an A+.

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Keyboard works ok, but it is REALLY, REALLY lame that Logitech didn't include the L1,L2,R1,R2,etc keys...which are critical for proper zooming of the Internet Browser. This means that you have to have the controller or remote control nearby as well for basic navigation. How much harder could it have been to include these keys? Oh well...

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I bought this keyboard with the intention of using it for both a Mac mini and future PS3 so I can only comment on it's use as a general BT keyboard. I am using the mini as a media center PC so having a BT keyboard with mousepad was essential. The keyboard itself is of normal size and is slight wider than a standard A/V component (e.g. stereo receiver). Like others have said, the quality is good but not great. My keyboard has a slight bow to it where it does not sit flush on a flat surface. Maybe that was by design, who knows. Other than the keyboard, the package includes a manual and batteries, no setup CD but no big deal. I was able to pair it up with the mini for the first time in less than a half minute. The response is great, never any lag. The only thing that makes this keyboard NOT ideal for a mac is the lack of extra function keys other than CTRL and ALT. There are no FN or COMMAND keys. Instead there is a leftand right-click "keys". I guess it makes more sense for a PS3. I was able to reassign the CTRL key to COMMAND and that's good enough for me. I could've assigned the caps lock key if I really needed CTRL. When restarting the mini, there are no pairing issues. It will pair within a couple of seconds of turning the keyboard on. All in all, I am happy with this keyboard and hope to have a similar impression once I get a PS3.

UPDATE:

There was a point where the keyboard could not be found by my Mac mini. I thought it was the Mac at first. Then I changed the batteries and now it works fine. So if you're having trouble pairing this keyboard, check the batteries.

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First off the keyboard I received had a problem with some sticking keys, and the left mouse button when click randomly. I returned and decided not to get another simply because Logitech neglected to put L1 L2 L3 R1 R2 R3 buttons on the keyboard making the keyboard a real pain in the neck to use. Since the PS3 browser requires the L and R keys to navigate properly through the Internet, this requires you to stop your typing or using the mouse pad to pick up a separate controller that you have to have by you to surf properly, big pain!!!! I was really disappointed I was really looking forward to the ease of typing but it's just not worth it. Maybe a future keyboard will have more thought put into it.

Best Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 14 - Xbox 360 Deals

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The Tiger Woods PGA Tour series has been solid if unspectacular this generation carrying with it somewhat limited appeal. Hampered by a heavy reliance on downloadable content the justification to purchase yearly has waned considerably.

That won't necessarily change with Tiger Woods 14. People who play yearly may not find as much value as novices. However for those who have skipped recent versions or who would be new to the series it can be easily recommended.

While Tiger Woods 12 had the compelling draw of The Masters for the first time, and Tiger 13 attempted to create a new experience with the Legacy Challenge, it would take travelling many years farther in the past to find a golf game that captured my attention in the way that Tiger 14 has. Any assumption that a gimmicky element would be needed to create interest has been proven wrong by a product that simply delivers realistic and satisfying gameplay as accompanied by a rich and involving feature set. Feel free to check out a few gameplay videos (Career, Legends of the Majors, Live Tournament) on the Pastapadre Youtube Channel.

One very successful element introduced in Tiger 14 is the "Swing Style" feature which gives each current golfer a more personalized feel along with the ability to craft a swing style when creating new golfers. Now each individual is classified in the following categories: Type (Power or Control), Shape (Draw or Fade), Trajectory (Low, Medium, or High), and Handedness (Left or Right). The tutorial helps in getting a feel for some of the differences and the selection screen explains the choices. They can be changed later if so desired. Draws and fades are manageable this year but it can still be difficult to nail that stick movement.

Legends of the Majors is the flashy new mode for this year. It involves playing through events from history within the confines of the time they took place. That means playing with the legends, old course designs, and equipment. The visual filter defines those time periods but feels out of place in a sense given the experience is otherwise all from the golfer's perspective.

Some of the challenges are fairly easy like re-creating a shot, while others take more work such as matching a performance over several holes or a round. Whether they are overly frustrating or just tough remains to be determined. There are 62 challenges overall and most are worthwhile but there are some that clearly could have been omitted. Why am I being asked to play in 1922 as Rory McIlroy against Keegan Bradley? Legends of the Majors is a decent distraction and going through the history of the sport is a valuable journey but it's not something that will hold much value outside of the initial play through.

The Live Tournaments online have been enhanced by adding more of the social element that had been lacking last year. There is of course still the traditional ways to play online but the Tournaments now offer the ability to see the shot arcs for up to an active 24 players on a hole and include group voice chat. I have no expectation of ever winning a public tournament, and that can still be discouraging in a sense, but setting them up with Clubs or friends makes for a fun experience regardless of performance level. Country Clubs have been expanded to 100 members and that too now features chat functionality.

Other additions of note are the LPGA tour, "Simulation" difficulty, and varied tee times that include night golf. Playing in nighttime conditions is more than just the darkness as the sound effects from the environment like the chirping birds are gone. It just has a new feel to it like playing on the historic courses provides in Legends of the Majors. EA probably should have taken sunglasses off golfers who wear them though when it turns dark out. I would not be the right person to assess the "Simulation" setting but from all other accounts it appears to provide the experience very talented players have been looking for.

Presentation would appear to be the weakness of Tiger 14. The commentary is bland, overly generic, and occasionally incorrect. The camera angles range from satisfactory to downright horrible. Quite often after taking a shot particularly when putting it immediately cuts to a camera angle that makes it impossible to actually tell what is happening. They may be meant to enhance the drama but all they do is remove oneself from the moment. The on-screen informational displays do well to communicate information with the leaderboard, scorecards, and Country Club stats but others seem pretty pointless especially when the statistical leaders for a category are all the people who have yet to tee off.

Last year's method of being able to earn DLC courses through time spent playing has been removed due to heavy criticism and problems with the implementation on the PS3. Though not necessarily the wrong decision EA should have provided some alternate method that worked instead of falling back on the old way of doing things where the only way to obtain them is by spending significant chunks of money.

While the enjoyment being had with Tiger 14 may be partially attributed to having not invested much time with the series over the course of the generation and particularly last year which just fell flat and was pushed aside quickly it can't be discounted due to just that. The addictive nature of the gameplay and strong depth of content could be realized by many. Tiger 14′s additions and improvements have the merit to be appreciated by the both the hardcore and more casual crowds and that is a balance that has been tough to come by in the past.

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I have bought every edition of this game since its initial release, but after last year's disappointing edition, I almost stopped. I'm glad I didn't though, because this year's version is simply awesome. I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 for two reasons: 1) It is much harder and more technical than previous years, with little-to-no explanation--even if you do all the tutorials all the way through. I had to look online to figure a lot of stuff out. 2) In order to play a full PGA season, you have to purchase something like 8 additional courses online, which is like another $30. That's ridiculous. Screw you, EA.

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I'm glad this year's Tiger game is moving away from the golfer himself, and not because of his image. Last year's Tiger Legacy mode faltered, so in its place Tiger 14 offers the Legends of the Majors mode that lets you play through the history of the sport itself instead of just Tiger's career. It's an effective approach, especially when coupled with a few small changes that tighten the overall experience.

I'm not a golf history buff, but Legends of the Majors mode is a fun way to earn coins that incorporates your Career mode golfer by having them face off against the sport's greats at certain intervals. The mode also uses era-specific equipment, which isn't as interesting.

This year the all-important coins, which are used to buy stat-boosting pins, are more useful since you can spend them to level up your golfer. Levels grant you attribute points and equipment for a lot less than it takes to buy a pin pack.

The expansion of the online options gives you more ways to earn coins. The Country Clubs format lets you take in more players, who can contribute to the club's status in more ways (including a variety of tourneys and leaderboards). The clubs also feature expanded voice chat, and a new Club Loyalty Bonus that gives you coins for members playing every day.

The action on the course remains largely the same from last year, except for the new swing arcs. Like changing your club tuning, fiddling with your swing arc has its advantages. This lets you change the flight characteristics of your ball, including your power, control, and how the wind affects your shot.

Even though Tiger 14 has a similar setup as Tiger 13, I had more fun with the newer game because its constituent parts mesh better. For a golfer, getting everything in synch is important.

The Edge

Like last year, if you absolutely have to have motion controls, I suggest you go with the Move. Putting in particular is harder with the Move, but it's also more accurate in general over Xbox 360's Kinect. The Kinect motion controls are dumbed down to the point where the game does a lot of the work for you. For instance, a half swing on the Kinect will often be read as a full-powered shot. This defeats the purpose of using motion controls for a more lifelike feel.

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I have liked the EA Sports Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and purchased regularly... however, this is not a good version, particularly for full price. The game regularly will freeze in transitions between holes. For me the last two times were in a daily tournament event once at hole 17 and once in a playoff right after the 18th hole. You lose anything you've used and all your experience. Very frustrating. The graphics are pretty nice, but it's not worth the aggravation. Extremely disappointed. Others report the same issue. Beware and skip this year's version.

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He hasn't tried it yet. Finishing up on 2013. he is partially blind and this lets him play golf like he was out on the course

reccommend this because it is close to real he says. And if he ever gets to play it improved his game and taught him things.

Review of Xbox 360 Multi Function Carry Case

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I travel a lot for my job (over 100 round trip flights a year) and wanted a good bag to take my 360 with me for long trips.

After about 10 such trips with this bag now I can say that it works great and does its job very well! The case zips open to lay flat and has a velcro strap that holds the 360 in very tight. This means that you don't have to take your 360 out to pass it through the x-ray machine. Just lay the case on the conveyor belt and open the top flap so it lays flat. Takes all of 5 seconds to get it ready for x-ray and 5 seconds to close it back up and be on your way.

My one wish is that the front pocket was a little bit bigger. The power brick is a rather tight fit and doesn't leave much room if you put it in there. If you put your power brick in your normal carry on bag though then the front pocket fits a game guide and 2-3 game cases pretty well.

The bag is pretty decently padded, not enough to let you throw it around but enough to save your 360 from the normal bumps of carrying the case through an airport on your shoulder.

Bottom line: Its a great bag for airport travel and people on the go who don't need to take a million games and peripherals with them.

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Xbox Multifunction Carry Case.

Good design.

Good compromise between carrying capacity & size/volume.

Good feature that allows the Xbox to be hooked up & function w/o removal from the Carry Case.

Shoddy execution.

Shoulder strap & carry handle are flimsy.

Zippers were sticky -needed to be lubed w/ silicon spray before they were functional.

Zipper pulls broke within minutes of opening packaging. Had to use tie wraps to jury rig.

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This bag is fantastic. I am more than happy with my purchase. It does everything that it should do, unfortunately, it does not have enough room for the power cable.

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I live in hotels 24 nights a month for work, so I travel quite a bit. This bag holds the xbox console nicely, however that is about all the space it has. I really have to jam the power brick, cord, controller, headset and crossover cable in the case. Overall its a great idea and the structure is sound, but it just doesn't hold enough. I'm going to purchase another option.

Edit: I purchased a backpack on Amazon for the same price as this. The backpack has a seperate additional section just for the power supply. It is a much better fit. The shoulder bag that I originally used, although more professional looking, just does not fit everything properly and should not be sold until the designer re-engineers them to fit the power supply.

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The side walls of this case are week so it will collapse on you if you are not careful. Not enough room in the front pocket and you can't carry everything you will need in this bag you will only get the machine,powercord and maybe hdmi cable to fit. Nice idea but disapointing.

Review of The Sims 3 Collector's Edition - PC

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I've played all the Sims games from the original to this one and pretty much all of the expansions and stuff packs. I have to say the changes in this version are well worth the purchase...though there are caveats. One thing to note: this is the first game released as part of EA's backstepping away from DRM. Just the CD key and the CD...no DRM required. Nice timing.

I'll split this review into two pieces and won't go into crazy depth as those depths are covered elsewhere anyway. If you've played the previous Sims games, skip the next section. Otherwise, newbies, read on.

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New to the Sims Universe?

If you're new to the Sims Universe, the simple version is that you should just start here with Sims 3. A lot of the "updates" that were incorporated into this version are long needed and really enhance gameplay. The biggest problem we used to have was loading screens...constant loading screens. Those are gone so now the game is a lot more immersive.

You create and take control of a Sim which you can define with a number of traits and of course design from the ground up to look however you want. It's very RPG in the end but open-ended as you can follow any career or life path you want. Feel like creating an Evil slacker that mooches off the neighborhood? Go for it. Want to be the leader of the free world? By all means.

With a combination of skills you can learn/improve on (Cooking, Fishing, Logic, Charisma, and others), you gradually open up choices and opportunities. Speaking of which, as you progress through your sim life, you'll get opportunities which are essentially missions to undertake with rewards of money and other things tangible or intangible. These combined with random events (like grill-offs, or chess tournaments) are designed to get you out there interacting with other sims and advancing your sim. In the end, what happens is all up to you.

Your sims can eventually die (though you can turn this off) so you'll likely want to look at starting a family and progressing your family tree. This essentially means, the death of one character isn't the end of the game.

Now, this isn't a traditional RPG so you have to keep in mind that there are moments of boredom where you wait for something to happen (really that's only when your sim is at work). You can speed up time but for things like work, you're sitting around for a couple minutes waiting. Not terrible but it can become a drag at times. This combined with the needs for your sim (hunger, energy, etc.) which without help from lifetime rewards (rewards paid for with points you accumulate living your life) can sometimes leave you in a time management crunch. It's one of those things that you learn to deal with as you play but it can become tiresome after a while. Consider yourself warned.

There's also a huge community of people tossing up items, sims, and the like on the Sims Exchange online. EA's also got a store where you can buy more items, sims, lots, etc. for a price. The average item will cost you anywhere from 25-100 sim points. The exchange rate is $1 = 100 sim points. You can buy more points on the site. Just keep in mind that the bread and butter of this franchise is expansion packs and stuff packs which add features and content to the game every 6-9 months. You can either stash cash for these packs or just microtrans your way into a new car or new set of furniture that your sims can eventually buy.

All in all, though, the game is fun. There are interesting interactions and sometimes surprises. You have a lot of freedom which is great but if you're the type that really needs goals, unless you put your sim through the career paths offered in the game, you might find yourself bored with nothing to do. Yes, it's a bit like playing with a dollhouse but I look at it more like an open-ended RPG where you've got to kick your imagination into gear and have some fun playing around with your sim.

Take a look at the Sims 3 site () and watch some of the videos. If you like what you see, you'll probably have fun with this game. If you're a hard-core gamer, you're probably already steering clear of this game so you're good to go. :)

For newbies, I definitely don't recommend the Collector's Edition. Unless you really want that USB flash drive or the $10 of sim points (= 1000 sim points), it's not really worth the extra $20. The prima guide thing is ridiculously short and is more of a teaser to buy their full guide at 25% off. Ignore.

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Sim Veterans, stop here!

What can I say? No more of those damned loading screens! You start up (which is a bit faster than the Sims 2) and load a saved game (no more lot saves) which takes a lot less time to load than lot loads in Sims2.

Once you're in, you've basically got a big map of a town that you're looking at top-down. You can zoom in to the house level but have to switch to sim mode in order to see inside. Kind of stupid...should've been one continuous movement but this is what you get.

At the map level, you get SimCity (3000) style bubbles attached to landmarks that you can click to show the bubble menu (like when you click on a sim) and select actions related to those places. Once you get the hang of it (which doesn't take long) it's really nice not having to go through all the hassles of picking a lot to go to and waiting for loads. It's such a big deal, I can't tell you. One thing they also did was move some of the functions you might have done at home (like ordering groceries) into the logic place for those functions (grocery store).

The UI is still familiar because most things are in their original places but a lot of things have also changed. No more aspiration points or influence. Now, you've got lifetime wishes (essentially your lifetime aspiration) and one off wishes which are sort of like selectable wants. So, instead of the Vegas-style slots where you just got random wants you could achieve, now there's a box with the Sim's wishes that pop-up for a short time. You can add up to four wishes to the Sim's wish list and try to fulfill them for lifetime happiness points. These points are sort of like an amalgam of achievement points, lifetime reward points and whoknowswhat. These points are generated from wish fulfillment but also by just being in a good mood. They buy enhancements or one-off benefits for your sim like Steel Bladder (which eliminates decay on your Bladder meter). Interesting idea but we'll see if it works in the long run.

The other big thing is the traits system. Instead of the five traits (Shy vs Outgoing, etc.), there are a lot more individual traits of which your sim can have up to five. These can be positive or negative traits. If you grow a sim from a baby, the traits are randomly picked (though slanted based on the mother's traits). If you create a sim from scratch, you get to pick them. The traits work a lot like those Sims 2 traits in that they affect the way the Sim responds to events, other people, etc. and also infer bonuses. For instance, you can add the Bookworm trait to make it easier for you to learn from books. They're pretty interesting and definitely add to the color of the game.

What else? 45 degree angles on furniture placement, free movement to anywhere in town without a loading screen, new interactions--some of them based on your skills--and the ability to upgrade some furniture items. There is a lot to see and discover. There are a lot of good enhancements. When you're on the job, you can change your actions so you can slack off or work harder.

What's missing? Vacation homes, pets, apartments, loading screens, etc.

What's wrong? Here's a dumb idea...let's take the interaction to Call someone off your Sim and put it on the landline only. Or you can click into your inventory and select the phone and then finally call out where there isn't a phone handy.

The main problem: we're starting over again. You know we're going to start seeing expansion packs and stuff packs or something like that by Christmas. Sure there are somethings (like hobbies) which are largely included and there are a lot of little things to do as you explore careers and locations and start building your own towns. It still sucks that you can't have pets, can't do the apartment thing, and can't do vacation homes/trips. It always feels like we're getting used again.

Still, all the new changes (and it runs pretty smoothly despite those changes) definitely help take the bite out of that snub. I still can't tell you how great it is not to deal with lot management any more. When you head to work or head off to the neighbor's that first time and follow your sim around, it's beautiful.

What can I say? You have to buy it. I kept my Sims 2 install in place just in case but I seriously doubt I'll head back there any time soon. Give it a little time and I'm sure they'll put out an expansion to rectify some of those missing activities. Then it'll be time to uninstall the old and let all those packs collect dust.

What about the Collector's Edition? It's the same as the newbies. Unless you really want that USB key, it's not really worth the extra $20. The guide is anemic, the sports car is interesting but you'll be able to find something else on the Exchange eventually, and you can just buy $10 of sim points online. If you can find it discounted to the price of the regular game ($49) then it's probably worth the pick up but by then you'd have missed out on a lot of gaming fun.

UPDATE: A few people complained about bugs (babysitter running off with kids, storytelling toggle not working, etc.). EA just released an update for the game, 1.2.7. Fire up the game to download it. Release notes are here:

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I have been playing the Sims since the first incarnation, and purchased every single expansion. When Sims 2 came out, jumped right on that, and was thrilled and blown away by the game right from the get-go. Also bought every expansion pack for that game, too. When I heard about Sims 3, I seriously rolled my eyes and swore I wouldn't jump on the band wagon and get sucked into buying the game at all, envisioning the multitudes of expansion packs that would surely follow. After seeing the many videos and advertisements for Sims 3, I was blown away by what was shown, and I pre-ordered the game shortly after, even paying for Release Date Delivery.

I should have stuck with my original intent of not getting the game. To say I am completely underwhelmed with this release would be an understatement. Let's start with the Sims 3 Collector's Edition pack. The extra $20 spent over the basic edition is hardly worth it. The "extras" listed are actually quite misleading in the wording, making it sound as if you get a lot more than you do. You have essentially spent $20 on a thumbdrive that is compleetly impractical to carry around with you. The sports car download has yet to actually work for me, although I have applied the code at least 4 times so far (that in itself is amazing, as usually any codes used are immediately void once used once). The $10 worth of Sims points is beyond ridiculous, because you will burn through that fairly quickly if you decide to get anything worthwhile. Everything on the Sims Store page is riduclously expensive, and it is quite obvious that EA has held back considerable content to trick players into blowing even more money. I, for one, will not be falling into THAT trap.

Now onto the meat of the matter. This game has been shipped out with a considerable number of bugs. If anyone has checked out and the foum over there, there are tons of people having any number of issues with installing and running the game. Granted, many of these issues may stem from players having computer systems that do not meet the minimum requirements listed. However, my system more than meets these requirements, and I had issues with my system even being able to recognize the game disc as being in the drive. After waiting 40 minutes on hold for a tech support person, I was pretty much told that they didn't know what was wrong, and asked me to attach a file from my computer in a reply to an email they sent. I was then asked to send the SAME file no less than three times, but no solutions were ever forthcoming. Thankfully, my roommate is a computer tech himself, and was able to move some stuff around in the computer itself to get the game to work. Please note, this is the ONLY game I have ever had to do this with. Yeah, it could have been my setup causing the issue, but it just seems odd to me that this is the only game this has ever happened with. Moving along...

So after fighting all night on release day, I finally get to check out the game the next day. The quality of the game itself is just utterly poor; in fact, for a game released in this day and age, it borders on embarassing. The opening video quality was just terrible. It's the same video that's been played on youtube.com for some time... and it looks JUST like it. The quality is grainy as hell, and is a poor representation of what this supposed leap forward in graphics has been hyped to be. The Sims themselves are disappointing to the extreme. The advertisments all claim that you can create millions of unique, REALISTIC Sims. The Sims Creator in Sims 2 blows the Sims 3 out of the water. Every Sim I made looks like a freaking Muppet, and it's not because I don't know how to use the editor. There are maybe 10-12 harstyles for the men, each one more hideous than the last one. I did like the ability to assign 5 key personality traits to the Sim, but that is hardly a ringing endorsement on an otherwise lackluster release.

I didn't really get a chance to play around with the house building tools, but have been seeing that unlike before, where you could place a lot and then start building a house, you now either have to build onto an existing house, or plop a lot, move a Sim in, then build with the Sims remaining money. Hardly a selling point to folks like myself who actually prefer the game just for building and decorating.

I will give a kudos for the ability to change the pattern and color on clothes, walls, floors, and objects. I think that does add a degree of flexability to the game. However, unlike in Sims 2, where you had one item in the list, and clicking that item showed you the other colors available, each time you recolor an object and save it, it's added as an additional item in the list (at leats, that's what I saw. I could be wrong). Seems like that would get confusing very quickly.

The Sims 3 could have been a great game, if it even came close to living up to the hype of EA's marketing. At this point, the game is easily outclassed by The Sims 2's base game release. Too much has been withheld from the Sims 3 base game to make it enjoyable, and I am somewhat dubious as to just how much improvement will be seen from the mulitudes of expansion packs to follow. I personally wish I had waited, or better yet, stuck with my original intent to avoid another Sims franchise.

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With all the hype surrounding this game, I had high hopes for it as a Sims fan since the original. I should have learned my lesson from 'Simcity Societies' and 'Spore'. This game is mediocre at best and vastly inferior to its predecessor.

For one thing, there has been pretty much zero improvement in terms of graphics. The graphics are about the same as Sims 2, and where they differ, 2 usually looks better than 3. The sims in this game all look fat and deformed and there's nothing you can do about it with the primitive version of "Create A Sim" they included. The level of realism is a downgrade. Animations for sims getting into cars or getting bottles out of the fridge for babies are gone: instead they just magically appear. The interface is also clunky and counter-intuitive.

The game was released filled with bugs and, in some ways, just plain broken. Many people have problems with the game speed controls not functioning properly, and the Story Progression toggle, a major game feature, doesn't work at all. If you switch to play another family (which the game makes difficult to do to begin with), don't be surprised if your original family loses their inventory, spawns random babies (even single males), or moves out completely after all the work you put in with them.

As for the game play, the seamless neighborhood was a good idea, but executed poorly. You can't go into most of the buildings anyway. The fact that you can't see into something as simple as a one-floor diner suggests that this was a deliberate move by EA to ensure more expansion pack sales down the road. That and traits, the only other notable new feature, are okay, but seriously do not justify a brand new $70 game.

And lastly, the amount of content included is truly pitiful. Not surprising considering the launch of EA's new "Sims 3 Store" to rip people off. Looking for basic Sims items like a piano, diving board, or changing table? Not going to find it here. The game was deliberately crippled to sell more junk on their store.

That fact was made more apparent by the large amount of content already available on the "Sims 3 Store" on release day, content that would cost hundreds of dollars to buy altogetherhuh, we just paid $50-70 on a new game, content that was ready should have been included in the game in the first place! Not like there was a whole lot in the game to begin with that could somewhat justify this practice. To add insult to injury, prices are ridiculously high as well. $20 for one furniture set?

Also God forbid EA include previous expansion pack content so they would actually have to INNOVATE for new expansions. Instead we'll get the predictable Pets, Vacation, Nightlife, etc. lineup, dropping $30+ each to regain features we lost with the sequel.

And to the sycophantic EA defenders, drop all that "this is only the base game!" nonsense. After dropping $70 on a game, I shouldn't have to spend a single penny more to have a game that at least feels complete. Having major features broken, especially after the four-month release delay, is just lazy. The lack of polish and the bare-bones amount of content included is embarrassing for a costly AAA title. EA needs money, so it thinks it can squeeze its customers for all they're worth with dirty tricks. Well I'm not buying anymore.

I feel bad giving a Sim title 1 star, but I just can't fathom giving it any higher, at least until (and if!) EA addresses the issues. Major disappointment!

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The Sims 2 was a direct, undeniable sequel to the Sims that took everything from the base Sims game and added onto it. The Sims 3 feels much less like a direct sequel but an off-shoot of the series, more like a console version of the game but done right.

That said, considering the new gameplay experiences the game itself as a new incarnation of the Sims would be good but I can't help but feel there is much missing from the previous version.

For starters, you're buying a game with content withheld. You don't have a hot tub or even that many appealing hairstyles because EA decided to withhold these items from the game to coerce you to spend more money immediately after purchasing the game on their website. Additionally, you aren't only unnecessarily spending money for content that should've shipped with the game but you are forced to install the EA Download Manager which is how EA will infect your computer with their invasive Securom virus. While some may argue this unfair practice is A-okay, it's not, and as a consumer you should be appalled and find this absolutely unacceptable.

Secondly, the create-a-sim is extremely disappointing. Based on the ground game of S2 and S3 I found the customization tool in 2 to be far more advanced allowing greater customization. I'm sure in time as the community releases custom content we may have a greater degree of power in customizing our Sims to our likings but from the getgo I found the Sims 2 to be far superior. The only real improvement with 3 is the personalities and how we can tailor them.

Thirdly, the UI... I find the UI to be extremely tacky looking and I loathe the way the job requirements look (A smiley face, for reals?!!?). I can't help but feel EA has undermined the intelligence of those of us who play The Sims. When I first went into Buy mode I was taken aback by how the items are listed by "room" but fortunately you can switch to a category view, however, in Build mode you cannot... The listing of categories in Build mode is little pictures of the wall/fence/roof/etc... Very tacky and annoying and an insult to the intelligence of Sims players.

Less Realistic: Sims no longer visit the fridge to get a baby bottle, they magically swipe it from behind their back and diapers magically vanish in thin air... Rather upsetting at first but considering you can take your baby around town it makes sense (You don't want diapers all over the streets). However, you can call a repairman at any time and he'll be over within an hour. In previous Sims he'll be over the next day which is far more realistic. Children also can't call for repairs or even delivery anymore.

The graphics are far less realistic as well. I feel the Sims look very cartoony as does the entire town in comparison to the Sims 2. In 2 everything looked far more detailed and realistic where as in 3 it looks cartoony, dumbed down and far less realistic. Back to customizing your character, it's impossible to get a decently built male Sim without an oversize neck and it's impossible to get a female Sim with a proportionate bust-size without being obese, this was not the case in 2.

Overall I'm extremely disappointed in the game as I can't help but feel they took away too much. The only obvious improvement is the open town and the personalities but it certainly doesn't make up for what is missing. Also, the heinous practices of EA are unacceptable. Withholding content to charge consumers after paying a premium price (Would be okay if there was a price break in the game itself but at the regular price... No). Also, if you have to do reinstalls good luck trying to replace whatever you bought from EA's store, it's never as simple as claimed.

I would probably issue this game a 2 or 3 star rating but considering all the kool-aid drinkers that are just going to 5 star it blindly I'd prefer to even out the rating some. Nonetheless, the actions of EA easily warrant no stars or a call to boycott until it hits the sales bin.

It should also be known you can only have ONE active household in your town. You can switch to another home but it's almost like having to remove the battery from your cell phone just to switch memory cards, a hassle. You also lose wishes/promises when you switch so it's not at all as easy as it should be.

BUGS: I've experienced two freezes where I had to manually turn off my computer and one crash to desktop, all three incidents were pretty much isolated and not something I would say I fear from the game as I do believe they were attributed to a particular driver that when changed seemed to have resolved the problem.

There is an issue in sound, major issue. For one, 5.1 does not work, at least not for me. I get sound out of the three front speakers, mostly the middle, and that's it. Only when switching to stereo or using my speakers upmixing do I get "surround" which then sounds crappy. Also, an even greater issue, the music in Buy and Build mode sometimes does not play whatsoever which makes you feel very lonely and empty when building/decorating. An even greater issue is the sound cutting out when in Live mode. There are times when two Sims are talking and their voices just cut out and it takes some dramatic maneuvering of the camera to hear them again... It's extremely annoying.

I haven't encountered any game-breaking bugs and don't believe I will as I find myself pretty bored by this game already but what I did encounter is just annoying at best and hopefully will be resolved by a patch.

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I have been addicted to the sims since the original game. I moved on to the sims 2 when it was released and purchased all of the expansion and most of the object packages along the way. So it was a no brainer for me to pre-order this game.. And I have to say I am completely disappointed. I have a quad core PC with plenty of ram and a decent graphics card. But the game is a bit dodgy even on my system. No longer can the direction of the mouse dictate where your view goes you actually have to click and drag now for the screen to move. It is a HUGE annoyance for anyone who played the other games. All of my sims look the same.. The faces are all round and they have chicken gullets. I have tried numerous times to get rid of those using the sims editor and no luck.. The color changing option is cool but it is a daunting task to change EVERY piece of furniture to match or coordinate using this feature.

I like how my sims can go downtown or work easier.. That is pretty cool.. How I can follow them instead of seeing the loading screen or having them disappear all together. But it's pretty retarded that I cannot follow them into the stores stores that I cannot go into or help my sims interact with other sims while they are in the stores or even at work. To me that defeats the purpose. Also you can only load one house hold at a time. Each house hold has its own town.. Which makes it hard for two sims families to come together when their children marry later in life.. Also what is up with the way the pregnant sims walk????

I like the additional interactions with objects and books. The new triplets feature is cool too..

But even with the few cool things this game to me is a dud! I have since gone back to the sims 2. Maybe things will change as time goes on, maybe they will release an expansion pack that will cost another chunk of change that will fix the problems. But for now I would say stick with the sims 2..