Best NHRA Championship Drag Racing - PlayStation 2 Deals

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Man, I was so happy they came out with a NHRA game for PS2. It blows the IHRA games away. I enjoyed every aspect of this game! The best thing is how easy it was to figure how to play and have a chance at winning a race. That was the biggest flaw in the first IHRA game they came out with. Even though they have quite a few generic cars at least they have alot real drivers with their real cars> I recommend if your a drag racing fan and have a PS2 in your family, you should buy it, because it will give hours of enjoyment.

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The game is so real to life it wild,I have raced motorcycles

ps and some cars this game is to Cool.Hope they add bikes to

there new game when it comes out

Thanks

Best Deals for NHRA Championship Drag Racing - PlayStation 2

for what the game is it is very well made and a good bit of fun!!!

Honest reviews on NHRA Championship Drag Racing - PlayStation 2

Game seemed to be fun, BUT, after 3 uses the console would not recognize the game. Guess $9 gets you a limited use clause

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Purchased this to replace the same one we had that had gotten scratched. My kids play this game all the time.

Best Lord of the Rings: Conquest - Playstation 3 Deals

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Unfortunately, there were no recent reviews of Lord of the Rings: Conquest when I bought two copies to explain that Electronic Arts stopped supporting online play for this title back in March of 2010. More dissappointing, Amazon continues to advertise that it does have online play and none of the vendors add a note of warning. It also appears after a lot of investigation and trial and error, that there is no way to even use multi-player over a LAN so you can use your own monitor. Co-optimus states that it still has this feature, but I think they have not updated their information either. Without this feature, the game becomes practically worthless, at least to me (and to many others if you google the situation). Now I have to deal with trying to get a refund for a misrepresented product. Here's my warning to you.

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Pandemic, the maker of Star Wars Battlefront has given its familiar engine a facelift and have taken it to Middle-Earth. To be honest I was never really a big fan of Star Wars: Battlefront having been more accustomed to the solitary lightsaber battles of the Jedi Knight series but at least to me the Battlefront concept just seems to work significantly better in the Lord of the Rings universe. I downloaded the demo and couldn't wait to play the full game because it's just fun as hell.

In the Singleplayer campaign you can pick your character class: Warrior, Mage, Archer or Scout and hack and slash your way across the battlefield by rallying your troops in basic "Capture the Flag" strategic objectives or destroying specific tactical goals to achieve victory for your armies. Occasionally you can play a character from the movies such as Aragorn or Gandalf depending on which character class you have currently selected when more "experienced" reinforcements are called upon. The nice thing is that you can change your character class mid-game so you are not always restricted to certain classes/abilities though it is prudent to know when to select specific classes for certain campaigns. For example, a Scout may be called in because of his ability to render himself invisible to sneak past enemy lines, or an Archer would be better suited for ranged attacks. The Mage is very powerful with his staff and can smack down hordes of enemy orcs in close melee or can fire ranged lightning strikes, toss fireballs, and heal wounded troops to bring reinforcements back up to full strength. The Warrior is very powerful with a sword in hand for close action melee and can quickly plow through enemy hordes with a spinning firesword or throw axes for ranged attacks.

The graphics are stunning in HD along with Howard Shore's awesome thematic score playing in the background and Hugo Weaving (Elrond) narrating the game really puts you into the action of the epic battles of Middle Earth first hand.

The Multiplayer campaign allows you to connect with up to 16 players or you can just do a two-player splitscreen co-op with a buddy. You can also choose your side, Good or Bad and change the fate of the ring by destroying Frodo and the Shire by fighting for Saruman's forces, the Lord of the Rings equivalent of turning to the Dark Side. And now you can download expansion packs through the Playstation store to add other characters/classes such as Boromir, Arwen and Gothmog as well as new campaign arena maps like Weathertop and Amon Hen.

This game is mandatory for Lord of the Rings fans and even for the casual players who just want to hack it out, I'd recommend the no-nonsense Instant Action and Deathmatch campaigns. Conquest easily blows away EA's titles, even though I enjoyed playing Lord of the Rings The Two Towers on PS2 which I went back and breezed through again for old-time's sake, Conquest makes it look like a warm-up exercise by comparison. The Battle of Helm's Deep in Conquest is similar to Two-Towers but vastly improved for next-gen gameplay. Plus you get to battle at Minas Tirith, Isengard, and all the way to the Black gates of Mordor in the War of the Ring campaign.

Lord of the Rings: Conquest is one game to rule them all.

Best Deals for Lord of the Rings: Conquest - Playstation 3

I think this game achieves most of what it promised to be. It's fair to call it a 'hack n slash' game. I'm a big fan of the Star Wars: Battlefront series. So far as that goes, you can see how Pandemic has started with that system and progressed it in a few ways, and this, in the LOTR setting, seems like the next logical step. Also, it is a lot of fun, and creating the dark storyline accounting for what would have happened if Frodo failed was quite enjoyable. So I enjoyed both campaigns, particularly the splitscreen with my brother. Pros of the game for me would be playing as just about everyone from the Naz-gul and Balrog to Aragorn and Ents. Also the evil storyline. And the mindless hack and slashing is quite a trip. Just fun to wreak havok and go to town on a bunch of enemies. One big con for me was that it doesn't tally your kills or really keep track of your deaths like Battlefront did. I really like saying to a friend after a weak performance, 'where the heck were you on that one' or if I underachieved to try all the harder to bounce back the next time. And no mentions of 'most kills', or 'most accurate' after the level is over. I really missed that not being there. Also playing as some of the heroes was not all it could have been. It was great but some like the Balrog and Ents are destructive, but so slow I think a lot of destruction and mayhem are unfortunately left on the table. Maybe there is no way to fix that, I don't know. Overall, I thought it was easy to pick up and play. It gave clear goals to focus on, and I think it was a logical progression in the series. I was not sure how they would adapt Battlefront from a shooting style game to a hand to hand style, but I think Pandemic pulled it off. After kills you can pick up small health increases (bigger for bigger kills) and a second meter that builds to unleash more vicious attacks. People complained about no unlockables, which is a valid point, but with enough good content in the game from the start, I didn't miss that as much. I do prefer Battlefront's paintball style way of keeping score (i.e. letting you know how many guys you have left vs. the enemy's total tally) to the Conquest style which is more like 'every other game'. You know you've got 3 lives or whatever to finish the level. That 250 vs 250 style was one thing that made Battlefront stand out for me. So anyway, this is a great game. I think most would have fun with it, especially recommended for those who enjoyed the Battlefront games, hack n slash style, and like the LOTR books/movies.

Honest reviews on Lord of the Rings: Conquest - Playstation 3

I recently rented this game from GameFly. If you're reading this review, hopefully you know that the online play is no more, which is sad. I got this game hoping it was going to be like the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, a game I loved playing on my Nintendo GameCube. I enjoyed the Return of the King because it made hack and slash fun, you got multiplyers for good, excellent and perfect kills. You often had to fight through hordes of enemies and aside from your main weapon, you had bows and arrows and stuff like that, you could also pick up spears and stuff and the game really added a variety and spice to the gameplay.

In Lord of the Rings Conquest, you have four different classes to choose from: warrior, archer, mage and scout. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. You can also play occasionally as a hero that often falls into those various categories. You rack up hits much like in the previous LOTR hack & slash games and you have strong, medium and light attacks and you have various objectives much like the last one, opening doors, claiming positions, protecting things, collecting things, killing baddies and always heading to the next arrow.

This game looks ok. It really disappoints actually, it's nothing special to look at. The recreation of locations looks much like movie locations which is quite something, but the locations are EMPTY. Battlefields looks EMPTY. I can't believe no other review I've read has stated this. This game is NOT EPIC, IT'S EMPTY. I was running around like a crazy person in the Battle for Helms deep LOOKING FOR ORCS TO SLAUGHTER. The game doesn't give the feeling of overwhelming odds and there's more enemies when you invade the Shire then at other key times like the Battle for Helms Deep or the Fields of Pelennor.

You don't use too many of the various classes, you end up just using like the warrior and using the same combo/moves over and over (I realize this same argument could be made about many hack and slash games). But it's boring as heck, and the only thing that helps make this game fun is the occasional break where you get to be some kick-butt dude like Sauramon, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, an Ent, a Nazgal and my personal favorite, the Balrog. These moments are shining examples in the game that stand out from the time you're that faceless/nameless grunt that will probably die a hundred times by a hundred deaths.

Let's hope that the Lord of the Rings: War in the North will give us a real Lord of the Rings game that will make us proud.

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This game is really fun and cool. This game actually is set up very much like the Star Wars Battlefront series. I like the way it is played. You have certain point in which you have to either defend, or attack. In doing so, you earn checkpoints. These checkpoints allow you to change your character in the middle of the game. In certain parts you get to select a Hero for battle!! The great thing about this game is that you can actually play as the enemy. So, you have the choice of being the good or evil side. The graphics are incredible. The music and the sound put you into the action. The voices of the characters are really cool as well. The controls are pretty easy, although there are many different combinations that you can perform using your weapon. It is a very challenging game and learning each character's attack is essential. For example, I couldn't beat Sauron using Gandalf, or an archer or scout because I wasn't used to playing as those characters. I ended up beating Sauron using a warrior. Which I played most of the level with and so I was used to using.

I think you are a Lord of the Rings fan, this is a definite item to put in your collection. Also, the PS3 allows you to download the upgrades to the game to further enhance the experience.

The game also has a cool multiplayer game where you and another player can be on the same screen fighting the same battle. Or do a head to head battle.

I have not yet played on-line, but looking forward to trying it once I get the hang of the game by completing the many levels of difficulty.

Discount Skylanders SWAP Force Triple Character Pack 2: Mega Ram Spyro

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These characters are all great. Buying in the triple pack saves several bucks too. Spyro is his series 3 incarnation, Chill is her Series 2 (She wasn't in the first game) and Zoo Lou is an all new Series 1 character. You can get a black and gold legendary Zoo Lou at Toys R Us, but he has one of the most unique color palettes in a Skylanders character so I highly recommend the White, brown and green normal edition.

Note: These are not Swap characters. There seems to be a lot of confusion on the part of parents buying for their kids. The Swap characters are sold either single or now in double packs. They are 15.99 each single and 29$ in the two pack. Those are the characters that you can mix and match tops and bottoms with. All characters from all games work in the Swap-Force game, but not all characters are Swap-characters. There is an icon on the packaging to denote whether the character is a Series 1, 2 or 3, whether it's lightcore or swappable. And just because these characters don't swap, it doesn't mean they suck. Far from it. They're just as powerful.

Also, Series 2 and 3 characters are backwards compatible with any game that they were in to begin with. So if you're just starting out and Swap Force is your first skylanders game, Series 3 Spyro works in Skylanders Giants and the original Skylander Adventure of Spyro games. So you can buy the previous games and get further value out of these characters and not have to buy Series 1 or 2 characters from the first two games if you have the swap force series 2 or 3. I know it can be hard for parents to keep up with this all. If you have any questions, send me a message. As an avid collector, I'll happily answer any questions you have.

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The characters are great, but if you already have Eruptor and Pop Fizz from previous games, then only get this if you're a collector. Both of these returning characters do get a new move and increased stats, but the difference are so slight that you won't even notice them most of the time. Eruptor replaces the ability to "barf" a big stream of fire with the ability to spew magma balls. Pop Fizz adds the ability to make one of his purple potions do double damage. As for Slobber tooth, you can get him in a single pack if he's all you really need. Personally I don't think Slobber Tooth is that powerful, but he is a brand new character and he's certainly not horrible.

Best Deals for Skylanders SWAP Force Triple Character Pack 2: Mega Ram Spyro

All those looking to purchase these kits, understand that Swap Force is the third generation of this franchise. Just like Giants before, the Swap Force figures are the special figures while the original skylanders are reimagined with new appearances, a higher level cap, and different abilities. No, these particular figures do not swap, but if you do the research before you buy you will find that Activision has released multiple swap force characters that will make your children very happy and keep them entertained. Just look for the " swap" logo on the front of the box, it is similar to the lightcore image and is usually found in the center of the package just below the window to view the character. Swap force is not " deceptive marketing," it is Activision hoping that the public will research and understand their purchases before making them.

Honest reviews on Skylanders SWAP Force Triple Character Pack 2: Mega Ram Spyro

I bought the Skylanders Swap Force Starter Kit from Amazon as well because my son requested it for Christmas. I bought this set as an add on and I know that he will love it! Great purchase!

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We bought these for my son's Birthday to go with the "Swap Force" game thinking they would be able to "swap" with the other characters but they don't. They are just all one piece but do work with the game. He was very disappointed.

NHL 13 - Xbox 360 Reviews

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I have never written a review of a game in my entire life. But having bought and played this game I feel obligated to write a detailed review to help consumers make an informed decision about this game.

Game. I can't believe I am going to fault a game for being a game. But here I go nonetheless.

Anyone familiar with this series knows that there isn't really a happy medium difficulty. "Pro Difficulty" is far too easy and "All-Star Difficulty" is way too hard. And it's not harder because the computer is smarter. It is harder because the computer can skate faster and steal the puck without performing an action (something the player must do to steal the puck i.e poke-check, stick-lift, etc). The AI aggressively pursues the puck carrier and forces a turn over. It's not positional hockey... it's like an NHL team playing a pee-wee team.

So how can we fix this? I know! We'll give the AI a sprint capability.

The new skating engine is actually pretty amazing. It does a great job of putting you in the skates of an NHL player. Your control is immensely improved and it all feels exhilarating rushing on offense.

This would all play so amazingly well if the AI skaters skated backward slower than you can "sprint" forward. Finally (in theory) you could skate faster than the AI (if only during the rush) and no longer feel dogged by faster skaters with super-human puck stealing capability. Except this is plainly not the case. Playing the AI on "Pro difficulty" is roughly the same as playing NHL 11 or 12 on "All star". The AI will take the puck from you if you get within 25 feet of him. Sprint or no sprint. If you skate near a AI player you will lose the puck. Are you Crosby or Ovenchkin? Guess what against the AI it doesn't matter at all. Are you a super-human custom player creation with the best speed, acceleration and agility in the game? Still it does not matter.

However most, if not all, veteran EA NHL player know how to play the (non-hockey) hockey to beat the super-human AI. You just have to abandon all pretense that you're simulating a hockey game and play some Blades of Steel hockey and you'll win.

If you do play these games you've most likely experienced the San Francisco Rush style comeback of your AI opponent. (for those who don't get the reference, it's a racing game that automatically speeds you or your opponent up to keep the race close). It's happened a lot in the last 4 or so EA NHL games. It is especially obvious in the final 2 or so minutes of a game. But this time it makes a return by intentionally keeping the entire game close. I played 10 straight games and took the lead 10 straight times and watched the computer overwhelm my AI controlled team and score 4-5 cheap goals. I could deal with this in years past because it felt like MY AI players were at least trying. But seriously it's like your AI is trying to throw the game. I tried to create a super-human goaltender to see if it would help. Nope. My dynamo seemingly was in on it too.

We're talking about the Winnipeg Jets coming back on the defending Stanley Cup champ LA Kings.... 10 times. It's no accident and it completely and utterly takes you out of it.

My biggest question for EA is this: Why aren't my teammates operating on the same level as the AI opponent?

The is the best looking hockey GAME ever made. This is one of the best controlling hockey GAMES ever made. This is the most feature rich hockey GAME ever made.

But the gameplay (this "interpretation" of the game of hockey) is fundamentally broken almost beyond repair.

Don't say I didn't warn you. I didn't even mention the standing still knock down body checks. (A 5'8 165lb leveled my player created 6'4 240lb defensemen three times in a row in the corner.)

The bottom line is that somehow while EA was trying to create the most realistic hockey simulation ever they managed to create of the world's worst hockey games.

Buy it and tell me you don't agree.

UPDATE

I'm never going to say that it's acceptable for a company to release a truly unfinished product. So I will not give EA a pass for doing that in this case. I stand by the original 2/5 star from this review.

But in the case of EA, I will give them props for heavily patching this game to be a little more playable.

The biggest thing they have improved is the seemingly exploitable cheap goals from the top of the slot. For anyone who plays hockey they'll know shooting from the top of the face off circle is a high goal area. But it is EXTREMELY hard to get positioned for a good shot there. So the AI was scoring realistically from this area, it's just that the AI was able to maneuver into this position regularly and easily. So for the most part, playing smart positional defense will now minimize this exploit.

I am know able to rush past defenders with fast skaters and have them turn and chase me toward the net. This is the realistic skating situation they advertised. Because when I speed up enough to make them turn, I am unable to cut in to the net. I can carry the puck past the defenders but either have to take a bad angle shot or carry it into the corner. Much more like real hockey and I'm assuming what they were going for with the whole skating engine.

What still remains and is in desperate need of a fix is the standing still body check. For a game that advertises physics the skater vs skater interactions are still laughably bad.

The rubber banding has been improved (thanks for the term Fox!) but every once in a while you can see your team and opponent AI decide it's time to make it closer. It's far less prevalent and closing out a close game is the exciting prospect it should have been all along. The skating boost helps to heighten the drama of these situations and provide a desperation that was lacking in previous NHL games.

NHL 14 for the next generation consoles has a real opportunity to build on this rough transitional game. My development list for 14 goes like this:

1. Fix the hitting/player interaction physics. Give it the same level of thought you did skating. This doesn't mean record new animations and call it progress. I don't care how it looks, I care how it feels!

2. Refine the pinning/puck cycling system. Real hockey is a game of getting the puck down low and cycling it around the boards to maintain possession. Pinning is the right idea, but expand expand expand.

3. It's time for an NHL game to have an true open Beta. Look, I know you guys are Canadians and almost for sure have seen a fair deal of hockey in your time. But I played this game for like 2 days and could have given you your patch notes 3 months before the game came out.

4. New commentators, new presentation. Time to go after TSN (espn) or CBC and get some real commentators and TV graphics.

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Without fixes, this NHL game is the first where I say "its unplayable" and I actually dont play it. Instead of a long winded review, I'll simply enumerate some issues:

1. I mostly play EASHL and all I see and hear is "nice poke check." Poke check, poke check, poke check. Way over powered and very irritating.

2. I guess legal interference is back, b/c I've been knocked down a bunch of times w/out the puck, far away from the net w/out a call.

3. Hitting. Broken. (You get knocked down by the CPU, who is standing still, and then you bounce up and down on the ice?) Passing. Broken. (Passing to a guy wide open shouldn't require prayer). Computer AI. Still laughably broken (There isn't a time when I call for the puck where I don't expect the computer to do something idiotic).

4. "Nice poke check."

5. The skating backward from end to end garbage has now been legitimized? They took out the vision control button, which was actually useful, and replaced it with the "skate backward whenever you want" button? Who goes on a breakaway and then decides, "you know what might work here? Skating backward."

6. So now we have to wait longer to start a lobby game? They took the enjoyment of waiting in line at the DMV and combined it with having to listen to idiots, all as a reward to play a terrible game.

7. Goals don't feel like accomplishments. Make an amazing deke, slip a pass by a defender (somehow), get a pass right back and the goaltender is sipping coffee waiting for the top shelf shot. BUT, take a shot from some stupid angle and it goes in.

At least in NHL 12, when I was annoyed, I could run into the boards and injure myself. As a coup de grâce, you can no longer do that. So, I just injure my self in real life by slapping my forehead for playing this game.

I don't even think the girls in the crowd are hot anymore. How do you screw that up?

I hate this game@$@#$@#

Best Deals for NHL 13 - Xbox 360

the demo had me sold. it seemed like a really different NHL game this time around.

bought the game...played it for a few days... things still seemed fine.

two weeks later, i'm considering selling this copy and getting NHL 12 again.

all the negative reviews are correct. you can't check anyone in this game even with the sliders adjusted. i've got my "human" slider for hitting power all the way up and the cpu one all the way down. the cpu still levels all my guys. Chara can't even crush a guy in the boards going full speed. HE actually falls down from doing that.

the cpu also out hustles you all the time. non stop. the only thing that you can do is adjust the acceleration slider all the way up and put theirs all the way down.

the other thing i absolutely hate as well the game doesn't always let you manually change your lines even if you have the setting on. sometimes you'll notice a new line hit the ice and you didn't call for them to come on. yeah that's a HUGE HUGE HUGE issue. i can't even remember the last time this happened so frequently in an NHL game that's because it's never happened. i have no idea what EA is doing over there, but it's not good.

also the new feature "moments live" is really weird. why do i have to re-create historic moments with gretzky...when he's playing on the CURRENT oilers team and not on his old team, with his old roster, against the other old team he played against. It's kind of weird re-creating how he got 50 in 39 and you take a pass from taylor hall...

all the things i mentioned are bad enough but if you play the game on xbox live then i truly pity you as there's no way to adjust anything.

combined with the fact that there might not be an NHL season due to another ridiculous lockout this poor excuse to steal $60 from you just adds insult to injury.

Honest reviews on NHL 13 - Xbox 360

The big new feature this year is "True Performance Skating". Basically it's a return of the "speed burst" but it effects your player's maneuverability if you don't let off the gas. What's cool is that high rated players can do more at top speed, much like their real life counterparts. You can also skate backwards "at will" which creates tons of options for creative skating. Love it.

Ok, that's the good news. Now the bad:

1. Teammate AI seems better, but it really isn't. My AI skaters play better D, and seem to position themselves better on offense as well. Problem is, my AI teammates can never break up a pass, and they are unable to take a pass 30% of the time. It just goes right through their skates or right in front of them. Goalies seem improved, but seem to give up cheap goals way too often. The goalies seem to get frozen by long shots much easier.

2. Opponent AI "seems" improved, but it's cheap. CPU opposition players are able to somehow cling to you (hold?) at will, preventing you from moving, shooting or passing for 3 seconds or longer. This wouldn't be so bad if there was a real life button YOU could press to perform this "hold" on the opposition, but there is not. The CPU opposition also has the unique ability to perform the following "cheap" actions at will: Steal the puck without hitting or poke checking, Deliver crushing body checks from a complete stand still, the aforementioned ability to hold your skater somehow, never go off-sides, and never miss a pass or deliver an inaccurate pass. It is worth noting that human controlled and cpu teammate players cannot perform any of these actions.

3. The "board pin". Back from NHL 2012, it is the ability to pin an opponent to the boards and force a struggle for the puck along the boards. I actually liked this feature in 2012, but they made it cheap in 2013. I noticed the computer was regularly pinning me to the boards while I was skating full speed in a north/south direction with the computer opponent a full step or 2 behind me. It is very jarring and unrealistic when it happens, so much so I had to stop and watch the replays to confirm what I just saw. Not much of a saving grace, but human controlled players can also perform this "cheap" maneuver as well. Just get near a player skating up ice along the boards, hit "Y", and the awkwardness begins. I can already see this maneuver getting exploited online and resulting in thousands of angry arguments.

4. Button/Stick Assignments resulting in penalties. It's been 4 years straight of this now. ENOUGH!! The designers don't seem to get it. Let's start with the right shoot stick. You are in the crease trying to bang in a rebound. Unfortunately EA has decided it's a good idea that pushing on the right stick might also body check instead of bang in a rebound, depending on the proximity of opposing players. So instead of knocking that rebound into the open net, you body check a defender without the puck, which is usually an automatic interference penalty. Talk about adding insult to injury! Now how about that "board pin" button? EA wouldn't actually map that function to the same button that starts a fight, would they? YEP! You will end up in so many fights trying to initiate "board play" it is ridiculous.

5. Ineffective Loose Puck Deke. My favorite move in NHL 11 and 12 is now suddenly ineffective. This move takes skill and practice to perform, and I had worked to perfect it's use. In NHL 2013, even Malkin or Ovechkin can't perform this deke. The puck goes drifting off and the player just sort of looks at it. I have tried dozens of times now and have yet to complete this deke successfully. Very sad, because this deke was so fun to perform and so difficult to master when to use it. When you did it right it was so satisfying.

5. Weird animations. There are some bizarre and jerky skating animations. The skating is so fluid and great in this game, and then suddenly your skater jumps and jerks for some unknown reason. Actually, it's hard to figure out what specifically causes this to occur, but it seems tied to the cheap cpu AI "holding" I mentioned earlier. When your skater encounters this invisible "AI holding force field" at certain angles or with too much speed, the player seems to "bounce" away or warps awkwardly right through it.

6. True Performance Skating vs AI opponents. I mention this as a negative for this reason only. The computer controlled skaters sprint/accelerate constantly in almost all game situations. (although they do pull up and glide when carrying the puck down ice when necessary) This is not really cheap because you are able to do the same thing if you want to. The difference being that for humans it's a combination of stick presses and stick pushes combined with the normal button pressing to obtain the same result. It's just tiring to your fingers to be constantly clicking in on that left stick to accelerate.

7. Checking. While the computer controlled opposition knocks down every player in its path at will, the skaters you control will mysteriously "bounce off" a player you had lined up with a perfect check from 100 feet away. You still do complete some of your checks, but in this game, unlike NHL 2012, it feels like the computer decides when a check will be effective or not, discarding any real world physics.

While this is still a solid Hockey game, my theory is this. EA wanted to get the scoring down and have the final scores be more realistic. While the AI is improved with regards to positioning, anyone with a keen eye can see this isn't the main reason why the scoring is reduced. It's actually a combination of "cheap" additions to the AI. One timer passes to the slot are largely reduced to useless because of the aforementioned "holding" computer AI. There is also a frequent delay in completing one timers, even if your player is wide open. With even more unexplained errant passes than last year, goalies that cut off every single attempt at a slot pass down low, and AI defenders that intercept every pass in their vicinity, regardless of force, accuracy, or elevation. All these things combine to provide you with a moderate level of frustration.

I will continue to play, and if I notice any improvements through updates, or discoveries that bypass some of the CPU cheapness, I will update my review. Please feel free to comment politely. I've been playing NHL since the first version on Sega Genesis, so I consider myself somewhat of an expert on what makes a great hockey game.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for NHL 13 - Xbox 360

Perhaps I bring an unfair perspective to reviewing EA's NHL '13 in that I actually played hockey for 14 years. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I question whether ANY of EA's developers even bothered working with current or past players to refine the game. Here are my red flags/complaints as I see them with the game:

1) Physics Engine: Everyone is raving about this across the EA nation but I'm just not impressed, at least not for NHL. There is NO explosiveness and any hockey player will tell you that going fast is completely different than being explosive. Actually, I would think EA would understand this concept simply from their football history. None of the gameplay in NHL '13 allows for a player to be explosive. It's like getting a train moving each time you get the puck and start moving forward. This makes for a lot of awkward, uncoordinated, completely unrealistic moments in which players look lost and are unable to get possession of a puck just out of reach without circling around or putting the brakes on and creeping back the other direction. There also is no ability to lunge to get possession of the puck, something that happens on the ice every shift. All you can do is "poke" the puck away, hoping it ends up on one of your teammates sticks. It's pathetic and is a HUGE missing element in keeping this game somewhat realistic.

As stated in other reviews here, the engine also creates pathetic collisions. Players going full speed into each other will just "bounce" off each other while a player going full speed into one standing still will fall down. Unless it's Martin St.Louis going full speed into Zdeno Chara, I don't see that happening a lot.

2) Passing: It's awful. It's not like FIFA where you can direct a pass in the general direction and the AI knows who you're targeting. Instead, players who are breaking free, wide open, never get a stick to stick pass. Instead the puck is simply sent up the ice usually to a defender. I've seen better passing in PeeWee leagues when I was 12.

3) AI Strategy: What's up with all 5 opposing players lining up along the blue line directly after a faceoff in the neutral zone? When you rush in it makes it impossible to make a move around any one player because there is another defender within feet of the one you're breaking around.

4) Goaltenders: Are altogether awful or unbelievable. Every save Gary Thorne is yelling "WHAT AN AMAZING SAVE!!!" and it gets exhausting, esp hearing Thorne and his co-pilot go bananas on a save made from a backhand shot from the point. Most saves in the NHL are fairly mediocre in terms of WOW factor.

5) Goals: Over the course of about 50 hours played, I'd estimate that 30% of the goals being scored are extreme short side goals. Totally unreal. Never seen a top=rated goaltender like DiPietro or Thomas give up the short side, especially upstairs. Similarly, about 85% of the goals scored were above the waist -another fallacy. At least half of all goals that are scored are below the knees, mainly because there is less interference (guys legs are thinner than their midsections) and they're often more difficult to stop for a goaltender (dropping their knees to butterfly is most often not as quick as their glove). Of course this depends on the 'tender -some guys have great gloves or a great knees (or both).

6. Goal Reviews: Why did they bother installing this "feature?" Every time I had a goal being reviewed, it was still called a goal.

There are things that I love about the NHL franchise. They're the only one that has a comprehensive minor-league element which I find exciting. It breaks down players beyond just "scorers" and "brawlers" to include other dynamics of the game.

But the gameplay is still hurting and the new physics engine needs work. Don't believe the hype. You will have frustrating goals scored against you, awkward and unrealistic collisions and movements on the ice and you might just want to mute the Gary Thorne once in a while with all of his recycled lines.

Best Sega Dreamcast Console Deals

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If you're in the market for a next generation console right now, your options are pretty limited. Buy a Dreamcast or wait for PS2 to come out in October. Well, I'm here to tell you to buy a Dreamcast. Sony is marketing the PS2 as if it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, and many people are believing it. But when you take away the hype, the PS2 is just a machine, as is the dreamcast, and it comes down to which machine will provide you with more enjoyment. First and foremost, you are not going to enjoy coughing up .. bucks for the PS2(... for the console ... if you want a game). Dreamcast is rumored to be cutting it's price ... , which should be taking place some time very soon. You will certainly enjoy saving yourself, or santa, .. bucks. But would you then be getting an inferior console? The answer to that is surprisingly "no." When making a side by side comparison of Dead or Alive 2 (a game on both Dreamcast and PS2) one realizes that the Dreamcast version is actually better! Another comparison can be drawn from games like Sega GT and Gran Turismo 2000. Many game critics are saying that Sega GT looks like the better game at this point, and this is saying a lot given Gran Turismo's reputation as a great racing game. Also, the PS2 only has two controller ports. Looks like you'll have to give sony an extra $30 if you want to play a game with 3 friends. People who are all about the PS2 seem to all say the same thing. "You can play DVD's." This is a great feature, but it's really not that big of a deal. PS2 will cost about ... more than Dreamcast, and DVD players are dropping in price, so you might be able to find one for around .... anyway. The whole DVD thing is just part of all of the hype that Sony is feeding to the public, making something that's not a big deal seem like the greatest thing that ever happened to humankind. Once PS2 is out, its actual performance will be measured instead of the hype, and people will then find that it's not any better than Dreamcast, so don't put all of your eggs in Sony's basket just yet. Wait until you could try both systems out, and weigh out the positives and negatives yourself. You'll be surprised with what you discover.

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Reviews of X-box 360 Backpack By Planet 21

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I bought this backpack recently, and it suits my needs. It is big enough to carry 4 controllers, 360 console, all wires, and if you put your games in some sort of sleeve, it will fit. Overall the appearance is decent, although i did wish that they had an actual pocket for putting controllers, i had to place 3 in the outer most pocket, and 1 in the main pocket, which im sure is an improvisation.

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This backpack is a very well made convieniance. It holds the original xbox and the 360 (with a seprate paded case for the 360 consol) its made very durable, and holds controllers and games, along with the cords and gizmos you may need for excellent gameplay.

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El bolos es muy resistente y con muchos compartimientos, ademas se puede utilizar para otras cosas

Reviews of Official Microsoft Xbox 360 SLIM Power Supply AC Adapter (Bulk

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I was originally going to buy this since it's an 'Official' replacement. The reviews are good and I am guessing that many people were satisfied after they received their new power supply. I hated this price for just that piece of the xbox. Read somewhere that it was $35 from the Xbox site/microsoft store. Looking around, couldn't find just the individual piece. Eventually I came upon a link for ordering repairs/replacements from the Xbox service.

Finally, found the link to order the power supply for just $35.00.

I suggest that you just buy the item here to save the money. I posted up a link before but they removed it. Here it is again, I will try to keep it updated, just removed the spaces. myservice . xbox . com

You will have to register your product before you can order any of the pieces from xbox. Which was easy, it's right on the back of your xbox. After you buy this item from them it's a total of $38.15 due to taxes. Still a better deal.

Just a Note; It usually stops working because of the overheating and the failure of the fan inside the power bar. If you buy the special Torx bits to open it up and periodically clean out the product then it increases the longevity of it immensely.

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After searching for quite a while I found this power supply. I have no idea why microsoft makes the official ac power cord so hard to find. If you don't have the new xbox you can find the old cables at gamestop. Call ahead because they might even sell this new one, none of the stores in boston had one. This is no knock off product and its exactly what I wanted, beware of buying the adapters and fake models because they could ruin your xbox or be to loud.

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Considered purchasing this here but concerned about the price as well. Called Xbox support 800-469-9269 to check the price there. They base the order from the serial number on your Xbox system to ensure you are getting the correct power supply. Brick and cord are $35 including shipping. Careful!! Ordering directly from manufacturer this time was a MUCH better deal and I know I'm getting the right product.

Honest reviews on Official Microsoft Xbox 360 SLIM Power Supply AC Adapter (Bulk

The official XBOX website is selling the complete AC adapter (brick and cord) for $35, this is just the brick for $61.99. I almost got ripped off until i check the site to see if my Adapter was covered.

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Works like a charm. Was worried that it would be noisy, as reported by buyers of other brands, but this one works just like the original. It is very quiet and I am very happy!!!

360 Controller Thumbstick and D Pad Replacement Set White Review

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Very nice on a controller, makes it pop out nice, just make sure u wash ur hands because dirt sort of sticks to the joysticks but windex whips right off

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Buy Final Fantasy XII

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List Price: $19.99
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Today's Bonus: 25% Off

After a long wait, Final Fantasy XII is finally here, after such a long wait. Everything about it shines. From it's deep storyline, to its fantastic and complex gameplay. All worries aside, Final Fantasy XII is a keeper.

The Archadian Empire has taken over the Kingdom of Dalmasca. The King has been assissnated and the princess is presumed dead. The people of Dalmasca are displeased with the Empire, especially a young boy named Vaan who believes it is up to him to take Dalmasca back. Luckily, he's not alone. There's an entire resistence group out there that are willing to help him out. The storyline of Final Fantasy XII is different from all the Final Fantasy games. For one, it relies far more heavily on its political drama and philosophical intrigue. What you get from Final Fantasy XII isn't a huge epic story in scope, but rather a drama that unfolds. It's a different way to tell the story for Final Fantasy, but here it actually works. It's still got some good twists and it is somewhat deep, but don't expect something along the lines of previous installments such as Final Fantasy X or VII. It doesn't have the most memorable ensemble cast either, but you do, for the most part, like the characters.

What many fans are most concerned about when it comes to this new installment is the battle system itself. It strays away from the series roots. It is no longer the ATB style battles we've been used to since Final Fantasy IV. Instead it's Active Dimension battle. All enemies in any given area of a dungeon are present at all times and will charge you upon seeing you.

You can free roam through any area, and so can your enemies. As your characters approach an enemy they pull out their weapons and you can begin to issue attacks. You can only play as one character at a time, but you can still issue orders to other characters if you want. Since all enemies are present on the map at one time, running away can be a hassle. Enemies will give chase, and some enemies will even join in the battle.

The combat has a couple of downsides. For one, getting money is downright painful and repetitive. Your enemies don't drop money, and when they do it's not a lot. Instead you'll be forced to sell the items they drop. This wouldn't be a problem if stuff wasn't so expensive, and if the items dropped by enemies didn't sell for so little. Also, dungeon maps are huge. It's easy to get lost and overshoot your objective sometimes, even with the ingame map provided.

This wouldn't be Final Fantasy without some complexity to the battle system, though. First, there is the game's complex AI system called "Gambits." Gambits allow you t customize what your characters do in battle. You can set your characters up to attack, or you can get more complex and have them heal anyone whose HP falls below a certain percentile. Once you get used to the Gambit system, however, it's really easy to take advantage of. To the point where Final Fantasy XII becomes a cakewalk. Even worse, if you set them up too well, you'll find that the only thing you ever have to do is move around the left analog stick. It is entirely possible to track through Final Fantasy XII never having to open up the menu.

Then there's the license point system. As you battle through the game you'll earn license points which can be spent on the license board. This helps to determine what spells, abilities and even weapon and armor characters can use. Yes, that's right, weapons and armor. You cannot use a certain weapon unless you have a "license" to do so. There's nothing too complex about this and it suffers from its own little issue, the fact that in the end every character is the same.

Let's be honest on one more thing... for some Final Fantasy XII just might not be a lot of fun to play. The aspect of no random battles is nice, but take advantage of the gambit system, and Final Fantasy XII becomes a game that, for the most part, feels one-dimensional. The complexity is nice, but gambits can make the player feel like he's doing little to participate. What it amounts to is basically you moving around the left analog stick while your characters automatically carry out their own actions in battle. There are times when Final Fantasy XII can feel monotonous as a result. That's not to say you won't have fun, it's only to say that battling won't keep you as engaged for long. Especially when every character can so easily learn everything. The dungeons being so big doesn't help this. They've made big so that you will battle. And while the battle system isn't really bad in anyway, it can definitely be annoying to find that Square-Enix made a dungeon huge for the sake of padding out the length.

Graphic-wise, Final Fantasy XII is fantastic. The towns are detailed, and so are your characters. The fact that each town has so many unique looking characters on screen at once is an impressive feat. The game also sounds lovely. Even better is the games artistic design. Towns are breathtaking. The game also sounds good. The voice acting isn't the best in the world, but it does manage to be good in many areas.

Perhaps Final Fantasy XII suffers most in the story department. It's a good story, but the game doesn't spend a lot of time focusing on it. It gets off to a great start, but at some point the game just becomes so devoid of it that it's easy to lose interest in what may have been one of the series more interesting stories. Around the mid point of the game, the story takes a backseat, with developments coming further between. It's refusal to focus too much on its characters doesn't help this. It picks up again in the end and makes for a good story overall, but there's so much to Final Fantasy XII that just doesn't focus on it. What makes the story good is how well written and how cinematic each of the cutscenes becomes. When you get one of these in depth moments into the story it's really engaging and really good. The problem is just that for so long this doesn't happen much. The world of Ivalice is definitely beating with a pulse, though. Running through towns and seeing the vast populations really brings things to life. It's just a shame Final Fantasy XII couldn't have a more lively story.

The Good

+Fantastic Graphics

+Good storyline

+The new battle system is complex

+Tons of side quests and secrets to keep you busy for hours

+Beautiful soundtrack

+Well done voices

The Bad

-Dungeons are huge and save points are few and far between

-The battle system is too easy to take advantage of

-The license board will eventually make every character the same

-While the story is good overall, there certainly isn't too much focus on it

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So, here's my take on Final Fantasy's latest. Is it the greatest? Read on and find out!

BATTLE SYSTEM: Everything is in real-time, which any veteran FF gamer knows is not the way it used to be. Although it takes a while to get accustomed to this change I found the real-time battles a breath of fresh air--something this series is definitely going to need if we're ever to hope of seeing Final Fantasy 24 or so. It is so nice when the only transition screens you have are those that occur when going to menus, new locations or cut-scenes. Also, the ability to run for your life all the way across the map is really nice, especially in addition with the sounds of thousands of angry hooves and feet stamping after you!

TRANSPORTATION: I don't know about you, but I LOVE flying airships on a world map! Sadly, in Final Fantasy 12 this is not possible. Very ironic, because this is the powerful Playstation 2 and the game itself sports alot of airships. There are Chocobos, but that is the only type of transportation you actually steer on your own. You can take teleport crystals to warp you almost anywhere and later your airship can "fly" you places.

STORYLINE: I would disagree with anyone that says that this game has no storyline. But I would agree that there is so much leveling up/looting to be done between locations that when you reach your final destination you might forget your initial motive for going there. As a whole, FF12's storyline is not as prominent as other storylines, like FF6 and FF7. And of course part of what makes a good storyline are good . . .

CHARACTERS: Since anyone can learn any weapon or magic, the only thing that makes them unique are their looks. Fran looks like she escaped from the Playboy mansion, Vaan looks like a younger brother to Ashley Riot from Vagrant Story and Balthier is something of a mix between Setzer and Locke, which is cool. Reddas is an interesting Auron-like person, but he appears too little, too late in the game. Ah yes, and if only Elza in Balfonheim Port were a playable character.

ANTAGONISTS: Part of the reason I did not get drawn in by the storyline (what little there is of it) is because the antagonists were not very convincing. You won't find anyone as evil as Kefka or Sephiroth. For a good portion of the game I knew that the Empire was evil (obviously) but had no idea who exactly was the "Boss" and even more importantly, WHY? And it doesn't help either that the Empire's black-clad knights like Gabranth sound like Dark Helmet from Spaceballs. Or at least a very pathetic Darth Vader.

MUSIC: I own several Final Fantasy game soundtracks and of course I think that Uematsu is brilliant in his work. But I also own the FF Tactics soundtrack and I was surprised how good it was. One of the two composers for the Tactics soundtrack did the music for this game. Unfortunately, by himself, he's not that good. Granted, there were no songs that felt out of place, but at the same time, there were no stellar tracks that captured the EMOTION OF THE MOMENT or had the genius of the work of Uematsu's earlier soundtracks. Considering that you will spend alot of time collecting loot/leveling up in different locations, expect to hear the same track over and over again. Also, the ending boss theme, sadly, is nothing spectacular. I'd even say it's forgettable.

SUMMONS, SPELLS AND SIDEQUESTS: For perhaps the first time ever I found myself hardly ever using summons and magic. The summons are nice to look at, but die too easily and deal too little damage and sadly offensive magic is the same way (although Flare comes in handy at the end). Even sadder, to get alot of these spells and summons you have to go on sidequests that are voluntary, but end up feeling mandatory--or you could do the alternative and loot the land for 3 hours and search a whole world for the one shop that sells the magic/weapon/armor you need.

GRAPHICS: To me, the least important, but they're definitely good. Although only the first and last few FMV scenes are worth watching twice and unlike FF10, you can't buy them.

SOMETHING FUNNY: When Vaan is running around saying "I'm Captain Basch fon Rosenburg" I thought it would be funny if he also randomly said, "I'm Rick James, b-tch!"

OVERALL: If you're a casual RPG gamer, this is clearly a solid RPG that is very well thought through in terms of game mechanics. And let's not forget, you can easily log in 80+ hours before beating the game, which is definitely getting your money's worth.

If you're a veteran Final Fantasy gamer, one who's played since it's NES days (or at least its SNES days), then you'll see what a weak story and soundtrack this game has, which to me is below par for a Final Fantasy title.

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Final Fantasy is sometimes thought of as a kiddy game with chocobos and moogles. Final Fantasy XII proves that this series can present an awesome storyline and graphics that all ages will adore.

Don't worry if you haven't played all of the other Final Fantasy games. You don't need to. There are subtle carry-overs, but this game is meant to stand alone. You are a young orphan in a city recovering after a war. The cruel Empire has taken over your home town, and you enjoy causing trouble for the soldiers.

Soon, of course, you're swept up in an epic rebellion. The storyline here is just *amazing*. Not just the plot itself, but the voice acting, the dialogue, the graphics, they are top notch. This is really like being a part of an extremely well done drama movie. They delve into issues of honor, loyalty, love, betrayal, and more. I'm an adult gamer, and I was staying up many long nights because I wanted to see where the story was going. Some of the subtle interactions between characters in cut scenes are just amazing. The small nods, the looks in their eyes, you are hard pressed to remember that they are animated in a computer game.

Gameplay itself revolves around a party of characters going on quests, fighting in battles and moving through the large world. Each character gains experience and skills as they go. You buy them new weapons and armor, train them in spells, and aim them in their career growth however you wish. There is a dual system in play here. First, you need to physically own the weapon or item you wish to use say an iron sword. But then you need to KNOW how to use it too! You can't just hand an iron sword to a 10 year old piano player and expect her to know how to use it. That skill is called a "license". You have an online license chart that lets you manage what each character knows. Licenses relate to each other. If your character learns the basics of sword work, now they can learn a more advanced version. It is very intuitive and adds a fun element to the game. It's not just one straight line that you choose and are stuck with. It's an all-directions layout where you can try new skills or expand out as you learn the system better.

I really like combat in this Final Fantasy as well. Instead of random battles where enemies appear out of nowhere to assault you, all enemies are "on the map" with you. If you're running along a path in the desert and see something really scary in the distance, you run away from it! You don't have to worry about enemies springing up out of nowhere to slam you into the ground.

The enemies in general are challenging but not impossible. There are spots where you really have to think about the enemy and what its weakness is to defeat it. You can't just brute force bash away at everything and hope to succeed.

Still, as great as the gameplay is, and as gorgeous as the visuals and music and voice acting are, I really have to come back to the plot and characters as standing out here. There's been a lot of talk in the gaming world about a game that finally goes from "little pixels on the screen" that you move from X to Y to the point of *caring* about these characters, about what they are going through, and feeling emotional about their highs and lows. I really think Final Fantasy XII has hit that level. Yes, there are one or two twerpy characters that can be annoying. Even Star Wars had Luke whining about the Takashi Station at the beginning, to set his "basis for growth". In general, though, every single character here seems real, seems complex, and you don't want to put the game down.

Highly, highly recommended.

Honest reviews on Final Fantasy XII

I bought the game the night of the release. I took it straight home and played it that very night like many of us did. Within the first 2 hours of playing I was hooked. Yes, like all new games, getting used to a new world, battle system, monsters, leveling systems and how to aquire items is always a challenge. But I think the developers saw the possibility of people becoming frustrated and they put items throughout the game to assist in leveling up, finding the way around, buying items, getting from pt. a to pt. b, ect... It is a huge, vast and enormous game, endless choices! It is marvelous!

I love the concept of having to take back your pillaged items and selling them. To me that makes it seem more real to life. If I were to go out and kill a few birds, beasts, catch a few fish ect... I would not expect ever to find a shiny brass farthing on them. However I would expect to have to take what I could and sell it. That would be how I would make my living. The same concept exists here.

I find the game to be beautiful, brilliant and hypnotic. I enjoy listening to all the characters voices, I enjoy the story line and I feel pulled into the world.

I am now about 55 hours into the game and my opinion at 2.4 hours hasn't changed. If anything it has only deepened the conviction that I have that Squaresoft knew what it was doing and that they did a splendid job.

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Last night I finished FFXII. It is my favorite FF game and the best video game I've ever played. I logged 120 hours and loved it.

My favorite Final Fantasy games that I have played are now, in order: XII, X, VI, VII, and X-2. I plan to play VIII and IX next.

What I loved about FF XII:

beautiful graphics

lots of challenging fights

huge world to explore and freedom to travel around

scenes including dark dungeons full of undead, icy mountains, foggy marshes, rolling praries, mystic forests, and more

combat system (with gambits optional) that I grew to love

memorable characters

license system for abilities is flexible and lets you choose who is a fighter, mage, etc.

no random monster encounters you can see them approaching and use location and range to your advantage

the game stayed challenging pretty much the whole way

the NPC interaction and side quests are interesting and can be helpful, but are mostly optional

What I didn't like about FF XII:

if I could redesign it, I would change the end fight it was good, but could have been better.

The best thing about FF XII is that I loved it all the way through the game, all 120 hours I played. I enjoyed all of the areas, all the boss fights, and monsters, weapons, magic, were all fun. In previous FF games, I have always liked developing character abilities and powers, and this game seemed to be the best yet that I have played at keeping the balance between toughness of monsters and power of characters good to keep fights challenging. I got wiped out a few times and had to restart from save points, and there were a bunch of close encounters where I just barely got out, but that to me is challenging and fun.

Also, I liked the visuals. I could tell by looking at the weapons my characters were carrying around exactly which sword, spear, etc., they had because the detail is that precise. You can tell a Defender sword from a Save The Queen just by looking at them. Little details make it visually impactful. Fran and Balthier are great looking characters the tall elf woman in leather and the swashbuckling leading man, very memorable. Penelo was the fun, peppy one. Vaan and Ashe reminded me of Tidus and Yuna from FF X. Basch was the tough guy. I thought the voicing was for the most part excellent, especially Balthier and Fran.

My favorite locations were the creepier dungeons with the eerie music and undead monsters. When you are wading through zombies nearly getting your butt kicked, but manage to pull through and reach the goal, that is fun. There was also a windswept snowy area with swirling magic illusions that I will never forget.

The battle system, with no random encounters, enemies you see coming on a corner map, and gambit options, is my favorite of all the FF games.

The license system is my second favorite, after the sphere grid in X. The ending was also my second favorite, after the ending in X. However, I liked XII better overall because I loved the combat system, the consistent challenges, the phenominal look and graphics, and the puzzles were more intuitive to me.

I will definitely play FF XII again some time in the future. It is my new favorite.

20GB Hard Disk Drive HDD for Microsoft Xbox 360 Review

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It's a harddrive, it does what it's suposed to do. I've had my xbox for about 4 years now and I hardly ever played it since I used to game on my PC (WoW). But when my pc crashed I needed my fix. I couldn't play newer games on my xbox without updates which required a harddrive. After about 20 minutes of searching this was the cheapest solution to my problem so I bought it.......

Update: April 4 2012. Hard drive is still working find and dandy with almost daily use. I'm not sure if I lucked out compared to the other reviewers.

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I'm not complaining, only thing is, it doesn't give you the full 20 gig. Could have gave you a little more info on it. Other than that, I took it apart, and threw it in my xbox slim like I wanted to.

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I bought this for son and he loves it. He can download more stuff on his xbox. I recommend it.

Honest reviews on 20GB Hard Disk Drive HDD for Microsoft Xbox 360

Hard drive was in good, working condition. It arrived on time and was easy to install. Very pleased with the service and product.

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I have a xbox 360 arcade that I bought a few years ago. It only came with a 256MB memory card. Bought this to upgrade so that I can save more games. Not only does it save more games I also got more features from my NCAA football 2012 game. I can see highlights at the end of the game now. No problems so far and I have had it for a month. The only reason to not give 5 yet is b/c I have had it for a short time and do not know how long it will last.

Best New Microsoft Xbox 360 Afterglow Ax.1 LED PDP Wired Controller Deals

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Only 299.99 what a deal... lol Nice controlle worth more like $20.00 works great on windows computers. I use it to play Tera online.

I think its marked wrong. ;)

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Guitar Hero Smash Hits - Xbox 360 Review

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List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $23.75
Today's Bonus: 41% Off

For those who are skeptical because you have played these songs before need to know that the gameplay is new for all songs. In career, you only need to play a select number of songs to unlock the next section, so at first I was only playing songs from the older games that I haven't played in a long time and skipping songs that are available on current games such as Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band 2. To my surprise when I did finally play those songs that the fingerings for guitar/bass are different. They didn't just take the current guitar gameplay and plop it into this game. Instead, they have updated the gameplay to not only have different fingerings (that in my opinion are mostly a vast improvement over the previous versions of these songs) but they also incorporate the newest styles of gameplay, such as three string chords & the three string hammer-on chords that we saw with the latest versions of guitar rhythm games. It makes all of these previously released songs fresh, new, and fun to play. Also, all the original artists are here, so all the cover songs from past games now have the original artists.

Being able to play drums and sing was enough to make me want to get this previously released material, but having new guitar fingerings for all these songs was a bonus I didn't expect. You also get all the online options from the currently released rhythm games.

I highly recommend this.

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I saw my kids playing the Guitar Hero games and recognized many of the songs included. Once I learned to play the game myself I started getting the games for the classic rock songs they contained. I bought Smash Hits to take to a party with some of our friends because it had the most recognizable songs from my generation. After one of my friends got the hang of the guitar controller, he was into it. Playing along with songs like "Smoke On the Water" and "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" brought back memories of the days when we could only play along on our "air" guitars. Loads of fun!

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Just finished playing through all the songs on the game and have to say it is great fun! The songs selection rocks for the most part (rather would have had 'infected' on here than 'hey man nice shot'). Also note worthy is that all the songs are available from the get go without any codes!!

It really is the most polished guitar hero game yet; all the parts of the band play well and pretty much as they should with no frustrations; however I seem to get heavy feedback on vocals where my friends don't.

Simply too much fun.

Honest reviews on Guitar Hero Smash Hits - Xbox 360

This game rocks flat out. If you're a die hard Guitar Hero fan, it's kind of disappointing to not see every song you want on one disc (which I hope they will do one day..), BUT, this game is as close as it's been for me. Awesome game, with lots of songs, and it stirs up the songs notes arrangements which adds flavor to old licks. This game is very very fun, must have for the music genre in gaming.

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Great songs and game play!

I have spent hours and hours playing this game. Too bad my XBox 360 got the Red Ring of Death!

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Customer Ratings:

Graphics in this game are outstanding. The backgrounds are detailed and atmospheric. The use of shadows is great also, especially the way the characters are all silhouettes.

Deadlight has a solid story in a tired genre with good voice acting even if the main character is a bit of a cliche tough guy.

As I proceeded through the game I had a lot of fun with the puzzles. There are times when you have no weapons and have to find ways to defeat traps/puzzles by using the zombies instead of fighting them, which is interesting.

There isn't really a lot of combat if you're looking for an action game. You will spend most of your time evading or running from enemies. Weapon selection is limited and at times non-existent. I thought it worked well for this game, since the game design doesn't require you to fight that often.

Deadlight is full of Steam achievements, some of which are obtained just by reaching checkpoints, so it regularly rewards you with a sense of accomplishment.

On the downside, the game can be frustrating. There's a lot of trial and error. Sometimes the color scheme of the game can make it difficult to discern certain objects. I fell through floors I thought were there a few times. On the plus side, checkpoints are very frequent, so you can afford some trial and error. Save points are frequent too, but if you quit the game, be prepared to repeat a few checkpoints, which is really no big deal.

Here's the MAJOR problem. This game is a port from XBOX Arcade, so it was designed with a 360 controller in mind. The conversion to keyboard and mouse is not pleasant. I eventually just gave up after COMPLETELY failing to outrun a helicopter through an obstacle course about 25 times. It requires fast reflexes and precision timing that I just couldn't manage on a keyboard (but maybe you could). You need to sprint away from the copter, then basically stop and inch your way up to fences, because if you hit jump while moving you will just bounce off the fence. Fence climbing in general is frustrating. Sometimes it would just take too long for the character to interact with the fence to get away from the helicopter in time. If you ARE using a 360 controller it may work better for you. I tried a PS2-style Logitech PC controller but couldn't remap the pre-configured 360 controller commands. Even my L1, L2, R1, R2 buttons weren't doing the same as the 360 buttons.

I was disappointed that I ultimately put this game down (at least until I get a 360 controller I guess), because I really liked the puzzles, graphics, and atmosphere.

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The game is amazing. The graphic, storyline and story telling are all top tier. Puzzles/combat are fun!

I bought it when it was on sale. It was 100% worth buying.

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The game seems like it is a pretty fun side scrolling game that's kind of unique. I haven't got to play it much on my computer because I was trying to playing on my laptop and it can't handle to much. I set the game on lower settings and it seemed to have a little bit better frame rate but I haven't got to try it on the lowest settings yet. The downloading process from Amazon was pretty good and fast. If I can get it playing better or try it on a better computer I'd say it would be a pretty good game that seems like it's got a great story to it.

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Its a great zombie adventure game and has a style and feel similar to the original "Prince Of Persia"games from back in day. The game play is excellent. Personally recommend using a controller but a keyboard and mouse also works.

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awesome game, good graphics, great story, love that side camera, and just another awesome game that anyone have to try! :)

Discount The Simpsons Game

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when i started playing The Simpsons Game i was a little disappointed at first, mainly due to the invisible barriers in the beginning tutorial level. it didnt take long to get out of that level and into the open world springfield. this is deffinitely the largest and most complete recreation of Springfield yet seen in a game.

when you first start playing you'll probably notice the graphics pretty quickly. naturally, dont expect GoW level textures, but what you can expect is the best cell shading and transition from 2d to 3d ever in a game. nothing else comes close to this except maybe the new Naruto game for 360. this game is beautifful. a seemless transition of one of the most beloved and longest running shows of all time

into a sprawling 3d world.

aside from the huge Springfield to explore with plenty of collectables for each character theres 16 episodes to play through with plenty of collectables in them. you select the episodes from different places on the main Springfield map similar to the Grand Theft Auto games.

the game controls much like a standard platformer/brawler with each family member providing different powers. you can do double jumps, standard melee attacks, special moves and power melee attacks. the environments are semi-destructible. i just wish you could drive the cars, at leased around the main Springfield area. you can also have a second player jump in and out and any time for co op (not available in actual Springfield. lame)

Theres full voice acting from all the main characters. everyone from Bart to Disco Stu is authentically voiced here. lots of funny lines from all the characters you care about. this is deffinitely one of the funniest games ive played. theres also about 40 minutes of animated footage you cant see anywhere else.

while i enjoyed Simpsons Road Rage and Hit and Run, this game blows them both out of the water with the Springfield map alone. not many other Simpson games are worth mentioning. ill just say this is the best. something no Simpsons fan should be without.

Edit: due to the length of the game, i had to cut my score down slightly. i breezed through all the levels in 8 hours. if you love the Simpsons as much as me you'll probably be motivated to get all the collectables and achievements, rounding the time to about 15 hours. there could've been a lot more.

for Simpsons fans 9.25

for everyone else (why are you here?)8.0

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The Simpsons isn't new to the gaming world by any means. But it's been over a decade since they actually had a true video game. For years we've seen Simpsons games that were just knock offs of other games like The Simpsons Road Rage or Hit and Run. The Simpsons Game, however, is its own thing. After nearly twenty years of a successful television run, a blockbuster movie and having an influence on our culture as a whole, The Simpsons finally get a true video game to call their own. It isn't as good as the 90's original arcade game, but it's by far one of the best video game outings The Simpsons have had in a while. By far this is one of the better games based off a TV show to hit the video game market yet.

The first thing to get out of the way is simple. Any huge fan of the show will absolutely love this game. The writing staff hopped on board to do the writing and they do a fabulous job. It's full of all the clever wit of the show along with several references to show as a whole. Many of the levels are centered around events which actually took place in episodes. The game serves as brilliant fan service to those who have come to love and admire the show over the past twenty years. Not only that, but it's easily one of the funniest games ever made.

Just like the show, you should expect it to be full of parodies and poking fun. And in this game it does all of that. It especially makes plenty of pokes at the gaming industry as a whole. If you're a hardcore gamer this game only becomes that much funnier when you see parodies of some of your favorite games like Everquest, Medal of Honor, and Grand Theft Auto. There are also jokes about some of the other aspects of the game presented by Comic Book Guy. Moments where you discover you can't swim for example. Or Invisible walls. All of these are things that have been done in video games several times and The Simpsons Game decides to make fun of them. They even managed to get some people from the video game industry in here to do some cameos. For The Simpsons fan and gamer, it's almost heavenly the amount of humor and pop culture references that are here. You'll most certainly being dying of laughter throughout the entire adventure.

Even better. The game looks and sounds just like the show. The graphics have the look and feel of the show and the actual voice cast came on the lend their voices. In short, in reality it's like you're getting a full blown episode of the show that's well... hours long. And it works. The production values of this game make you put aside the mediocre gameplay in part because the game makes fun of itself too by being packed full of cliches they mock.

And that's where the problem with The Simpsons Game comes into play. The developers spent so much time on the production values of the game that they didn't spend nearly as much time perfecting the overall gameplay experience. That's not to say the gameplay doesn't have its merits. It certainly does. It's just that the gameplay only meets the standards, it doesn't try to exceed them.

Throughout the game you'll play as The Simpsons family. In every level there is at least one other Simpson to control and you can switch between them as often as you like. And you'll have to considering some of the puzzles you'll be doing. Each level is fairly open ended with bad guys coming at you left and right. Every Simpson has standard attack and a fairly special one. Bart, for example, can use his slingshot for standard attacking, but he can also become Bartman and glide all over the place. Some characters have downright zany powers, though. Lisa, for example can summon a giant hand, and she uses her saxophone to fight off baddies with music. It's a little over the top but then again, The Simpsons has never been a show grounded in reality.

There's also co-op play but it feels like a last minute thought at times. This is because in some levels it is more than obvious that certain characters aren't really needed for anything other than pummeling your enemies. Only certain characters are suited for certain tasks. It's fine on single player, but on co-op your partner can sure feel useless at times. Just the same, however, the AI isn't really all that bad. While it's pain to have to keep an eye on both health gauges for those who have a go at single player, your partner can really hold his or her own in just about any situation. So it's nice that you don't have to constantly babysit an AI controlled character.

There's not much to the gameplay, but at least it's simple and easy to pick up on. But there's so much more that could've been done with it. It gets repetitive in many areas. At the very least, however, each new level you go to is distinguished from the previous one. And while the objectives are not by any means difficult to reach (it's a pretty easy game) you'll have some fun. There are also a lot of collectibles to uncover throughout the game. Each level is just teeming with items for The Simpsons clan to obtain.

As I said, however, it's a game that meets the standard but doesn't really try to exceed it. The good news is that the humor keeps you going through the game, even when the gameplay gets tiring. Simply because a laugh out loud video game. This game was definitely made for Simpsons fans and gamers alike. And despite the gameplay the humor and production values really make this a unique gameplay experience.

If anything, The Simpsons Game is worth a look just for the production values alone. It's funny, it carries the look of the show, it was written by the writers of the show and even includes the voice cast from the show. What's not to like about the production values for the hardcore Simpsons fan?

Pros:

+The production values are some of the best to ever be done in a TV gone video game. The clever witty writing of the show comes out. The clever parodies come out. It's just an all around funny game filled with gaming culture references.

Cons:

-The other thing we must face, the gameplay could've been so much better. It's not bad by any means, but certainly isn't as good as it had the potential to be.

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The Simpsons game deserves credit for bringing the world of Springfield to life--I'll give it that much. As you run around the interactive town, going into landmark locations like Moe's or Krusty Burger and listening to the mumblings of the town's citizens you know and love you can't help but be appreciative that the experience was FINALLY put into a game. The game is also voiced by the actual cast, thus giving the game validity and making it actually feel that you're involved in an episode of the show.

That said, the Simpsons game delivers only a mediocre gameplay experience. The game features several levels (18 I believe) with various silly scenarios. You progress through the levels using two members of the Simpson family in each of them, and each family member has abilities that are useful and can help you in unique situations, and each has a collectible item (Homer has Duff bottle caps, for example) to obtain during the levels and throughout Springfield. The game also features "Cliches," which are unlocked moments when you do certain things in the game and Comic Book Guy pops out with a sarcastic comment about how boiling lava (or whatever) in video games is not very original.

The levels are mildly amusing and some of the commentary from both the Simpsons and the town's denizens is very entertaining. The gameplay, however, is lacking. Not only does the camera get annoying, since it never quite adjusts the way you need it to, but the controls have several little quirks that can drive you crazy if you play the game for any amount of time (such as Bart's aiming mechanism for his slingshot). This may not be enough to deter hardcore fans of the show, but it's something to keep in mind.

That brings me to another very, very big disappointment with the game. Sometimes the animation is great, and the 3-D imaging while you're actually playing is pretty good. At other times though, especially during the cutscenes, the game features some of the most sloppy animation I've ever seen in a game. It's tough to describe, but suffice it to say that some cutscenes look as though the characters in them were literally cut out by a 10 year old with scissors and then stuck onto the 3-D background. The result is horrible--just awful--and I cringed every time I saw those scenes with jagged lined and flat-looking characters on my high definition display.

If you're a fan of the Simpsons it's probably worth renting this game. Don't buy it, though, just because it's got the Simpsons name on it, but take it for a test drive first.

Honest reviews on The Simpsons Game

I'm always on the lookout for a game that my hardcore-gamer boyfriend and I can play together that we'll both enjoy. This game is probably the best 2-player game we've ever owned.

The gameplay is decent. It's a typical puzzle game. There are times when it's tough to tell what you're supposed to do next. This may be due to the game not giving much explanation, or to my inability to pay attention when the characters talk. In any event, we've always figured it out eventually, and if you get stuck there are a variety of walkthroughs available online for help.

The detailed Simpsons world is where this game really shines. The dialogue and plotline are faithful to the show, and the graphics look awesome it's like wandering through a really long HD Simpsons episode.

The two-player gameplay is stellar. The different characters have quite different special powers, so some characters are more "easy" to play than others. This works perfectly for our situation, while my boyfriend plays Homer and fights everyone, I can be Lisa and use my "meditation stations" to solve the puzzles and kill guys from a distance.

Overall, I'd really recommend this game to anyone who's either a Simpsons fan, or looking for a good two-player game. It's especially great if you have different skill levels. We both love it a lot more than we expected!

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Right off the bat, anyone who was expecting a challenging 3rd person shooter/adventure type of game should reconsider before buying this game. This game seems to be aimed at people who are devoted fans to the show. It's HILARIOUS and does a good job of doing spoofs on old video games and genres of the 80s and 90s. The gameplay is so-so and the "camera" seems to have a mind of its own no matter how much you manipulate the angle. It's a pretty easy game and I personally think this is an "interactive episode" of the Simpsons. I do admit, it's probably the funniest I've experienced in a long time. Which lets me close with this, this game was meant to be experienced not so much as "played". The overall experience (despite the ease of how quickly I passed the game) was well worth the money I shelled out for the game (well, I guess me being a Simpsons fanatic would contribute to that claim)