.hack: G.U., Vol. 1: Rebirth Review

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I fell in love with the original Dot Hack series of games (Infection, Mutation, Outbreak and Quarantine) and when I heard they were coming out with a new series, I was very happy! I went out and bought the game the day it came out, and I have to say, I'm greatly impressed.

First off, the graphics are good. They're not the best, as Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria and Final Fantasy 12 are slightly newer with better graphics, but they don't completely suck.

Sound is pretty good too, but it gets very repetetive after a few hours of gameplay. The combat sounds are exciting and "pop", but the background music gets on your nerves. Especially the background music when you're in the first town, "Mac Anu", gets stale so fast.

The controls are easy to pick up. The R1 button can now be assigned different skills so, unlike in the first games, you don't have to open several menus just to use an attack skill. Sadly enough, though, you cannot assign healing spells to the R1 button. The camera control is somewhat better than the last game, but I feel it still needs work.

The voice acting is decent at best. Most of the characters show little emotion, or over-react their emotion to the point of making it rediculous. Just wait till you meet Gaspard, and you'll know what I'm talking about... The main hero is also rediculously one sided, getting frustrated at each and every event trigger in the game, and often for stupid reasons. If its supposed to portray how gamers react in an MMORPG, its completely off the ball, at least as far as I've seen (been playing Guild Wars and World of Warcraft for about two years.)

There are TONS of stuff to do in this game too. You can become part of a number of guilds, which opens various options to you as a player, such as special shops that allow you to make creative items, access to a faster mode of transportation, etc. You can also do a number of fun and interesting, if not repetetive, quests. The designers definetely tried to capture the MMORPG feel, but I don't think they accurately got it. Close but no cigar. For example, the towns are bustling with people, but oftentimes you'll see one person, turn a corner, and they'll be there again when they were running the opposite direction a few minutes prior. The town recycles the inhabitants over and over, so no matter how far away you get from a "player", they'll be right there when you go to a different district in town.

The story is o.k. as far as I've been. A lot of it feels forced, like the hero has to do this because the programmers made it that way, not because the hero "wants" to. It started out that way, but quickly took a dive.

I'm not impressed with the grading system after you complete dungeons and fields. You get graded on how many things you kill, sneak up on, boxes or other destructable items you destroy, how many items you collect etc. There is almost no explanation of that system that I've encountered, and I feel its useless. All you can unlock is extra words to create new dungeons and fields and useless items. Literally, I've had 50 health drinks, which is like a potion in other RPGs, since the first couple hours of playtime. I never use them, cause I don't take that much damage ever.

Thats another thing. The game's battles are entirely too easy! No one battle provides any sort of challenge. If you go to an area three levels higher than you, it gets harder, but the difficulty is masked in more hitpoints and damage capability, not true improved AI or anything.

All in all, however, the game is a vast improvement over the previous games. There are tons of unlockable stuff, tons of places to go, and you'll be entertained for hours on end. I would definetely pick this game up if you get the chance!

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If you've played the original .hack games, then you won't be disappointed in this one. If you haven't played the original .hack games and like MMORPG games without the MMO part, then you'll like this game. The OS interface is familiar, yet improved from the first set of games. You still get e-mails and still respond to a few, getting responses back and so on. However, now you have greeting cards and "affection levels" of characters you can call on. The higher their affection level, the better they will fight with you in battle. There are still "message boards" but now there are more of them, both on and off "The World" that can unlock certain events and levels within the game by either reading or responding to them. There's even a section of boards where fans post art that you can download to use as wallpaper on your OS. There's also still a News section, but now it has clickable links to short movies and even sometimes ads, making it seem more like an actual Internet connection.

You play as Haseo, who has conveniently been attacked by "Tri-Edge" which resulted in him being leveled down to 1 and having everything reset so you get to begin with starting equipment. Just as if you were starting a new game! One big addition to this game is the ability to kill other players. Those who do are called "Player Killers" or PKers. Now, you can't just rush out and start hacking away at your own party, but if you come across a glowing blue area, that means that someone is fighting inside. If you enter, you can't leave unless you have a smoke bomb or defeat the enemy. Often times it will be a player being attacked by a PKer and your party has the chance to save them. If you do, you get an item from them as thanks. Haseo's character is an "Adept Rogue" which can eventually use multiple weapons and magic, but never to the mastery of the job classes of the ones who ONLY use those weapons. Sort of like the Red Mage of the game. Don't worry though, it doesn't slow you down. Haseo pushes right along, starting off with the familiar twin blades and eventually learns others. It can be difficult at first, but just pay attention to what the other characters are telling you, take breaks from the story to level up every so often, and you'll do fine. Its a great game with interesting character development and unique game play. Plus, when you're done, your saved game data can carry over to the next game, GU Vol. 2. All of your weapons, abilities, e-mails, everything. There are three volumes in all, but no word yet as to when they will all be released in the US. Good luck gaming!

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There were many people who enjoyed the original, 4-game dothack series. I was not one of them. After a good opening, the game immediately fell into dull repetition. The story was so-so (what? a virtual world can feel real, it's inhabitants feeling the effects of game elements in their real lives? How novel!), the graphics were so-so, and the whole experience was incredibly easy (and short I finished the 2nd game in a mere 9 hours). The best part of the original game were the sidequests, often opened after the main game ended (and one of which, the item collection quest, I'm STILL not finished with).

Bandai learned. Sidequests are fun? Then let's put a lot of them into the next outing! Graphics are only so-so? Let's spruce them up! Gameplay is a bit repetitive? Let's add a few more dungeon models! (OK, they could have done a lot more with the last one, but still...)

Add it all up, and you get the sold outing, ".hack//G.U.". The original world has been destroyed, the computers which generated it having been lost in an inexplicable fire. CC Corp releases, "The World 2", which has many elements of the original game, but also included the option to "PK", or "Player Kill". Some people love it, some people abhor it. Your character is PK'ed in his first outing, and decides to devote his RPG experience to PKK'ing (I think you can figure this one out yourself). He is an incredibly powerful character ("Haseo, the Terror of Death"), whose motives are obscured. However, while searching for a PK'er by the name of "Tri-Edge", his character is wiped out, and he is forced to start from the beginning.

From here, I'll let you discover the story on your own. No, it isn't great, but it isn't bad either. But this game lives and dies through sidequests. Bounty hunter, Lucky Animals, Mecha Grunties, arena battles all of these and more can be discovered and conquered as you manoeuvre the game simply known as "The World".

For forty bucks, it's not so bad. Happy hunting...

Honest reviews on .hack: G.U., Vol. 1: Rebirth

This is one of the best games i ever played.Its fun from start to finish.

And when you finally finish the game,you'll be wanting more of it.In my opinion this game was as good as kingdom hearts 2.

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I love this game. The story, the soundtrack, the lost ground areas. Its great all around. If this isnt your type of game the gameplay might get a bit stale but luckily there are job changes to spice it up a bit.

Dragon's Crown - Playstation 3 Reviews

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Final Fight, Knights of the Round, The Punisher, The Simpsons, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, X-Men, Golden Axe, Double Dragon, and of course, Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara . . . any of these titles bring back memories-preferably fond ones? The beat'em up, as it's so aptly referred to, is a genre that had its heyday in the '90s, when arcades were still a thing, TGIF was the best damn night in television, and Star Wars: Episode I had yet to ruin everything. It was a genre, along with fighters, that dominated my childhood, and while the past few years have been kind to fighting fans, fans of beat'em ups have had to sift through digital offerings for some of that mind-numbing, side-scrolling action.

Vanillaware, a purveyor of 2D games, such as GrimGrimoire, Odin Sphere, and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, has taken it upon themselves to fill the retail release void with Dragon's Crown (hereafter DC), a stately entry in the beat'em up genre, that also features a heaping of role-playing game elements, making the aforementioned Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara its biggest influence.

DC opens at Dragon's Haven Inn, a tavern you'll frequent during your adventures. It's here where you'll choose a character, set your party, and report your progress. The characters available are all visually, and mechanically, distinct: an ironclad Fighter, who's a sword and shield favoring behemoth; the Sorceress, a witch who prefers to support the party, not so much her back; a Wizard, very much interested in melting faces; the Dwarf, a duel-wielding, goblin-chucking ball beard; the Elf, who's fey, swift, and a rumored Hunger Games fan; and finally, the Amazon, a warrior that consists exclusively of brawn, butt, and boobs. She's also adept at sundering skulls with her ax.

A few color schemes are available for each character, and you can change their name as you see fit. Japanese voices are also available if that's your thing, but only for your character. The remaining voicework is strictly in English.

After you've settled on your character, a tutorial awaits (which can be skipped for the subsequent playthroughs), and it does an adequate job of walking you through the basics. You'll also meet Rannie, a rogue; he'll accompany you throughout the game, and you can direct him to unlock chests or doors, while you focus on combat.

Leaving the tavern, you'll have a town to explore, though its faculties, such as the Temple, Magic Item shop, and Stable, aren't all available at the start. Locations open as you progress the story, and additional tasks are doled out at the Adventure's Guild, where you can learn skills (class specific and common) and accept quests.

The main story focuses on the eponymous Dragon's Crown, which allows its wearer to control dragons (of course). It all comes across a bit boilerplate, and it never strives for anything more. A narrator with an earnest delivery breathes some life into the tried and true material, though the narration is limited to the main quest only, so if you find yourself focusing on side-quests, you'll hear a particular phrase uttered repeatedly during your comings and goings in town, until you move onto the next story segment.

Fortunately, your comings and goings are consistently in gorgeous environments, populated with detailed secondary characters, and great interpretations of classical monsters, all with a multitude of influences sweeping throughout. DC references everything from The Nude Maja to Tinker Bell; Renaissance portraiture to Frank Frazetta's paintings; Jason and the Argonauts to Monty Python and the Holy Grail; and more. George Kamitani, Director, takes what should be an incongruous mixture of styles and creates something cohesive. It's pretty impressive stuff.

They're nine stages to conquer, and each has a branching path that becomes accessible after reaching a certain point in the story. Along with the two paths, you'll uncover secret passages and various quest specific situations as well. The locations vary from moss enveloped sanctuaries to desolated catacombs.

It's great the stages are engaging and fun to play through, because you'll revisit them, a lot, either for quests, or because the main story requires it. And, you won't have to do it alone. DC allows for four player simultaneous play, both local and online, although online play is initially locked. You'll have to unlock the stables to access the network, which is going to take around five hours.

Unfortunately, if you're playing on Vita, ad hoc mode isn't considered "local" play, and you'll have to unlock the stables to access any sort of multiplayer. Not a big deal if you don't have any friends; a big deal if you do.

Though, perhaps you have friends, but they're lame and don't like beat'em ups. Thankfully, you still don't have to go it alone. You can set the three player slots to AI controlled companions, and they're competent, for the most part. It may become a bit maddening to see them stroll into traps, or not effectively use items in their possession, but I've seen my friends do this too, so I'll cut my artificial ones some slack.

To keep the AI companionship fresh, you'll find piles of bones in the dungeons, which you can bury at the temple, or pay a fee, and resurrect instead. The resurrected characters will then wait for you at the tavern, all with varying gear. Even better, players you encounter online may be resurrected as well, meaning you can play offline with your friend's toon. It's also cool to know that someone may have resurrected you, and are questing with your character while you're at work thinking of playing Dragon's Crown.

It'll take around 15 hours to complete the game on normal, and after doing so, you'll unlock hard mode, which increases the level cap to 65; after you complete hard mode, you'll unlock the final difficulty level, and raise the cap to 99.

What's the point of grinding a character to level 99, when you can start the adventure anew with different class? Loot. What else? When it is all said and done, DC's draw is loot. Chests are scattered about the levels, and contain treasure which vary from E, the worst, to S, the best. Completing stages and defeating bosses not only yields experience points, but more loot as well.

Multiple bags can be purchased, meaning you can create different loadouts, which you'll need, since having gear with the proper attributes is important as difficulty increases; plus, gear breaks down with usage, and if you don't have back-up bags available, your S-Rank ax may be in no condition for another round, meaning you'll have to return to town, annoy your friends, and miss out on an amusing cooking game.

If you're on the fence which version to buy, I wish I could say there's a clear winner, but there isn't. Graphically, they're virtually identical, with the Vita version susceptible to noticeable slowdown when the action heats up with four players. The OLED screen makes a pretty game even prettier, but it's also small, so losing track of your character is going to happen.

But, the Vita version benefits greatly from the touchscreen. There's additional treasure hidden in the game, identified by glints; if you're playing the Vita version, you just tap the glint, and the treasure pops out. Runes eventually become available, and their magical properties can only be tapped by, that's right, tapping them. Also, if a player dies, and they're out of life points, you can spend gold to reanimate them, but you have to tap their portrait to do so.

How does the PlayStation 3 version compensate without touch controls? A cursor, which you manipulate with the right thumbstick. It is cumbersome to use, even when there isn't any action unfolding. But, having to fiddle with the right thumbstick, mid-battle, to bring your partner back to life? Urgh. Casting rune magic by moving it over three separate runes, spaced apart, while skeletons are hammering you? Double urgh.

In that sense, the game feels designed for Vita, or at least a controller with a touchpad (come on DualShock 4).

Of course, you can't play local co-op on a Vita, and if you have a roommate that's into these games, I'd deal with the cursor, and play it on PlayStation 3. Also, slowdown isn't an issue on PlayStation 3, and if you're sensitive to frame drops, the Vita version may be too much to bear.

If money isn't a concern, you'll be happy to know the games support cross-saving, though you'll be unhappy to know the games don't support cross-play.

Dragon's Crown is a rarity: a 2D side-scrolling beat'em up, with an unabashed artstyle, that's long. It isn't concerned that it'll take dozens of hours to complete with a single character if you wish to tackle all the difficulties; it doesn't care that you may be offended by the art; and it certainly isn't going to apologize if you don't see the appeal of grinding levels until it's simply time to go to bed. And it's all the better for it.

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I spent countless hours playing Golden Axe on my Sega Genesis when I was a kid in the 90s. I played it pretty much every day after school, and it got to the point where I could blow through the whole thing in under twenty minutes, achieve the A+++ ranking upon completion, and only lose one or two blocks of health during the entire campaign. So why did I keep playing it, long after I had mastered it? The game was outrageously fun, that's why.

Dragon's Crown recaptures that type of fun for me perfectly. It's like Golden Axe, but with infinitely better graphics, sound, and most importantly: depth. Separating itself from the much older Golden Axe, your characters level in this game, they develop skills just like in any modern RPG, they acquire loot, and the techniques with which you combat the enemies continue to evolve as you become more experienced with how to play. Like Golden Axe, this game might seem like a mindless, button mashing brawler, but that's not truefor those who wish to develop their technique, this is a game that has oodles of depth and begs to be mastered by the devoted player. And, needless to say, nobody will be blowing through this game in twenty minutes it's a lengthy, fascinating campaign.

Also noteworthy is the variety available in the character class selection, which will add tons of replay value for people like me who love to play these types of games. I'm currently using the Amazon, who is awesome, but I look forward to developing an enormously powerful wizard, and experimenting with the other classes as well. Like Golden Axe, this game is FUN it's just that simple. I don't know if younger players who have been raised on different genres will enjoy it, but for anybody who was a fan of brawlers and beat `em ups, Dragon's Crown is a dream come true.

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Let me get to the point, this game is a pure classic. Great for the summer as a nice couch co-op run for up to 4 players. If you reminiscence about those old-school side-scrollers like Golden Axe, TMNT, Streets of Rage, Double Dragon etc then this is the game you're looking for. Sure there are great side-scrollers on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network (Castle Crashers, Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Phantom Breaker) but this game gives you a closer feel towards a modern Golden Axe.

There are a few things potential buyers should understand before getting this game. First off which might be the biggest gripe for people and their friends who buy this and expect to go home and play together is that you need to unlock online multiplayer. Its unlocked by the 9th level I think and it'll take a good 5 hours+, so expect to play alone that first night. Local co-op or couch co-op doesn't suffer from this, so they can join right away in the beginning tutorial level. The tutorial level is only for Player 1 so those who are using different classes might not know their entire basic moveset. Also if you decide to start fresh as a new character you need to complete the basic 9 levels again before unlocking online mode. The good thing is that your loot or bag is shared among all your characters.

Once unlocked you can basically join random games or random players join you, or you play with a friend. Problem with random players is that there's no voice chat, with friends you can send private chats and play. Meaning they might not be paying attention and holding a key that's detrimental to the level while doing nothing or they could be purposely doing it.

For a game that leads people to believe its more multiplayer than single player it's kinda eccentric. It's actually really tedious when doing a 4 player couch co-op run because each individual player has to accept their own quests, visit shops, utilize their skill points and ready their equips. For example, player 1 takes full control of the screen to handle his/her business then player 2 has to take control and so forth. It gets very tedious because after every level, each player wants to go add their skill points and change their gear which takes time so basically every player needs to take a turn doing things. They should have made a better interface where the screen is shared amongst all players. Also the loot is more oriented towards the first player.

During the gameplay when you're traversing through each level and each player is doing his/her own thing, it gets extremely hard to see where and what you're doing. You tend to get lost in the battle especially if a Wizard casts a flame spell that engulfs the whole screen. It's a minor problem to me but it does affect a few players out there who can't stand having their screen blocked, and trust me wizards/sorceresses have quite the flashy moves that take up the whole screen. By the time you see yourself after the spell is over you could be dead haha.

Speaking of death in the game, you start out with 2 lives and you can pay money to increase it, if you or your pals die within the game you can continue easily by pressing X and paying a small fee, I think 650? So luckily there are no game overs unless you're broke.

That's probably all the major downsides to this game that I can think of. Besides those small problems its great game. It's by Vanillaware and they make some great looking games, Muramasa the Demon Blade on the VITA is stunningly gorgeous. Each character plays differently, except for the wizard and sorceress, they both have the same weapon attacks but different spells.

The amazon is just a crazy berserker with low defense that's usually jumping everywhere smashing things. Warrior is your basic all around guy that has a shield and can defend. Dwarf is the little tank guy that has great def when he goes into immovable mode, holds hammers and can throw enemies. Elf is really fun, arrows are limited though so sometimes you can't always rely on using your bow too much. Wizard and sorceress are really fun with their wide array of magic spells, however their basic magic attacks are the same, just depends on what type of stave they are holding and what element it is. Both have different spells whereas the Wizard is more offensive and the Sorceress is suppose to be a support type. That doesn't mean she doesn't have any offensive magic, the sorceress can summon a giant boulder, a blizzard, or a thundercloud, then she has some fun spells like petrify and curse which turn enemies into frogs.

In the beginning each level is about 10 min more or less and after you beat it, a quest opens up which makes you basically repeat the level. Gets monotonous at first but you'll realize you actually need it to level up your character. At the end of every level is a boss fight and there are some amazing boss fights. There's not enough epic boss fights these days but this game delivers.

Other than what I've mentioned I don't wanna spoil any information so we'll leave this review as is. Overall its a great action-rpg side-scroller, definitely recommend. I just wanted to point out several things all potential buyers should know before they get this game. I didn't expect to have to go through over 5 hours trying to unlock online co-op.

One last note, this game makes me think of a 2D Gauntlet Legends side-scroller lol.

Honest reviews on Dragon's Crown - Playstation 3

Vanillaware is not a niche developer.

Dragon's Crown is not a niche game.

It is the culmination of what gaming would have been years ago without in the intervention of 3D graphics. Dragon's Crown, aptly named, is the resplendent prince of our gaming heritage. It's as if the Byzantine Empire had continued on in some alternate dimension and you could go there anytime you wanted just by turning on your TV. It's astounding design and execution nails a treatise on the oaken doors of the AAA gaming industry who have become the slaves of novelty and the mindless servants of their own avarice.

George Kamitani and his cohort have been reaching back not just to gaming classics, but into their own true creative artistry. Famously free of focus testing and without care for what is 'trending' in the industry these courageous people have been single-mindedly creating only the games they wanted to make since the 90s. Put another way, they were indie long before you could make console games without a major publishers involvement. Vanillaware is the weapon we can wield against the bloated, overwrought, incestuous and putrefying monsters called EA, Activision and Ubisoft as they attempt to distort and liquefy gamers into the stupid money machines they hope for us to become.

That said, this game is George Kamitani's single vision. Does that mean that his design may be off-putting to some? Certainly. You can't count me amongst those folks, but I can see their points. On the other hand if we demonized great film directors like Scorsese, Kubrick or John Schlesinger for the portions of their works we found offensive, we all understand we would be holding back the medium of film. Indeed, the fact that these elements made it into the final design of the game is proof of it's purity against the creeping creative death that seems to infect titles made these days.

Every dollar spent on Dragon's Crown is a vote for a future where the EAs and Microsofts must respect and more fully celebrate creativity. And every time you talk about or play Dragon's Crown with your friends is a moment where you are engaging more completely in the grand history of our hobby.

(see what I did there.. 'grand history'? :) Like Grand Knight's History?? ... release it anytime now guys plzthx!)

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Dragon's Crown is a throw-back to the glorious days of side scroller beat-em-ups. The over-exaggerated style in all aspects (terrible to some, awesome to many others) flows well together with the insane combat and over the top magic effects for a bright and flashy game with simple yet deep and varied combat that makes one nostaligic for the quarter eating machines from days long past. The story is simple and is little more than a framing device, the soundtrack is fitting to the theme of the game, and the controls are very simple.

If you want a fun local co-op game right out of the box, go grab this now as it is one of the finest examples of the genere I have ever played. The online co-op, however, while running smoothly and very fun, isn't unlocked until you have completed all nine of the base missions of the game either solo, with a physical partner, or using AI controlled partners that you find throughout the world. The AI is kind of wonky with the partners, sometimes they will set-up traps and use their attacks brilliantly, other times they will stand in an easily avoided pillar of fire for 15 seconds until they die.

While you play you can control a cursor with the right analog stick to manipulate the enviorment slightly (tell a rouge to unlock a chest or door, find treasure by clicking on a shining bit of light in the background, examine runes, etc.) and it is a neat feature, but it is basically useless during combat on the PS3 and is probably the only way that the PS Vita version really shines over the PS3 version with its simple touchscreen interface.

The classes approach to combat is all highly varied. The Wizard punishes with high damage elemental attacks and near game breaking (at max level) spell that slows time down to a crawl for all enemies on the screen. The Sorceress summons skeletons, turns enemies to toads, and can produce food for the party allowing them to stay healed up. The Dwarf is a slow fighter with pretty weak defense but is ridiculously strong and can pick up even massive enemies and fling them at other enemies for pretty constant long distance high damage effect, get good at it and you can chain throw multiple enemies leaving the enemy ranks in tatters. The fighter is a tank in nearly all regards, able to offer up a circle of defense to all his partner, and having a load of fast (although very short ranged) attacks. The Amazon is high-risk, high-reward melee, her attacks flow well together and can do a lot of damage, but her defense is terrible and one really needs to read the battlefield with her to be effective, but once you get her down she will decimate scores of enemies. Lastly, the elf is the most well-rounded, a good combination of close range attacks and abilities mixed with solid damage with a bow from afar with different types of shot-styles available.

The game only has 9 levels, but you will discover new stuff nearly every time you visit those same levels and work your way to the boss at the end. Not just new treasure, but new paths you either missed or couldn't access before, side quests to help build your character up, and new enemies.

Dragon's Crown is a fantastic addition to a genre that hasn't had much high profil love in many years (Castle Crashers being the only co-op beat-em-up I can think of being made before it in recent years) and very well serves as one of the best examples that the oft-neglected genre has. I pinged it a point for being on the short side in terms of level variety, forcing you to essentially complete the main game before you can go online to play, if playing local co-op only the first player's story status will count and be saved. There are enough little complaints to keep this from being a perfect game, but if you want to slaughter some monsters with friends in a highly exaggerated fantasy brawler, you will get a lot of fun and love from this title.

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 13: The Masters Collector's Edition - Xbox 360 Reviews

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I don't have much to compare PGA Tour 13 to as I haven't played a game since 04 back on PS2 and don't remember a whole lot about it. Regardless, as a golfer I can say, the game is some serious fun! I tried the demo back a few weeks ago and was turned off, everything seemed off and unbalanced. Luckily the final game turned out better than I expected.

This review is mainly for the Kinect version of the game, as that is all I have used to play and is the main reason for me finally diving into another Tiger Woods game. There are 3 sides to Kinect controlling: The actual fairway and green play, the menu system between these shots and the voice controls. First off, one of my favorite aspects of most Kinect games is the voice control abilities. Just saying "change club...4 iron" is so fluid and intuitive, it seems almost slow to choose with a controller. This is also the preferred method of doing things as whoever designed the hand-controlled Kinect menus must have been sleeping most of the work day as they are atrocious. Trying to select a menu item is pulling teeth using motions, always use voice controls until they patch this.

As far as actual gameplay once setting up your shot, the Kinect shines bright. You face your TV and swing parallel to it so that Kinect can read your full swing instead of limit side view by the device. This is the first use of Kinect by the PGA Tour team and there are some subtle movements I do as a golfer that it will not pick up on, twisting your wrists to change club-head angle does not seem to have any effect and occasionally Kinect will stutter a bit when trying to recognize what you are intending to do with your hands, as well as stutters in your avatars actions when you swing. However, you won't notice those much if you keep your head down and eyes on the imaginary ball at your feet as the game replicates what you are doing with your swing very well. It takes some getting used to, ghosting golf swings, but I found a stick to hold that gave me a better feel of really holding a club, which translated into more confident shots.

Aiming is something that takes practice and can be daunting for some at first. You raise your right hand out and make a fist that you can then move left, right, up, or down to dictate direction and depth, then clasp your hands together and the game will instantly recognize you want to hit the ball. One final aspect I will touch on is the Online Country Clubs. You join a group of other people (random or friends) and start a team that can garner you extra bonuses for you and your teammates based on how well you and they play. It also makes setting up Xbox Live matches with teammates pretty easy and adds to the overall feeling of being on Tour.

Overall, I am impressed with the Kinect controls. I have wanted a true Golf simulation using Kinect, and this is a great first entry into the PGA series for the device. The immersion offered is almost as good as being on the links (except no cart fees!). The online features are pretty good, and Xbox Live play is a mostly lag-free experience. Also of note; I am from and live in Augusta, GA. The Masters is seriously big time around here. Getting to virtually play on the Augusta National is a thrilling thing for me. I think every golf fan alive wants to take 18 holes on that course!

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I skipped Tiger 12 so this review is in comparison of Tiger 11. First off, the game is much more challenging right off the bat. The new "Swing Tempo" kicked my butt in the first round I played. On the first hole I exceeded my shot limit and shot a 50 on the front nine! I was cursing EA and telling myself I was going to immediately sell the game. Things got better on the back nine with a 34. On my second round I shot a 27 on the back nine ... so it appears that maybe I will have a chance to succeed and get used to the new swing system.

As others have noted, putting is much more difficult to gauge but the hardest thing for me is the chipping. I think once I get used to the tempo things will go better. The setup is really nice and the overall physics seem to be much improved over Tiger 11. The graphics are much improved over Tiger 11 and were much better then I anticipated. And not having Scott Van Pelt as an announcer was worth the price of the game itself.

EA is getting docked a star for taking outright greed to the next level. In fact, it's quite impressive on how they have decided to blatantly gouge us. I went with the Master's edition because the five "extra" courses for $10 was cheaper then paying around $7 each on DLC. The fact that EA dangles the DLC courses during your career by making them events is downright shameful. At least you can earn coins to temporarily unlock them, but I'm sure they are making millions off those that don't have the time.

In the end, I went against my morals and bought the game knowing full-well how greedy EA is mainly because they finally decided to break the mold and introduce a new swing system and game style. However, this will be the last Tiger Woods game I will buy until they give us all the courses from years past and only charge for "new" DLC courses. I've already abandoned the Madden series due to EA's push for greed instead of innovation. I really hope the NHL series does not fall prey to the greed. Imagine only getting the Western conference and having to pay for DLC to unlock the Eastern conference ... oh, crap ... I hope EA isn't reading this review as I may have given them a new idea!!!

Pros:

* Graphics

* Sound

* New swing style

* A better golf sim then years past

Cons:

* Putting system

* EA greed

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If you notice the people giving this game bad reviews are the ones that want this game to be easy and much more "arcade" like, if that is what you are looking for then this game isn't for you and maybe EA should have included an "arcade mode." But they did not so it is a golf simulation game and as a golfer of 20 years, this game is great. It is as close to real golf as you can get. Playing on "TOUR Pro" difficulty, which means no putt preview or adding spin, puts you into a real golf simulation. You have to actually plot your way around the golf course, execute different shots and use some strategy to succeed. To me that is great, I get no joy out of the old version of this game where shooting 50 for 18 holes is standard, I enjoy playing a tough round and grinding out a 70 after paying for some bad drives and scrambling for some bad decisions to attack tough pins, makes for a rewarding experience. That is what makes this game great because you have to play the golf course and every situation it hands you, not just take dead aim from everywhere. The swing mechanic is great because you can't load up at the top and get your swing right, you must have tempo to hit good shots. If you want to hit it further, you must swing the club faster by moving the stick faster all why maintaining the proper swing plane. Mechanics can be difficult to grasp but with a little practice at the Augusta Practice Facility in the Collectors' Edition, you will be hitting the shots you want in no time. It's also great to have to create shots by changing ball position and the strike on the ball rather than pushing the x-button like past years. The putting mechanics can be difficult to grasp as well and was the and still is the weakest part of my game but I am improving by putting in time at the Augusta Practice Facility as well. So if you are truly an avid golfer this is a game you will absolutely enjoy as it tests your strategy and skill and hard work practicing will pay off with a very enjoyable simulation of real golf, if you are looking for an "arcade game" to try and shoot an obscenely low number go play Tiger Woods 10.

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I bought this game for my son and he loves it apparently it has extra courses on the special edition which he loves.

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Been playing this game regularly for about a month. The longer I play it, the more enjoyable it is. Moreover, it is looking as though the new swing methodology is cramping the style of those who have the modified controllers. there are not as many scores more than 30 under par.

About the only thing that is less than great is that it is often hard to see the top of the swing meter due to background coloring. There have been some "freezing issues", but not so many that it is a problem.

I'm likin it.

2-port AC Adapter Power Supply Convert Cable (Black) Review

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I bought a pair of these to add on to the two old XBOX 360 power supplies I had laying around. I wanted to be able to move my new slim from TV to TV like i use to with my old white xbox. After I first installed them the Xbox power supply, did not power on at all and I thought maybe the negative reviews were correct. After messing with them a little bit I realized that they were not fully pressed onto the old power supply. You need to use a decent amount of force to get them on and they will click when they are full inserted. After they were put on correctly they have worked great. I have them on the original large power supply and the smaller power supply they were using before the slim came out, they both work perfectly. Hope this helps someone as I was some what worried about them with all the negative reviews.

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Ok, so I bought a 360 slim, got it home, hooked it up... the system itself is super silent, you can only hear it from like a foot away... The power brick however... well you know what that sounds like or you wouldn't be reading this right now. lol It seems odd that Microsoft designed a silent system with a noise maker power brick attached to it. Anyways, I just want you to know that I don't think I have ever written a review about anything before and actually turned on the computer just to write this because this adapter is amazing! I seriously can't hear a thing! (using in conjunction with the Jasper 150w power brick) I didn't have the TV turned on when i first powered it up for the first time with the old silent adapter and the thing was so quiet I thought I broke the system because I didn't hear anything... To my astonishment its actually that quiet... Lets see... I could compare the quietness to an iPod when you turn it on... seriously quiet... actually you wouldn't even know it was on if the TV wasn't on. The power brick that came with the slim was a "rev B" (can be found 3rd line down in the text on the back of the power brick, Rev B is known for their noise) Brick that came with system = 8/10 for noise ... Old power brick and adapter 0.01/10 for noise. Total night and day difference. Ok, now I'm actually going to go play a game now where I don't have to drown out the power brick with the volume. Review 10/10.

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First Review on Amazon to warn other buyers. I tried this on my xbox slim and have not been able to turn it on since with the original power cable or the converter. I am in the process of sending in my xbox for repair now. Beware, just buy a new power supply. That's what I will end up doing now. Horrible product.

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Another reviewer had com paints about this adapter, and that is unfortunate.

I had a first gen XBox 360 up until about 2 weeks ago, when it finally died on me. I had used a repair it yourself kit to buy me an extra few weeks, but ultimately the RROD claimed another victim.

When I got my nex XBox 360 4th Slim, I was disheartened to find out that the power adapters were incompatible. I have two gaming stations set up in my house, so I can watch Netflix or game wherever I want. I didn't want to buy another brick power supply, so I got this instead.

It has worked for two weeks now, flawlessly and on the first try. It was a great deal. It is unfortunate that the other reviewer had a bad experience, because I haven't. I don't usually write reviews, but I was so impressed by this little number that I felt I should add my 2 cents. It's worth the five bucks.

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It works exactly as it should. After my new slim power supply started overheating I bought this. Now after a week without Netflix on the big screen, I'm back to watching TEDtalks. If any problems come up in the future I'll be sure to come back and give an update.

Xbox 360 Pro 20 GB Reviews

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*NOTE AGAIN THAT THIS WAS PURCHASED FROM AMAZON, NOT ANOTHER SELLER*

A checklist that should tell you exactly why you want this.

-This is a Microsoft refurbished console. That means it will be in 360 packaging with resealed cords, controllers, and headset (I'm tempted to say that my headset was brand new, and maybe even my cords, but I don't want to claim that without knowing. Regardless. There is something nice about not opening a clamshell sealed 360 that smells like lung cancer.) The condition is pristine. NO dirt or smudges. One sticker on the bottom that says refurbished. Mine left a bit of sticky when I took it off. Nail polish remover will get it off without pain if you are worried about that.

-It will come with the new power-brick that is vented, it also has the new Jasper chip. This means: Even though you are getting a refurbished console, it is technically more sound than a brand new 20 gig from Microsoft's original batches. Rest easy my friend. This console was not made to break. It's like it got a tune up. These two features paired together will fight overheating and RED RING OF DEATH.

-It does have HD

-Mine came with 2 controllers, which at the time wasn't advertised (so it was a nice surprise). Cross your fingers about that if it's not openly included.

-If you don't already know, because it has a hard drive you will be able to connect to Xboxlive out of the box, though for online play I would recommend buying a 12 month live subscription. You can easily find them online for 35ish dollars. If you pay more you didn't look hard enough. :)

Hope this helps in your decision.

As for my console it runs like a charm, for long periods (when I say this I mean as I waste my whole day away) without any heat at alland I can really tell the difference because I had a 60gig a few years backthe difference is black and white as far as heat output. I took it on a road-trip (to update it back home) for over 30 hours in total in a backpack that I threw around (gingerly) as I used the bag day to day. Came back home and it was still fine. DO IT. DO IT. DO IT NOW.

Happy Buying

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I bought this refurbished item just over a year ago, and it is still working perfectly. I have since begun to use it more and more, and it has not given me any problems or issues whatsoever. I would reccomend the refurbished product to anyone trying to get into an xbox and not needing more than a 20g harddrive. If you feel that you would need more storage space, the amount of memory would be the only thing holding someone back from being on this system 24/7. The item came with everything listed, reliable purchase, I'm very glad with my purchase.

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I purchased this setup from amazon, not a third party seller. Let me start by saying that this is a refurbished console by MICROSOFT, meaning that it comes with a one year warranty similar to buying a brand new system. When I got my package (with standard shipping it took 2 days!!) in the mail, everything was packaged very very nicely like I was buying a BRAND NEW system. The console itself looks brand new, NO SCRATCHES, NOTHING like that, it doesn't smell like cigarettes, and it works GREAT!!!! And YES it is a Jasper chipset, And YES it comes with HDMI port on the back. It comes with 2 BRAND NEW wireless controllers (they are NOT refurbished), 4 duracell batteries, HD component cables(NEW not refurbished), The new and improved power brick (brand new), and a brand new xbox live wired headset. The only things that came with this refurbished bundle that aren't brand new would be the console, and the 20 GB hard drive. Both of these things have stickers on them that read "refurbished". But seriously you can't even tell they aren't brand new! And you can tell everything else is brand new by the way it looks, and the stickers on the controllers etc. Seriously though, you won't be sorry that you bought this package! I will admit, at first I wasn't too thrilled with buying electronics that have been refurbished, as I would NEVER buy a gamestop refurbished unit! But this has been refurbished by MICROSOFT, so you know it has been repaired by the best, and in the process, they install the new jasper chip, which if you don't already know, makes the CPU run quieter and cooler, and supposedly prevents the dreaded red ring of death issue. Also you can see in the pictures that the console is an old pro unit by the chrome disk tray, but my console that came was an old arcade unit, because it has the all white disc tray..... But wrapping this up, im EXTREMELY happy with my purchase, It is such a better choice to get this rather than a brand new arcade system which is the same price, and I was EXTREMELY satisfied with amazon.com!!! I ordered this bundle, as well as NBA 2K10 on a Saturday night, and it shipped out on Monday morning, and it literally got to my house Tuesday early afternoon!!! If your thinking about getting this, DO IT YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!!!

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I purchased 5 of these systems new from various locations. They were for my grandsons and one for our home for use when they visited to play on. Within the first 15 months all five of them failed with the red ring of death. Microsoft extended the warranty and took them back for repair but sent me back someone else's Xbox that was refurbished. It also took about a month to send one in and get it back.

I basically sent in units in good physical shape and no scratches or damage and got back someone else's refurbished and damaged units. They all failed to within a short period of time! Being an engineer I took them apart and fixed them as they were now out of warranty. It took about an hour per unit to fix them and I got pretty good at it.

The problem is that the cooling design is extremely weak and poorly designed. I had to clean out the heat radiator and fans/fan housing and remove the heat sink from the CPU and GPU. I installed new spacers and improved the flow of cool air in the game case. I remounted the heat sinks using a new thermal interface material (a good one) and the units worked fine after that. I just don't understand how Microsoft can get away with selling junk like this. How many people have invested a small fortune in the game console and games to have the console fail and disappoint their family.

I still have two of the units working perfectly after many years but my disappointment in the product design and in Microsoft is very high!

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First off, i would like to start off by saying that i ordered this item on June 6, 2011. I got this item on June 9, 2011. When i came home and opened the box, there was no controller when the description said that it came with a wireless controller. When i contacted this seller, he tried to scam me by saying that he stated that controllers were 25$ each. WHAT A LIE. Then after i told him that i had read over everything and that it didn't say anything about what he said, he decides that he doesn't want to reply back. So anyway, when i plugged up the xbox, it was working fine until 3 minutes later the power button started flashing red. I called up to gamestop and asked them why the button was flashing red, and the guy that worked there said that it was NO GOOD!!!! He said that this xbox is an older model and that they dont make these anymore. THAT REALLY GOT ME FIRED UP. So i emailed the guy back and said " since you are not replying back, all i need to know from you is how do i get my money back?" Then he emailed me back and said to just send the xbox back and he will refund my money. The next day we went to go send the xbox back. About a week later we went to go check the mail and my money was not there. When i emailed him and asked how come my money was not there, he said he will send my money back when he gets the xbox 360, when clearly he told me in a email that he had just sent out my and i should get it by saturday. And i emailed him that part, he gonna say that he thought that i was somebody else. So that clearly states that other people have a problem with this seller. But long story short, i am waiting on my money to come back and yes i did call amazon, and they said they were going to investigate the situation and that i should have my money in about a week. I really do hope that this information helps.

Reviews of Xbox 360 Head Set Communicator

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $7.95
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If you're playing on XBox Live, you really need a headset. Most games involve voice coordination between people on the same team, and sometimes even discussions with your opponents.

I'm not sure why my experience was so different than the previous reviews. Maybe they got an older version of the headset? It definitely seems to be the same unit made by Microsoft, for the XBox 360, the basic model.

This headset is relatively inexpensive, and has a padded earphone and microphone. The earphone is adjustable, to have the headband part expand and contract. This lets it fit on larger and smaller heads. The microphone rotates, so that the unit can be worn on the left or right side. It only spins down to just under a 90 degree angle, though, so this forces you to wear the headset with the band right over the top of your head. At that spot, the microphone is pretty much right in front of my mouth (I prefer it a bit lower) and the opposite-side "bracer" part is digging into the skin just over my non-earphoned ear.

I don't know what it is with these headset creators but at its smallest setting, the unit is still too large for several adults I know. That makes it even worse for teens and kids! That being said, I find this problem with a lot of headsets, so it's something you just have to deal with.

There's a relatively long cord, and it plugs right into the base of your controller. It doesn't interfere at all with wireless controllers. The base part has a mute button as well as a volume control.

I didn't have any problem at all hearing other players when I was online their voices came through very clearly. Also, the unit fit very snugly into the base I didn't have any problems with static or dropped signals. In fact for a while I was letting my boyfriend drive in PGR3 while I talked in the headphone/mic, and even with the cord stretched out between us two I could hear fine. Other players could hear me. I didn't notice any issues with lag, our conversations went back and forth rather quickly.

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I ordered this headset, thinking it would be an original Microsoft headset, and was disappointed to see a cheap knockoff after opening the package. The microphone can only be used on the left side, which sucks because I usually have it on the right side. The pictures all show a Microsoft XBOX 360 headset and the manufacturer even says "Microsoft". Totally false advertising. I will never buy from this seller again.

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I liked this headset that came included in the pro xbox360, though I'm not a big fan of the headset wrapping around the top of your head like traditional headsets, I would have liked it to wrap around the back of your head like the original headset for the original xbox. The headset was good to decent quality in terms of the way it is built but seems a bit to plasticey and not of superior quality but its good enough, it has a good microphone and a good loud speaker and comes with volume control and a mute switch. Its a good headset for general use and decent if you compare it to better ones made by plantronics, but the sad part about this product is that it had an early death. The microphone dies after a while making the entire headset useless, even with good care it died. After a about a month or two the microphone first starts making a lot static on the other gamers recieving end and then the microphone just doesnt pick up any sound at all. I take good care of my headsets, I still own 2 of the original xbox headset (which are years old) and have a halo 2 headset and all work perfectly. I also have seen this headset have the same failures to many other fellow xbox live friends and all have had to revert to other headsets.

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I am an adult gamer and I've owned 4 (FOUR!) of these headsets including the "new and improved" version and have given up. The wire connecting to the controller is so incredibly thin that it breaks even if you take great care of it. My last one lasted exactly 32 days, 2 days after Best Buy will take returns.

It all boils down to Microsofts profits. The thin wire that connects the headset to the controller actually has 4 wires inside of it, giving it almost no hope of any long term survival

Plus, you can't even turn voices up loud enough to hear your friends well anyway.

Look into headsets made by someone other than Microsoft!

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I had one because my Xbox 360 came with one. It worked for a while, but considering how well I take care of my things, I didn't expect it to suddenly stop working. It's cheap and not very comfortable. I preferred the original Xbox headset that went around the back of the head. I also never had a problem with that one. It lasted as long as I needed it to. I would suggest using this until it breaks, and it will, then move on to something else. Perhaps the wireless headset. You can't really play online without some sort of headset.

NCAA Football 14 - Xbox 360 Reviews

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List Price: $59.99
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Coming off two very weak efforts EA Sports needed to reestablish the NCAA Football franchise as something other than an also-ran to Madden. What used to be an innovative series has been anything but in recent years and when trying for new features they've failed miserably with the implementation and their assessment of what consumers truly desired out of the product.

While NCAA Football 14 doesn't break any new ground actual effort is immediately recognized in areas that have desperately needed it. The challenge from the CPU which can now execute all manner of plays along with the physics engine and incredibly responsive player control makes the game fun again.

Debuting in NCAA this year is the "Infinity" engine physics that were first found in Madden NFL 13. The physics have been refined limiting the number of goofy looking pileups and players tripping over one another. There is still some of that but they're more easily overlooked. The benefit to gameplay though far outweighs those occasional oddities. Each play feels much more dynamic and the outcomes appear far more realistic.

The CPU AI is one of the biggest advancements made with NCAA Football 14. The CPU runs a wide variety of plays well ones that it had always failed at in the past and operates more true to the styles of each individual school. I've been absolutely gashed on the ground by an up-tempo pro style running team and had trouble stopping a team that primarily ran the triple option. The CPU QB just makes much better decisions. Users are also able to utilize a number of plays that had never worked in the past and that really opens things up to more creativity and variety.

Blocking improvements drive the success seen in the running game. Though there are instances where a blocker will break off prematurely to go after someone on the next level those haven't been too frequent. Whether at the line of scrimmage or downfield the blockers can be trusted much more. That, along with the exceptional player control, makes running the ball immensely enjoyable. Controlling the ball-carrier with the left stick is really all one needs to cut or make guys miss but the right stick also offers up a number of combo moves.

A few other gameplay related notes: running the read-option is an absolute blast, there has been encouraging push by defensive tackles to create interior pressure, the presence of an actual pocket for the QB is great to see, and the new Coordinator camera angle is a nice option to have I just can't commit to it since it isn't in Madden. My main takeaway gameplay wise is that I'm able to play the game the way I have always wanted to, go heavy in the run game and utilize movement in the passing game, and the competent CPU presents a unique challenge in every game.

While gameplay has seen dramatic advancement one area that notably lags behind is the presentation and atmosphere. This has been a weakness of the series that has yet to near an acceptable level. Commentary is more stale than ever, post-play scenes are better but still don't completely mesh with the idea of TV presentation, and the atmosphere just doesn't live up to what is expected from game day. It doesn't even come across as well as it can on TV let alone for those who experience it in person.

As far as Dynasty mode goes I'm not deep enough in to analyze the effects of the changes but so far like the simplified process in recruiting. Getting rid of what some will still feel was depth truly it was artificial depth that made things tedious and few fully understood was a good move. The skill trees for coaches is intriguing (tying in goals and point accumulation) as are the scouting effects and planning of campus visits while custom playbooks being brought in was a crucial move. The in-game Dynasty related presentation such as the new halftime show to go with the studio updates and bottom line ticker all add to the feel that the games are important and part of a bigger world.

The streamlined menu navigation and quicker loading times may be overlooked by some but it is a vast improvement over what has been arguably the most sluggish sports game this generation in those areas. No longer am I dreading firing up the game and moving through the menus.

Another valuable addition worth mentioning is the Nike Skills Trainer. EA has managed to create a tutorial that not only teaches well but is challenging to complete and has some rewards at the end in the form of Ultimate Team cards. I managed to get a feel for things like the Triple and Shovel Options that I never bothered to try and figure out in the past and now may choose to integrate in my gameplans and custom playbook.

Authenticity remains a problem with NCAA Football 14. It's astonishing how many uniforms are missing and stadium renovations not reflected. The new Husky Stadium isn't even in the game which makes playing as Washington far less appealing for me. I've actually hunted for different teams to use solely because of that and it's a bummer. For the most part only fans of the teams are likely to notice such specific omissions but there are a hell of a lot of fans of teams who are missing something. These are not things that sprung up as last second surprises but rather have been ignored, dismissed, or overlooked. EA will have difficulty hooking consumers for the long term when they fail to pay the proper attention to the specifics of each program.

Some issues spotted in early play include safeties stopping their drop back and coming forward when they shouldn't allowing for deep routes to be wide open. This seems to occur primarily when multiple receivers are going deep (hail mary and four verticals as examples). There are some reports of turnovers in the end zone resulting in a touchdown or ball placement on the wrong 20. The CPU almost never (I've yet to see it happen with 40+ games started) chooses to receive when they win the coin toss. Also somehow it's 2013 and there still are no surprise onside kicks despite that being a legitimate strategy coaches have at their disposal and attempt from time to time.

Ultimate Team has a lot interesting ideas that have been implemented but it falls short with some of them either due to limitations or aspects that went overlooked. Having professional players and some legends re-created as their college selves is pretty neat and legendary teams comprised of them are cool to go up against. The number of players who look nothing like themselves, not being able to challenge friends to head-to-head games, and the inability to see how the opposition's team shapes up hurts the mode though.

Despite the deficiencies the bottom line is that the fun factor is back with NCAA Football 14 thanks to the gameplay enhancements and changes in Dynasty. Two troubled iterations are now in the rear view mirror and this one has at least stepped back into adequate territory and may resonate far better than that with many. Other thoughts will be included after additional time is spent Dynasty, online play, and the new Ultimate Team mode.

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Look, by now you either know what NCAA Football and Madden are or you're probably not interested. They're football video games. This is more of that. If I hadn't lost last year's version in a move, I would have regretted this purchase.

In this version, EA crammed in four new features that I can think of, though I'm sure EA marketing can think of more:

1) Trading Cards

The trading cards are a dumb gimmick, but if you've ever wanted to collect electronic trading cards featuring former college athletes, well, I guess you might like them. It's part of a new mode featuring online and single-player games that let you build a custom team. If you say 'well isn't that kind of what Dynasty mode was already?' you'd be right.

2) RPG-Style Coach Skill Trees

This is my favorite new part of the series, but mostly because I think an RPG-Sports genre bender sounds amazing. You level up your coach and can follow a skill tree, choosing to be better at different aspects of your game. Not that deep, but at least novel.

3) New physics engine

For all the hype, their new physics engine is horrible. They tout 'bone-crunching tackles' and et cetera, but in reality what has changed is that you will regularly see players falling all over each other after a play is over and achieve never-before-experience levels of frustration as your dumb AI lineman trips up your HB more effectively than ever before.

4) A tutorial (finally)

Another definite positive. These games have long been inaccessible unless you already know everything about football, and their clear disregard for people who just want to learn the game was always baffling. Finally they've added a tutorial, though from the blatant ad placement it seems that Nike actually led the effort. It'll teach you when to do what and why and then let you practice, and it's great. If, though, you already know the stuff, don't expect 20 reps of an option play to be too fun.

--

Another new feature for this year: Now includes a bug that causes Kirk Herbstreit to continually mock you (in the same voice clips from last year) for going for it on fourth down, regardless of whether you do so.

Look, the rules of football haven't changed much since last year. If you want a new version of the same tired football game that asks for $60 and then spams you with pleas for microtransactions and in-game advertisements, this is for you. If you already have last year's version, don't get it. EA needs to stop this annualized garbage until they decide to actually innovate.

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Its another year of NCAA Football. I had the pleasure of getting to play this game since Friday with the EA Sports Season Ticket Package. This is my last year having EA season tickets since I'm not sure what system I will be playing NCAA on next year. Anyway let's talk about football....

This is it for current generation consoles. I don't see things getting much better for the NCAA franchise until the next generation systems really start to blossom. The gameplay is very similar to last years. This year there is more emphasize on smoother running animations than anything else. Juke moves look more natural than ever and spin moves still work to well. The graphics look the exact same as the last 2 years. Nothing improved at all. I managed to make it through 2 seasons of Road to Glory and 2 season of a Dynasty over the weekend and both modes feel the same as last year with a few dynasty mode changes... In Dynasty mode the recruiting is streamlined. Instead of making phone calls every week you simply allocate points to each player that carries over from week to week. No more talking to each player about special things your school is known for. Honestly I think it's almost too dumbed down. There is really nothing special to do. Allocate your points, offer a scholarship and simply play the season. The recruit visits are a little different this year in you can get more bonus points for your recruits if you do certain things during the game. For example you have a WR visiting your school week 11 and he wants you to throw for more than 250 yards in the game. IF you do he gets bonus points. Nothing special but it adds a little different challenge to those games. I found myself a couple times trying to pass for 250 yards, Rush for 100 and get 2 picks and 3 pass deflections all in the same game to appease all my recruits in town. The biggest change to recruiting comes in the off season. Now you only have 1 week to recruit in the off season. You can put all your points into a single player if you wish... As I said before the whole recruiting system is far to dumb down for what I'm use too. The whole point of playing dynasty is to go through the recruiting phase, not a streamlined allocate points and forget about them system. Then again NCAA killed the whole point of recruiting when they allowed users to be modified teams during the season. Simple start a game with any team you want and you can change all your players to 99's if you want. Then you can simply recruit 1 star prospect and make them 99's once they join your team.... I'm sure some people like all-star squads but it makes recruiting absolutely pointless.

The new feature I liked the most in this year's addition is definitely the skills tree for coaches. As your play through dynasty games your coach earns XP that can be spent on different upgrade for recruiting or gameplay. Sort of like Madden's introduction of XP last year. At first I was really excited but after playing through 2 seasons the only real benefit my coach received was I able to get more recruiting points each week. I wish the decisions I made had a bigger impact on the game but it's their first year with this new XP system.

The Big Question most people know already is can draft classes be exported to Madden?... Yes they can. Its back which is great because without draft classes my purchase of NCAA last year was pointless.

So that's about it for the new features. I know I'm leaving stuff out like the fact there are 20 different new option plays and things of that nature but they don't drastically change ones viewpoint on the game. Honestly NCAA FOOTBALL 13 was a better game but didn't have the draft class option which made people hate it. Some people will really like the new recruiting. I'm pretty indifferent about it but honestly preferred the old method of learning about players interests and trying to appease them. However like I said before the new XP system makes you feel like you can sort of customize your coach to your play style. Even if after 2 seasons your choices don't do much on the field for you. If you are an NCAA fan this is probably the best its going to get on current gen consoles so I recommend picking it up.

Honest reviews on NCAA Football 14 - Xbox 360

Love this game....If you bought NCAA 13 then you better buy this one....The Run Game is better this year an the recruiting is more challenging....no longer can you just recruit all the top 10-15 5/4 star recruits....now its actually a fun challenge. An I love the trait thing for the coaches that affect gameplay an recruiting. It can really make or break a teams possibilities.

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For anyone curious about the title, well a short explanation is that NCAA ended their licensing agreement with EA Sports. Also after the recent lawsuit, EA is done making future College football games as of now. Which to me is disappointing because EA was really starting to pick up their game and had a great looking future of NCAA games ahead. With that said I will start the real review, with what I liked and disliked about the game.

This year it seems the mechanics were a lot more polished than previous versions of NCAA Football. Now I've been buying the NCAA Football games since '04, (With the exceptions of '09, '10, and '12) 2006 has always been my favorite version from the series, and to be honest, it's been hard to find one since then to match it. EA Sports has been known to just throw out a new version year after year, with no big changes. This really goes for Madden as well, but there is always something special about the College football games that I liked. For one, it's the atmosphere of the crowd, that's 1 thing they can never seem to get right with Madden. Madden always feels too dull (Nowadays anyways) whereas NCAA always felt energetic and fun.

This year they have made a lot of steady improvements with the infinity engine. Initially I was disappointed when playing Madden 13 (When they introduced infinity physics) the gameplay didn't really grasp me, so I was a bit wary when I heard they were bringing pretty much the same thing to this years version of NCAA. Well my initial doubts were quickly thrown out when I played the demo and realized how much better the game felt. Now having it and playing it quite a bit, it is a huge improvement over last years game and the years before that. It even works much better than Madden. It feels like a real college football game again, no more of players "gliding" across the field, no more stiff looking animations. The game plays much more fluid now, with the players actually being able to make cuts, and they actually look like they run now. Before the running animations seemed off, and clunky. NCAA 13 was fun, but NCAA 14 has really set the bar. A bar that can no longer be passed with the cancellation of the series lol.

If you're a fan of the series, you'll love the new look, the players look more realistic. Catching, running, tackling animations are much more realistic this year. The atmosphere is still there and better than ever, which like I said before is 1 thing I always enjoyed about the series. Whether you like to play with friends or like to win the championship in Dynasty mode, you will love this installment of the franchise.

Dynasty Mode: My favorite mode I use, it's pretty much the only mode I use anymore. This year they've fixed it and returned back to the days of old.

Recruiting: Is so much better this year, ever since they introduced the calling system of NCAA 11, I've been wanting back the system of 06 where you just used points to recruit your players. This year they finally brought it back! Don't get me wrong,I liked the calling system at first, but after the first few weeks in a season, you get tired of it really quick. It took you away from the time you could be playing the actual game. Now it's quick and simple.

Other than recruiting Dynasty mode hasn't changed a whole lot, in terms of features, but that really doesn't matter as all we really want to do is play football anyways right?

With that said I do have a few minor gripes about the game. The actual gameplay itself, like I said is really top notch and fun. There is always those lingering issues they can never seem to get right. The "Shoestring tackle" for instance, when you dive for a player a fair distance away and tackle them at the feet, EA Sports haven't really been getting this entirely right. As it is annoying when the CPU goes for a shoestring tackle and they are further away from me when they are on the ground, them bam, they fly forward and bring me to the ground. An annoying issue when you have an open hole to break a huge run, it can get annoying. Also interceptions in the game, I get they wanted a more fluid style of play, which is what they have created, but also it's annoying when you intercept the ball, you're holding down to run and the camera turns around then you're running away from where you want to. I do more so prefer the old stop, screen turns then you go. I guess this way can make things a little more interesting in some instances.

The Pause Menu: Ugh I don't know where to begin here, I don't get why they insist on changing this every year. To get a "Fresher look" I can understand that, but do they really have to make you go to such great lengths to find things? Like when you are in the game and need to use that 1 challenge you have, you have to pause, go over to strategy go down to coach's challenge. They could have just put it in the pause menu for in game use. It can be a nuisance to be looking around for something when you just want to get it over with to play the game.

There still is the other issues of calling a fumble from the QB an incomplete pass, when you look and it's clearly a fumble. You can't do anything about it though, the commentating is off in some parts of the game. Saying things that really don't make much sense to what is really going on in the game.

One last thing that annoys me this year, EA Sports finally brought back Draft class exporting. I've been wanting this feature back and the year they finally do it, the timing couldn't have been more worse. It's practically useless (to me anyways) with the problems I've been hearing about Madden again, and the fact that I didn't much care for the Madden demo again. I will be skipping on Madden this generation, and I'm holding out for Next-Gen to see if it is improved at all. (from what I've seen, no lol) With no NCAA on Next-Gen (Or anymore NCAA games at all for that matter) them bringing back draft class exporting is like a slap in the face. IMO.

Those are just a few of my minor gripes about the game, I'm sure I would have more, but no sports game is absolutely perfect, so those issues will always arise. I will finish by saying this is definitely the best NCAA I have played in a long time by far. If you are a fan of the franchise, then you really have to pick this one up. Because there is no more "holding out" for a better experience. The college football games are now finished it seems, and this being the last installment is perfectly fine with me, because this title will have longevity for the years to come, with downloadable rosters, the game should live on just fine for this gen. You can take this for what it is, it's just my opinion on the matter, buy the game you won't be disappointed.

TL;DR: Best one in awhile, Buy it. Lol

Discount XBOX 360/PC VGA Switch

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I was looking forward to this for my computer and xbox, but within a week it stopped working for no obvious reason. I wouldn't recommend buying it unless it is very much on sale.

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Brought this VGA switcher not bad.But go for a hmdi switcher for high definition picture.I didn't know VGA is a old.Hdmi is the way to go today.

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Happy to be the first review for this Product. After Researching for over 3 days on an item that would let me connect my Xbox 360 and my computer to the same monitor i came across 2 products that said they could fulfill what i was looking for. I went with the first option which was a kvm switch kit that bragged about how good it was and had good reviews. After it arrived i go to hook it up but to no surprise it failed me and didn't work the slightest bit. Outraged i immediately ordered this product By Mayflash. I was a little Sketched out considering they are from china and their website looks like a cheap ign.com knockoff but to my surprise it works AMAZINGLY. I am ecstatic this was the best choice by far it has a good durable feel and a 6 year old could hook this thing up. There is 1 downfall that i was disappointed about and that is the VGA cable they supply. My advise TRASH IT luckly the kvm P.O.S i purchased came with 3 VGA cables so i was set so you might wanna run to the store and buy your own. I give it 5 out of 5 stars it really does the trick ;).

LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 - Xbox 360 Review

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List Price: $19.99
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This game is a lot of fun to play and by far my favorite Lego game of the series, and I've played quite a few. However, I would wait until they have released a update/patch for the game as there are some major glitches.

The worst one in my opinion happens if you quit a level the first time playing it. If you get stuck in a level and want to retry or if you experience another glitch in a level and quit the level the game will then continue on in the story mode and skip the level altogether. The level doesn't even show up on the storyboard with the other levels that you can replay, it's just gone. So to complete the game you need to start over completely.

To me this makes the game unplayable right now as I don't want to restart and this is not the only glitch in the game.

Again, this is an awesome game, but if you're considering buying it, you should wait until they release a patch to fix the issues.

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I love Harry Potter and the Lego games, so this was a must have! We have played both Star Wars Lego games and Lego Batman, and have had a lot of fun. Lego Harry Potter was by far my favorite! We played this game almost every evening for an hour or so, and beat the game in about a month. I am not a serious gamer, but I love the co-operative play of the Lego games, and all of the different "hidden" objects you have to find.

We recently purchased the newest Lego Harry Potter Game, years 5-7. For some reason the graphics were a lot nicer on the newer game. And there were not as many glitches as in the 1-4 game (getting to a point in the level where your character is stuck and cannot get out, or repeatedly falls off the edge and you can't do anything, etc). For that reason I would recommend it over this game, if you had to choose. But I say don't choose and play both!

After beating the game we have not played again, but I think if I can convince my husband I will try to play both Lego Harry Potter games again in the future--they are just too much fun! But if I could only play one over I would choose the 5-7 version.

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I love all kinds of video games, and I've always liked the LEGO server because you just play them. They don't require a ton of thought, but they definitely have their own challenges that everyone from adults to kids can still have fun playing. If you've played any of the other LEGO games, this one follows the same formula and uses the same techniques collecting lego bits for "money", gold bricks for those who try to complete everything, red bricks to enhance your gameplay, the ability to play a level in a "free roam" style after playing it though during the campaign, and so forth. It's still variation on a theme, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

But if you're a "completionist" like me, you might find this game frustrating. I've already run into several bugs that have prevented me from getting all of the gold bricks and, based on a few quick searches, I'm not alone. Apparently, many people have run into instances where the triggers to make a gold brick appear are missing or all of the triggers are activated but the bricks never appear.

It's still a nice change from fast-paces shooters, senseless button-mashers, or immersive RPGs; but those who love to get full trophies/achievements might end up being frustrated in the end.

Honest reviews on LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 - Xbox 360

My husband and I rented this game to play during a span of cold, rainy weather a couple of weeks ago. We are in our 30's with no children. We had so much fun playing the co-op mode that we played each night we had it for hours and hours, not even realizing how much time had passed. When the time came for us to return the game, I went and purchased it. If you or your gamer is a fan of the Harry Potter movies, this is suprisingly fun. Goes well with the movie plots for years 1-4. If you've ever played a Lego video game before, you know what to expect. Great fun, good challenge, and loads of laughs. I don't think you would be disappointed!

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I've got an 8 year old daughter. I'm an avid gamer and the two of us love playing this one together.

I only see my daughter every other weekend and so I try and find things that we can both enjoy doing together and this game is just a perfect example of how parents and their kids can mix their hobbies and generally have fun together.

Before this I had to play Barbie with her so it was a major step up for a parent.

The game requires co-operation and communication to work together. You'll feel like a team and have a lovely experience. I recommend this game to anyone who has a son or a daughter aged 6+

Years 5-7 even improve on this formula but I still recommend finishing this one at least once before going for the second one (plus the second one is more expensive since it's newer).

This is one of those cases where a computer game has a positive influence on a kid, go out there and buy a copy of this game. I find it very unlikely that anyone would be disappointed.

Cheap NFL® 2011 Super Bowl Green Bay Packers Vinyl Skin for 1 Microsoft

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A simple decal for an xbox controller. Yep, this is it! I can't really say much more about it. It took a little longer than I'd have expected to get here, but that can be due to lots of things.

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There was a slight pucker upon application, otherwise it looks sweet and holds up well on regular use. Would recommend!

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Who needs to pay an extra 60 dollars for specialized controller when i can do it myself bwahaha they weren't even that hard to put on just be patient

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I ordered these as a gift and believed them to be something you put over the controller to "protect" it and your hands wouldn't sweat and stick to the plastic controller. I was disappointed to find, what I purchased was nothing more than a sticker. $30 for 2 stickers. Really? How much money are you making off this product, Skinit?

Buy XBRdepot 1 Pack of 4 Premium Self-Stick Aluminum Heatsinks for XBOX

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These heat sinks were a little large for the CPU on the Raspberry Pi, The still fit, and should work great

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Works great On my Raspberry Pi! Just the right size for the CPU of the Raspberry PI, now I can over clock it

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Was exactly as pictured and came early and packaged correctly so very good im happy would use again in the future

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These heatsinks are very nice. I bought the four pack, and, upon opening my xbox, discovered I can only use two of them. With the release of the Xbox 360 Elite, the CPU heatsink is longer and covers two of the four RAM chips. Still, overall, they are a very decent set.

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The description does not say/imply it fits the driver. Amazon linked it together as a "Frequently Bought Together" recommended package. It does NOT fit the A4988 Pololu stepper motor driver. It either hits the surface mount parts or the header pins. I will probably cut it down to make it work. The size in the description would indicate that it wouldn't fit, but I thought since others were purchasing it, it must clear the parts on the board. This was not the case. I am giving it three stars because I can't say that I love it and it wouldn't be fair to say I hate it. I think I need something closer to 9mm-10mm.