Reviews of Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires

Customer Ratings:

_Okay. So I bought this game mainly on the basis of my friend's recommendation. I was extremely happy with it, and surprised by the sheer fun of this game. Kill hundreds of enemy soldiers using many many unique weapons and styles of combat, and conquor China. I won't go into every specific detail about gameplay, but I will say this was a very well made game. I'll break it down in an attempt to overview important buying info.

-Graphics: Good. Not great, but good. Game experiances phantom slowdowns every once in a while though. Not -oftenbut so far three times in the time I've played it. I've beaten the game once, and I'm halfway through it again.

-Music: To be honest I've never noticed the in-game music. Too busy slaughtering unworthy minions. I really like the menu backround music though. Catchy.

-Gameplay: It's been said in other reviews that you will encounter enemy officers so absurdly cheap that they will juggle you from full health to nothing without you ever hitting the ground. I bought this game assuming it was an exaggeration by frustrated gamers. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE :( Okay, with that out of the way, comes the other incredibly annoying point in gameplay. Archers/sourcers. Ranged attacks that will range from knocking you back (stopping your momentum), to knocking you straight on your butt. Absurdly cheap and annoying and they appear in large groups. Good news is that they don't deal any appreciable amount of damage and can be disposed of quickly enough. Bad news is that they tend to appear alongside cheap officers.

__Okay, those points made, comes the good news. Officers are (keywords here) *not commonly* that cheap. The game makes it however so you have to be just as cheap in defeating them to stand any chance. But it's possible. Take note that charged attack combos are your friends. And for fair warning, I just went around, killed 820 minions in a battle (took 25 minutes), then got double-teamed by two such cheap officers.

___My last issue with gameplay is arrows. You get a bow and can use it at will. Aiming and firing is quite simple, and it does a decent amount of damage. The main use for it is hitting distant archers or dismounting people riding on war elephants. (you get to ride elephants and horses in this game, yes). What's my beef? You get a very limited number of arrows to begin with, and finding them in battle is rare. I don't see any point in making a rarely used weapon even more worthless. It'd be *balanced* if you had unlimited, since I can take out literally 40 enemies for the time it takes to kill one via bow and arrow. So they really limited something already limited.

-Controls: Almost everything you'd want or need. Except the gaurd button. You are given a button that gaurds you against pretty much all attacks from the front. One would assume this would mean from just the very front, but apparently not. Enemy officers can block attacks even from the sides. You however, can only block attacks from the few pixels in the center of the screen. In other words, does not work 99% of the time. This would be a most negligible point since I've only ever needed to block against officers. Namely, the cheap ones. However, they can block with almost invernerability, while you can't ever block their attacks. Makes those cheap guys even more frustrating.

__Last point on controls however, you do get a taunt! Very funny, especially when you kill two or three people by taunting. In this catagory I'll list that the camera is of course in third person, and it works well. Gaurd button also functions to reorient the camera behind you, which you will need to do from time to time.

-Replay: A game's true value will always boil down to it's replay value. I think the replay value is high. You can always start a new conquoring campaign. And campaigns will always be different every time. The other empires struggling for control will do different things each time, form different alliances, invade different areas and all that. Plus...the campaign mode comes with a "fictional" mode, where you start a campaign with RANDOMLY placed enemies. That just makes it all so much more interesting.

-Edit character mode: The product hilight makes much mention of the character edit mode. It's slightly overrated however. The game gives you access to MANY, MANY unique weapons, which is a big plus. And any custom character can use any weapon. But when it comes down to making your stats, you get only 7 different pre-made sets to work with. Something I found out is that character's run speed, not listed in the stat sets, is also effected by what you choose. Anyway, when it comes to your character's model, the options you get for dressing them up is vastly limited. Definitely better than nothing, don't get me wrong. But for a system that supposedly has been upgraded from a previous game, couldn't they give me more than 3 different heads for my chosen body type?

__In basic, it's nice, but don't expect as much as you'd get from the latest Wrestlemania game.

-Multiplayer: Weak at best. Don't get this game expecting it to be a fantastic multiplayer game. You get four different verses battles, none of which is particularly exiting. Co-op story mode would have been very easily programmed in, and this game would have been fantastic with it. Oh well.

-Other notes: This is definitely a slaher game, but it has its strategy elements to it. Pick who you bring into battle, what political moves you make, manage your gold. How you use your leadership may make your life incredibly difficult or easy, depending on what you do and what sort of luck you have that game. Remember things are different each time, so choose your decisions wisely.

_I gave this a fun rating of 5, because I think it is, but overall is 4 due to cheap officer fights. A little bit of cheapness here and there wouldn't be aggrevating, but spending 25 minutes decimating close to a kilo of troops to be gang-raped by two cheap officers? That's just not cool. As I said before, luckily it doesn't happen often, but if you play through the campaign mode it will happen to you, no doubt.

_I would rate this title a definite buy. How it stands against other Dynasty games I do not know, as this is my first. If that is the information you seek, I'd advise reading articles posted by others who have played them. Standing alone, this is a very fun game however.

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Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires (DW4E) is one of the funnest if not the funnest PS2 game that I own. It takes a number of the characters from the Chinese book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and allows you to play them and fight out epic battles. The style of gameplay during battles in DW4E is the same as all of the games in the Dynasty Warriors series hack n slash, meaning that you basically run around tapping your attack buttons and killing hordes of enemies and finding powerups on the battlefield. After each battle, depending on how many enemy soldiers you've killed and how many "worthy opponents"(opposing generals) you've defeated and how many casualties your force took your warrior will level up. Here is where DW4E is different than the rest: Outside of battle there is a map of ancient China and it is divided into territories controlled by different generals. From here you will choose which region to invade or defend and also your generals will present policies to you to act out. Policies range from healing armies, recruiting local generals, forming alliances, building new items, trading items, building smiths to improve your weapon levels and so on. One of the best features is that you can choose to play any of the generals in your force during battle, which means you can play every general in your force during every different battle or just stick to powering one up. The entire Empire element adds alot to the original DW4 and in my opinion, makes DW4E a better game entirely. There is also an advanced character edit mode -you can create your own general using quite a few different models and fighting styles. Also, if you've played DW4 and have used the character edit option, you'll notice that your created character will only have a silouhette for a portrait. Not so in DW4E. The created characters look and act just like the real generals (although they don't have as cool of outfits as the real generals IMO). There is also a VS. mode allowing you to play head to head with a human or CPU player with 4 different modes (to be honest I haven't really played the VS. mode much). And like all Dynasty games there is an Archives that will allow you to view artwork and backgrounds of each general. If you are a fan of addicting hack n slash action with a mild strategic element involved (believe me it is MILD, not hard to figure out at all and DOES NOT affect gameplay if you're not one who likes that sort of thing), then pick this game up and give it a try. If you are a fan of the Dynasty Series, this is a must have!

Pros:

-Empires mode adds a whole new spin on gameplay

-Advanced character edit gives you more options and makes you feel more a part of the game due to character portraits

-Archive mode allows you to identify more with each General

-Replay value is high due to being able to conquer the map using lots of different combinations of Generals

-Graphics are good and the soundtrack is even better never gets annoying and doesn't overpower the gameplay

-Play as any general in your force at any time even the generic looking men (the ones you will most likely use as liutenats)

-Recruit your favorite generals to create an army full of favorites

Cons:

-Too many generic looking generals/liutenants there are only 3 different character styles for the generic (not main) generals

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I bought this game expecting it to be one of the best games I had ever played based on what I had heard about it but I was somewhat let down. Firstly, there is a serious lack of gameplay modes. Granted, it is only a thirty dollar game but even so, DW4: XL had at least two game modes; Legend mode and Xtreme mode. This game only has one main mode and that is the empires mode which is killer but I crave more.

Secondly, there is no option that allows you to play empires mode with a second player. The two player co op mode was what interested me in the dynasty warrior series to begin with. There's just something about teaming up with a pal to conquer China. The closest thing you can get to this sort of two player hack and slash fun is the versus mode though it's not as fun because I end up losing more often than not. Co op I like; versus, uh, not so much. The game should have included a 2p co op free mode or something so I don't have to change videogames everytime I want to indulge in two player beat downs. Also, you never really get the sense that your guys are improving. In the original DW4 half the fun was powering up your character so that he could go back and kick the crap out of all the characters he had trouble with before ie Lu Bu but in this game once you beat the game all the improvements made to your charcter are wiped clean.

But getting back to the positive, the empires mode is really cool. It is like the Xtreme mode from XL only much more developed. You are able to play as kingdoms and characters you never could before. Kick (...) as Ma Teng or Liu Zhang(even if they are just generic looking officers) When you beat the empires mode you will be treated to an interesting ending with plenty of Japanese rock music to keep you entertained. Gotta love it! Also the chacter edit is much better, which was my only real beef with the first two versions. Your officer actually looks like a real charcter and not a cheap generic loser with an empty sihlouette(sic? probably) for a charcter model.

Anyway, I would have to say this game is definitely a keeper for the Dynasty warriors fan, although all of the hardcore fans probably already have it by now. As a stand alone one player game it is probably better than Xtreme legends but I can't give a five star rating to a game with no co op story mode. To paraphrase the soup nazi from Seinfeld, NO FIVE STAR RATING FOR YOU!!!

Honest reviews on Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires

This game blends the action of Dynasty Warriors series with strategy from Romance of The Three Kingdoms game. The in-game graphic is excellent, maybe the best on PS2. The cut scenes were disappointing, its not real CGI but the game engine's graphic, Grrrrrrrr. The Chinese style music is nice. The action is awesome, true hack & slash heaven!

Unlike previous DW games which had you playing fixed stages one after another, the only cool part was beefing up the weapons but you still play the same levels if you start a new game, which gets old rather quick. Empires gives the option of playing 'free' stages due to the map of China design. Here you try to unify the whole China province/state by province, 25 total. So you can choose where to attack, each province's battle field are all different and nicely designed. During each turn your officers will propose different actions(two from each officers), these actions are basically everything a ROTK's menu would have EXCEPT they are made into a CARD game style, the officers' proposals are completely random. IMO this part is well designed, it gets to the point, most cards have healing troops which allows you to invade after 1 or 2 turns.

The action part is totally awesome. Fighting hundreds and hundreds of ancient Chinese armies. There are cool units like Juggernut(A wheeled wooden tank with fire spiting tiger head), wooden carts(Used by the famous Zhuge Liang), witches, and more. The AI is smart in battle, much better than previous DWs. The AI is smart on the main map too.

Koei did a really good job on this game. Its better than all previous DWs and its only $30. Can't wait for DW 5.

Update: This game is WAY better than Dynasty Warriors 5.

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This is game is very fun. It is a great game, as it can kind of teach you about the ancient civilizations of China and how the feudal hierarchy works. It is also great for gaming freaks or it can be something you can take your anger out on, because sometimes there is a great big group of enemies and you just rush through and slash them all down or use your musou attack and massacre a dozen at a time. It is a great game.

You also have other features like VS mode where you can fight against a Player 2 in different verse modes, and Edit Mode where you get to create your own custom character and add details to it, including what kind of weapon he/she holds, voice, clothes, and more. There is also an art gallery where you are able to view people in the game.

But, a game always has its down-sides to it, and that is why I rated this game's overall four stars. One of the cons is, when you are fighting, and archers some distance away are shooting at you and you keep getting stunned right there on the spot, and just when you are getting out of the stun, another one hits you, and the other archer right next to him hits you, and the other archer, and the other archer... It takes a while for you to get all the way up to them and slash them. Another con is the sorceresses. They are extremely annoying. They come in about groups of five or so. They keep hitting you with their spells and you keep falling down, just like the archers, except sorceresses are more powerful. They are also worse. They keep stunning you right there on the spot and you can't get up off the ground for like thirty seconds, because everytime you get up, another spell hits you and you fall back down again. Soon, you are forced to waste away your musou gauge for that little group of five sorceresses, and if you don't want to waste it, then you will be wasting your time running up to that group trying to slash them, and when you are one inch from them, they hit you again, and they run away to give you another distance to run to hit them. The last con, is when an enemy officer is riding an elephant and they just happen to corner you... This is the worst con in the whole game... They will run up to you and you will fall down, and push you up to a corner, and since they are after you, they will keep riding into that corner with their elephant and you will keep getting hit over and over and over again, and you can't escape because the elephant is so big you can't even move. You are just stuck there until you lose that battle. It is very cheap. That is the reason I rated this game four stars. It is still a pretty good game, but watch out for these.

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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Disney Tangled - Nintendo Wii Reviews

Customer Ratings:
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Disney Tangled, a review by a seven year-old.

What Do You Do In the Game?

You try to get Rapunzel back to the Castle where she belongs.You do games to help people in the game like helping Tor protect his flowers in Flower Defense.

What Do Flynn and Rapunzel Do in the Game?

Flynn can knock out the bad guys and they disappear with a sword. Flynn can cut down the thistles so Rapunzel can get through. Rapunzel uses a frying pan to knock them out. Rapunzel can grow flowers to find insects, birds and flowers. Then she draws them in her book. She uses her hair to swing to get into places and help Flynn climb up.

Who Will Like this Game?

Both boys and girls can play. Dads and moms will like playing too.

Why Will Boys Like this Game?

Because Flynn is fun. The mini-games are fun. When I played with my dad, he was Flynn and I was Rapunzel and it was still a lot of fun!

Will Girls Like the Game?

Yes, of course they would!

A Parent's Perspective

We are a gaming family. We have two Xbox 360s, a Nintendo Wii, two DSI XLs and several computers. Our kids have grown up with games and they are a part of our family time. We love multiplayer games that foster a sense of adventure and teamwork. Surprisingly, this game excels in the area of cooperative play. The characters have different skills and you need both to complete the level. Also, each character collects a different item: Flynn grabs coins and Rapunzel picks up sundrops. I loved this! There was no competition to get the items before your partner did. The coins and sundrops also act as your health. When you stun an enemy they lose coins and sundrops; conversely, your character loses coins or sundrops if you get stunned or knocked down.

Most co-op games inspire a bit of evil camaraderie. Disney Tangled is a true co-op game. When your characters wander two far away from each other, the screen splits and magically merges back when you get close. It was disorienting at first, but made the gameplay that much better. It is really a good setup for parents and young children to play together. If the kids get stuck, you can guide them or switch characters on-the-fly to get out of a jam. We have played "family-style" games before where one person got left behind and their character died. It was very frustrating. With Tangled, we never got stuck or lost. We just followed the coins/sundrops and looked for places for Rapunzel to let down her hair!

There were many interesting and simply mini-games, like painting!

Most of the gameplay is split into two major types: sidescrolling levels and mini-quests. The mini-quests can get fairly redundant, but should keep most younger children engaged. (You know...go get this cup and I will give you the key, etc.) The graphics are well done and look similar to the film. The cutscenes are very enjoyable and follow the artwork that Rapunzel did in the films. You can also play the game with or without the nunchuk attachment.

This review appeard originally at

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My three older girls ages 11, 8, and 6 really like this game. They finished the game pretty quickly but they like to go back and play the areas that they have already completed over and over.

The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because when they first started playing it was very difficult to figure out what they were supposed to do. Most games for younger kids have pretty clear directions but this game had NOTHING in the way of instructions. It was frustrating at first but once they figured it out they have really been enjoying it.

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My children (twins, one boy and one girl,age 6) received this game as a Christmas gift. They have seen the movie and loved it, so I thought the game would be a big hit. However, this game is incredibly frustrating to both of them. First of all, to figure out how to even access the game, I had to get online to get the full manual and instructions because the instructions that come inside the game box are very scant, giving no clue how to even start the game. We would have been stuck in the castle and on the map eternally if the online instructions had not been available. Once we got into the game, my children were continually frustrated because you just run around collecting coins, without any way to know if you are heading in the right direction to get to the end of the path. During the journey, there are points where Flynn must rely on Rapunzel to climb up her hair, but you are given NO instructions on how to make that happen. We tried every button on the remotes, and I searched both the online instruction manual and the instructions that come inside the game, with neither one giving us any help. I finally had to just put it away because they were so frustrated trying to figure it out. My opinion is that this game is not worth the money or the time.

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My five-year-old girl and I play this game together. She had absolutely no problem figuring out how to get the game started and often plays alone. The first time I played, on the other hand, I spent a minute clicking on the initial screen before I figured out how to leave Rapunzel's tower and start the game proper.

She loves the game, and I love the fact that the cooperative mode lacks much of what makes other cooperative games frustrating.

Violence: Flynn uses his sword and Rapunzel uses her frying pan to knock out soldiers who then peacefully go "ZZZZZZZ".

Language: If you are offended by the word "Blondie," then this game is not for you. Otherwise, there is no objectionable language.

Replayability: As you progress through the game, you have the option of looking for certain collectible items. Once you have the items, they show up in your collection which you can access in Rapunzel's tower. You can replay each level as often as you wish to look for the collectibles.

In the game, you can play as either Rapunzel or Flynn. In cooperative mode, you can switch which character you are playing (if your partner agrees by pushing the correct button). There is also a "hand-holding" mode, which is supposed to be for adults to use to guide kids through a difficult section. I don't know if it works because my five-year-old girl never needed it!

Many games have a cooperative two-player mode, but this game takes it a step further. First, there is no competition. In many games, the first one to pick up the special coin or gem gets it, which can lead to a lot racing around the screen to get more than your partner. In this game, only Rapunzel can pick up sundrops, and only Flynn can pick up coins. Some levels seem to have more sundrops, and some levels seem to have more coins, but I guess it evens out in the long run.

Second, sometimes you need the other character to advance. For example, one player must stand on the "down" end of a see-saw, and the other character must jump on the "up" end to catapult the first player to the top of a cliff. The game strongly encourages true cooperation with your partner, and as a parent, I really like that.

One of the most frustrating things about cooperative play in some games is that both players are stuck on the same screen. If one player wants to move left, and the other player wants to move right, neither player can move. Some games use a permanent "split-screen" to get around this, but this usually means that each player can see less, since there is less screen space for each player. "Tangled" actually uses both methods. When the players are close together, there is a single screen. When they move apart from each other, the screen splits to follow each player. The transition is seamless and works beautifully. When you are playing a game with a five-year-old who does not always take kindly to instructions, you can appreciate why this is such an awesome feature!

The graphics aren't especially impressive, and an adult will almost certainly find the gameplay somewhat repetitive, but this is a great game for a parent and young child to share.

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I would say this tangled wii game is good for above 10 years old not younger or who very good at independence to play. This is more of adventure to find, understand the concept of game, lot of fun activities and very friendly graphic not too complicate. My 10 years old daughter love this game and we,parents are able to tag join to play if need help.

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Customer Ratings:

Edit:

After 6 months of ownership of both the HRAP and the TE, I would just like to add some pros/cons for those curious.

Pros: Extremely durable feel in comparison to the TE, mods easily, going to be a comfortable purchase for previous HRAP owners on past systems.

Cons: Hori buttons out of the box are not great and should be replaced, lack of a locking mechanism for the guide button, start and back on top.

Note: I stand by my five star rating, but these are just some things to think about. I own the TE as well, and for what it lacks (build quality) it makes up for by having a full sanwa layout, a lock for the guide button (to avoid pressing it at the wrong time by accident) and rear placed back and start.

If you have been teetering on the idea of getting this stick, you will not be disappointed when you do.

Easily the best stick available for the 360 RIGHT NOW, and arguably best stick for the 360 FOREVER. There is of course the TE SF4 stick due out late this month, but I have played with one recently, and I personally prefer the HRAP EX which I own. this is a super solid stick, legendary quality of past HRAP's.

Works with XBOX and PC. Great for MAME. Easily moddable. Comes with Sanwa JLF stick installed... buttons are Hori, but easy to change as hooked up to quick disconnects. I immedeately threw in some black/clear Seimitsu buttons with custom art, but thats me.

Do not hesitate. Buy this stick !!!! a must have for hardcore and budding fighting game players alike!!!This stick will far outlast the cost!

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If you are reading this review, you are most likely anticipating Street Fighter IV's release next week (I'm an Xbox 360 owner). I was on the fence about which arcade stick to get: The Mad Catz Tournament Stick or this Hori Real Arcade Pro. EX.

After hearing about the Hori brand from a fellow at a local GameStop, I logged on to read some testimonials on other sites about the company. Everything I read was positive. One thing that people kept stressing was the craftsmanship and durability of the Hori equipment. That was enough to sell me on choosing this controller after never owning a Hori product let alone use one. The reviews on the Mad Catz Tourney stick were also very positive. However, I worked in an electronics game store (Babbage's) back in the 90s as a teenager. When I tell you almost every peripheral they made was returned within two weeks, I would not be lying. I am sure they have made quality improvements, but that memory was enough for me to pass on their equipment.

Back to the Hori Controller. It arrived yesterday (Feb. 11, 2009). I wanted to see how it felt so bought some MS Points and downloaded Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix to give it a go. Absolutely love it. It's going to be perfect for Street Fighter IV next week.

The Hori Real Arcade Pro. EX is sturdy but not too heavy that you can't keep it in your lap if that's how you want to play. If you are planning on putting it on a flat surface/table, it's weighty enough to not slide. The surface feel, the button feel, the stick feel...true to the arcade.

If you order now and pay a little extra for shipping, you might just get it before SF4's release!

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I was fortunate enough to order one of these while they were still in stock, and I must say, I could not be happier with my purchase. Out of the box the stick is solid and really feels like it can take some abuse. The joystick (Sanwa JLF) is extremely responsive and the Hori buttons are nice as well. Another great thing about this stick is the sheer size of the cabinet. It allows for plenty of space to rest your hands on and it works well wether you place it on the coffee table or in your lap. I've used this exclusively since getting SF4, and even with the amount of use it's gotten already, it still feels solid. My friends say the same when I take it with me to video game nights. They love it as well.

With regards to customization as others have said, this stick comes with great parts that will perform to most standards and types of playing. With that said though, some may choose to customize the HRAP, and it is very easy to do so. The buttons are all snap in, and it's easy to disconnect the wires since they use quick disconnects. The stick itself is also easy to customize. Sanwa offers many solutions for restrictor gates and bat tops. I myself, wanting the feel of an American arcade stick, swapped out the standard square gate for an octagonal one and put a bat top on the stick in place of the bubble top. I am extremely happy with the feel. A quick google search on-line will take you to a couple suppliers where parts can be ordered if you choose to go the custom route (I ordered my stuff from lizard lick amusements), and a visit to the forums on srk has plenty of info for everything. The only other thing I may do is add some weight inside the cabinet. It's pretty hefty already, but a little bit more wouldn't hurt. It's a personal perference.

All in all, this is a great stick. I am extrememly happy with my purchase and love using it with SF4. 30 years and I've finally realized my dream of having an arcade in my living room no quarters required!

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I purchased this stick for the 360 because they sold out of the Street Fighter Tournament Edition joysticks for the 360 (I had one preordered for the PS3, still waiting for that).

As you know, playing fighting games or arcade style games can be a pain to play on the XBOX 360 controller. The D-Pad just doesn't cut it. So I went looking for a good joystick to use for the 360 since some friends of mine have only the 360.

As I've owned other Hori sticks for other consoles I knew this would be quality. The build quality is high with the Sanwa joystick being the highlight. Worth mentioning is the heft from this. You can play it on your lap or lay it on a table, nice and secure. Not too heavy though. For a casual player the stock buttons work fine, but I swapped them out for Sanwa buttons which is fairly easy to do. Playing SF II HD Remix is smooth like butter. Playing SF IV this weekend, I can't see myself even thinking about playing with the normal controller. It's that much better. Even better, if you're worried about how the buttons would correlate with the game, there's settings in SF IV to correspond exactly with the layout on this stick. (two default joystick settings, for the Mad Catz layout and for this stick)

The price was a little bit on the high side, but if you're like me, the EX2 doesn't cut it. Go with this one.

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I've had this stick for well over a year and a half (purchased when SFIV first came out), and I'm very pleased with it. In my time using it, here are some of the pros & cons I feel it has.

Pros:

-It has a nice heft to it, which helps keep it from sliding around during play

-The joystick is very responsive, sturdy, and comfortable

-Top surface has a very slight decline, makes for more natural wrist positioning

-Buttons are easily replaceable thanks to quick-connects.

-Overall sturdy construction

-This stick is simply awesome

Cons:

-Some people may not like the placement of the buttons. The two leftmost buttons are placed lower than the rest, and the others are placed in a slight curve, which some people may not like

-The placement of the headset connector is not ideal

The placement of the headset connector is the only thing that nags at me, I'm perfectly comfortable with the placement of the buttons. Some players also don't like the buttons themselves very much, but the truth is that they're far from terrible, and this stick will serve any fighting game player just fine with the stock buttons. I've put this stick through some intense gaming sessions, and it's still holding up exceptionally well.

This is a great alternative to the TE sticks, and IMHO, it's of practically the same quality for a reasonable price.

Just Dance 3 - Xbox 360 Reviews

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Like most of you, I was curious about a few questions with Just Dance 3. First, how does Just Dance 3 for Kinect compare to its counterpart on the Wii? Second, how does it compare to the gold standard for dance games on the Kinect, Dance Central? Third, how does it stand on its own as a game? I'll try to cover all those questions in this review.

As with the Wii version, the opening menu of Just Dance 3 is delightfully simple. You're given four choices:

* Dance

* Just Create

* Extras

* Shop

"Dance" has four options. "Songs" allows you to jump into the songs and start dancing. You scroll through a list of songs. As with the Wii version, you'll see icons signifying the difficulty level (gears) and the intensity level (drops of sweat).

If you know and love the Wii version, it'll be an easy transition to play the Kinect version. The gameplay and the graphics are virtually identical. A colorful silhouetted figure will dance on the screen and you have to dance the "mirror image" to it. The more accurately you dance, the more "stars" you'll earn. At the end of the dance, you'll see your point total and earn "Mojo Points" to unlock new songs, choreography, and playing modes (the first gift is "Jamaican Dance Mashup")

Ubisoft has wisely kept the songs and the choreography identical across the platforms, which means you can learn the dances on a Wii and know the routines inside and out when visiting a friend with an Xbox (and presumably with a PS3, once that version is finally released).

There are two important distinctions from the Wii version: first, you're not holding a remote in your hands so you have complete freedom of movement. Second, you see a little postage-sized silhouette of yourself in the upper left-hand corner which lets you easily compare how well you're performing the dance with the on-screen silhouette. Both of these things are definitely an improvement over the Wii.

One thing that is decidedly not an improvement over the Wii version is multiplayer mode. It says that up to four players can play together, but all four players have to squeeze together in a staggered pattern to fit within the Kinect camera range, and players are so tight that you invariably end up hitting and bumping into each other. The way the system tries to automatically detect players can be spotty as well. Before the song, each player has to stand in front of the silhouette whose moves they want to follow and follow it throughout the dance routine. I found that it can take several tries before getting it right, but once you get it right it's a lot of fun, especially if you have four players (You can see from the song selection icon whether the choreography is designed for one, two, or four dancers).

Before each song you can choose a "difficulty level" by raising your hand. You can choose between "Easy" and "Normal". The "Easy" setting icon shows a person whose torso is highlighted but whose lower body is white; presumably this was added to the Kinect version because some folks' Kinects (like mine) are set up in a small room where there's not enough space to capture the whole body. But to be honest, I tried dancing to the same songs on both settings and I really didn't notice a difference between either.

The motion tracking seems to be spot on, if a little lenient. The first time I danced to "California Gurls", I easily got 10,295 points and 5 stars. I started to think pretty highly of myself until I noticed that for practically every song I tried (even ones I never tried before), I'd get 4 or 5 stars. As an experiment, I tried just standing still and flailing my arms up and down through the whole song, and I still ended up getting 3,613 points and one star. I think Ubisoft learned from their experience with the original Just Dance that it's better to be a little more lenient in scoring than to be overly harsh. Some people (particularly kids or newbies dancing in a party setting) will welcome this, while others may be a little annoyed that there's not much of a challenge in racking up a high score. As for me, I've learned to ignore the score and just enjoy the game on its own merits.

The best way to sum how up Just Dance 3 deals with motion detection is that it seems that the greatest emphasis (as with the Wii version) is placed on arm movements and general body movements, more so than precise detection of where your hands and feet are at any given time.

This is probably a good way to describe the difference between Just Dance and Dance Central. Dance Central definitely is a superior title if you're looking for a much higher degree of precision or something approaching "detailed dance instruction". On the other hand, Just Dance 3 is arguably the better title if you just want to hang out with friends and have a fun time. And this is just personal preference, but I much prefer the simplicity of Just Dance's silhouetted characters over the overly stylized hipster doofus characters in Dance Central.

The other options under "Dance" include "Playlists", which lets you choose from similar types of songs grouped together (e.g. oldies, songs that make you sweat, duets, etc.); "Specials", which lets you play unlocked play modes; and "Sweat", which lets you activate "Sweat Mode" and accumulate "Sweat Points" with every song you play. Just as in the Wii version, about 4.2 sweat points = 1 calorie burned. As you hit milestones, the system will offer encouraging comments (after 1000 sweat points, it'll tell you that you just exercised the equivalent of walking across Central Park).

The "Just Create" menu is unique to the Kinect, and it is where Just Dance 3 for Kinect really shines. In it, you can record your own choreography. You can select "Coach Me", where you can create your choreography based on the existing Just Dance 3 choreography (the dancers will be dancing the standard routine behind you as you record your movements in front), or "Freestyle", where there are no background dancers and you just create your choreography from scratch. There's also "Dance Off" mode, where you'll dance most of the song to the pre-set choreography, but be able to go off and freestyle during specific parts in the song. In all these modes, you appear on screen as a grainy silhouetted figure yourself, not exactly the same as the usual on-screen characters, but close enough.

After you create your dance moves, you or your friends can play them just like any other Just Dance song, complete with scoring (not as accurate as the pre-set choreography, but you'll have so much fun you won't care). You can even share your original creation with the world in the online "Gallery", or play other peoples' creations. While no doubt there are some dancers who will use this to create intricate and professionally choreographed dance routines, I get the sense most people will use it to just goof around and have a lot of fun with friends to see who can come up with the silliest moves. The good news is, it works well for both.

Under Extras, you can view Credits, enter an Unlock Code (presumably a future feature that Ubisoft will use for promotional purposes), select a Hard Drive "for loading and saving your progression", and turn on/off Pictograms, Lyrics, How to Play Tips, Short Dance, or Short Create.

Under Shop, there are only three choices as of this writing: Fame by Irene Cara, Heart of Glass by Blondie, and U Can't Touch this by MC Hammer (these were songs that were available on the original Just Dance for the Wii; I assume over time they will port all of those over eventually).

You may notice that I give the game 5 stars for "fun" but overall 4 stars. And this is mainly because of Ubisoft's very poor execution of the Kinect user interface, which seems like a trivial point but really impacts the overall enjoyment of this title.

The first indication of a problem was when I was selecting the list of songs. It was painful to try to choose one. There's a very long list of songs to scroll through, and you have no control over the scroll speed. You just lift your arm to scroll up and lower your arm to scroll down. When you find the song you want, it takes several tries before you can pinpoint the one you want, and then you have to keep completely still to select and "swipe" it in a very precise way. The controls are so hypersensitive that the slightest body movement in the wrong way and you need to start over, which can get very annoying. This could have been executed much, much better.

The hypersensitivity of the controls is a problem throughout the menu selection process. Here is a true story: I played a few songs before sitting down to write this review in front of the TV. I then looked up at the screen and saw a purchase of downloadable content had been made. What happened was, the Kinect continued to track my body movements and had, completely on its own, selected "Shop" > "You Can't Touch This" > "Buy It", and then checked out (deducting 240 Microsoft Points from my account) all without me realizing it! So the poor execution of Just Dance 3's user interface ended up costing me in a very real sense. The irony is, while the system is horrifically hypersensitive on screens like the home screen, in other parts of the program you have to swipe and swipe at a menu option before it'll let you select anything.

At the end of the day, I turned on my Xbox Controller and stopped trying to use the Kinect to navigate the menus. That made things a thousand times better.

Poor execution of the Kinect user interface notwithstanding, Just Dance 3 is overall an extremely enjoyable game. If you're more of a dancing purist, I would hold off and see what Dance Central 2 has to offer. On the other hand, if your goal is to just have fun and get exercise, I think Just Dance 3 definitely rates just as high or higher than Dance Central on these fronts with its easy-to-master dance moves and its whimsical sense of humor and fun graphics. And the Just Create mode, unique to the Kinect for now (time will tell if and how well they incorporate it into the PS3 version) is worth the price of admission--it really expands the fun you can have with the game and ensures that it'll be one you play with friends over and over again.

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After its hugely successful predecessors, the third installment of the JUST DANCE series has arrived and this time it is also available for both the Xbox and the PS3 (you can thank UBISOFT being in financial trouble due to the overzealous DRM scheme they use in their PC releases). Anyway, JD3 comes with tons of fun and it will make you sweat while having it. If you are or feeling young, if you want to get your kids out of the couch or if you want to burn calories yourself, this is the game for you.

A MODE FOR EVERYONE

On top of the good old Classic Mode, fans of the series will be able to enjoy their favorite exergame in numerous different ways.

Duet Mode & Simon Says: Duet and group dances as well as the dance version of Simon Says make JD3 a good idea for parties and sleepovers. If, like me, you are over 35, this also offers the opportunity for numerous very humiliating experiences with your young ones.

Medley, Non-Stop Shuffle & Just Sweat: Very good for getting your heart rate up and keeping it in the aerobic range for as long as you can handle it, without interruptions. If you are really pumped, try giving the Dance Til Dawn Mode a try. unfortunately there is still no calculations for calories burned.

Just Create: a mode that is not available for the Wii. It allows the player to create his or her own dancing moves, save them and either repeat them or have his friends try to match them.

INCENTIVES

But the game is all carrot, no stick. The better you match the song's moves (and the Kinect here is veeery forgiving!), the more points you accumulate. mention getting the background to animate!). Increasing your points first allows you to animate the background and it also increases your mojo. And the more mojo you `ve got, the more dancing modes and songs become available to you.

IMPROVEMENTS

Graphics received a boost, in both details and backgrounds. You prefer singing to dancing? No problem, JD3 comes with all the lyrics showing on the screen for you to accompany your favorite group or singer (no, no points for turning this dancing game into a karaoke but who cares, right?).

NEW SONGS

If truth be told at first glance I liked the song collection of JD2 better. However, I think this will keep happening with every new installment of the series. These games just grow on you. You are having so much fun that the new songs will simply become as dear to you as your old favorites. Give it time.

So, yes, the song list may not contain the latest hits but it has some very uplifting dance songs and your list can be enriched online (although not cheaply).

This is the COMPLETE LIST of the songs contained in the game, alphabetically:

1. 2 Unlimited: No Limit

2. A-Ha: Take On Me

3. Anja: Dance All Nite

4. Aretha Franklin: Think

5. Bananarama: Venus

6. Black Eyed Peas: Pump It

7. Bollywood Dream: Kurio ko Uddah le Jana

8. Cee Lo Green: Forget You

9. Countdown Mix Masters: Beautiful Liar

10.Daft Punk: Da Funk

11.Danny Elfman: This is Halloween

12.Donna Summer: I Feel Love

13.Dr. Creole: Baby Zouk

14.Duck Sauce: Barbra Streisand

15.Girls Aloud: Jump (For My Love)

16.Groove Century: Boogie Wonderland

17.Gwen Stefani: What You Waiting For

18.Inspector Marceau: The Master Blaster

19.Janelle Monae: Tightrope (Solo Version)

20.Jessie J featuring B.o.B: Price Tag

21.Brahms by Just Dance Classical Orchestra: Hungarian Dance No.5

22.Katy Perry: E.T (BONUS only in the Special edition)

23.Katy Perry: Teenage Dream (BONUS only in the Special edition)

24.Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg: California Gurls

25.Kiss: I Was Made For Lovin' You

26.Konshens: Jamaican Dance

27.African Ladies: Pata Pata

28.Latino Sunset: Mamasita

29.Laura Bell Bundy: Giddy On Up (Giddy On Out)

30.Lena Meyer-Landrut: Satellite

31.Lenny Kravitz: Are You Gonna Go My Way

32.LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock: Party Rock Anthem

33.Madness: Night Boat To Cairo

34.MIKA: Lollipop

35.Nelly Furtado ft. Timbaland: Promiscuous 832. Pointer Sisters: I'm So Excited

36.Pointer Sisters: I'm So Excited

37.Queen: Crazy Little Thing Called Love

38.Reggaeton Explosion: Boom

39.Rita Mitsouko: Marcia Baila

40.Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman: Somethin' Stupid

41.Robin Sparkles: Let's Go To The Mall

42.Scissor Sisters: I Don't Feel Like Dancin'

43.Sentai Express: Spectronizer

44.Sweat Invaders: Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)

45.Taio Cruz: Dynamite

46.The Buggles: Video Killed The Radio Star

47.The Chemical Brothers: Hey Boy Hey Girl

48.The Girly Team: Baby One More Time

49.The Sugarhill Gang: Apache (Jump On It)

50.Tommy Sparks: She's Got Me Dancing

51.Wilson Pickett: Land of 1000 Dances

Notice that the two extra bonus tracks by Kate Perry are only included with the Special edition. On top of that, more songs will become available online. Some of them may be free but expect most to be sold for...240 MS-Points each. So far three songs are offered online:

52.Blondie: Heart of Glass

53.Irene Cara: Fame

54.MC Hammer: U Can't Touch This

The Xbox-360 offers better graphics than the Wii, however the application of Kinect is a mixed blessing. One one hand, one does not have to hold the remote, since the camera takes care of finding you, and there is an extra mode. On the other, this also comes with the known restrictions of said camera: its range is not very wide and it requires the player to be at least 6ft/2m from the Kinect sensor. Not a problem when doing aerobics but dancing is quite another thing. I tried them both, and found that, for this exergame, the Wii to have a slight edge.

Overall, JD3 is a great game for the young of all ages.

RECOMMENDED!

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There isn't a dance game around that has had the success of the Just Dance brand. Selling over five million copies worldwide, Just Dance 2 was a dance game juggernaut on the Wii. This time, the party has returned bigger and better than ever with Just Dance 3. And this time, the party is on the Kinect for Xbox 360.

No review of Just Dance 3 would feel correct without mentioning the other giant Kinect dance title, Dance Central. Once Dance Central 2 comes out, I will do a review of the game and then do another separate article comparing the two games. Do they compete or is there room enough for both? We'll soon see.

For now, my immediate thoughts on Just Dance 3 are about a game trying to make itself accessible to a larger crowd. The playlist (found here) represents a variety of songs from various generations, genres, and ethnicity. There are no opportunities to slow things down and learn each step. The idea of Just Dance is simple, just dance.

Those familiar with Kinect's other major dancing game will feel right at home here. As soon as the game starts, move your hands up and down to find the right menu, and swipe to select. Here is where I have to give Just Dance 3 some worthy credit, because there is a lot of content to play around with.

The first mode that will draw your attention is the Just Dance mode. Hop in, pick a song, and you are off. Instead of a menu of options, everything is decided on stage. Before you start the dance, you set the difficulty and number of players. Raise your hand to pick from easy or hard. If you have multiple players, have them stand side-by-side or by staggering, where they will all show in the feedback panel.

The difference between easy and hard modes is how the Kinect tracks you. For just upper body tracking, pick easy. This is a good way to ease in players coming from the Wii version. It is also a good mode for players that don't want to jump or spin. For full body tracking, pick hard. The tracking is where I have a small problem with the game. There is nothing to tell you what you are doing wrong or right. You are given a "X", an "OK", a "good", or a "perfect". This can be a bit frustrating when trying for high scores or to earn certain achievements.

Speaking of tracking, the tracking in Just Dance 3 seems very well done. If your living room allows for it, you can have up to four people dancing and tracked at the same time. I was able to cram myself and both kids into the routine and I scored just as well as when playing solo. For added fun, Just Dance has brought back Duets and added a Dance Crew for several songs. Duets is where two players can do complementary dances during the song. Dance Crew is similar, but for four people and usually involves an orchestrated performance. For those solo artists out there, don't fret. You can still have your own one-person party by selecting whichever Dance Crew coach to follow and then square dance the night away with your invincible friends.

The routines of Just Dance 3 are what separates it from most dance games. You will either love them or hate them. You will either let loose and have fun or you will dismiss them as being a bit too corny. If you are fine with dancing as a cheerleader to Britney or acting like Mr. Pumpkin man in a Halloween themed song, you'll be fine here. As I said earlier, the main thrust of Just Dance games is accessibility. Nothing says accessibility like swinging a lasso or playing a virtual guitar. Everything is done in fun and is choreographed perfectly with the music. The dances are easy to learn and follow. Instead of the choreography changing to reflect the difficulty level, the difficulty level is set by how the game tracks you (upper versus entire body).

Each song is scored on a five-star scale. Higher points are awarded to "perfect" moves and even more points are given to players hitting several perfect moves in a row, which is also called being "on fire". There are extra points available in the song through Gold Moves and Shout Outs. Gold Moves are specially highlighted moves during the song, which are an added bonus to the score. Shout Outs are specially selected portions of the lyrics, which are sung for even more points. Earning more stars after each song will fill up the Mojo Bar, which is a currency used to unlock items in the game.

There are several nice unlocks in the game, either through the Mojo Bar or by uPlay. The Mojo Bar is simply filled up by dancing. uPlay points are earned through special feats and can be used to buy anything from Ubisoft game themes for your Xbox Dashboard to in-game unlocks. The game specific selection for uPlay is about four items, while the unlocks from the Mojo Bar are many. Just in my first time playing, I unlocked special modes and new choreography for current songs. For instance, instead of rocking out to one song, I was taken to a gym to do aerobics. This is a very nice way to keep things fresh in the game.

Just Dance 3 features downloadable songs, with three available at launch. What is nice about these songs is the ability to demo them before purchasing them. At 240 points a piece, they can get a bit pricey, even though they are pretty fun. Hopefully we will see the store exclusive songs that were made for Best Buy and Target. I'm also hoping Ubisoft follows the pattern of Just Dance 2 and makes a couple of songs free down the road.

Now for my favorite, the Just Sweat mode. Essentially, this is a switch that is turned on and follows you around whatever you are doing. Everything you do is given a `Sweat Points' score. The more you dance, the more points you earn. The points rack up pretty fast and I don't think they can be associated with calories. They do give you an idea of intensity though. An added touch to the last game is various summaries of your progress. For instance, when I earned 1,000 Sweat Points, I was told this was the same as a brisk walk across Central Park.

The best thing to do while in Sweat Mode is to use the set play lists. Unfortunately, you can't create your own play lists, but there are many to choose from. My personal favorite is the Non-Stop Shuffle and Speed Shuffle. Each of these is a non-interrupted cycle of songs in the game. I wish there was a way to skip the slow songs, which I'm not really sure why they are included in the game anyhow. The difference between Non-Stop and Speed Shuffle is the length of the song. Just like in the regular song mode, you can pick to dance to a minute and a half or to the full song.

One of the last features, which is very unique to the Kinect, is the Just Create mode. Here you are given the chance to create your own routine and challenge friends to it. You are actually recording an image very similar to Ubisoft's other Kinect games, such as Michael Jackson: The Experience (reviewed here). The dance can then be saved to your Xbox for challenging others later. Or, you can upload your video to Just Dance Planet and have it ranked and downloaded for more competition.

Speaking of competition, any song that you are about to play, that has been played by one of your friends, will show the current high score and the person with that score. This keeps the game fresh and competition heated, but a leaderboard would have been even more appreciated. Perhaps some kind of stat tracking will show up on Just Dance Planet at a later date.

The presentation of Just Dance 3 is fairly solid with nice visuals and most music being song by the original artist. My only complaint about the visuals is how similar the Xbox version is to the Wii version. Not that this is a bad thing, considering how vibrant most of the visuals are with a changing background. There just seems to be that extra level of polish missing. This by no means subtracts from the fun or usability of the game, but I can't help to wonder why the two versions look and act so similar.

In reviewing games, I look at the five f's: fitness, fun, functionality, family, and firsts. As far as fitness, you can definitely expect to see some motivational stories come out of this. Just look at what this woman and this woman did with Dance Central. Now you have Just Dance 3`s approachable dance game, added with a non-stop playlist, and you have yourself a fitness masterpiece. What will produce those future success stories is the amount of fun Just Dance gives you. There are a large number of songs with a wide variety to choose from, with each being easy to learn. The functionality is spot-on. Occasionally I had an issue where the game thought I slid, when I meant to raise, but that is pretty minor. I wish there was a feedback on my dance performance to tell me what parts I'm missing or how. As for being a family game, everything is edited for proper language. If you are fine with the occasional Britney or B.o.B song in your house, there shouldn't be a problem here. Younger kids can play along with joy, but may have trouble navigating the menus by themselves. And, as for firsts, this is the first dancing game to allow up to four people dancing at one time. This is also the first dancing game that allows you to upload videos and use them as challenges for other people to follow.

In summary, Just Dance 3 is an extremely fun and accessible dance game that anyone can enjoy. There is a huge variety of music and styles to dance to, so this may not appeal to someone looking to perfect their club dance moves. This is a pick up and play type of game, with a lot of variety and content. People playing by themselves or in a party will find something to enjoy here. The bottom line is, if you own a Kinect and you like to have fun, you should definitely pick up Just Dance 3.

Honest reviews on Just Dance 3 - Xbox 360

I originally set out to purchase the Zumba Fitness game because a friend of mine lost weight playing it. I wanted a game that would give me a workout to burn some extra calories. In my search for videos of Zumba Fitness gameplay, I came across videos of people playing Just Dance 3. The game looked so much fun, so I bought it instead. I do not regret it. The songs come from several different decades and different styles of music, which I'm very happy about because sometimes it gets old dancing to the same style of music over and over again (like on other dance games). The dances are also different styles. It has hip hop, pop, Bollywood, African, 80's style, disco, jazz, etc. It even has a Halloween-like dance to the song This Is Halloween from the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. I also bought Dance Central 2, but I find it boring compared to Just Dance 3 and the Dance Central characters make me cringe. Just Dance 3 has better characters. They are real people put through a filter to make them almost psychedelic looking and are very entertaining. The characters have more variety in clothing/costume style and also are in costume for each song (for example: the Apache (Jump On It) dancer is dressed like an Apache). I had never danced a day in my life and was very uncoordinated, and I realized just how uncoordinated I actually was when I first played the game. It seemed so hard, but just after playing that day and the next, I already noticed I was getting better. Since I've had it, I already notice a big difference in my coordination and I actually have some rhythm and can dance better now. It has different difficulty settings if you're not feeling comfortable at first. You can put it on easy where it's only tracking your arm and top half movement, or you can put it on easy where it's tracking only your leg movement, and so on. Besides just general dancing, it also has other modes you can play. You can choreograph your own routines and dance to them as well as other choreographed routines. One mode can record yourself dancing next to one of the dancers on the screen and play it back for you to see what you were doing wrong in comparison. You can play Simon Says. During Simon Says, you do one of the normal dances, but every once in a while a random command will pop up telling you to jump, twirl, stop, etc. and you have to do it just like in the regular game Simon Says. There is also a Sweat Mode to get you sweating (even though the regular dancing gets me sweating). Every time you dance you earn Mojo points. These points unlock more dances and games (like the Simon Says game). Some of the dances that are unlocked are new and some are mixes of the old dances, which are very fun to do. There are many different songs/dances on this game, but you can also buy more individual songs later from the XBox marketplace if you get bored of these routines. I don't exercise much because I get so bored with it, but this game is so much fun that I find myself dancing for hours and still don't want to stop. It definitely gets my heart rate going and makes me drink more water and burn calories as well as getting toned muscles. One more plus, this game is multi-player so you can have partner dancing or group dancing (up to 4 people). You can even do the group dances alone. You just pick which dancer you want to mimic and follow their movements and the Kinect will track you. If Just Dance comes out with more games for the Kinect I will definitely buy them. I really love this game, and that's coming from someone who thought dance games were dorky. I didn't think I would ever play one, let alone buy one and love it.

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I really love the look of this game and the music. The problem is that it is very difficult to learn. Dance Central has "Break it Down" mode which makes it playable even for uncoordinated people like me. If there was a way to slow down or learn the moves in a different mode this game would get 4 or 5 stars. But, otherwise the moves are too fast and complicated for me. :(

Reviews of Star Trek: Conquest - PlayStation 2

Customer Ratings:

This game combines turn-based combat and strategy with the dogfighting seen in Star Trek: Encounters, and I think it does a great job of it. Because this is a Star Trek-themed game the conquests all bear the name of locations from the shows, and the factions correspond to the ones seen in the Dominion Wars epsiodes. There are also special weapons and characters from the Star Trek universe, and there's even good, if repetitive, voiceovers bringing home the theme. However, beyond that this is just a basic turn-based war simulator, but it's really fun and has immense replay value if you like that kind of game. You can choose the level of difficulty, which really does change the kind of game you get, and being able to select which faction you play and how many and who you play against makes for a lot of different possible outcomes. I also like that you can select between different combat resolutions, giving instant results based on the opposition stats, a more drawn out but computer controlled shootout, or an arcade-like dogfight where you can really get the benefit of those fast scoutships. There is a difference for which one you choose, so it takes some real consideration. Now, there are some drawbacks to this game. My main criticism is that once you've mastered this game it's hard to get a real challenge out of it again. It remains fun, but the limited kinds of ships and structures you can build keeps it from being engaging from a Star Trek-fan-point-of-view. I recommend this game for fans of war strategy and general enjoyers of all-things-Star Trek. Hardcore fans, this may not be for you...

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Overall a pretty decent game.

The good: 1: Easy to learn.2.Simple control. 3:Each race has its strengths and weaknesses. 4: Star Trek at war!

The bad: 1: After a couple games, starts to lack depth. 2: Races are unbalanced, Klingons dominate. 3: Federation just as war-like as other races.

The ugly: Why is the Wii version twice as much?

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This is a very fun game. You need to get a little used to it, but after awhile it gets really fun. One of the reasons it is fun is because it is never the same. It always changes.

A tip on the game........

When you get into a battle, unless you are positive that you are going to win, select the "arcade" syle. It not only lets you have the fun of doing it, but it also came make the outcome change from what it would have been if you selected "sim" or "instant."

Overall this game is really fun. Hope you enjoy.

Honest reviews on Star Trek: Conquest - PlayStation 2

Star Trek: Conquest is bargain bin cheap, and for good reason. The game, while entertaining, is extremely shallow and will not take long for you to tire of it. I've played two "campaigns", the deepest game mode included in the game, and I'm already growing tired of it.

I can forgive many of the game's faults, like its "galaxy at war" premise, lack of diplomacy, limited number of ship types, and the complete absence of main characters (at least as far as the Federation goes), but there are some aspects of the game that are hard to look past. Probably my biggest gripe is that there is precisely ONE map in the entire game. One. Once you've played it, that's it. There's no randomness to the map. Nothing on the map changes from campaign to campaign, which makes replayability almost nil.

It also doesn't help that there are a very limited number of "neutral" races to fight. The map starts with 20+ neutral systems, and when you visit one, you are confronted with a random enemy. These random enemies seem to be limited to the Borg, the Xindi, and the Ferengi. That's it. And they all fight exactly the same. The Borg are no harder to defeat than the Ferengi. The conspicuous absence of species like the Bajorans and Andorians is hard to overlook, considering those species have had ships shown in Star Trek episodes and their homeworlds are included in the game. Having to fight the Ferengi to win control of DS9 was just plain WRONG.

The lack of variety in the game might not be a big deal were it not for the fact that it is very easy to win. It would seem the only difference between the difficulty levels is the amount of resources you get to start with and the use of "fog of war". The computer opponents don't fight particularly well in battle, their overall strategy is lacking, and this doesn't seem to change between difficulty levels. Out of the dozens of battles I've fought, I've lost only two, and those were cases where I was greatly outnumbered. The game is very little of a challenge.

The game does have some merits. The ship combat is entertaining, though does get repetitive over time. The overhead view of the "battleground" is not as thrilling as a view from the ship's bridge might be, but its passable. The controls work reasonably well and it's very easy to learn them.

As far as a turn-based strategy game goes, ST:C is only okay. The game seems like it has a lot of potential for expansion, but this first effort was lacking in depth and game balance. Each star empire is limited to three fleets, which is probably plenty for the small map, but the limited number means that fleets that can move between more systems in a turn are much more valuable than their slower counterparts. Each of your fleets has a leader, and the leader determines the number of systems you can move through in a turn. Most leaders (2/3 of them) allow only one move, at least on their lowest experience levels, but a few allow you to move twice. I have found these leaders are far more powerful than the others. They fight more battles, and thus earn experience faster. This lets them "level up" quicker, which makes them even MORE powerful. In my time playing, my speedy leaders have always reached the top experience level (level 5), while all other leaders manage at best level 2.

The treatment of Star Trek canon is not bad in the game. Other than a thinly-explained "galaxy at war" situation, the game does not have any glaring inaccuracies. However, I do have to complain briefly that the game was poorly checked for spelling and grammar as I have noticed numerous, glaring errors when it comes to the text in the game.

*The Bottom Line*

ST:C is only a passable game, and would certainly have received a worse rating had it been any more expensive. The game is good for a few hours of play, but once you've been through the campaign mode a couple of times, the appeal wears off. The game is very shallow in terms of strategic depth, and replayability is very poor. If you're looking for a deep strategy game with lots of options, or a true-to-the-show Star Trek experience, look elsewhere. If you enjoy a quick strategy game that won't take you long to finish (you can play through a campaign in 2-3 hours), it might be worth shelling out a few bucks for this game. Just don't expect to be challenged by it.

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This game is easy to learn and fun to play. After a few hours, it turns into a fancy game of Tic-Tac-Toe.

As a big fan of Interstel's Empire and Master of Orion I and II, I was disappointed

There are 3 fundamental problems with this game:

1) You can only have 3 fleets, which are basically the same thing as units. Can you imagine playing Empire or MOO with only 3 units for the entire game? It's insane! As soon as your fleet leaves to conquer a planet, the enemy moves in and steals one of your planets.

2) There is no build time, so once you get going, you can build EVERYTHING you need in one turn. So you can wipe out an ememy fleet and it's back to full strength on the next turn.

3) You get into situations where the game is an endless loop. They move their unit to steal your planet and then you move your fleet to where they just were, stealing their planet. It's a tie and the game NEVER ends, even if you have more planets.

With a little tweaking, this could have been an awesome game.

Reviews of Perfect Dark Zero

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Perfect Dark Zero is one of my favorite release titles for the XBox 360. The graphics are gorgeous, the main character (female!) has personality, and it's a good combo of shooting, stealth and puzzle solving.

We've been of course testing all of the release titles, but we keep coming back to Perfect Dark Zero just for sheer fun of gameplay.

First, the basic mission tree. You are Joanna Dark, daughter of a bounty hunter who follows in her father's footsteps. You're athletic, nimble, smart, and maybe a bit fool-hardy. The game is set in the future (Joanna was born in the year 2000) and you get an interesting mix of locales to explore as you take on your assignments.

The graphics in this game are simply GORGEOUS, as you might expect from the XBox 360. I highly recommend you play this on a HD TV I've done screenshots comparing HD to low-def and the difference is rather impressive. The water ripples, the light plays off the rippling water, the rippling water reflects on the textured brick wall, you name it. You get red and blue lights shining down from the ceiling and the lights color their surroundings and even combine where they cross.

There are of course some amusing issues this still isn't photo-realism of course. There are times that a red laser beam has slight "ripples" in it, for example. Still, the quality is far better than anything else on the market.

I suppose you could complain that Joanna goes running around in high-heeled boots and low-cut pants, but heck, I was impressed that her chest size was reasonably normal. Compared to most other video games out there, with their mostly-naked women with inflato-boobs, Joanna is quite demure!

The sound is aiming for a James Bond feel here. I think that is pretty clear from the intro credits. You get a boppy rock soundtrack through much of the game. The dialogue is reasonably well done, and you can't really say much about how gunshots sound. They sound like gunshots.

Gameplay is a mix between Splinter Cell and a FPS. There are times that being stealthy and quiet really pay off. There are other times that just running fast and blasting away will work. There are cool lockpick puzzles, too. I do get frustrated that you can't "jump" though. I'll see a nice, inviting open window at less than waist high, and I have to walk right by.

I have mixed feelings about co-op mode. On one hand it's fun to have two females working side by side and taking out the enemy. On the other hand, if one person decides to quit, it shuts down the whole mission. I really like it on other games where a person can pop in and out as necessary. This especially is helpful if a less experienced gamer is stuck and needs help just for a short while.

There's also deathmatch style gaming available, both on local gameplay and XBox Live. This lets you sneak around and head-shot your enemies with great glee.

We've played this for many hours and haven't noticed any problems with lag or crashing. There are certain moves that don't happen instantly for example, when you shoot from cover, you have to wait for Joanna to "rise from a crouch" before she fires. This is quite realistic. The game also has cinematic sequences when things go into a Matrix-like slo-mo which seems to be in many current movies.

If you play this game on easy mode, you can probably zip through all the missions in a single very long gaming session (say 14-16 hours). The harder levels of difficulty are of course more challenging. Really, though, all single-player gameplay is is just a training mode to help you prepare for live gameplay. Once you've gotten your skills sharpened on the computer players, prepare to take on the real challenge, with real live opponents!

Highly recommended.

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Seriously, this game on any system, not just the 360, is not fun to control and there's no feeling of accomplishment when you pass each mission. The feel of the character during movement and shooting is inexcusably remedial, very slow, very tedious to aim, and like others said it takes far to much effort to drop 1 guy.

The game reminds me of a poor man's Red Faction 2 for XBOX with noticeably better graphics, but as far as 360 goes, the other 6 games I currently own surpass PDZ in the graphics department.

So the reason for my title is that for those who game this game 5 stars...where exactly are you standards? I can think of at least a dozen shooters off the top of my head for the regular XBOX that I'd rather be playing than PDZ, and Doom 3 in my opinion has better grahpics than this game. Halo, Halo 2, Doom 3, Project Snowblind, Mace Griffin...the list goes on and on, and obviously Quake 4 and COD 2 for the 360 trump this game.

Do yourself a favor, even if you love spy-type storylines and you're in need of a shooter, rent it first and you'll see what I mean. It's maybe worth 10 bucks when the price comes down, but definitely not worth 40-50, and most definitely not a launch console seller.

I know everyone has their own opinion, but giving this game 5 stars, even if your basing it on the so-called innovation this game brings (which it doesn't), you skew the standard of a shooter so far in the wrong direction it baffles me.

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In PDZ, you take up arms as Joanna Dark once more, except this time as a teenager and a bounty hunter with her pops Jack Dark. Once her father is killed by the evil corporation of dataDYNE on a mission, and a conspiracy begins to unfold around the same company, Joanna teams up with Carrington Institute to try and topple dataDyne...and to avenge her dad's death as well.

You see the world through Joanna's eyes as she runs around blowing away enemies with an assortment of weapons including a shotgun, the Superdragon, a "Shockwave" sniper rifle (remember the FarSight in the 64 game? Well this is the equivelent of it), the DY .357 magnum, and many more. You get to use turrets, hover crafts, and this mechanical walker thing with an M60 on it so that was cool too. You can use ziplines to get from one building to the next, and you can even press up against walls for cover and precise firing.

Lets talk a difference between this title and it's masterpiece of a predessor on the Nintendo 64. For starters, in Zero before you can do a stage you have to select your weapons and make sure you have enough space in the item slots for it. So in essence, you could really only carry one assault rifle and one SMG. That is VERY lame in my opinion I don't play a first person shooter to manage inventory. Moving on, in order to unlock new weapons say a CMP150 SMG that wasn't in your beginning inventory -for use in other stages, you must complete that level while having the CMP150 as one of your current weapons; WHICH means you must toss a weapon, take the CMP, and beat the level with it to have it for further use. Another lame idea. So if you are currently wondering, yes I am missing a bunch of weapons in my inventory. However, Perfect Dark 64 didn't have any of this and equaled out for a much better experience.

The multiplayer is somewhat redeeming, but still no match for PD64. You choose a level, how big it is, your weapon set, character/team, bots, and gametype and go at it. There are some interesting games like Infection or Hacking, but it's been done before. However, this game pretty much took out the in-depth character & bot customization process the 64 version had as well as being able to command your team, and in turn, lost a lot of points and was almost lackluster. Furthermore, you must actually beat the game to unlock all the bots, teams, and characters to get the most of the multiplayer ahem, LAME!. However, it will still provide you with some fun if you and a couple of your friends are looking to just blow each other or some bots away. There is also a Co-Op mode which was pretty fun I'll admit.

I'm forced to admit, but this is the best looking game I have ever seen. Everything looks incredibly realistic, the lighting is superb, the characters look humanlike and move as fluid as one as well. The enviroments, be it vast jungles, dense cities, or huge mansions are truley breathtaking. Perfect Dark Zero definitley showed the power of the X-Box 360, and really set the standard for future games. HOWWWWWWWEVER, and this was inevitable to avoid on this review, was the fact that I despise what they did with Joanna Dark's look. She was never a punk rock chick, nor was she a supermodel she was grotesque in the 64, she was british, she was something that could pass off as a secret agent... sigh, why Rare, why?

The music has it's ups and downs. Some songs, like when you are..grr..managing your inventory..are techno-esk and remind me of the glory days of PD64. Then there are the heavy metal / rock sections which help you get pumped up for a big battle. Then, there are the actual rave tunes which truley ruined it all for me. It was ridiculous and didn't help the overall atmosphere of the game at all. The voice acting was good for the most part, except Jack Dark who was just annoying.

The ending was flat out bad, but from what I have seen recently, most games are. You destroy the main villian/CEO of dataDYNE (can't remember his name at the moment) who underwent some transformation and became something that reminded me of a Dragon Ball Z character with the kamahamaha blasts and super strength. Anyway, you kill him, and officially join Carrington Institute hence setting the stage for Perfect Dark 64... not worth it in the least bit.

And I'm not going to lie this game is hard, and then incredibly harder on other parts such as the Jungle stage. The good news? It's short, with a mere 13 missions.

With all the hype surrounding this game, and with the memory of how awesome the first game was, I'm actually really dissapointed in the overall experience I had. Perfect Dark Zero had it's moments of decently intense firefights and pretty good multiplayer, but for the most part it was just a run of the mill FPS albeit with excellent graphics. I suggest a rental, nothing more.

...Also, in the club mission, if you look around at the videos on the wall...they are the from Windows Media Player. It was Microsoft's own little plug, just like in Condemned.

Honest reviews on Perfect Dark Zero

I know, this game is old, I picked it up at launch. But after seeing it under the "recommended for you" category on Amazon, I felt compelled to warn others to NOT buy this game.

As a person who LOVED Perfect Dark 64, I was thoroughly underwhelmed by this game. I cannot describe what a totally different game it is. I'm not sure if Rare lost their talent, but manit is different, and NOT in a good way. This game has frustratingly poor level designit's laughable. It's so bad that if you don't move for five seconds, arrows light up on the ground to send you in the right direction. That should NOT be necessary. The plot is pretty clichedit's not helped that it's a prequel, but it IS thoroughly predictable, particularly towards the end. Of course, Carringtonn makes an appearancewith a thick Scottish accent not present in Perfect Dark 64 in any form whatsover.

Online play is extremely mediocre too.

Avoid this game. It's not worth $20.

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I am a HUGE FPS fan, and have played nearly every major game in this genre since the original Castle Wolfenstein and while not a fan of console versions of what essentially is a genre best left in the PC arena, the original Perfect Dark on the Nintendo 64 was a spanker of a game.

I was thrilled when I read that a sequel was to be released, and rushed out to buy it, fondly remembering those late-nate PD gaming sessions, now to be converted into HD glory, with more features and thrills.

I tried so hard to like this game, I really did. However, beyond the hype and opinions of those who have never experienced what a great FPS should be like, here are the facts of life.

1 Awkward aiming. Unlike most console shooters, PDZ requires near-perfect aiming there is not much aim-correction for using the pad, and you play the whole game thinking 'I wish I had a mouse and WSAD keys..', which seems what the enemy must have, because they have less than no trouble getting headshot after headshot on you.

2 Crap storyline. Cheesy, dull, terrible dialogue. Only the youngest of gamers would be excited with any story-based content on offer. The stereotypes are on display and proud of their corny lines, reciting them with sarcastic gusto. Cut scenes soon are skipped.

3 'No jump' feature. Sounds silly, especially as the original didn't have a jump button, but with the new levels and their detailed environments, you might find yourself screaming at the TV when your hard-earned skin-of-your-teeth cinematic escape is marred by clipping an inch of your leg on a small rock and taking a busload of fire in the process.

4 bipolar AI. Enemies and friends alike switch moods between deciding to be tripping, hobbling cannon fodder to head-shot assassins. There is no feel of realism, no sense of game world stability, and the game never levels out between ridiculously easy and so hard the only way to move around a level is to perpetually roll.

5 Rolling\Cover. On that note, the 3rd person feature is a waste of time. The 'roll' feature, presumably, exists to help one stylistically evade the enemy's fire, but you never seem quick enough to dodge the bullets well enough. On harder modes, you'll find the only way to conserve health is to become this constant gymnastic ball, pausing only to inevitably take damage while you return fire. The 'cover' feature is awfull, and exists only on selected scenery little help when you actually NEED it. It generally feels like a useless addition for the game-enhancing-cinema-style-experience ethos that designers really ought to dump. The problem is that it has a split second pause before taking effect and that you have to be perfectly in position to do so. One problem of this is if you do it in the wrong place, you actually expose yourself to the enemy and face the opposite way a hail of enemy fire later and you're frustrated meat. Lastly, once you're actually in cover, you have a second's window to lean out, aim, and get off at a maximum 2 shots before the guy you're shooting at clocks you.. and don't forget the 2 or so guys coming around you to mash you up in close combat. After a few of these situations, you'll be using this feature rarely.

6 Dull multiplayer. I'm sorry but it's true. PDZ multiplayer feels half-paced and as an afterthought. There are a handful of options compared to the pages of game customisation the original had eg. slow time, game modes, etc.. None of this for PDZ.

7 No innovation whatsoever. Now THIS is the area I wanted the game to shine in, excusing the rest of its problems. Sadly, its a bog-standard affair that never excites and thrills the way its predecessor did.

There are other things I could mention, but honestly, the list goes on. Graphics are NOT the be-all end all, and I never experienced one moment of genuine excitement at the gameplay or game world. It does not immerse the play the way, say, Condemned does, having you gripping the controller in real thrill.

All in all, roll on Halo 3.

Moto GP Ultimate Racing 3 - Xbox Review

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This game is everything i have been waiting for, the graphics and sense of speed are intence!!! The gameplay will have you hooded for months!!! great game!!! a must have for any racer, or motorcycle fan!!!!

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I like this. It feels fast and it has a master cheat code that gives you all the bikes and tracks so you can have all your fun right up front (L,U,L,L,B,U,L,L,D,U,B at the white "press start" screen). The graphics are fairly good, but not great. Actually I was dissapointed by these 2005 graphics that look a bit older. Nothing is shiny or bright or contrasted or sharp. It seems the programmers stopped short of polishing this gem graphically, so to speak. The game feels really cool, but tighter graphics would have enhanced the experience for sure. I recommend this game. Buy it cheap.

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They're all very sim oriented, and very difficult. I play Forza Motorsport quite a bit, which is also more sim oriented, but it is easy by comparison. I've never played a version of this for over one race before giving up in frustration.

Lego City: Undercover - Nintendo Wii U Reviews

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As a gamer and an adult Lego geek, I am really enjoying the game. Seeing everything being built out of Lego's just like in the real world is a real treat for me. Lot's of detail and it's fun picking out all the real life buildings and pieces. The story and dialog is cute and I have actually laughed out loud a couple of times. Some folks have mentioned some disappointment in the graphics department but I feel the game looks pretty good. Perhaps my expectations were just set a little lower than some other reviewers but I feel the subject matter of Lego's is presented well graphics wise. Could it be better polished here and there?...sure, but nothing that is taking away from the game for me, and some game elements are actually quite impressive visually. I could go on about some other positive aspects of the game but feel I might just be repeating some other reviews. What I do feel I need to address is the loading times. Now reading the reviews and owning a lot of WiiU games, again, I feel like I had realistic expectations going in. However, the loading times are excessive in my opinion. Some people have chalked this up to a WiiU thing with a patch to follow. There is in my opinion more to this issue than that though. This is the way this game was programmed. There are a lot of loading screens it's not just the loading times which are an issue (although they can be excessive too), but between the many cut scenes and game areas is a loading screen between every one. There have actually been blocks of time I've spent with the game where I've spent more time on loading screens than game play. It's to the point some times where when my wife is coming in and out of the room and sees the spinning shield on the screen and the boom chica wow music coming out of the speakers she chuckles because it seems like to her I spend more time staring at a loading screen then playing. It doesn't seem as if the programmers implemented any kind of pre-loading during the games off moments or allowed any Hard Drive installs to alleviate these issues. I still love the game but I'm sorry I had to knock off a star. It's literally some of the most excessive loading out of all the games I own on any system. I would buy it again, but anyone who buys it needs a serious heads up so they don't get frustrated. I'm getting used to it now, and also as the game opens up and allows for more free play the cut scenes are spread out a little further as I explore on my own, so that helps too. Anyway, that's my two cents for what it's worth. (PS, Reviews or Grammar, for that matter, are not my day job so my apologies if any of that was painful to read!)

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I've always been a fan of the Lego series of games. I had high expectations for this game and it did not disappoint!

In Lego City: Undercover you'll be playing as Chase McCain, a detective armed with many disguises (each offering its own set of abilities) and a mission to put a stop to Rex Fury and his crime spree and restore peace to Lego City.

There's tons to explore and collect and I foresee getting many hours of enjoyable play out of this game. The graphics are what you'd expect from a Lego game and the GamePad is put to good use with the ability to use it for map viewing as well as a tool to spy on suspects and scan for items on the tv screen.

My main gripe about this game would be the loading times being longer than I'd prefer. I'm finding this to be the case with several Wii U games so it may just be par for the course with this system but I feel it's still worth mentioning.

Also, this game is single player. I typically play these games solo so this wasn't a deal breaker for me personally but is something to consider.

Overall I'm pleased with the design and concept of this game and the hours of game play it offers. I feel that this game offers something that appeals to gamers of all ages. If you're a fan of Lego games I highly recommend this one and even if you're not, it's still worth checking out. Great game!

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I have played every lego game there is to play. My son and I have enjoyed them all, although I really didn't dig the Harry Potter ones personally. But all the different Star Wars games, the Indiana Jones, both Batman, Pirates of the Carribean, Lord of the Rings. We have played them all. This is by far the best yet.

I have not played it, as the one draw back to it is that it is a one player game, but have watched my son play it. Despite that, the use of the WiiU controller makes up for it. He has used it as a map. He has used it as a voice scanner to find bad guys (and if you target someone who is not a bad guy, the voice is usually saying something funny). He has used it to scan the city for bad guys (rotating around the living room 360 degrees sometimes to find them. I think it's cool, and as a kid, he loves it.

Your character evloves as the game goes on. Instead of multiple characters that have different actions to go back in free play and find new things, the main character gets different costumes that you can pick at any time to unlock new things. You collect bricks to build boats and bridges and such to open up new areas of the city. You can get into any vehicle and drive, almost like Grand Theft Auto, except instead of pulling someone out of their car and throwing them to the ground, you flash your badge and say "police buisness" and the people just give you their car. So very kid friendly.

I read a review that said the driving is horrible, and the guy only played the game like five minutes. My son struggled with the driving too and handed me the controller. I will say it was rough at first, but I got used to it in less than five minutes. There is this thing called a brake, that you have to use when coming up on corners and turning. Most of us do that in real life while driving.

Lego City Undercover is an open world Lego Game. Way bigger and better than the open Gotham City world in Lego Batman 2.

The load time could be better, that is true. But when it does load, and you get into that open world of Lego City, the complaint of the load time quickly vanishes.

If you or your child have played the Lego video games and enjoyed them, this is the best one yet.

Honest reviews on Lego City: Undercover - Nintendo Wii U

Lego City: Undercover is a very fun, very family-friendly game with lighthearted dialogue, vivid graphics, straightforward missions with clear objectives, simple controls, very subdued "violence", and plenty of "eye-candy" to look at. Although there is no cooperative play (only one person can play at a time), it's nearly as fun to watch as it is to play.

The controls are simple and responsive, and most significant actions require only a single button press or series of repeated taps to perform. The Lego world is bright, colorful, well rendered, and impressively expansive. There is plenty of variety so that you don't feel like you're constantly looking at the same recycled objects and buildings (which was a very common complaint with many older open-world games), and frankly, you could easily kill a few hours just walking or driving around to look at stuff. There are also a lot of vehicles (100+), as well as characters with distinctive personalities and smooth cut-scene animations with cute, clean dialogue and cheesy jokes that are sure to make you smile, if not laugh out loud. Clearly, someone had fun making this game and it was clearly made by a movie buff, since there are several obvious homages to movies like The Shawshank Redemption.

Essentially, this is a kid-friendly version of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) that doesn't take itself so seriously--an idea that works surprisingly well and that feels fun rather than obnoxiously childish. It is obviously set in the Lego universe and in place of GTA's vulgarity and abundance of adult content, this game is completely sanitized to make it family friendly. (The "E" for Everyone rating is certainly appropriate.) I especially like that you play a proper good guy (Chase McCain, a police officer) instead of a crook, and the dialogue is slapstick but never offensive. The action is also non-violent. You smash some lego objects to pieces in order to build new ones, but it feels more like puzzle solving than vandalism. And when you're fighting or arresting crooks, you simply tackle or throw them (in a gentle-looking animation) to the ground with a slow-motion effect for heightened drama. Then you toss handcuffs on them for the arrest. In short, feel free to let even very young children listen and watch while you play. My 3-year-old daughter loved watching me arrest three clowns on my first mission, and she got quite a chuckle from some of the jokes.

Other reviewers have covered the game's content pretty well, but a couple of important notes: If you play steadily through the story, the load screens occur every 5 to 15 minutes, and occasionally there are sequences where you go from one load screen almost immediately to another. However, they are NOT as bad as some reviewers have exaggerated. I timed them, and they vary from 25 to 70 seconds in length, with the average somewhere around 40 seconds. When you're opening up another whole part of the world (like going from the city to the countryside), you might have one of the longer load times (the longest I've come across so far was 1 minute 9 seconds). If you're just loading a new mission or objective in any already-loaded part of the open world, the load times tend to be much shorter (about 25 45 seconds). One reviewer complained that the load time for the title screen is over 5 minutes long. Not true. The very first time I loaded the game into my Wii U, the opening sequence played after just 45 seconds of loading. At that point, you start a new game or load a saved one, which triggers another load screen for about 68 seconds. Admittedly, this is the most obnoxious wait time in the game, and it will happen EVERY time you start up Lego City: Undercover to resume playing. However, it's certainly tolerable and takes less than 2 minutes (total) to start the game and resume the story wherever you left off. Some reviewers are clearly impatient and thus, grossly exaggerating the "load time" problem. Moreover, once a large section of the Lego world is loaded, you can roam around freely in that section with no additional load times, even if you walk or drive around for hours. You don't have to stick to the missions, and there's plenty to explore. The loads only occur between cut scenes, missions, and major sections of the Lego City world.

Another reviewer said that all the vehicles are basically the same, but again, not quite true in my experience. Obviously their appearances vary, but their acceleration rates, top speeds, and maneuverability also vary a little (sometimes a lot) from vehicle to vehicle. For instance, I found a tiny pink car that turned really sharply. I found a garbage truck that had a low top speed which made it easy to drive all over town and turn corners without ever needing to brake or slow down. Then I found a sportier looking convertible car that accelerated and drove so fast that I had to keep feathering the gas (or riding the brake) every time I approached a curve or turned through an intersection. It seems like they gave the vehicles just enough variation to encourage you to experiment, but not so much that they feel completely different either.

That said, a number of the vehicles do feel quite similar and most feel a little lazy in their responsiveness. In my opinion, this doesn't detract from the fun factor. You will adjust to the problem of oversteering fairly quickly after a little practice, learning to correct your course with quick taps to the left or right, rather than hard presses. Regardless, right from the start, if you're willing to feather the gas or tap the brake as you go into turns or near an obstacle, you'll have relatively little trouble getting around even in the fastest vehicles. It's also nice that you can pull over any citizen and take over his/her car at any time, instead of having to walk long distances. Especially for an open-world game, Lego City is very well designed and paced in order to minimize tedious activities or lengthy sections of dull, monotonous, uneventful gameplay. It also does a great job, with few exceptions, of making mission objectives and special abilities very clear by marking the paths and locations of items or events with conspicuous symbols, trails of Lego studs, shining beacons, and other tell-tale signs. There are some notable exceptions, such as when you need to find wheels for a police bike, and it isn't clear where the wheels can be found.

The Wii U's second screen is also very well utilized in this game. Characters sometimes call you to share information. When they do, they appear on the gamepad screen like a video chat, using the gamepad's speakers rather than the television (unless you turn the gamepad's volume all the way down, in which case their voice will come across on the television speakers instead). You also use the gamepad to scan the area for bad guys or "super blocks" (which are used to build objects or vehicles that unlock perks or new areas of the game map). This scanning feature works very similar to the way it works in ZombiU. When driving around the city, the gamepad screen becomes an active map, which includes the ability to set waypoint. When a waypoint is set, a trail of little green Lego studs appears on the television screen to lead you to your destination. At other times, you use the gamepad to scan for audio clips and eavesdrop on conversations to locate criminal activities. Certainly, this game rates as the smoothest, most intuitive effort to integrate the gamepad's second screen that I've come across in any Wii U title yet. I am never confused about which screen to look at, and none of the gamepad's second-screen functions feels obnoxiously "gimmicky" or disruptive to the enjoyment. The map and the scanner feel useful but not "over utilized" in a tedious way. And the idea of receiving video calls on the gamepad (instead of the television) helps you feel a little more immersed in the Lego world. Also, whenever your attention isn't needed on the gamepad screen (such as during a cut scene), it defaults to a Lego City: Undercover logo to make it obvious you should be looking at the television. Nice.

After many hours of play, I've only encountered one significant bug in this otherwise well-polished game: With the subtitles enabled, the voice acting disappears from some of the cut scenes. You can hear the rest of the ambient noises and sound effects, but not the character dialogue--which results in an oddly quiet scene. I've had this happen in other Wii U titles with subtitles also. It doesn't interfere with the fun of the game, and so far, it happens in less than 1 out of every 4 cut scenes. I'm guessing that if I turn off the subtitles, it may resolve the glitch, but I haven't bothered trying. My daughters like to talk and giggle loudly while we play the game, so often I don't hear all of the characters' dialogue anyway and thus, prefer to read it on the screen.

All in all, I think this is the best "compromise" I've found between a game with acceptable depth to please fairly avid gamers, as well as parents who need to be mindful of small children and thus, want to confine themselves to safe, family-friendly content. If you like open-world games, have a soft spot for Lego humor, and want a game that is family friendly, I highly recommend it!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Lego City: Undercover - Nintendo Wii U

Sure load times may be long at times, but most seem short to me, and my patience level is sort of low. This game is awesome overall though! Lots of content and a fun game to play for all ages(Im 19). This is a must have for any Wii U owner. I highly recommend a physical copy and not a digital version, however the choice is yours. This is by far the best Lego game created to date, lots of thought and time went into the making of it, and provides countless hours of engaging fun. The gameplay is at an easier level so everyone can play it, but I feel that doesn't take away from the gameplay quality. Graphics are decent but not mind blowing, however this is purely for fun times and there are a lot of things more important than high specs, leave that to the PS4 and next Xbox if it bothers you so much, but don't expect to get these kind of fun games found only on Wii U.

Also, for those who don't know, the Lego City High Speed Chase building set can be purchased separately to unlock new items in game. Look for it on Amazon, kids will love to have the building set to go along with the video game, even I'm excited and I'm 19. Never too old for fun quality games such as Lego City Undercover. Now stop reading reviews wondering if its worth it, and GO GET IT!