Madden NFL 11 - Xbox 360 Review

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I, like most, have been a huge Madden fan throughout the history of the game but I learned a very valuable lesson early on; NEVER BUY BACK TO BACK YEARS!! NEVER!! I did. And I'm sorry for it.

Madden 10 was pretty good, I thought NCAA 10 was better and after playing the demo for 11 I was hooked. I wanted the updated rosters, I wanted gameflow and I was really getting use to the new running scheme. What I figured out after I bought the game was how much the hype failed. Gameflow is ask Madden without pushing buttons. You can always go in and make custom game plans, which I think is a really cool idea, but this takes forever. You're just as good off using the playbook during game play, at least then you have every play you want without forming habits. No complaints with the running game, I think it's pretty solid. If I had a complaint it would be that it is far to easy. I'm no Madden God but this running game makes me feel like one. Passing is hit and miss. I LOVE receivers staying in bounds for the catch or dragging their feet, but that is IF they catch the ball. So many times I've thrown a ball (from a highly rated QB) to an open, slant route running receiver (also highly rated) just to watch the ball bounce in front of him. How about a one handed catch? How about a dive? Where is my coach "give me more effort!!!" button?? The D pad option is just horid. Whoever in game development had that brain storm of an idea should be beaten. On offense it's barely "ok" and I only say that because you can control the clock. On defense it's almost impossible. Just trying to change out of a play is cutting it close, let alone pushing a d pad to cover a certain receiver, ball snaps before I'm ready every time.

Defense goes a little something like this. Open Madden 10, select all, copy, paste to Madden 11....ad D pad frustration. If a developer is reading this....you're an idiot. We don't pay this much money for cut and paste options, and as soon as EA sports stops buying out NFL rights I will never buy another Madden game again. I love defense and I hate that EA hasn't made defense a priority in years. Superstar is another cut and paste job. That portion of the game could be so much better and I've waited for so long to see it evolve. EA sports, I hate you. Franchise is also cut and paste, also another game option that could be amazing through and through.

Online. First off, I never play online. I can understand why some do, I'm honestly not good enough to play against the big boys. But this doesn't stop EA sports from driving me crazy. Nope, this year you must pay for the privilege of playing online, after already paying for the privilege from x-box. Nicely done EA, I loath you. So even though I do not play online, if I want future roster updates I sure will have to pay for it. But that's not all....want dumb coins to buy fake football cards? Better buy those too. Want to have an edge on your franchise? Better buy those options as well. Games are expensive enough. I love game addons like the next game junkie but c'mon man! No other game on the market does this. Fable 3 isn't going to put out a new game every year, make you pay for all the cool stuff while at the same time pushing out a crap product. There would be anarchy on the streets!!!! Madden does it year after year.

The graphics are great, as always, and the Superbowl finally got a face lift. All in all I think it would be a good game if I had gone a few years without purchasing a new Madden. If that sounds like you, or you're waiting for something to push you over the homicidal edge, I bet you'll love the game. If you see a used Madden 11 game on Amazon for $12....that's me.

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I admit, I'm a sucker for Madden games. Every year I go out and buy it so I can have updated rosters and a few new features. This year the game took a significant backwards step. The game plays well. Cool animations and the commentary is much improved. The graphics are still decent but seriously, how hard is it to make the crowd look realistic? The crowd looks like someone put a bunch of cardboard cutouts in the stand. It truly looks awful and it's a shame in the year 2010 the developers refuse to fix this issue. The gameplay is your typical madden. Your QB throws a crazy number of interceptions, the computer DB know what routes your WR are running thus you can NEVER throw a curl route without getting intercepted. On defense, your guys will blow a countless number of coverages as they let WR run all by themselves. The improved blocking is a nice addition, but how come my special teams players can't block. I watched 1 of my blockers watch a guy run past him then chase after him. How can you implement improved run blocking yet it can't translate to special teams? I'll get to the kicking aspect of special teams in a minute. The franchise mode is exactly the same. It's a disgrace to not even pay attention to the franchise mode or be a pro mode. There is nothing to do between games during a season. The franchise mode has been untouched for years and I just wonder if the developers have no clue what they can do to add to it. I garuntee if you ask Madden players for input, you will get more than enough suggestions.

Madden 2011 is Madden 2010 with a few new animations and completely dumbed down. Their gimmick this year is you can play a game in half the time with Gameflow which the computer will call plays for you. Was anyone really asking for that? If you want to play a game faster, lower the number of minutes in a quarter. 2nd of all, hardcore football fans and madden fans like to call their own plays. It's part of the strategy and you take pride in calling plays that work really well. The special teams has been dumbed down. Seriously, can you actually miss a kick this year?

Overall, Madden 2011 was made to help attract new gamers and spat in the face of hardcore madden fans. When will the loyal madden fans get a game that adds new features for them? Instead, it seems EA wanted to attract new people to make more money rather than please loyal fans. It's a shame.

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In today's tough economic times, Madden 11 is the latest release from a major corporation in the consumer goods sector to cross the line of absurdity. You would think that with a growing adult aged audience, increasing negative publicity via social networking, at the very least the love of football would motivate them to put together a product to be proud of. I do not have much to add to the reviews here. The game is simply not fun anymore. Still have my copy of 2005, would love for Microsoft to release the emulator so I could play it on my 360. Things I hate about this game:

Gameflowplay calling sucks at least ask madden I had three to choose from or could back out and choose my own play

Streamlined Menus/ Pre play controls (d pad) Just absurd, how is making selecting things and navigation more difficult "streamlining" You never have total control of a menu and pre-play takes too long is awkward 2005 was better at this

Fight for the Fumble How did this get green lighted for another year?

In 2005 I could save my game at any point of a game. Why the !! can't I do it 6 years later on a next gen console.

Gameplay Is boring, choppy

Franchise Mode Used to be what made this game addicting, Teams moving, expansion draft, sick draft picks, holdouts, players demanding trades, progression with otas. Every year this gets leaner and I find less of a reason to keep playing. Good Riddance I can find better things to do with my time and money. I would rather mow my lawn and mulch around my house.

Honest reviews on Madden NFL 11 - Xbox 360

I decided to give Madden a shot this year, and it was a huge mistake. In short, EA knows they have a cash cow and do everything very sloppy. There is no reason that NCAA Football come out a month earlier and always offers a more polished in game and out of game experience. This game has a shocking 2.5 star on Amazon, and more people need to get the word out to NOT BUY THIS GAME AND FORCE EA TO FIX THE FRANCHISE!!

First the short positives. The graphics are gorgeous, EA keeps perfecting and perfecting the look of real football and has this game looking fantastic. Also, the updated engine (a modified version of the FIFA engine) has the physics of the game looking much more believable and simulation-worthy. Last but not least is the 'locomotion' running game. The two stick running game is very intuitive and offers fantastic control whilst carrying the football. Unfortunately, my praise ends there.

Overall, Madden is a poor offering, and here's why. First of all, they haven't done anything with the franchise or superstar modes, both have been the same since virtually the PS2 era. The price is horrific for a yearly release title, and then to beat more money out of used game sales, they charge ten bucks if the online pass has to be used just to play online (or get roster updates). And while the physics are great, they still managed to pile on the legacy issues and unrealistic gameplay by 'warping' receivers making impossible catches, players dropping easy catches, and seemingly telegraphed picks/completions/runs, etc. My Madden 09 has the same problems and nothing has been done to correct them. The sloppy presentation is broken and illogical. Everything is very broken up on the commentary, there are slight robotic pauses in nearly everything Gus Johnson says. (i.e. they weren't willing to say 'first down', 'second down', and 'third down', but 'first', 'second', 'third', and 'down' and piece them together.) Also dumb comments like Kevin Kolb being one of the NFL's primere passers when he's barely played had me laughing. All-in-all the presentation and commentary is horrible, unless you like to listen to overly emphatic pitches for Old Spice (Be a man...MAN!). And also EA botched Ultimate Team badly. The mode that is great in FIFA and NHL is miserably handled in Madden, which just further shows the developers of Madden's laziness and carelessness. (i.e. they have a cash cow, so why bother?)

But my biggest beef with Madden is now that each game is just a pile of advertisements. Having sponsors of the game or ads on the field are fine, but every play of the game seems to have a sponsor. You're littered with ads from the stats, to the reviews, to the commentator. You really cannot get away from it. And now once you hit the two minute warning, it will take forever to get to the end. You've got to hear all about Verizon, Old Spice, Doritoes, Gatorade, and others. Every. Single. Game. It really hampers the fact you're playing a game and it's more like a chore to sift through advertisements.

All-in-all this year's Madden is bad. Really bad. The additions, sans the running game and engine, are handled poorly. The legacy issues are still there, so you should just play '08 or '09 where they still are there, but the advertisements are not completely running rampant.

But in all honesty, EA has no reason to fix this game. It will still be the best selling sports game in the US, so they'll remain complacent and not fix things that have needed to be fixed and continue adding in more ads year after year. The only way to get them to fix this heralded franchise is to hit them in the wallet and DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!

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These new changes to bring casual gamers in really hurt the game. None of the features added were requested at all but let me summarize the added features.

1. Gameflow(Ask Madden 2.0)-You press A and it picks a play for you good i guess if you can't do it yourself or dont care what play you do but is this really the main new feature added???

2. Improve Blocking and Catching Awesome ive been waiting for the good blocking and catching for a while.

3. Defense All i can say the hell happened? The defensive AI is worse than last year maybe even 09, playing online on all-pro the score has been over 40 points each game. I like scoring but this is ridiculous.

4. Online Ok so if you quit while playing a ranked before 1st half ends you get no penalty and your opponent gets no win, yea EA what the hell where you thinking on this one.

5. Franchise Mode, Superstar, Madden Moments The same as last year

Im sorry if you disagree but how can you rate this higher??Since I am a Madden fan I hope they fix the issues with a patch because this will have a short life span if they don't.

Update Online quitting is somewhat fixed helps improve ranked game play.

Gray Matter - PC Reviews

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Like many other fans who have played the Gabriel Knight series, I was eagerly awaiting the latest adventure game from Jane Jensen. After many years and multiple production houses in development, Gray Matter is finally here, and it has been worth the wait.

Disclaimer: Being a fan of Jane Jensen's adventures I may have evalauated the game to her high-set standards.

The game has the trademark quality of a Jensen adventure with a great story, character depth, atmosphere and...challenging puzzles? Well, only the last feature has left me with some hesitancy in recommending the game just to any adventure games fan, especially ones that do not favor all of the above qualities over the level of challenge/brain-taxing. In this respect, Gray Matter is a lot like Dreamfall ( Longest Journey 2), i.e. a great piece of interactive fiction though somehwt lacking in the puzzle department. In fact, I found Gray Matter easier than Gabriel Knight 2. Also, certain puzzles that the female main character has to solve as her personal objective did not blend well with the main story arc. The puzzle-solving aspect is the only note-worthy low point of this title.

Graphics are well-drawn, with some imaginative backdrops and colors that are appropriately dreary for the most part. Before I played the game, I saw a lot of mention about the comic-book style cutscenes in the reviews. In many instances, they are adequate, but elsewhere, you wish the cutscenes had more clarity and animation, especially when there is more happening in the scene. Jane's hubby Robert Holmes has done a great job with the soundtrack, although it is less-varied than the GK2 music. There are quite a few tracks, though throughout most of the gameplay you hear only two or so. At certain points in the story, the music may even leave you emotionally moved. Voice acting is generally very good; the only aspect I couldn't help but notice is that Dr. Styles' character sounds older than the mid-thirties character potrayed.

Perhaps what sets this game of Jane Jensen apart from the GK series, apart from the obvious setting and characters, is the fact that the game leaves a lot to the interpretation of the players. If you get into the story as much as I did, you will definitely find yourself searching the web forums for explanation to certain events in the game and what other players thought about them. Some of the cutscenes are essential to revealing these. Most of this is I believe delibrate, though the end does seem a bit rushed, when compared to the general pace the story advances at.

All in all, the game is a must-play for fans of the GK series, and anyone who likes their adventure games with a good dose of intrigue, atmosphere, memorable characters and decent puzzles.

Update 4-15-12: Excited to see that a sequel is planned by Jane Jensen's newly found Pinkerton Road Studios and her community-supported funding project through Kickstarter!

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Let me start by saying I have played a lot of adventure games in the past, I grew up playing the classic Sierra games, Space Quest, Kings Quest, and Jane Jensen's other works Gabriel Knight to name a few. I was very excited to hear about this game, and I just finished it a few minutes ago.

For those who don't know what this is, the best way I can describe it is a interactive book/novel. divided into chapters, where you play the led character, and have to go though and find out what is going on, in order to move on with the story. With this can sometimes be hard to figure out, I believe it is well worth the effort. For people tired of the same old game, give it a shot you might be surprised.

For fans of Jensen's other titles I believe that you will enjoy this game, it has a feel of her other games, and it kept me hooked wanting to find out what was going to happen next.

I'll leave it on this, it was nice to find a game that made me use my brain a little, which is becoming uncommon in the world of video games today.

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The story drew me in completely, making me care about the characters and what happened to them. The game-play involved both action and the investigation of mysterious events, but was refreshingly different from the standard genres of hidden object, murder mystery, or monster fighting.

I realize that the computer game industry is mostly targeted at players in their teens or twenties, and this game should be well received by that audience. But it's nice to find a game like this one that can also entertain older players like me.

My game-play lasted well over twelve hours; I kept coming back for more whenever I had time. The ending was quite satisfying, but I was sorry when it was over and immediately wanted to buy another game like this one.

Unfortunately I'm not sure if there are any like it. Please tell me your suggestions if you have one.

Honest reviews on Gray Matter - PC

I took a chance and downloaded this game before any reviews or screenshots were posted. I had no problems with download or install, just to add a counterpoint to those reviewers who did have issues.

I'm basically happy with my investment.

Gray Matter has proven to be a respectable entry in the HOG genre of gaming, with excellent graphics and challenging (without being frustrating) puzzles. The game starts of with a clever and amusing prologue detailing your character's journey to the doctor's house -it's done in pseudo-animation, more like watching a powerpoint presentation. This is actually clever and amusing or low-budget depending on your mood, I think.

The plot is refreshing (see publisher's descript.), and the game is really a hybrid of adventure/HOG in that you are able to pilot your main character through the three dimensional space rather than just using the cursor alone.

The GOOD:

Excellent graphics. The game does require a fair amount of gaming power from your computer. The environments are convincing and your avatar is solidly grounded in them.

Clever game play, in that there are hidden object elements as well as exploratory ones.

The play environment is fully realized -your character walks around furniture in rooms and it is really great to see that kind of detail to game physics in an HOG.

The BAD:

Ugh -the main character moves so slowly. This is not a processor issue, it is due to the fact that she prances around with a very casual and fluid gate like she has all the time in the world.

The game could use more interactivity. There is a very nice feature that lets the player "highlight" all of the interactive objects in a room. Unfortunately, several of these so-called "interactive" objects are only interactive in that when you walk to them (slowly) they just tell you what they are. "Oh, a cigarette...I don't need that right now."

I found the manipulation of some objects in my inventory to be pretty cumbersome at times in terms of moving them into the play area for use. You *really* need to use a mouse with this game -my attempts at just using my laptop's built in mouse pad were met with frustration.

Basically, this is a nice and languidly-paced casual game that may not move quickly enough for hyperactive game players like me. This is not the fault of the game, but just a different style of play.

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Lets start with the pros and cons

Pros:

Original story, and a very good one.

Cool mini game.

Can run at 1920 x 1080 resolution (many other adventure games are locked at certain resolution).

Good voice over.

Attractive protagonist :)

The art is very pleasant

Good music

Cons:

The game is a little too short imo, I think I beat it under 10 hours, might be consider lengthy by some.

Some puzzles are fairly easy, the ending puzzles was hard and a bit confusing though.

Few hints on where to continue.

Some events were not explained.

Not much of a closure from the ending

Reviews of LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 - Xbox 360

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My wife and I played through the first Lego Harry Potter game, and we loved it. We've played other lego games, but by far the Harry Potter game was our favorite. So, we were way excited when we got the second Lego Harry Potter today. After playing it for several hours, I am very pleased with how similar the gameplay is to the first game, yet it's different enough to keep it interesting. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who has played and enjoyed the first game. It's great!

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Having owned every Lego game in recent years we were excited about this game, unfortunatly they rushed it out the door for the holidays. The common glitches are using pets and item assembly. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to use a pet for a puzzle and the game will not let you unless you are standing in an exact invisible spot to release the pet. Some assembly challenges had to be abandoned and retried because of lego parts getting stuck so assembly could not be completed at that time.

Game play is similar to previous lego games, but it is not always clear what needs to be done to continue the story. Couple this with game glitches and it can be a frustrating game at times.

If the game maker fixes the glitches in an update then I would change my rating to a 4+. Until them the game is a mixture of pleasure and pain for any age.

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This game is just as fun as the first! There are a few updates to hogwarts and the spells, but that makes everything new and exciting. The game is very in depth, there are so many levels and side stories to play through. I have experienced a few glitches but no freezing unlike all the other lego games.

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I'd wait to get this, a few bugs need to be worked out and it should be about ten bucks cheaper than what it is right now.

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An improvement over the first. They incorporated some elements from the books that were missing from the films. Gameplay and controls work well. Music is film fare which I enjoy. Graphics, well its a Lego game but the backgrounds are done well and the pieces are well done. Overall a funny enjoyable game for fans of the series.

Buy AGPtek® Black 250GB 250 GB Hard Drive Disk HDD For Microsoft Xbox

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I'm glad it works, it's a generic brand, so if you want to play the old Xbox games off of this hard drive. You can't. I didn't know that until after I ordered it

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Like most on here, I got the drive for a 4GB console. It was actually intended to replace a 320GB model from AGPtek, as it had begun to display erratic behavior (games couldn't be read from disk in the middle of gameplay, "unformatting" itself, etc.) and needed to be replaced. I got the drive and re-installed everything (my girlfriend's ISP probably hates me at this point, but that's a story for another time), and the unit seemed to work fine for a day or two. The console is now throwing exception code E68, which is indicative of a broken hard drive. I'm not hearing any clicking or other mechanical failure, so I'm not quite sure what is up. Sure, it's quite a bit cheaper, and the 320GB drive lasted for a year, so I'm not going to completely rate them at the bottom of the scale. However, it is bothersome, and I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to return it it yet. If the errors don't stop, I'm going to send it back and get the genuine Microsoft unit. It's annoying, to say the least, that one has to buy hard drives specifically FOR the 360. It's a SATA notebook drive, just like the 2.5" unit in your laptop.

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Upgrade the HDD in my 360 thanks to this, quick and easy. Bought the Hdd from best buy formatted it through the xbox, been working ever since

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I bought this item for my nephew birthday and as of today it is working just fine in his Xbox 360.This is what he wanted so he is very happy.

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You have a 4gb xbox, get this pronto. Very good product, easy to use and at a low price compared to the big retail stores.

Best Nyko Wii Charge Station Deals

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

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

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

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

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

This is a definite purchase for a Wii Owner:

Included in the package is:

Charging Stand

2 Rechargeable Battery Packs

2 Rubberized Battery Covers (Necessary to use)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discount Playstation 2 Console - Black

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First off let me start by saying, this is NOT going to be a PS2 bashing. Though we all have our opinions on the three systems, the fact is that they are all great systems in their own right. That is to say you won't go wrong no matter which one you choose.

Let me reiterate, this is not a bad system. It has several great games (Final Fantasy X & X2, Grand Theft Auto, WWE Smackdown Series and several others). Though it must be noted that Gamecube and XBox both have great exclusive titles. The graphics are outstanding and they may not even be the best of the three, but they are great, certainly better than anything we had just a few short years ago. They definitely have more benefits than everybody else (free online gaming, the Eyetoy, and more games. As far as controllers go, I like Gamecube's a bit better, but this controller works wonderfully well too and is well laid out. (You won't be searching for the buttons like you do on XBox controllers, that is my one true complaint with that system) Anyway Playstation 2's biggest downfall is in the fragility of the system itself and though I have experienced no problems personally, I have heard of a few from close friends.

1. Disc Reading Error (You've seen this many times, I will comment no further.)

2. Malfunctioning Disc Door (It just stops opening when the button is pressed. You then have to pull it out and push it in manually which can cause it ultimately to break.)

3. The power cords tend to wear out faster than average. (Not a big deal, the cords are fairly cheap, but it could present a fire hazard.)

None of these things would be a huge deal except that the PS2 comes with a measly 90 day warranty (Do I hear 1 year anyone?)

I'm not trying to say this system is junk. It does have durability issues more than anything. I personally prefer Gamecube but only by a small margin. All of you who immaturely spout "PS2 rules, Gamecube & XBox suck" are not only lying to yourselves, you're doing a great disservice to the readers who depend on these reviews to make an important decision.

The bottom line is the Playstation 2 is a great system and definitely worth the money, but it is not gaming perfection as some make it out to be. Try Gamecube & XBox as well. All three are extremely fun!!!

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The Playstation 2 is, without a doubt, one of the best video game systems of all time. It has such a diverse library of games that you are bound to find something to apease everybody. So why am I giving it 4 stars instead of 5?

There are two factors about the current PS2 design that you won't find anywhere on the box. The first is reliability/quality of design. My first PS2 broke 2 weeks after I bought it. It started making a quiet rattling noise while the games were playing, so I would check the games when I heard the noise and they would be fine... well one day they weren't fine. In fact, Blockbuster wasn't amused when I told them my PS2 lacerated the bottom of their disc like a Cat from Pet Cemetary. That's one experience right?

My friend is on her 3rd PS2 (keep in mind the PS2 has only been out for about 4 to 5 years). Another couple I know is experiencing their first problem with their PS2 2 years after they bought it. It won't play any discs that are black on the back (Almost all PSone discs, and a lot of early PS2 discs).

A lot of people will tell you that the PS2 only has problems if you stand it upright (which Sony says is perfectly fine and even sells a stand for). That would be inconsistent with my experience because mine still malfunctioned and it was sitting horizontally. I even have a horizontal stand which is supposed to increse airflow (the horizontal stand made by Sony). Also, the friend I mentioned who is on her third PS2 console has never stood her's upright.

I'm not saying that every PS2 is going to up and die on you, but I think all consumers should be aware that the PS2 has reliability issues, and a quick browse through these reviews will confirm that. It doesn't mean it isn't still an awesome system!

The next thing you will want to consider is whether or not you want THIS model of PS2. You may have read lately that the PS2 got a major overhaul unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show. Well, that revised version of the PS2 will be available in the US on Nov. 1st 04 according to Sony. In my opinion, they may be responding to the quality problem with this new system... but that is speculation and really doesn't belong in a review so scratch that from the record books. The difference between the new and old version is sheer mass. In all ways the new design is much smaller. It can also be stood upright. It is some 75% smaller and 50% lighter. You can see it on Playstation.com. It will also be 150 bucks, no price difference. It looks a lot more solid. HOWEVER!!! If you plan on playing Final Fantasy XI get the current design before it is gone. So far the redesigned PS2 doesn't support the HDD Hard Drive necessary to play FFXI and Sony hasn't expressed any plans for that. So, the question becomes do you want the classic design or the updated version that hits in Nov. Me? I can't really wait until Nov. because MK Deception comes out in a few weeks hehehehe.

A word about accessories. As I mentioned before I have a horizontal stand for my PS2. The horizontal stand is supposed to increse airflow. Supposedly, this does good things for the system. The stand is worthless. It doesn't really connect to the system, the system just sits on top of it. It's kinda cool looking... other than that you should be aware that neither the horizontal or vertical stands are necessary because the system is designed so that it can stand or sit without a stand. The vertical stand adds a little extra balance but I recommend you never put your system on carpet or an uneven surface. The carpet causes static issues and, like uneven surfaces, can result in the system falling if shaken too hard (take note parents of energetic kids). The PS2 already has quality issues, don't give it any additional trauma to help the process along.

Third party controllers (Controllers made by a company other than Sony) just aren't as good as factory controllers. Plain and simple. They all have cool little features and they are getting better, but stick to the controllers made by Sony and avoid the headache of unresponsive controls. This is, of course, unless you absolutely need a wireless controller so people aren't tripping when they walk by, or if your hands (or your little gamer's hands) are too small for a standard controller, there are "mini" controllers available.

As far as online game play goes, the PS2 leads the pack for play features while the Xbox leads the pack for... instant messaging and lan party-esque mass multi-player gaming. Sometimes the Xbox is a little more like a computer that I approve of. NOTEif you want to play online you need to make sure the PS2 you are buying comes with the online adapter (or if you wait till Nov. for the redesign it will be intergrated). If you don't have highspeed internet, don't worry! According to Sony 40% of it's online market is tapping online gaming with dial-up. Dial-up is an option if you have an online adapter.

That's about it. Hope this was helpful. PS2 Rocks!

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I have used this for a few years now and have enjoyed my time with it. I have bought the stand to make a vertical system and have some extras like the remote control which I highly recommend if you like to watch DVDs. As a games console the PS2 is the leader and so it has a limitless choice of games, however I will say that for some reason over the past few years there has only really been a handful of solid gaming entries and everything else is mediocre and PC graphics are a way ahead of the PS2 now, so if you are a game player looking for the best gaming experience then the PS2 is not for you. What you need is a new computer and a very good graphics card with an ADSL modem or better. PS2 games can be very expensive (4 top shelf games and you have the price of a PS2 20 top shelf games and you have the price of a computer we where just talking about.) If you own a PS2 then a DVD store rental card is a bonus and really that rental store card is what the PS2 is about for you. If you do not have that card then I hope you have lots of money or friends to trade with.

I find myself using this box for mostly watching DVD movies and renting games. I buy a new game once every two months (usually a top shelf game) and that keeps me going. For the PS2 I think the type of game that suits the console best is a 3rd person survival game or something like Grand Theft Auto. Beat em' ups are good on it as well. However the PC dominates Sims, RPGs and 1st person shooters. Maybe the PS2 has some influence on sports games like SSX and Tony Hawk but everyone knows that the better experience for these games is on the PC. So what games you prefer really has an impact on if you want a PS2 or not. Maybe a PC is really what you need?

I watch lots of DVDs and with the remote control the PS2 plays like a joy including a special region-free disc that you can buy (its dirt cheap) allowing you to watch anything that comes on a DVD. I have found some incompatibility with some movies (2 in 300) but this is mostly the fault of the DVD producers and not Sony. So 99.9% of movies will play on a PS2. That is not bad. The image quality is not the best but pretty darn good all the same. You can also hook up surround sound to the PS2 no problem and play Dolby Digital or DTS. The PS2 does have one drawback in this department though. The internal fan makes a hell of a lot of noise so you need to keep the sound up to send that to the background. It can be annoying at times. As a DVD player the PS2 has really been used to the max and I have only good things to say about that.

I have also used the PS2 to play CD music through my televisions sound system. It has made my hi-fi system now redundant. So as a console it has lots of media options other than just the games console and that is what really makes it worth its while. However as a games console I must say that I have not been let down that much (games like GTA: Vice City, Silent Hill 3, Manhunt, MGS, Devil May Cry, made the console for me) but there could be a lot better first class PS2 games out there by now. I think there are less than 10 really outstanding games on the PS2 and a way more options on a PC for better games.

Anyway what you like in games is up to you. I have had the PS2 now for years and it is a workhorse that still does its job. I have no complaints about this system except maybe to hope that more developers try pushing the limits of what this box can do. I am currently looking forward to the new Resident Evil game.

Pros:

Relatively cheap console.

A wide of variety of games to choose from.

Expandable.

Great DVD player (with remote control improves this vastly).

Reliable and rugged.

A standard that will never phase out.

Cons:

Games are very expensive.

The fan makes a lot of noise.

A PC maybe really what you want.

It has taken ages for some good games to arrive.

Overall this a great evolution for the games console. If you have the money and want a portable media system that plays games, DVDs and CDs then the PS2 is really convenient and manageable.

Honest reviews on Playstation 2 Console - Black

I've owned my PS2 for a couple of years now, and I have used it a lot primarily for sports games but also for DVD playing. I have also played X-Box and Gamecube fairly extensively.

First, unless you need Mario to live, don't waste your money on Game Cube. The controller is aweful and its has no DVD playback. Further, the graphics are good, not great, and the processor is very reliable and fast.

Between X-Box and PS2 there is not a huge difference. X-Box probably has better graphics, a faster processor, and more features, but it freezes way to often. The revised controller (ie the smaller one) is a marked improvement over the original bulky one, but it still does not compare to the perfect controller that Sony has designed. Overall, in terms of games there is not a huge difference, but it seems that X-Box has released a few better ones like Halo but the difference is marignal if at all.

In the end, I chose PS2. It is cheaper and has a better controller for sports games like Madden or TW Golf. Still you can't really go wrong with either and it comes down to personal choice.

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INTRO: Before you change your mind about buying this system, you must understand something about these reviews. Most bad reviews were written by "Fanboys". These are people who usually do not even own this system, but always put it down for no reason. The ps2, along with the Xbox and GCN, are all 5 star products, but were made 3 star ones because of these "fanboys". So, only read the unbiased reviews :).

Now.. for the real review :)

GRAPHICS: 8/10

The graphics of the Playstation 2 are amazing. Here is a misunderstanding. Just because the Xbox and Gamecube are capable of better graphics, it doesn't mean that ps2's graphics are bad. Games like Jak 2, Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy X-2 really show what the PS2 is capable of. Overall, they are great.

GAMES: 10/10

The playstation 2 has the biggest and greatest game selection out of the 3 current next generation consoles. Any kind of game you like, you can get. What kind of genre do you like? Fighting? RPG's? Platform? Adventure? Action? Sports? You rule the choices. It doesn't matter what games you are into. You can find anything you want :)

EXTRAS: 10/10

Again, the Playstation 2 has the most extras out of the 3 systems.

PS2 Extras:

-DVD Player

-CD Player

-Backward compability with the Playstation 1.

-Online Capabilities

Good luck choosing a system, and happy gaming :)

Discount Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

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List Price: $19.99
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Disclaimer: This review is only for the Kinect portion of the game.

Every time I buy video games or movies without doing my homework I get burned! This game falls in that category...I bought it with the idea that you could play the whole thing with Kinect, and I was disappointed. It's not that the Kinect challenges aren't any fun, I just wish they weren't such a tiny portion of the overall game. Each challenge takes about 5 minutes to complete. I find it entertaining, just not what I'd hoped for.

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Listen. I know that there are ton of people bashing this game. I am a fan of the series, and I feel like it is getting a bit of a harsh review. This game is not Gears of War. It is a licensed movie game. Based on that fact alone, you should know what you are getting into. This is not the most polished shooter in the world, but from a story telling perspective I found it to be enjoyable. The stealth sequences were fun and at times kept me on the seat of my pants. I am not a die hard gamer, so I actually enjoyed the fact that the enemies were not too difficult for me to figure out. The frantic pace of it was fun, and it left the door open for trying to find strategies for the different situations. I will say that I had a hard time telling what was good cover from the bad cover.

Overall, I think this is certainly a game that Harry Potter fans will enjoy. If you are going to see the movie, you should give this one a try. In my close circle of friends, we are split on this one. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.

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i guess i didn't realize that this wasn't a true kinect game. The main gameplay is all done with the regular xbox controller. There is a kinect challenge, which is separate from the main storyline. It's kind of fun but repetitive. If you're looking for a kinect game where you get to use the kinect the whole time though, this isn't it. If you're looking for a good HP game, then go with it. The actual gameplay isn't bad if that's what you're looking for.

Honest reviews on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Hugely disappointing. So very different from past games. Point and shoot, instead of click and explore.I would suggest waiting on this one, buy it cheap second hand.

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big harry potter fan here. they did an ok job on development it seems, but there must be something we are missing. noone can seem to see where the kinect fits into controlling the game. still fun though.

Age of Empires II, Gold Edition - PC Reviews

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The Age of Kings (AoK) along with its expansion pack, AoK:TC (The Conquerors--which we now call "AoC" when both are installed) is a superb game for either "Multiplayers" who play on-line or "Singleplayers" who don't. If a game which has a historical aspect to it which resides in the 1,000 year realm of ancient history stated has appeal for you (which isn't all 'hoked_up' with fantasy creatures), you cannot go wrong with purchasing the "Gold pack". I've been playing AoK/AoC for more than 2 years now and it still holds fascination for me... and many others that I know. Just today I was teaching one of my 10 year old grandsons about the game when he was visiting. We'll get him the Gold pack. My son introduced me to the game in Dec. '99.

Yes, in order to play AoC which epitomizes the development of the game, you need to install from both disks, first installing AoK, then removing it and installing the AoK:TC disk which you leave in the tray (it must be in there when you want to play). You can then go online to either Microsoft's or Ensemble Studios' websites for the game, Age of Kings: The Conquerors, and download the 1.0c patch which fixes any minor 'bugs' discovered and rectifies a few civilization "balancing issues" which have come up. Thus buying the Gold pack is a real good deal for anyone getting the game now as it cost me more than twice as much to have bought AoK & then AoK:TC, as they came out.

There are so many ways to play this game that it almost boggles the mind, but preferred game modes are "Conquest" followed by "Deathmatch" in popularity amongst "Agers". If you really want to learn to play the game using the various "strategies" for the 18 civilizations which Agers have developed, it's a good idea to join a good Ager gaming clan such as Tonto Clan, which caters to both Multiand Singleplayers. You can find Tonto Clan by doing a websearch for "tontoclan1", or look for "Tonto Empire". The clan celebrates its 2nd birthday the 13th of March, 2002, so you know they aren't fly-by-nighters. And that's a good place to ask any questions one might have about the game.

A final thought: "Real Time Strategy" is a bit of a misnomer, oxymoron, in computer games as "twitch-and-bang" on the keyboard doesn't really give a person time to think, only act and react. But an aspect of AoC that makes it come closer to being enabled as a true strategy and tactics game is that you have the "Pause key" which when playing Singleplayer you can use to pause the game in progress in order to "think on it" a bit and decide what next you want to do. This brings yet another dimension to the game that most don't have.

There are other RTS 'historically based war games' which have come out since "Age", but it is surprising how many people will try them and then just keep coming back.... to AoC. And, for my money the next RTS slated to come along that might be as good or possibly better isn't projected to hit the market until Spring (if then) of 2003.

Ken aka tonto_real

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The improvements in game play in Age of Empires II: The Conquerors is one area of this game that has been largely improved. Everything from the actions of your units (especially non-combat ones such as villagers or fishing ships) to the organization of your military units has been refined to provide a much better gameplay experience.

Age of Empires II: The Conquerors also provides some new civilizations. They are the Aztecs, the Huns, Koreans, Mayans, and Spanish. Like the civilizations that came with the original Age of Empires II, these civilizations all have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. For instance, since the horse was not native to the Americas, the Mayans and Aztecs cannot create Stable units.

Since the Mayans and Aztecs have also been added to the game, it would naturally make sense to add new maps to the game as well. Tropical terrain is one of the many new additions, as well as Winter terrain. There are also maps from the real world, which basically let you fight it out with an enemy on a location such as Britain, France, etc. However, there is one small complaint on the real world maps -you can't adjust their size, which makes sense, because it's the real world, right? However, it does kind of get annoying, especially when you have to hunt down the LAST enemy villager over a larger area than you would normally have to. Still, it is nice to be able to see battles occurring where they actually happened.

Another nice feature of this game is the ability to command allied computer players. Short on food? Just ask for it! Most of the time they will give it to you, unless they either don't have a market (which is necessary to give tribute), or they simply don't have the resources to spare, which generally happens when you repeatedly ask for resources over a short period of time. You can also command your allies to do anything from build a Navy to stop building villagers.

Speaking of villagers, they are also smarter than they were before. Remember before, when you would create a mining camp right next to a bunch of gold, and your villagers would just stand there and look at it? Not any more, now all of the villagers that were involved in building the mining camp (or town center, mill, etc.) will begin to collect resources after they have completed the building of whatever it is you have just created. Also, after they have finished, say, collecting all the gold that a given mine has to offer, they will begin to go towards another mine (if they can see it, which occurs if you have the All Visible option turned on). This is an obvious help, especially when you have other things to attend to, such as holding off an enemy that's at your gates.

Overall, Age of Empires II: The Conquerors is very much improved from the original Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. It is light years ahead of the original Age of Empires due to its many new improvements. If you bought Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings but never got the expansion, I would highly recommend picking it up. For those people who never bought anything in the Age of Empires II series, I would highly recommend picking up the Gold Edition of Age of Empires II.

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I bought the AOK in 2/2000 and the Conquerors the day it came out in 9/2000. (Also played AOE I from 1998-2000). In my opinion, no other series is as comprehensive and fun. I have also played Empire Earth, Age of Mythology, and Rise of Nations. Here's why I like AOK the best (I'm referring to the most recent release, the Conquerors edition):

By the way, I only play Standard games, I've not tried any of the campaigns so I don't comment on them.

1)Time The game is simple to navigate but has so many different angles of play. I can start a game with myself and two computer players on the hardest level and whip both of them within 3 hours. I've been playing an EE game off and on for 1 year and still cannot win. The short games keep me interested.

2)Ages There are only 4 ages. This makes the game manageable for those who can't spend 15 hours a day on the computer playing games for weeks on end. Empire earth has around 10 ages and Rise of Nations has a lot as well. Upgrading the ages in AOK is not that hard.

3)Units There are enough units here to keep me happy. Calvary, infantry, archers, naval units, seige units, special units with each civ. There are almost limitless ways to play the game. I play calvary one time, then infantry once, and so on. Never gets boring.

4)Graphics Now that some of the newer games are out, the graphics are only so-so but it's still not that bad.

5)Civilizations with around 13 civs and each having a unique strength and weakness, it never gets boring playing different ones and learning about each.

Here's why I like AOE better than Empire Earth:

1)The graphics are much better in Empire earth, but I cannot beat the game. The AI is very tough. I can nuke the computer down to 10 units left and 5 minutes later he has 300 armies and 100 buildings.

2)Simplicity. As I stated above Empire Earth is great fun, but almost too much action.

Here's why I like AOE better than Age of Mythology:

1)I am very disappointed with Age of Mythology. I find it downright boring.

I've only played rise of nations a couple times but I do not find it to keep my interest as AOE does.

Happy gaming.

Honest reviews on Age of Empires II, Gold Edition - PC

This is a great set. It comes with two cds. The origional and the expansion. This game is even more fun if you play on line against other people. Or you can make your own game against the computer on a number of different maps. Control their difficulty. Change the map size or just play thier campigns.

They also have many civilizations to pick from. You could be the Vikings, Japanese, Spanish, Goths, Britons, Chinese, Saracens and more. While playing you have fun while also learning. They even have a history book built into the game that tells you the militant history of each civilization.

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This game is truely amazing, it is a huge step up from it's predecessor. Apart from having more units than AOE1 you can manage them a lot better aswell, you can put them into units and select different postures, you can also mix the units so that you have balanced armies. There are many civilisations to control each having its own strengths and weaknesses. The game itself is very balanced, there are no units without weaknesses (if you don't know how to kill elephants use massed amounts of scorpions) and no civilisations without it's flaws. I won't go into detail about what you can get because that will spoil the suprise for you.

there are only a few problems with this game and i will list them:

1)there is a population limit

2)the people and buildings are not to scale

3)if you play this over the internet there is usually alot of lag

there you go thats about all the problems

by the way this game is awesome over the internet, it makes such a difference fighting against real people.

Review of Galactic Wrestling Ultimate Muscle - PlayStation 2

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Good game...reminds me of the tv show alot...very simple controls with great cel shaded graphics...if you are a wrestling game player then this is a must play

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kinda fun game. It takes awhile to getting used to. Totally different than any other wrestling game out there. But it is still fun to play

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If you like Muscle toys, etc you'll probably like this game. I like that they have some custom dialoge for certain match-ups. It's easy to pick-up but not as in depth as other wrestling games is why I advise it for fans of the toy mostly. I had fun unlocking everything & playing every character to see which characters I could get on the top 10 records which I filled.

Good fun but will sit on your shelf after a short enough time. Try to get it for under $10.00 & you should be happy.

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The game brings back a lot of memories and the graphics are actually pretty great. The condition of the game was good and the buying experience could not have been better!

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This is fun, cool, I like it. I can play this all day over and over. My book of mystery challenges is almost complete. Now I play for fun and traveling, make my own moves. This got me started to collect any related type of games. NL

Best Afterglow Universal Wireless Headset - Blue - Xbox 360 Deals

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While I neither own, nor play, any of the modern game systems that this device is targeted for, I do have quite a lot of experience with headphones and with consumer electronics. I looked at the sonic qualities of them in use as a traditional headset and I did not evaluate the microphone at all. If you are looking for a review from a gameplayer, this is not it, but if the same level of quality went into the design and implementation of the microphone as it did the sonic quality of the headsets, I think it will be perfect for even the most finicky gamer.

FIT AND FINISH

Physically the headsets have a bit of a Tron-like look to them, which may not be perfectly suited for the average 30+ year old. Thankfully the designers provided several different illumination settings for the headsets. I promptly set the illumination to be disabled -no need to waste precious battery life.

The overall fit of the headset wasn't perfect. Having it be adjustable would be a very welcome feature for those of us that have a bit bigger noggin. The ear cups didn't sit flat because they were a bit on the tight side. I ended up rotating the headband toward the back of my head and thankfully the cups can be rotated to fit your ear angle. This provided a mostly comfortable fit, but still no where near as comfortable as it could be if even slight adjustment was possible.

SETUP

Getting the headsets set up was fairly straightforward. Plug in the USB dongle to the back of your computer or game console, connect the audio output using the 1/8" mini-plug or one of the adapters provided, power on the headsets and let the dongle and headsets pair up. Instant wireless audio. The quick setup documentation left a lot to be desired, but there is a much more thorough user's manual that outlines several key troubleshooting steps as well as how to setup more complex home theater systems should you run into issues.

MUSIC PLAYBACK

THE SETUP: I sat down with a very eclectic selection of music ranging from Classical Mozart (Symphony Number 40 if you'd like to know) all the way through Journey, Dave Matthews Band, Nirvana Unplugged and Disturbed (needed something with some overdriven guitar). I've listened to several wireless speakers and headsets and I was definitely impressed by the quality of sound being generated by this sub-$100 WIRELESS headset. I was listening to uncompressed digital versions of the songs from the original retail CDs and in all cases the Bass was tight and highs were sharp, just the way I like them.

Every now and then with the more "layered" pieces, things got a little muddy with the woofer overtaking the rest of the mix and causing some sharp drops in the mid range. For example during the Dave Matthews Band song "Tripping Billies" the intro has a heavy bass drum hit over the top of the sax and violin, there was a noticeable reduction in the amplitude of the mid/higher end range of the sax/violin to accommodate the very loud output from the woofer. Wanting to investigate this more, I hard wired the headsets into the source directly and that eliminated this problem. It appears that it may be a result of some compression needed to provide enough bandwidth for the wireless connection but only the manufacturers can really confirm that. What I was noticing was something that is commonplace when listening to compressed audio and for most consumers it is a non-issue. I just wanted to indicate here (for those that care about such things) that there are some subtle differences when listening wirelessly compared to listening with a wire but it is very minimal and for casual use won't be a problem.

LITTLE THINGS

The volume adjustment on the headset was a welcome addition as there are times when you do want to adjust that output just a bit and don't want to have to grab a remote or wake your computer to do it.

With regard to the alternate modes that are available on this headset, all of my comparative tests were conducted using the "Pure Audio" setting. There are two other options which the manufacturers title as "Bass Boost" and "Immersive". When Bass Boost was enabled, the bass was sharp and generally undistorted, but overly heavy for music. This might be a desired effect for those who have a particular affinity for bass in their music, but for my tastes the "bass boost" is just too much. As PDP is a gaming centric company, I could see its use in gaming, or movies, but not for music. It is for people that have a need (or just a desire) for heavy bass and don't care about much else. The Immersive option, like the bass boost, would seemingly work better for movie/game play use, not for music. It is intended to create a psycho-acoustic virtual surround sound effect, but again, in my tests, the quality of sound output by the speakers is far better than anything that a circuit can emulate and in Pure Audio mode the headset did a very good job emulating the spatial effects created naturally during recording and intended by the audio mixers of the content. But some users may enjoy it. Thankfully, the manufacturers provided an easy color-coded system indicated on the microphone to tell which mode you are in and made it very easy to switch between them. Try them all and figure out which one works for the content you are enjoying.

WHAT ABOUT FOR JUST WATCHING TV?

For those of you that were hoping to use these headsets for casual television watching, you will really enjoy the volume adjustment so that you can listen at a louder level than your partner might enjoy. Being a closed ear design, you can even be in the same room as your partner and they could be sleeping or reading and you won't be disturbing each other. Of course you can use these headsets with a wire and that will provide the simplest form of connectivity. Unfortunately, the wire that comes with the headset is fairly short (as it is intended to be used with portable gaming consoles or Ultrabooks that may lack a USB port). If you are looking to use them as a wired headset, you will need to get a longer cable. Thankfully, the port that the manufacturer used on the headsets is a standard 1/8" Mini plug available at most local electronics stores. If your TV or amplifier doesn't have a "headphone" out plug then you will need to use the included RCA plug to 1/8" stereo plug which the manufacturer includes.

NOTE: You can only use the "pure audio" mode when using these headsets with a wire.

BUT WHAT ABOUT WIRELESS TV WATCHING?

Wireless from the TV is potentially a bit more challenging. If your TV has a USB port (many newer models do), you may be able to plug the USB dongle into that and then use the included RCA to 1/8" stereo plug (sorry no optical input available) that the manufacturer includes to hookup the audio. Our test TV is an older LCD that doesn't have any kind of USB plug available. In my tests, I discovered one could use a powered USB hub (for example this: ) to plug in the USB dongle and then hook the audio cable up to whatever audio out is available on your TV. The hub doesn't get connected to a computer, the included AC adapter provides the power for the wireless connection and then you can use these headsets without the burden of the wire following you around everywhere. As an added bonus, while using the wireless mode you then regain the ability to use the alternate Bass Boost and Immersive modes (which were not available with the wire) should you be interested in doing so.

A COMMENT ABOUT WIRELESS RANGE

The wireless range of these headsets is quite good. In very non-official and non-quantitative tests I was able to walk out of our suite of offices (about 2000 square feet) and down the hall 20-30 feet before I lost connectivity. This is obviously dependent on location of the source and devices/construction materials between the headset and the source. But in a typical residential environment a user should be able to walk around a 1,000-2,000 square foot house if the source is centrally located without loosing connection to the source.

FINAL SUMMARY

Overall these are a great set of headphones for consumption of multimedia content. Whether it is to be used with a portable device like an iPad or other game platform, or with a home theater so you don't disturb those around you, most users will find the sound delivered by these headphones to be light years beyond what they are accustomed to. Physically, the overall design (a little on the "bright" side for my traditional tastes) and the lack of size adjustment makes them difficult for me to wear comfortably both privately or in a public setting. The alternative modes may work for your particular listening needs, give them all a try and choose what works for you. But all in all, at this price point, it would be difficult to find a better sounding headset that offers all of the features and options this unit includes.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I previously had reviewed the Turtle Beach Ear Force X42 Wireless Dolby Surround Sound Gaming Headset. For a headset that normally goes for a $160, I was expecting a lot from the Turtle Beach...and it did fairly well. I was pretty disappointed by the lackluster bass performance, however.

The mic on this headset performs about as well as the Turtle Beach does. Range is also quite excellent I'm able to walk to the other side of my house and still hear what's going on without interference which is impressive given that I do have a dual-band router plus an assortment of electronics throughout the house.

Where this headset excels over the Turtle Beach, however, is in bass reproduction. For a headset that retails for $90 less than Turtle Beach's X42, it puts it to shame. It's not going to be a contender for a Beats or a Bose headset, mind you, but it really puts the Turtle Beach to shame. Playing Borderlands, I hear the satisfying low roar of a rocket launcher firing and the thud of a far off explosion which sounds puny on the Turtle Beach. The Immersive Audio mode is by far my favorite audio mode for playing games and it sounds great.

And can the X42 work on the PC? Or the Playstation? Or with a mobile phone? I think not this Afterglow actually is compatible with ALL of these devices at a fraction of the price.

Battery life promises 10 hours I have used it for 9 thus far and not a glimmer/hint of the headset's battery life waning. The lithium ion battery appears to work as advertised thus far.

As for build, this headset doesn't feel like it's going to break like the X42 does. It's pretty solid and actually withstands some deformation without breaking (don't push it though the intent is to protect damage from "casual" use, not so you can show your friends how it bends like a reed). The ear pads also feel like they are better quality with a nice comfortable leather feel. The headset does feel a bit on the small side for me, but then size 8 hats feel almost uncomfortably snug on me so I'm sure that it will feel pretty comfortable on the average head.

A brief note on the mic I like the fact that it's retractable. Having the swivel mic on the Turtle Beach set was occasionally annoying; having the ability to tuck away the mic when I'm not using it gets a big thumbs up from me.

This headset will never replace my audiophile headsets, but for gameplay, this set really puts Turtle Beach on notice...Turtle Beach is NOT the company that I remember anymore.

Highly recommended!

Best Deals for Afterglow Universal Wireless Headset - Blue - Xbox 360

This is honestly the perfect headset for me. I have used it for gaming, skype calls, and listening to music and it works great for all of those things. I love how I can walk around my house or sit on my balcony while talking on Skype, the range is great as well. The only time it ever cut out on me is when I tried walking out to my car with them on. They don't have a whole lot of adjustability, but they fit my head just fine. Not to mention that they look better than any other headset available. I got the one day shipping for three dollars with Prime and it arrived in about 12 hours which is quite impressive if you ask me. They seem to be made of quality material, so they should hold up just fine.

Honest reviews on Afterglow Universal Wireless Headset - Blue - Xbox 360

People have had different views of PDP Afterglow's products. I'm not quite an expert though because this is my first product I've bought from them. Might buy a controller later on but anyway;

Sound This Headset sounds great for its cost. The three different audios are clear, The Bass Boost really does add a nice oomph of impact depending on what game/music your listening to. On PC, I use a Equalizer to increase the effect further when I really feel like having my head rattled so much the headset technically shakes itself(though long term usage-wise..it might not be advised to abuse it.)-Another NoteThe've done well to add the Bass Boost without really distorting the Highs of the sound, though you can still notice the difference in contrast though.. The Virtual Surround Sound mode is probably what you will use with everything you listen to. It isn't no 7.1 but it does do a pretty good job of opening the "field of sound" from just your ears to your whole head to give a overall nice richness of sound.. The VSS mode, as it has on the box, will be able to obtain the highest high's out of all 3 modes and it can still capture a nice low to an extent. Technically, it's the Jack of all Trade mode. Then the Pure Audio is pretty much the normal default mode. It will always be set to it when you turn the headphones on.

Value About power usage, well, They certainly told the truth about how long they last. I haven't really ran into a loss of power problem since I've got them. Of course, I don't quite have the time to fully play them for 10-12 straight hours and if you use them in a mobile device, they don't really use power unless you manually turn the lighting effect on(because it's not automatic unless they're used on console or PC)The glow effect is awesome, of course. Some people I show them off to always ask do they sound as good as the look. All I do is let them have a test and they shut right on up lol.

Design The only thing I have a problem with is that the ear cups are quite bulky. Being 50mm drivers though, they do envelop your whole ear. And it will take a little time to get use to the feel. You can rotate the padding though until they feel right to you....and depending on the person, they may slightly squeeze your head when you first put the on. you just have to stretch them out a bit and "break them in" before they start feeling comfortable enough. Until then, you might have to take them off after a little while to give your head a rest.

Overall They sound great, they look great, they're wireless with a nice range to them. -Side NoteThe wireless transmitor has a 3.5mm jack that can go into a mobile device as well, so if you have a AC wall unit with a usb, then you can pretty much turn your mobile device into wireless as well, as sort of an alternative to bluetooth. Anyway, all I can say is that they'll have to survive the test of time of course( months to years) without messing up in some way. The Golden Rule still applies: Take care of your things. Other than that, what more can you ask of in headphones. These are all-around nice.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Afterglow Universal Wireless Headset - Blue - Xbox 360

After over five months of using the Afterglow Universal Wireless Headset, it's time to find something else.

I purchased these after the battery in my Logitech Wireless Headset H600 Over-The-Head Design (981-000341) stopped holding a charge. The initial reviews, feature set, and reasonable price appeared to be a fine choice. It's also a relatively new offering where the choices that already existed in the category all failed in one way or another.

The good:

Insanely verstile: The headset itself is both wired and wireless. You can plug an audio source and an Xbox 360 controller directly into the headset with wires if that's what you need. It also functions as a wireless headset with its USB transmitter. The transmitter even has a stereo audio cable hanging off of it which can be used simultaneously with the USB audio adapter. In my case, I could plug it into my Mac for game audio and microphone input to TeamSpeak while having the transmitter's 3.5mm connector on my iPhone to listen to podcasts. The headset has a fade control to tweak the mixing of the two audio sources. It does all of these things very well, which is wonderful.

Great sound quality that comes through sufficiently loud: This really says it all. The quality of wireless and wired audio is perfect for gaming, listening to music, or anything else. Other wireless USB headsets I've tested were too quiet to be useful in many situations, but this headset does not have the same problem.

Excellent battery life: I easily got through two nights of hardcore gaming on a single charge. When the battery does eventually run out, you can keep it going by plugging in a mini USB cable to a source of power. You can even use the headset while it's charging. Some USB wireless headsets cannot do this.

Great wireless range: I had no trouble roaming my house while listening on this headset. It's nice.

The bad:

Bright LED lights everywhere: The wireless transmitter has a super-bright LED in it which is always on when connected and blinking when disconnected. I had to cover it up a bit with electrical tape to tone it down. The headset itself is also a beacon of blue light. Look closely at the photo of the item. Anything blue there is a bright light, including the headband.

Ugly: I won't sugar-coat this detail. You will look like an absolute jackass wearing this thing. It's a monstrous blue plastic demon with no fashion sense. It looks worse than basketball shoes. The clear plastic band sits over an inch above your head, and the remaining bulky plastic enclosure lets the world know that you only venture outside of the house when your parents yell at you to go find a job. Believe it or not, I have seen someone out in public wearing these. He did not make the headset look any better than I do.

The horrible:

The controls are digital: The volume and chat/game fade controls are non-stepping dials, but they are not analog or fine. Both jump to different volume levels as the dial is smoothly turned. It would have been better to just make them up/down buttons like an iPhone's volume controls.

The controls are buggy: Have you had your headset powered up for too long? The volume and chat/game fade controls will both stop working. Every once in a while you've gotta turn the headset off and on or you're stuck. This wouldn't be such a big deal if not for the fact that...

The mute button is also the power button: You have to hold the mute button down for two seconds to power the headset off. This is dumb. It should be a switch, or possibly the very bottom of an analog volume dial.

Uncomfortable: The clear plastic band does such a good job of holding the device on your head that it feels like a vice. The design is quite unfriendly to folks, like myself, who wear eyeglasses as it presses the frames into your skill with such force it leaves a mark afterwards. I've had to adjust the headset's position frequently to keep my head from feeling like it was going to be smashed in. As a result, I've discovered...

The clear plastic headband is not shatterproof: The clear band has developed some ominous cracks. I don't think this thing can last for a full year of regular use.

I really wish this headset were more comfortable and with better controls, because it is so perfectly versatile and has such great sound and microphone quality. Alas, it is not so. I only recommend this headset to homebound folks who have very small heads and don't wear glasses. Otherwise, you might want to reconsider your decision to try out a wireless USB headset. There are really no good options out here.

Cheap Kinect Disneyland Adventures - Xbox 360

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In many ways, Kinect Disneyland reminds me of the game Epic Mickey that came out for the Wii last year. It's a fantastic concept and the attention to detail will absolutely delight die-hard Disney fans, but gameplay itself can be a little shaky at times. But overall, it's a winner, especially if you have younger kids in the house who are always begging you to go to Disneyland or Disney World.

The concept and the graphics of this game are amazing. You start the game out at the Train Station and the scene swoops onto Main Street USA, which should be familiar to anyone who's been to the parks. You define your character by choosing a boy or a girl, and give him or her a face (you basically can choose one by race), and then a hair style, hair color, shirt, and pants. There's only limited customization you can do (I'm guessing you can't use the Xbox avatar because it's just too cartoony for this world).

You meet a "magic ticket" that tells you how to move around. You point your arm straight ahead to walk, and you can point your arm to the left or right to pivot. I've heard complaints about this, but you do get used to it eventually. Still, I probably would have liked to see the option to use the old Xbox controller for walking around, as walking by pointing isn't all that intuitive.

The ticket will lead you around to meet different characters. Of course, the first character you meet is Mickey, who gives you an autograph book. You're basically given different tasks to do around Disneyland. You need to find Donald to sign to book, and then return it to Mickey. Then you need to get Goofy's autograph. And so on. It's not really challenging, as the golden ticket will lead you straight to the right character and there's also a map you can use to see where any character is at any given time. Once you encounter a character there's a fair amount of interaction you can do with it--you can shout "Hey there!", get their autograph, dance a jig with them, high five them, hug them, and take their picture with a magical camera that Mickey gives you.

And so this is basically the first way to play Disneyland Adventures: walk around the park, interact with the characters, and solve different quests that they give you. You can collect coins throughout the park which you can eventually use to purchase virtual souvenirs in the stores. There are also "magic items" you can collect which will unlock secrets throughout the park.

You can just walk around and explore the park if you like. In some cases you'll bump across different rides you can take just for fun, for example, riding the roller coaster in Mickey's Toontown or the Dumbo Ride in Fantasyland. The attention to detail is spectacular, right down to the first-person view you see while sitting on the rides, to the storefronts along Main Street, to the views you get walking from land to land, right down to the location of the Fastpass ticket machines and the crowds (whom you can eavesdrop on).

Of course, as you walk from land to land, you'll come across the "attractions" (if you don't feel like walking around, you can "fly" from land to land by pulling up a park map). These are basically mini-games, and there are a staggering number of them. Each attraction is broken into different parts. The best way to describe each mini-game is that they're idealized version of the Disneyland rides; for example, on Space Mountain, you're really flying through space and on Thunder Mountain Railroad you're really in a mine shaft. You can collect coins in all the rides are well.

Here are the attractions:

FRONTIERLAND:

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: there are two parts to this one; in the first one, you're pumping a mine cart to try to get in front of a runaway train, and in the process you can reach out and grab coins (which will be a recurring theme through all the games). In the second one, you're running on the top of the train trying to get to the front to stop it. There's actually no running involved; your character runs on his own and you basically need to lean left and right and duck to avoid obstacles.

ADVENTURELAND:

Jungle Cruise: there are three parts to this one. The first part was very much like the ride, complete with smart-alecky boat captain and rhino-infested waters. Here, you man a water cannon as your jungle cruise floats down the river, shooting barrels (which release coins) and the occasional rhino or elephant. The second part of this game is a blast--you need to mimic a guard ape's motions to disarm the ape, and then get into a fruit fight trying to hit a bunch of apes by throwing bananas. In the third part of this game, you're kayaking down some rapids, trying to steer out of danger by leaning left and right.

CRITTER COUNTRY:

Splash Mountain: There are two parts to this one. In the first, you run after Br'er Rabbit (you'll run automatically but you can in run place to go faster). Eventually you get to Splash Mountain, where you jump into a boat and steer by leaning left and right. In the second part, you're in a barrel going down the familiar waterfall, again leaning left and right to steer and swinging at mushrooms and items thrown at you for more points.

Winnie the Pooh: The graphics of this one were phenomenal as you're transported to Pooh Corner, drawn in the exact style of the movies. For the first part of this, you fly through the air holding onto balloons, following Winnie the Pooh on his baloon. You can flap your arms to move higher and duck to go closer to the ground. You need to collect coins and honey. In the second part, you're bouncing along with Tigger by bouncing up and down as if on a pogo stick, giving an extra bounce to avoid obstacles and to collect honey. In the third part, you're essentially playing a game of "catch" (a lot like baseball in Kinect Sports 2) where Piglet and Roo are chucking presents at you from a bush.

NEW ORLEANS SQUARE:

Haunted Mansion: In the first part of this game you're flying through the Haunted Mansion, steering to move left and right to avoid obstacles like chairs, cabinets and paintings. Occasionally you have to match the poses of paintings to fly through them. In the second part of the game you need to escape the mansion by leaning left and right to run and pointing a flashlight at ghosts to make them explode into a pile of coins.

Pirates of the Carribbean: The first game here is a very realistic game where you paddle a boat with two oars, but then the game turns into one very much like the kayaking game above..

TOMORROWLAND:

Astro Blasters: This was a rail shooter game where you fight alongside Buzz Lightyear. As before, you fly by leaning left and right. You shoot by pointing your arm straight out at what you want to shoot (the blaster will fire automatically when you point at a target). As levels progress, you get into a spaceship flying through tunnels, battle Zerg by taking out shield generators, and escape by flying. This was definitely one of the more fun ones, which should appeal to young boys.

Space Mountain: Here you get in your space ship and fly through space graphics inspired by the ride. To steer, you basically hold your hands out like they're holding a steering wheel, and navigate up, down, left, and right. From time to time you'll have to shoot things with a blaster.

Finding Nemo: There are three parts to this game: Coral Reef, Bruce and the Sunken Ships, and East Australian current. The first game is a game of "hide and seek" where you need to hide behind certain objects so Nemo can't find you (easier than it sounds as there's a current you need to swim against and objects bumping into you). In the second and third games you're swimming and collecting coins (which feels pretty much the same as the flying games)

FANTASYLAND:

Peter Pan's Flight: Again, this is a flying game where you're leaning left and right to steer and collect coins. What makes this one special is the stunningly beautiful graphics that come right out of the movie. In later levels of this game, you're battling the Jolly Roger (basically dodging and swinging at debris and cannonballs being fired at you), flying through Neverland, and having a sword fight with Captain Hook..

Matterhorn: Here, you start out on a bobsled following Goofy down the Matterhorn. It's definitely cool, but on the other hand, it feels a lot like the other flying games (lean left and right to steer, avoid obstacles, and pick up coins). The second part of the game is a snowball fight, very much like the banana fight in Jungle Cruise. The third part of the game is skiing, again, a lot like the flying games.

Pixie Hollow: This is one of those rare games that don't involve flying. In it, the fairies of "Tinkerbell The Movie" sit around and tell stories, and you need to strike the correct pose to get them to continue. This is definitely one for younger girls.

Princess Faire: Think "Just Dance", but with Belle, Ariel, Tiana, Cinderella, or Aurora acting as your trainer as they dance to their signature Disney song. It's not as sophisticated as Just Dance (if you strike the right pose at the right time, you basically get the points), but I think a lot of young girls will get a thrill out of this one.

It's a Small World: The graphics and music in this one are very reminiscent of the ride, if not the content. In it, you crank a boat to "sail through the world", stopping at various lands such as Africa, the South Pacific, and the American Old West. Each time you stop, you'll need to mimic the moves of a dancer to get points and coins.

Alice in Wonderland: Another game which has fantastic graphics that are reminiscent of the Disney movie, but with gameplay much the same as above (for example, as you're falling through the rabbit hole you need to lean to your left and right to avoid obstacles and collect coins)..

First, the good. I found the graphics and animation to be amazingly detailed and accurate. For example, when playing Winnie the Pooh, the graphics, with all the scenes, the characters, and even your avatar drawn in the familiar style of the movies. Similarly, in the Finding Nemo games, the graphics take on a computer-generated Pixar feel. In the Peter Pan game, the graphics of flying through London are stunning just like in the movie. And so on. The designers and illustrators of all the mini-games definitely kept true to the originals, and Disney fanatics will be thrilled to spot a lot of little details.

The same can be said for the voice talent and music. Everything from the narrator of the Haunted Mansion to the voice of Buzz Lightyear to the sound effects of Space Mountain to the music in Splash Mountain are completely accurate to what you find in the park and in the movies and cartoons that inspired them. There were some cases where hearing a particular ride's music brought back memories for me from years ago at Disney World.

I was also pleasantly surprised at how physical many of the games are. In some of them I definitely had an elevated heart rate and felt I got a little exercise out of them.

The one gripe I do have about the game concerns the gameplay itself. As you might be able to tell from my descriptions above, there are a staggering number of games but a lot of them feel very redundant and repetitive. Despite the dizzying number of different milieus, there seem to only a small handful of games at the core: namely flying games (where you lean to the left and right to avoid obstacles), rail shooters, snowball fights, and follow-the-leader games.

After the fifth or sixth flying game, you can't help but think to yourself, "this again?" I think out of the 50 or so games, there were only a handful that I really felt "this is really something new and original" with regards to the gameplay. I would have loved to see as much creativity and originality in designing the games as there was in designing the game audio and visuals. Although one last thing that should also be noted is that the games do support two players, which of course adds a whole new dimension--what may otherwise be an exercise in tedium as one player can become a thrilling competitive battle for two.

Overall, this is a very fun title which should definitely appeal to fans of the Disney theme parks and the cartoons (which is basically 99% of us). I'd say that young players will definitely appreciate the game more; ironically, the very repetition that may make the game a little tiring for adults may be welcome for kids, as they can master the moves easily and play essentially the same games in different environments.

Kids will also love exploring the virtual park and interacting with all the characters, and certain parents will love that this game can keep their kids busy for a long, long time. If your child loves collection those blinging coins in Lego games, they'll appreciate collection coins throughout this world--and spending them. It's still not a substitute for actually going to the parks, but it's the next best thing.

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Wow! I've only played a couple hours, but wanted to share some impressions.

I've been to Disneyland a handful of times and the park is faithfully recreated in the game. Playing it brought back memories from my actual visits.

Presentation: The graphics are very nice and colourful as you'd expect, its amazing how much detail they put into the park and all the tourists, you hear bits of conversation while walking from tourists. The Disney Characters are wonderful as are their voices. The Music is perfect and properly placed, such as the teacup song in the wonderland area of Fantasy Land. I did notice very minor pop up and a couple snags when rotating quickly or riding the dumbo type rotating rides, but its nearly perfect.

The Gameplay: There is so much to do, I was happily suprised with the variety. Certain Characters will give you items(a wand, Buzz Lightyear Gun so far) to interact with in Disneyland while traveling to your next ride/adventure, or completing a quest for Mickey or Alice.

Character Quests: So far Alice has asked me to find an item for her she lost, which led me to the Mad Hatter who asked me to take some photos for his album. Cinderella has asked me to find 3 items for her etc. I think there are over 100 quests.

Fast Pass is activated by raising both arms, if you don't feel like walking the whole park to get to your favorite Land or Ride.

The Kinect controls: Are well done with a bit of practice, pointing to walk works well, you don't have to point with your arm straight out to walk it can be low minimizing fatique, you can move your arm to turn/rotate or move your shoulders. It all comes naturally after a little while, once you remember to lower your arm to stop. I'm impressed with the controls, navigating Disneyland for real can be a challenge ;)

Most selections can also be made with Voice Recognition (Return to Park, Yes, No, Clothes, Map Navigation etc.), something I'm enjoying more with Kinect, now that I'm ued to talking to my Xbox!

I've only really explored Fantasyland and a bit of Tomorrowland. In these 2 areas I've discovered you can ride the rotating rides with a first person view, nothing too special but a nice touch.

The Main Rides/Adventures: So far are really fun and longer than I expected. And each have multiple parts, such as falling down the rabbit hole, croquet with Alice and the Queen, and The Tea Party.

Here's a list of the main attractions:

Fireworks (conduct a show over the castle)

Mickey's Parade

Space Mountain

Buzz Astro Blasters

Finding Nemo Submarine

Pixie Hollow

Peter Pan

Wonderland

Matterhorn

Princess Fantasy Faire

Its a Small World

Big Thunder Mountain

Winnie the Pooh Adventures

Splash Mountain

Haunted Mansion

Pirates of the Caribbean

Jungle Cruise

Enchanted Tiki Room

Lots to play and remember most have multiple parts/games.

There is a shop in each Land where you can buys clothes, hats, costumes, for your character.

My son is a little young to play (nearly 2) but he loved watching and even tried to fly with Peter Pan (his favorite movie). When I exited to the title screen he applauded, and when I turned it off he got sad for a bit, so yeah your kids will love this, unless they hate disney for some odd reason?! Its fun for the kid in all of us and a great family game, with the easy drop in drop out feature.

I highly recommend it!

O O

(^.^)

Best Deals for Kinect Disneyland Adventures - Xbox 360

Ditto on the positivies thus far, as far as the most helpful negative review have you tried saying XBOX fast travel. Then a menu with things you can say comes up. You can get very far, very fast with this.

My ten year old typical was definitely a huge boon to sortig out this game, but my autisitic son loves the peter pan flying game. We own a wii, and an xbox,I've bought so many games from walle to toy story on wii, to sesame for kinect(I still have hope, he's been under the weather since we got that one). But this disney game always brings a smile to his face.

Fast travel is very nice, even my daughter still uses it sometimes but she has also figured out you can just point straight ahead. She loves to play this game for her "older" brother. A lot of her friends come over and they sometimes don't know how to play with her brother, but they totally get into it with this.

The girls do seem bothered when there avatar's change somewhat randomly, but they quickly got over it in favor of all the fun to be had.

One last note the voice commands are so good they even respond to my special needs sons commands, and he is considered nonverbal! He loves to order the game around.:)

Ofcourse it helps that he loves Disney and Mickey!

Honest reviews on Kinect Disneyland Adventures - Xbox 360

I bought the game for my 8 year old niece, but quickly found that the adults and teenagers in our home were fighting over who would get to play next! The graphics are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen on Xbox360, and the attention to detail is simply amazing. I know there are lots of familys with young children who haven't been able yet to afford going to the park,(I've been there) and this is the closest thing to actually being there that you will ever see! For those who have been to Disney, There are times when (with a little imagination) you really do feel like you're actually at the park, and interacting with the characters who are scattered about is great fun, but I imagine it could get a bit repetitive after a while. I still can't get over the way the game looks, (try finding some youtube videos of the game and you'll see what I mean.) It's a strange feeling to virtually walk around the park, and see places and compare things that you've seen when you were actually there, as an example someone in our group said "there's the table we sat and ate our lunch at!" My family has just started to unlock the seemingly endless quests, minigames, and the like that the game has to offer, so I will probably add to this review after we've played it some more, I just wanted to let anyone who might be looking for that magical Christmas present know that this game is a blast to play, and will suit ANY person who likes Disney no matter their age. It does require a Kinect, whish is a camera looking device that sits atop the tv and allows for a person to interact with the game by just moving their body, instead of using a controller. I would suggest either a new one from Amazon, or possibly looking somewhere like craigslist for one, as you can get them pretty cheap second hand. Well, I have to go now, it looks like it's time for fireworks over Cinderella's castle!

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I recently returned from a trip to Disneyland with my wife and 3 year old, so this title caught my eye at the store.

You pick an avatar and move him through a combination of quests and experiences set in the Disneyland park. The game has a faithful rendition of Disneyland itself that you can wander freely through. You can get your avatar to walk (well, trot really) pretty much anyplace you wan go normally in the park, just by pointing forward to walk, or to the sides to turn. (works better than it sounds). There's also a park map you can access that lets you jump to different places in the park if you don't feel like taking the time to walk there, which is a nice timesaver.

Some rides (such as the teacups) you can ride and have it look like the real thing. Others such as the matterhorn, big thunder mountain railroad, and the haunted mansion are mini-games which follow the theme of the ride, but not the actual structure of it. There's reasonable variety to the games, and I really enjoyed them. The voice acting is also quite good, as you would expect from a disney-branded title.

The disney characters play a prominent role in wandering around disneyland. You can collect their autographs, hug them, dance with them, or high five them. You can also stop in some of the shops and buy clothes and pins for your avatar.

One of the best things about this game: it's just as fun to watch as it is to play! My toddler and my sleepy wife were both spellbound as I played for the better part of an hour.

The controls are a little too sensitive for my tastes, but at least they're responsive. I figure I'll get more used to them over time.

Overall this is a great family game, especially for any family that either wants to visit disneyland or has recently been. I really was shocked at just how faithful to the park's layout and look and feel (well, except for the crowds which are quite sparse) the game is. Awesome!

Pro:

+ It really feels like walking around disneyland!

+ Nice, safe environment to interact with the various characters, and some cute 'emotes' to do with them.

+ fun mini-games for some rides

+ good navigation, both for walking around, and for jumping to places without having to walk.

+ voice menus work pretty well, I was very happy with this as a time-saver!

+ Great fun to watch as well as to play.

Con:

I wish I could ride a rendered version of ALL the rides rather than just a few

controls are a little sensitive and take some getting used to

Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to my Disney fanatic friends!