Review of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - PC

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It has been a long and interesting ride with the Star Wars gaming license, with about as many games as there is sand on Tatooine. The latest offerings come in the form of a role playing gameKnights of the Old Republic. Knights is a somewhat confined and well-executed romp through perhaps the greatest franchise ever created. Games magazines are giving Knights high marks, and its well deserved, because she immersiveness of the game rivals just about every other Star Wars title from LucasArts or its stable of developers.

Knights succeeds in just about every categoryit is both stunning to behold and fun to play. Characters are well designed, if a little `same-ish' given that all men and women are the same height, with only superficial variances in model types. The game utilizes a bare-bones version of 3rd Edition D&D at its core, but unlike Neverwinter Nights, KOTOR only uses the system as background support and the mechanics rarely if ever intrude into actual game play. What the game doesn't allow is dual or multi-classing. You can start as either a Soldier, a Scout or a Scoundrel and by 8th to 10th level, you become a Jedi. And your character can only be human. Each class has their pluses and minuses, usually in areas like Skills, Feats and allotment of Jedi powers. Unlike Neverwinter Nights, however, you control the progress of your NPCschoosing their skills, feats, and choice of equipment and weapons that they use. The Jedi classes are almost overwhelmingly superior to their mundane counterparts, but given this is a game about Jedi during their golden age, it is to expected.

KOTOR's story revolves around two former Jedi who, victorious over the Mandalorians, returned to conquer the Republic after falling to the Dark Side of the Force. They arrive at the head of a massive star fleet that no one seems to know where they got it from. It is your job to figure out how they managed to assemble such a large fleet and hopefully do something about it without succumbing to the Dark Side. (You can play through the game, making choices that will eventually determine whether you become light or dark.) Sadly, however, KOTOR's story is essentially the same as Neverwinter Nightsinstead of finding four `words of power', you must collect four star map fragments that lead you to an unknown world inhabited by the remnants of an ancient race that essentially gave the galaxy hyperspace travel. And the answer to where the Sith star fleet is coming from is more akin to a Star Trek story line than that of Star Wars. None of this changes the fact that most of the events that lead up to this revelation are interesting and a whole lot of fun. The various plot twists and the `staggering' revelation about your character always keep it interesting.

In Knights you travel to several worldsyou start on the city-world of Taris, Dantooine, where you begin your Jedi training, Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Mannon, and the Sith world of Korriban. There are innumerable quests that you must undertake, many with light or dark consequences, though most of which are entertaining. In these adventures you are aided by several NPCsa Republic soldier named Carth Onasi, Bastila Shan, a prissy Jedi Sentinel, the perky Twi'lek girl, Mission Vao and her Wookie sidekick, Zaalbar, an astromech droid, Canderous Ordoan ex-Mandalorian mercenary, a cantankerous fallen Jedi named Jolee Bindo, and HK-47, a smart-mouthed assassin droid turned translator. HK-47 steals every scene he is in with his dry, dark humor, wry condescension and quips on the limitations of so-called `meatbags' and bragging about his success as an assassin. There is also a never ending supply of equipment and gear to upgrade characters witharmor, shields, weapons and lovely flamethrowers.

The combat system involves queuing up actions for each character then watching them executed on screen. You can queue up four actions, be they attacks, Force powers, healing items or stimulant injectors (potions, essentially), and each action is executed in sequence. You can pause at any time, assigning actions to your characters, targets to attack, etc. then unpause and watch everything unfold. Though a limited way to do things, it is never dull to watch and the combat sequences are well animated and very flashy. One downside is that you can't switch weapons on the fly, rather you must pause, enter a sub-menu and swap weapons out as you desire. Combat should have been a little more interactive, but since battles rarely last very long anyway, it hardly makes a difference.

KOTOR's graphics are lavish and everything has that all-important Star Wars look to it. Sound effects are bang on. In this BioWare really did such a wonderful job in capturing all of the nuances of what Star Wars is all aboutsomething Lucas can't seem to do in latest batch of prequels. This is perhaps the deepest and most Star Wars-like game since Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight, successfully capturing the best of what Star Wars is. I would have preferred a more 3rd-person-esque style of control and more freedom of movement, because though you can drive your character around the places you visit, you cannot climb, jump, swing, etc., which really would not have been that hard to accomplish within the confines of the game.

Ultimately, it is a very satisfying gamehuge game worlds, which while linear in nature are fun to explore, epic story and fun characters more than make up for its failings. It has some bugs that lead to system lock-ups that forced several restarts. No mention of midi-chlorians, prophecies, or `chosen one's'. It is a very romantic high adventure peppered with humor and a sense of fun kinda what the movies are supposed to be like. What's more is that it provides 40-60 hours of fresh gameplay, making it the best Star Wars game in a long time.

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This is an awesome game. Period.

In many ways, this game redefines the role playing genre. What is very unique about this game is that it has a very rich story. Probably one of the best Star Wars stories ever. This is the first game I have ever played where I simply kept going because I wanted to see what happens next. And I can guarantee you that there will be plot twists you will never be expecting!

Also, the game features some of the most memorable game characters ever. Way to go, HK-47!

The game also makes great use of character-shaping techniques. Are you going to evolve along the light side of the force, or is the dark side too tempting? Are you going to change your mind half way through? Many special abilities can be aquired, turning characters into very unique beings. And then of course, there is the choice of your party members: Do you want the strong wookie to help you out, or would you rather have a violent droid with you? Or perhaps a Jedi knight whom you just saved from the dark side? Or is it all just a trap?

The choices you make throughout this game have a great impact. In fact, this is problably the first game ever that I will play through a second time! Dark side, here I come...

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I had more fun playing Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic than I did watching the first two recent prequels at the theater. The story was more compelling and better yet, I had a chance to decide my Jedi's path. Simply put, this game is one of the best role-playing games for the PC in years. Now the game does use Dungeons and Dragons rules and it's not an action-based game. In other words, you will assign your character and his henchmen duties that they must perform in combat and watch the results (which are determined or prerolled by the computer) played out in front of you. It works similar to the popular D&D gaming series Baldur's Gate only with a more cinematic engine. (It's also made by the same people.) Also, don't expect to meet Luke Skywalker anytime soon as the events in this game take place at least a thousand years before the classic trilogy. Don't let that sway you from buying the game though because it has a fantastic story with its own classic heroes and villains. Blasters, Dark Jedis, classic planets such as Tatooine and plenty of fixtures from the Star Wars universe are in the game. Plus, the story has a nice twist that will knock your socks off! A fun game for any RPG fan. If you don't enjoy the RPG genre or only prefer quick games with little reading, don't pick it up, you probably won't enjoy it, but everyone else should give it a try. If I had to make a list of the top five games for the PC in 2003, this game would be on it.

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You don't have to be a Star Wars fan to appreciate what a great RPG this is, but it can't hurt. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the best RPG that I have played at least since Baldurs Gate 2, and it is the best Star Wars experience since the first trilogy. There is just so much to see, and so much to experience. Then, when you are finished, you can go back and do it all over again as an evil character instead of a good one.

On a high end video card, the game is beautiful to look at. The level of detail in the graphics is astonishing. The on-screen appearance of your character and your companions changes depending upon what you equip them with, and your physical appearance actually changes depending upon how good or evil you behave. The environments are immersive and realistic, and also varied. You fight on grass-covered plains, beautiful beaches, desert, and even a bit underwater. The grass and the trees sway in the breeze and sand kicks up when you run across the beach. Combat is equally impressive to watch. Lightsaber battles are reminiscent of the big one at the end of "The Phantom Menace". You watch characters thrust, parry, feint, kick, and slice with their lightsabers. And then there's the force powers oh the force powers. They are fun to use, and dazzling to look at.

Every NPC line in the game is voice-acted. Every single last one. And it's all high-quality material. I can't state how great this part is. It's like getting to play through a 40-hour epic movie. Some dialog trees are huge and go on for minutes at a time. Your NPC companions are fun to click on just to see if they have anything interesting to say, and they usually do. They are deeply developed, unique, and have interesting stories to tell. One of them, a homicidal droid, provides a lot of comic relief. Another is brutal mercenary who tells interesting war stories. Chances are, you will want to take different party members with you on different quests just to see what they have to say. Lots of NPC's have their own side plots, which are woven into the game.

The storyline itself is not that great, but it's the way that the story is told that is so great. The themes of Good vs. Evil and Light vs. Dark are shown to you over and over again. These concepts are not explained to you. Instead, you experience them for yourself. You get to witness or perform good deeds, as well as atrocities. If you are playing a good character, then by the end of the game you will have developed genuine feelings of distaste for The Sith and their Dark Lord, Malak. If you are playing as an evil character, than you will have an opportunity to commit some truly heinous acts against helpless civilians, or your friends. All of this gives you a true sense of role-playing that is unparalleled since Planescape: Torment.

The role-playing system isn't as robust as D&D, but there is still a lot to it. There are hundreds of goodies like armor, weapons, and accessories that you can equip your character and companions with. Chances are, you'll play a certain way one time, and then want to try some different setups the next time that you play. You can change the color of your lightsaber, and change the crystals in it to upgrade its properties. You can wield just one lightsaber, a double-ended staff sabre, or one in each hand. You can also choose between brute force or finesse, but brute force seems to be an easier path. As you progress through the game, there is a true feeling of power progression. You can feel yourself changing from a lowly soldier to a godlike Jedi who at the end of the game slices through hordes of powerful enemies like a hot knife through butter. That feeling of progression is what makes great RPG's like this so addictive.

It's simple. This is the best RPG since Baldurs Gate 2 (another Bioware title). If you like Star Wars, or if you have liked any of Bioware's other role-playing games, then you must give this game a try.

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I'm a girl gamer and although I am not a big fan of Star Wars, I LOVED Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic game. The graphics were beautiful, the plotline awesome, and the character models simply amazing. There are dozens of ethnic models to chose from, and you get to play as either a male character or a female character. Both genders have several unique subplots, including a small but sweet romance. (Oooh, gotta love that Carth).

My only peeve? The turret game! I might've been able to ace this one on the console, but it was super hard on my laptop trackpad. Since the game is mandatory and not 'skippable' I washed out several times before I hooked up an external mouse and learned that you need to aim your 'cannons' in FRONT of the ships you're trying to shoot. This allows for a greater margin of error. Still, I did find this a minor annoyance in an otherwise BEAUTIFUL game.

What a fun and entertaining game! Oh, and shall I mention the landscape of the "Forgotten World" was one of the most beautiful digitized landscapes I've ever seen in a video game? Really cool!

5 STARS for hours of enjoyment.

Best NBA 2K14 - Xbox One Deals

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Great game with unlimited graphics , I own all the systems and by far best graphics when it comes to human likeness with attitude xbox one rocks

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I'm not here to hate on the game because we all know the game is great and highly better than it's competitor NBA Live 14 (If you want to call it a competitor right now at this time, as far as the future hopefully they'll improve majorly). As far as 2K14 is concerned it's already noted that gameplay it's really good, despite the fact the A.I lacks a bit at times especially on defense because they give your opponent too much space on the floor, so they can come back with a quick three.

But I'm not here to talk about gameplay so much, but I'm here to speak on the microtransactions and how its ruining the game if you ask me anyways. So lets get into it shall we? For one the accessories for your myplayer (compression sleeves, calf sleeves, headbands, goggles, etc.) you have to pay for each individual item and I what I mean by this is if you buy one color of the same sleeve and want to get the same style sleeve you have to pay for another color for the same item. Secondly, the attributes that they put on the adidias items aren't even that much of a boost to your myplayer in stats wise. For instance the dwight howard sleeve that costs 5,000VC for a +2 three point shot and a color of your choosing. It's as if your paying more for the name then the stats because if you use that on your MyPlayer then you could certainly achieve more then +2 to your 3 point rating unless its almost at max status. I'm sorry, but I believe they should go back to the nba 2k12 format of giving you the accessories for free and give your choice of team color 1/2, white, black, and also add any other colorway of your choosing. Also note that the headband accessory is 200 VC more then on last gen when it was 1000VC. Thirdly, you have to buy tattoos on next gen which is insane, I'd rather just have refined imagery from last gen and keep them free. But now you have buy tattoos that aren't even that cool, soon not even the shoes that you use in your MyCareer regardless of endorsement are going to be free more than likely. Plus you can you buy your Myplayer stats to make your guy ultra beast and be a troll online. The fun of the game is not where it used to be unfortunately.

To end this review off I'd also like to note that no matter the difficulty you play on even if you play on Hall of Fame and get a 2X amount in VC it's still a hell of a grind to even aquire a lot of accessories not to mention paying for signature skills, as well as jumpshots, dunk packages, dribbles packages, etc. Even if you conserve that VC it goes pretty dang rapidly more then you know it. In the end I believe they need to up the amount you recieve or in the end you'll just have to keep spending money in order to afford certain things just to get IN GAME. Not outside in life IN GAME and also note that if 2K15 doesn't allow you to bring your Myplayer over just like the past NBA 2K Games then consider all that money you spent gone and now have to respend it on a new character.

Oh and I'm sorry for those who can't do the VC glitch in order to attain there MyTeam players that seem to give a lot of duplicate cards by the way. Plus the contracts that they you recieve from a pack aren't even a lot, 5 contracts is the highest it goes unlike MUT on Madden where it gives you 25 contracts for a player which is awesome. 13,000VC for one gold pack (Only one type of gold pack, unlike last gen where they had 3 gold packs each having different traits) also you only get one gold player out of the pack, so it really limits you on who you could get plus the possibilities of getting duplicates are tremendously high unless your extremely lucky.

I'm sorry if you guys hate me for spitting the truth, but in the end I'm just trying to let you know theres not much free left in that game other then the game modes and that's about it. Its a huge gripe for me and I don't know about the rest of you but I hope someone agrees with me.

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What can I say I always loved 2k games except for the mlb 2k's but this game is very fun and addicting when you get used to the moves. Graphics are great and the gameplay is solid couldn't be happier with this nba game and ps stay away from nba live 14.

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I absolutely love the 2K franchise. I've bought everyone since Sega Dreamcast. They improve majorly by giving us a story line for Career mode and MYGM is pretty sweet as well. I would suggest improvement on the story line by giving us more roads to choose instead of having it basically all the same. I would also like to see improved player creation and voice overs. Maybe give us a choice of dialogue.

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Great game! You can totally feel the "next ten" quality. Graphics are amazing and my career (which I play most) is way more in depth…

One of the greatest sports games ever made, period.

Reviews of Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon - PC

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I just finished playing "Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon", and I was literally blown away by the amazing graphics what an improvement over previous games! These graphics are definitely on par with the likes of "Myst", and other adventure games although you do have to play for a little while before you get to enjoy them...

This Nancy Drew game is about a young rich girl who had her father restore an old train back to working condition. There are many rumors surrounding this train especially since the original owner wound up missing in the mid 1800's, and his engineer was found still in the train, in the middle of the desert, dead... On top of this, the owners wife had died on the train at an earlier date, so many people thought it was haunted.

The reason the young girl had wanted the train restored was because story had it that Jack Hurley (the original owner), had found gold in a mine and that the directions to find this mine were all hidden inside the train. She wanted this treasure, and invited several people (including Nancy and the Hardy boys) to help solve the mysteries, and find the mine.

This is one of those games that ropes you in. In fact, I couldn't stop playing it!!!

I think it's important for you to know that I am 36 years old a testament to the fact that these games are great for teens and adults alike!!!

Overall, I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed (or is enjoying) the Nancy Drew Mystery series. So far, this is hands down the best ND game I've played to date! Just a note of caution though I'd suggest you choose the "junior detective" regardless of your age, as there are several areas where it's too easy to become stuck, and if you choose this level, you have the benefit of a few more hints and the task journal both big helps when you find yourself unable to move on...

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Although the Hardy Boys really didn't do much in this game, it was fun to have them in it. The game had lots of pipe puzzles, some slider puzzles (which I love) and lots more interesting games of chance and puzzles. It was fun to go all over the train and look for pieces to some of the puzzles. I have played all of the Nancy Drew PC games and really love them. I am in the over 65 age group and these never grow old. I am now looking forward to the next one.

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I'm writing this review to help others. I purchased a Nancy Drew game, mistakenly assuming Windows Vista would be able to play XP compatible games. After some research I found there are 13 Nancy Drew games that are considered incompatible with Vista. The manufacturer suggested a "work around", which fortunately worked on my particular game, Danger on Deception Island but it may not work for other games. It's definitely worth a try.

This is a statement on HER's website ( ) regarding Windows Vista:

"Unfortunately our first 13 games are not Vista Compatible, we are planning on re-releasing some of the more popular games with Vista compatibility but we don't have any set release dates as of yet. Starting with #14 Danger By Design, all titles moving forward will be Vista compatible.

There is an unsupported work around that may work, if during installation you set the default path as "My Documents" then the game could possibly run under Vista. Unfortunately, we can't give any more support or help on older games running under the Vista Operating system."

The games that are NOT compatible with VISTA are:

Games » Danger By Design

Games » Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon

Games » Secret of the Old Clock

Games » Curse of Blackmoor Manor

Games » The Secret of Shadow Ranch

Games » Danger on Deception Island

Games » The Haunted Carousel

Games » Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake

Games » Secret of the Scarlet Hand

Games » The Final Scene

Games » Treasure in the Royal Tower

Games » Message in a Haunted Mansion

Games » Stay Tuned for Danger

Games » Secrets Can Kill

Honest reviews on Nancy Drew: Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon - PC

I just finished solving this game, and it's definitely worth your time and money. It's longer than Secret of the Old Clock, though not as long as Curse of Blackmoor Manor. Similar to Secret of Shadow Ranch, I'd say. (These are some other Nancy Drew computer games, for those who may be unfamiliar with the titles.) There are lots of puzzles, but they're not too difficult. The graphics are good, as is the ending sequence. I can't really think of a complaint, except that perhaps it could have been scarier. Looking forward to the next one!

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This game was definitely not what I thought it would be. I was expecting a really easy game, mostly geared toward young kids and something I may be bored with. Not the case...

THE GOOD STUFF

1. The characters the mannerisms and the personalities of the characters were great. I loved the phone chat with George & Bess.

2. The puzzles they had just enough challenge to keep you on your toes. It stumped me at one point which actually made me happy. They had just the right amount of serious puzzles and fun ones so you couldn't get completely frustrated.

3. The graphics A+! I was afraid they wouldn't be as good of quality but I was wrong. The detail was pretty darn good for a game geared towards young kids. The mine ride was the most realistic I have ever seen in a computer game.

THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF

1. The length of the game. I'm sure they know what they are doing when it comes to timing the game to keep kids attention but I thought the plot could have gone on a little more.

2. The HARDYS. Ok, they're cute and all but seriously I got a little miffed that they got to sit around while I (as Nancy) did all the work.

3. Locations. I thought that they could have expanded on the areas a little more. I would have liked to travel to a few more places before ending the game. Also I think the train should have had more rooms to explore. A lot of time was wasted trying to see if the doors in the sleeper car opened.

This was the first Nancy Drew game I have ever played and after this, it's definitely NOT the last.

Reviews of Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone

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Many games based on movies are just bad. For example, the game of Tarzan for psx [stunk] big time, or the Emperor's New Groove, or the Fifth Element. When i heard of Harry Potter coming out for the psx, i tought it was going to be as bad as any game based on a movie. I was a bit wrong. This game is very fun...while it lasts! Check out the good and bad things about it below:

The Good Things:

-Somethings are based on the book

-The characters are just the same as in the movie

-Hogwarts is huge, there is plenty to explore

-You assist all classes including the quidditch practice

-You fight against Voldermort and Quirell

-The magic spells are amazing: Incendio, Alohamora, Wigardium Leviosa, etc.

The Bad Things:

-There are too many things that are not in the book

-Harry Potter doesn't talk

-The conversations between characters are briefly

-The battle against Voldemort is quite pathetic

-The end is very bad

-Many things are briefly described by the narrator in a book

-The forbidden forest is not scary

-Voldemort appears frequently using a green magic

-All the magic used by Harry is basically following the order of bottoms. Example: Press X then O and finally X again: very simple

-Very short and easy

Overall, the game is a worth buying game for any Harry Potter fan.

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I recieved this game about four days ago. I opened the package and began playing it for about three hours. After that time I was about 40% done with the game. The next day, I played a total of three hours, and I was about 75% done. On the third day I played about two hours and completed it. Do you catch my drift?

Now, I would classify myself as a very experienced gamer and have played a number of very difficult games. I would classify this as the easiest game I have ever played on the Playstation console(next to Ridge Racer). I will give it credit, however, the castle and the surrounding area was very well designed, the interactions with other characters is very good, and the levels are fun and interesting.

If you parents are looking for a good game for your 7-12 year old, I would suggest this game. If you are looking to buy for 13+, I would continue my search elsewhere. Overall, this was a very fun and interesting game, but it wasn't very challenging.

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I played a short demo of this game at E3, and it's a 3-D action-adventure game with its setting in Hogwarts. You enter different classrooms to learn spells, then put those spells to use to solve puzzles. I didn't see what Quidditch looks like, but it'll be in there, too. One of the developers told me the PS version has about 10 times the content of the PC version, since the latter is intended for a younger audience. The Game boy and GBA versions are also completely different games, so that should be interesting.

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That's what I kept telling my 7-year-old ... "your turn in just one more minute!" Very good game! Downright addicting. Like it very much, at least the 50% that I've played (in our house we rent before we buy). I especially liked the graphics, very creepy! Voices are really good too. One rather irritating thing about the game was that the choices given were small ... actually there was only one choice. Only one way, one path through the game and if you can't complete the task at hand, you are stuck. And if your 7-year-old doesn't have a grown-up nearby to help and get them "unstuck", this game can frustrate him! Sometimes frustrated me! But that goes with the nature of any game ... if it was too easy, it wouldn't be any fun!

I noticed in a previous review that someone complained about the directional flying controls. I noticed the same thing, that they were reversed and it made Quidditch darn near impossible to do. Easy fix: go to control options! There's a category for "flying controls" with "normal" and "reverse" options. Makes playing whole lot easier.

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You play Harry Potter beginning his first year at Hogwarts. There is a great deal of exploring to do and its quite fun. There is the huge castle called Hogwarts, the castle grounds and Diagon Alley. The game often bends the storyline of the book. E.X. In the game Hagrid's pet dragon Norbert gets sick, in the book he does not. Also, there is plenty characters to talk to. There is Fred and George, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, Malfoy, Snape and others. The controls are comfortable for both children and adults alike. You can also learn differant spells.

Gameplay: 7.6 Good

Control: 8.5 Great

Sound: 7.0 Good

Graphics: 5.O Not good...

Overall: 7.7 Good game

Comments: Pretty Good, you should have fun playing this game!!

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 Halo 3 ODST & Forza Motorsport 3 (2 in 1) (Xbox 360)

Customer Ratings:

Purchased from Seller: halo3forza3

Received as advertised and within 3 days of ordering.

Brand New (never opened) with game manuals/instructions.

The games are great and it was cool that the bonus disks were there too.

I shopped everywhere, even Ebay and this company is selling it for $31.00 on ebay.

Go to ebay and see their ad and how many they have sold for $3.00 more than the selling price on Amazon.

Buyer (halo3forza3) also has terrific buyer reviews on their ebay site.

Halo3: odst/Forza3 for $28.00 was a steal (best price anywhere online).

Great Games !!!!!

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Best Madden NFL 09 - Xbox Deals

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When Madden '09 came out, I bought it for the Nintendo Wii. That was a mistake. Being a longtime Madden player since the Nintendo days, I was looking for more than updated rosters. I knew that the wii version would not have graphis like the ps3 or 360, but they were not even close to being legit. The gameplay and overall appearance of the wii version was made for first-time madden players. I then found out that it came out for the ORIGINAL XBOX.

The new features are very nice. Along w/ updated rosters, the gameplay is very smooth and they added "stringed-together" moves while carrying the ball and the QB evade which I was glad to see. My favorite new addition is the sideline catches. Unlike the old Madden, if the ball is thrown towards the sideline, the receiver will go for the ball while attempting to stay in bounds, trust me...it's really nice to have. I played the 360 version, and I read other xbox1 version reviews and I think it is safe to say that the orginal xbox madden runs smoother than the 360. That is just an opinion, which obviously will vary by who you ask. They still have the mini-camps and all the stuff from the '08 version.

Basically, they tweaked Madden from the '08 version and though they did not change a whole lot, the few things that they did add definitely makes this game worth buying.

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Since I bought my first Madden in '05, I have played thousands of games. This is the best product and it is the biggest year-over-year improvement they have produced to date. They have finally have the running game right.

I am 62, hate golf, ride my bike 40 miles a week and spend my 'hobby' time playing Madden, smoking cigars, and pretending to give interviews to the press about how a team owner can create a team that wins every game for thirty years.

Winning is easy, get a 99 throwing power QB, a couple of 99 speed receivers streaking down the sidelines, and learn to pitch and catch to the side of the field that the defensive safeties aren't. Add a good tight-end running a post pattern just in case the safeties are in a cover-two: and you are the king! I play on All-Madden, with the CPU-AI turned all the way up and only lose a couple of games out of a hundred.

Until this year, I couldn't run the ball successfully on the higher levels, and my offense was 80% passing. This year they have finally supported good moves for the running back, and my offense has developed a good running game: much more fun.

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This game is lots of fun. My whole family enjoys playing it. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to have fun.

Honest reviews on Madden NFL 09 - Xbox

My husband loves Madden Football and it was awesome to find regular Xbox games still available. He was thrilled to be able to play again. His other football games have been used so much that they are unreadable.

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This was a GREAT swan song for the 1st gen Xbox Madden games. The ONLY pan I have is that a lot of the 2nd year player names were not updated and there was not a NCAA companion to cross draft for future seasons.

Best Dynasty Warriors 7 - Xbox 360 Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $26.47
Today's Bonus: 34% Off

I've played Dynasty Warriors since 4 Hyper, so I haven't played them all, but I've played a lot. Recently more than average time on Dynasty Warriors online, which is a whole different ballgame than the console versions.

Now on with it...

Dynasty Warriors 7 has updated graphics and is beautiful. I can't take advantage of the 3D stereoscopic abilities but on my projector it looks really nice. The fluid cut scenes blend seamlessly with the action in story mode. The music is great and you can select which track will play (or random) in conquest mode.

Story Mode: Select your favorite faction and proceed through Wei, Wu, Shu, or Jin. Each stage is different and generally has a clear purpose. You cannot select your character, it depends on the level you are playing. Personally I like this, you get experience with various move sets and weapons. Talk to various people in cities and build/modify weapons, etc.

Cons: One player only

Chronicle Mode: Unlock various stages which form a grid of the map of China. Completing one stage unlocks adjacent stages. Stages have various purposes; unlock a character, get a special weapon, unlock a city, normal battle, etc. Stop in to cities and upgrade/forge weapons (add seals), pay allies to aid you/get animals, answer questions at the scholar for special items/achievements, etc. Tons of stages! You can switch to an unlocked character using the X button at the battle select screen. Unlimited saves mid-battle (Though you cannot restart in the middle of a battle if you fail).

Cons: Load screens take time

Cannot lock onto a general and sometimes they move out of view. An orange arrow shows what direction they are in.

I found myself wishing the enemy generals had a musou bar indicator. The real damage you take from them is from their musou, and if you're just starting your combo when they start their musou, you WILL be hit.

-XP is in the form of skill points and allows you to add skills to your player. This must be done individually for each player, not combined. Done by killing generals and collecting items from KO'd generals (Attack+, Defense+, etc)

-Seals can be unlocked for weapons and added to them. This is the weapon upgrade system and seals unlocked apply to all weapons.

-Find/purchase higher level weapons. Use the Blacksmith to forge them and unlock seals. Takes time but can unlock multiple seals at once using numerous slots at the blacksmith.

-One player can use ANY 2 weapons. Their main weapon has a special EX attack. This can be viewed in the start menu by clicking on "moveset". Upgrade skills to obtain more combo attacks and increase to 2 musou bars! Also can unlock an aerial musou through gaining skills.

-User can carry 2 weapons at once and switching executes a special attack dependent on the weapon type you are switching from.

-Expertise stars determine your ability to use an item. Can gain stars but some cannot be used well no matter what.

-Gain allies by talking to them and they will join you in battle if you select so. Takes time to build the bond and allow this, but not too long. Can hire some for 1000 gold and they join for one battle.

-Animals include Horse, Panda, Elephant, Wolf, Hawk, tiger. Some are ride-able and some fight for you.

-36 different movesets.

-Ability to change outfits as you unlock them.

Online play

-To play online (only conquest mode) press the start button and select "online play". If you want to play with a friend you know form a party first. Then click on the battle you want to fight and select to recruit an ally from a party. You can also recruit from anybody by leaving it open for anyone to join. You can also join a random battle.

-You can see others on the map in the form of golden swords over a hex. They are recruiting and you can join in.

-Only 2 players :(

-2 player split screen for local play. Second player hits the start button to join at the battle select screen.

-NO PVP mode. Only coop.

-When a power-up is dropped, both players can get it, though the power-up may not be the same for both, it does not disappear for the other player if you grab it.

*At the time of this review there is some lag in the form that the other player may see you doing something which you've already completed. Sometimes enemies killed remain on the screen for the other player, or you will appear to walk through a wall. This may be repaired in a future patch. I noticed no frame rate drops, still very smooth gameplay.

This game, IMHO requires more skill than DW Strikeforce and all previous actually with the exception of Dynasty Warriors Online (if you want to master combos, EX attacks, weapon switching, and musou all in sequence). DWO is PVP oriented so it is unrivaled in the required skill to play as you are fighting other people. That being said, you can always set it to easy mode and PWN everybody if you so desire, though the rewards will be reduced. There are 5 difficulty settings from very easy up to chaos. Chaos mode is suicide unless you have a maxed out player, even then it is difficult.

That's all I will say for now, any more would spoil the game for you. It's well worth the money and a very long game. Hope this helps you get started :)

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Everyone "enjoys" and "dislikes" certain genres. If we want to be honest all games are repetitive. Usually our end verdict is based on what sort of "repetition" we enjoy the most. So with Dynasty Warriors 7 you maybe asking yourself "Is it worth it?" Did Koei/Tecmo and Omega Force actually bring the franchise into the present? Being a retro old school fool whom often revisits my ps2 I can easily recognize when one of my favorite games series goes through significant "polish". If a port from a last gen console is "rehashed" and chucked onto my 360 I'm going to be able to smell it like an ever vigilante German Shepherd. Luckily, Dynasty Warriors 7 deserves to be called a modern day marvel! Er,that is assuming if you like your somewhat tactical hack n slash game play!

So what is Dynasty Warriors? For those not in the know it takes place in Feudal China when three kingdoms vied for control of the land. Much akin to George R R Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire, the story is ripe with forbidden romances, betrayals, tyrants, and fragile alliances. However, because the people at Koei/Tecmo want DW to be accessible to a larger audience there's a distinct lack of blood and swearing. "Sex" is implied but not thrown into your face as some sort of "Tussle with the concubine under the sheets until the vase falls" mini game.

Dynasty Warriors 7 has a distinctive core of game design which carried over from the gnarled roots of its` forebears. You choose to play as pivotal protagonists and antagonists from the Romance Of The Three Kingdoms era then you sally forth to slay thousands of wizards, archers, and tough guys. Sound daunting? Fret not! Unless you jack up the difficulty to "Chaos" or "Hard" your adversaries are suitably dim witted. Some review sites may rag the game for this but it truth it's a blessing in disguise. If opposing clusters of troops carried out orders with well organized precision they would kill a lone warrior in a matter of seconds. Dynasty Warriors is not about total realism. It's supposed to make you feel empowered. When you slay a general of equal skill or send hundreds of peons flying with one swing of your weapon your inner child should squeal with glee! If you feel your pulse slow down from boredom instead, this type of franchise probably isn't for you.

Luckily for fans and newcomers alike, Dynasty Warriors 7 mixed in much needed spice to the formula. Of all the iterations over the years this one likely has the most potential to draw in new gamers who previously sat upon the fence of uncertainty. Shall we go over what has changed?

"Animal husbandry"

Previous dynasty warriors games had horseback riding. It was a good way to break up the monotony of slaying whole armies on foot. Assuming you had to be somewhere fast, a slick stallion could mean the difference between victory and total annihilation.

Horseback riding has returned in DW 7 and it's vastly improved! Now your four legged friend can jump, swim, do a rush attack, and be called to your side at any time with a shrill whistle command. This is much more convenient than running around the map wasting precious minutes to "jack someone's ride".

Additionally in "conquest mode" you can tame tigers, hawks, bears, elephants, pandas, and wolves to either ride or fight alongside you!

"Art of war"

As you play out the sagas of each kingdom every chapter has set objectives. In story mode you can even use siege equipment such as ballista and catapults to mow down opponents or break down fortress walls. Missions such as freeing tigers to cause mass panic, submerging a castle in water by opening a flood gate, and escorting an important person to safety are much more fun to do. Honestly in Dynasty Warriors 5 a lot of the quests unfolded in a dry and uninspired manner. Not so here!

"Traversing the terrain"

Dynasty warriors 7 is a tad guilty of setting you along a preordained trail. You can sometimes look upon places which seem as if you can go there but in reality an invisible wall impedes your progress. However, you can now swim, slide down more cliff faces, and climb ladders. While your destinations are the same how you get there is up to you. Being DW was never set up like an expansive open world rpg, this never got under my skin. The added plat forming and exploration elements are likewise appreciated!

"With knowledge comes power young warrior!"

DW 7 goes back to the charge system and forsakes the renbu system. Being I didn't play DW 6 I do not know exactly "what" came before hand. However, it's safe to say I like the present combat a lot!

Each character has a "skill tree" to boost damage you do to enemies when on horseback, add to your musou gauge, increase your speed on foot, and generally turn you into a more proficient killing machine.

Your basic attack, defense, and vitality ratings are all improved by collecting shield, food, and sword icons from fallen foes.

"Instruments of pain"

The weapon variety in Dynasty Warriors 7 is very impressive. "Arm cannons" "battle harps" and "bladed yo yos" are stranger additions and while the outlandish array of battle implements are not historically accurate they are fun to use.

Each warrior can switch between two weapons in the heat of combat. Everyone can be equipped with anything before skirmishes begin but you should keep an eye on the star ratings. If say Sima Yi has a "1 star" next to the drilling lance chances are he's not going to be all that great at using it.

Seals put into weapon slots can improve range, attack power, speed, mystic properties, and combos.

"Musou attacks" flash, crackle, burn, smash, and freeze with renewed intensity and visual gusto! Assuming you found DW 5's "super moves" to be lacking this issue has been completely rectified.

"Do you see what I see?"

Koei and Omega force are a tad guilty about recycling graphics. If you asked me the difference between DW 3 and DW 5 it would be hard for me to list key examples. Warriors of Orochi 2 was probably the best looking outing on the PS2 and though it brought in better level design and more varied playable characters it was still using an outdated engine.

Dynasty Warriors 7 by comparison looks utterly beautiful! A lot of love and thought went into the character models and the environments are not quite so drab, jagged, and flat. Many more combatants can be on screen at once and they all carry a larger plethora of unique weapon types. Granted this was achieved via deliberate frame skipping but everything flows so silky smooth only the most abrasive of snobs are going to notice.

You can also rotate the camera with the left analog stick. I use this for dubious ends (pantie and thong watching) but I imagine it can be helpful during tense fights as well.

If someone tells you DW 7 is "ugly" or looks outdated they're clinically blind or bias beyond rationality.

"Justin Bieber tried to defile the Metal...But the Metal struck him down!"

Frankly the music in DW 5 sounded uninspired to me. Sure, there was plenty of electric guitar solos but they were soulless to my ears. I kept going back to Warriors Of Orochi 2 and its' more inspired soundtracks to feel "pumped" while cutting my way towards glory.

I'm happy to report the band also brought back the "awesome" in Dynasty warriors 7! Every track amplifies the atmosphere and emotional investment of each situation. Most are standard Rock N Roll Heavy Metal fare but a select few compositions add in some Arabic or oriental under tones. This is something I for one appreciated. To all you composers out there who were involved in DW 7's development let me offer my sincerest gratitude!

"I shall shine brightly...yes, even more so than now!"

Personally I was really fond of the voice acting in Dynasty Warriors 7. It was on a whole new level. However, when there are over 60+ defenders of the realms with unique personalities, different beliefs, conflicting ideals, and even varied sexual preferences your bound to come across at least one performance that rubs you the wrong way. This did happen to me with Zhang He at first but as I got to know him better it was easy to let it slide. Call him "fruity" if you will, but he tares it up on the battle field! Besides, the world is diverse. We cannot expect everyone to conform to our bias standards of coolness. I commend game developers whom create "super heroes" or "super heroines" even minorities can relate to. Given Zhang He's characteristics his voice actor did a wonderful job! (The same goes for the rest of the cast as well.)

"Sit down around the fire lads and lasses! Let me tell you a story of lords, knights, princesses, love, betrayal, and fallen kingdoms eternally retold..."

Story mode is more immersible than it has ever been for the series. Cut scenes transition flawlessly into the battles themselves. Before you enter the fray you can talk to other soldiers around the base or even chat it up with your dearest companions. Weapons can be bought and forged on the spot.

Instead of letting you play as one officer through an entire chronicle Story Mode shuffles you around and plants you in the shoes of alternating characters whom were the most pivotal during certain events. Like a good book you may go from Cao Cao's suspenseful escape to Dan wei's noble sacrifice. Events such as Sun Shang Xiang's tragic love affair with Liu Bei are delivered with much more feeling.

The biggest con of "story mode" is the lack of co-op. Aka you feel totally on the edge of your seat at all moments which is a great accomplishment. Yet admittedly sharing it all with a friend would have been that much sweeter.

However, from that "sacrifice" we get the best recounting of the 3 kingdoms era to date!

"War lords just wanna have fun....smash, hack, and talk smack.....Oh yeah!"

Local and online co-op can be found in Conquest mode. After a dose of melancholy historical tragedy it's nice to go into something that is more of a "fantasy what if..." approach to ancient China! As you conquer multiple hexagons on a grid map via the tried and true feudal negotiation approach (kill,kill,kill, and save villagers) you can ally yourself with anyone, build up friendly or romantic relationships with fellow officers, take your animal familiars into battle with you, shoot the spit with towns folk, answer trivia questions, and unite the lands minus the unnecessary jerk baggery. In conquest it's possible for Cao Pi and Sun Ce to be best pals or for Liu Bei to flirt it up with Zhen Ji. Characters neglected in "story mode" get their own "legendary battles" in conquest mode to boot. After you play through their segments you unlock them.

I'm unsure how fans will feel about Conquest mode but personally I was glad to partake in missions which were mostly different from those found in free mode (which is basically replaying the exact same scenarios in story mode with different characters)

In the future I hope DW keeps conquest mode even if "free mode" marks its' return after a brief hiatus.

"Omitted features"

1. There's no create a character mode. For me this is fine because my custom avatar wouldn't seem nearly as important when standing next to the "true greats' anyway.

2. Animal guardians and sworn allies in Conquest mode replace body guards.

3. Again there's no "free mode".

"Biggest gripe"

Load times.....ugh!

"Nicest feature"

In Conquest mode you can choose any musical score you want for the upcoming conflict. My favorite listening pleasure so far is "Crisis".

Overall

I cannot recommend Dynasty Warriors 7 high enough. Even if you're not a huge fan of hack n slashes I would suggest a rental at the very least. With Jin becoming a new playable fraction and everything else having been "improved" by leaps and bounds this is the best DW game to jump into to get your feet wet.

Being this is the very finest of its' genre it's safe to say if you don't enjoy DW 7 nothing else of a similar vein will persuade you to change your mind.

Regardless, Koei/Tecmo and Omega Force put in 110% percent and should receive recognition for doing so!

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My Review. When i first heard of the new Dynasty warriors 7 back in september i had my doubts....The past bunch of dynasty warriors titles have been downgraded and for the most part a large waste of time and cash....But i decided to give this one a chance since koei had promised an improvement....and let me say it is a HUGE improvement and a GIANT step in the right dircetion for koei!!!!! It actually feels like a REAL game with a complete storyline that, a.) makes sense b.) Is histroically accurate and c.) is innovating and exciting!. The story mode actually feels like a story rather than bits and pieces of a puzzle that are hard to understand or put together. In past titles i barely paid attention to the story since for the most part really had no flow, or reason, and didn't really make ANY sense. The storyline in 7 is kingdom based and really takes you into ancient china. The new seemless play offers a much needed and awesome transitioning effect, while the town and cities offer a large variety of new things to do, from training to shopping, to talking. The warm town enviornment gives you a much needed break from chaotic battles and hardcore music.

Another change to the series is the Dual weapon system which has its positives and negatives. On the positive side there are many weapons to choose from and 2 weapons at once provide for thrilling new levels of combat. On the negative side many of the movesets are cloned, with the exeption of each characters unique musou and Ex attack, so you might get tired of using the same sword over and over and over again for each character who uses a sword as their EX weapon. Other than that the dual weapon system is a great new addition to the dynasty warriors series.

Another new addition to the series is conquest mode which delivers a whole new experiance as you free roam china and conquer it. You play as any one of the dynasty warriors characters and begin a series of battles while visiting and exploring towns. Each battle is replayable and some battles called "Legendary Battles" are unique to a specific character. This is a really cool feature that provides tons more of gameplay. In town you will be able to talk and interact with other characters as well as explore the many different shops, and venders. Now, Conquest mode is just like a free mode, you can play with your friends either splitscreen or online. this provides even more fun to players.

All in all dynasty warriors 7 is true to its fans and delivers a great hack n slash title that all fans of the series will enjoy. With its much needed added content, improved graphics, largley expanded roster, and new modes this is a dynasty warriors title that is actually worth the money. Yes there are slight negative components but the major improvements make up for koei's slack.......8.9/10

Honest reviews on Dynasty Warriors 7 - Xbox 360

Being a significant fan of the Dynasty Warriors series since DW2 I eagerly waited for this game to come out. I had gotten DW6, but was so unsatisfied with it that I traded it in, and have subsequently been without my DW fix for over a year.

For those of you new to the series, Dynasty Warriors IS a repetitive game. To most of us, it is a guilty pleasure. There is something very satisfying to mowing down 1000s of enemies on the field of battle, even if you find yourself repeating the same 3 or 4 combos over and over again. If you like the idea of fighting in a fullfledged battle, hacking through your enemies ranks and bringing down lieutenant after lieutenant, then this is the game for you. It's repetitive, but in a way that is fun and satisfying for many people. It seems like it is either a hit or miss for people, so someone unfamiliar to the idea may want to rent a copy first.

That being said, I felt this game was a worthy addition to the series. Although upon getting it, I wanted to believe it was the best to come out to date, I feel it felt short on what it could accomplish. Since it actually only offers two modes of play, I will break down each of those.

Story Mode: The main mode allows you to select one of the families and follow their story to completion. You do not get a choice of character as you would in previous games, and are instead given whatever character is most relevant to that battle from that families point of view. The story mode is far more impressive than it has been in the past, and actually feels like you are watching a story unfold, verses many of the previous games where the story was merely a filler between each battle. The story is the same as it always has been, but I think this game unfolds it the best of any of them. You are denied access to 2 player for story mode, so that is unfortunate. Also, you can't choose and level a character, since the character of choice is constantly being chosen for you. You can't even select other characters that were historically in the battle of choice. The story mode specifically decides who you will be. However, the story mode is very impressive. The story really helps show you each characters place in the events that unfold and the relationships between them. It is very impressively done.

Conquest: The Conquest mode borrows heavily from the Empires sub games, and gives you the ability to conquer all of China province by province. These allow 2 p, but the battles are NOT fullfledged battles. Almost all of them are "missions". Kill this guy before he escapes, defend this base, ex.... So unfortunately, if you have a second player, he won't be able to get into any real full battles by your side, as those are all in the story mode, which doesn't offer 2p. Even in conquest mode, you will face many character levels that force you to be another character other than the one you desire to be. Other than that, the mode offers you the ability to buy weapons, mounts, animal body guards, increase how much other generals "like" you. You can take quizzes and test your knowledge for gold rewards.

Leveling: A big part of DW7 is being able to level your characters. As I mentioned before, the game often forces you to play as other characters, making it quite difficult to level your character of choice. Like the previous games, killing a lieutenant gets you access to bonus life/defense/attack or items, which take the form of weapons now. You can equip any weapon you find, however, certain weapon's are more powerful than others, offer unique special traits, and characters have more or less skill depending on which weapon they use. So one character may be great at using a sword but is penalized for trying to use an axe.

Each lieutenant you kill also earns you skill points, which you spend in a rather small skill tree unique to each character. The tree mostly amounts to adding each attack combo (strong and weak attacks have to be added separately), increases your musou guage and distance your weapon reaches. The tree is quite small, so don't think you will be able to run 3 or 4 musous if you get enough skill points. As far as I can tell, Musous cannot be extended either like in previous games so that it lasts longer. However, you can unlock a second musou attack and be able to use one or the other.

Items also have been replaced by seals. Very similar to Lost Odyssey, each item has a seal attached to it. When you either leave the item with a blacksmith or use the item long enough, you obtain the seal. Each item can have 2-3 seals attached to it, which doesn't have to be the seal it can create. Once you obtain a seal, you can attach it to any weapon you want and as many weapons as you want. The seals are the equivalent of items, and I would personally have just preferred to get items. It just adds one more worthless step.

Overall: To avoid being too much longer, I will just sum it up. The game has nothing else to it. No freestyle mode, no arrows, and no character creation. The game is nice, but it seems like DW creators can't help but cut stuff out as they add new stuff. This game really does suffer in my mind for it's lack of freestyle. You should be able to pick a level, a side, a character, and a difficulty whenever you feel like it. This game loses 2 stars because of the lack of a freestyle mode and for the other issues I mentioned. I really do like this game, but if DW8 brings back freestyle I will be dropping this one for that in a heartbeat. It really is a shame too cause they really did do the story perfectly and conquest mode isn't bad either. This game could have been close to perfect (as perfect as DW series can get) if they didn't cut out that vital mode.

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DW 7 is a far cry above the previous installments are the series. Gone are the clunky renbu fight mechanics, the copy paste move sets for the majority of the cast, and only making a musou mode for less then 10% of the roster. The musou mode has been overhauled, making it closer to historically accurate and brand new. The weapon switch system offers variety, even mid battle. And the combat is INFINITELY more streamlined then in the DW6 games, harkening back to the days if DW4/5. However conquest mode doesn't quite make up for the lack of a free mode, and the lack of a CAW feature is saddening, even if it is nice to see the return of some characters that had been left out of the previous games. No doubt those features will be in the expansion when it comes out though.

Discount DreamGEAR Xbox 360 X-Talk Solo Wired Headset

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $13.55
Today's Bonus: 32% Off

I took a gamble and tried this cheap little headset. I wanted something with just one speaker cause I have surround sound and don't need a stereo headset. Was a little concerned about sound quality before I purchased but to my surprise this thing is great. I can hear others clearly and my friends have said they can hear me clearly as well with no feedback....better than the crappy headset that comes with the xbox. Its comfy on my head...I do have small head so if you have a huge head I can't say how great it would be. Thinking of buying one for a friend whose mic really sucks. For the price you can't beat it.

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This headset works great with the Xbox 360. I have no problem being heard or hearing others in game. I selected these so I could hear the kids, the wife, the phone, and other things I need to listen for.

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I have read a lot of poor reviews about this headset, but I have had no problems whatsoever. Mic works great, the sound in the headphone is clear. I have 3 kids that use it all the time and have put it to the test. I just ordered a 2nd one today!

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The headset that came with my son's xbox 360 broke, so I got online to buy him another one. They were very expensive, especially for the quality. I found this headset, which was far less expensive. My son says it is much better than the original headset. He said that the sound is clearer, the volume has more control, and other people do not complain about an echo.

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When this thing works, its perfect. Outside of that however, there are some notable flaws (at least for the headset I received). The mute button on my headset might as well not be there. It works when engaged but turning the mic back on will only work if you take the plug out and put it back in. Something is also up with the way its connected the mute switch/plug area. Most times moving your head ever so slightly jostles the cord around and the speaker cuts out. You can usually tell when that's about to happen because of some static pop-like noise occurs a few times before cutting out entirely. The mic still works when it does this, but there's not any point in talking and not hearing anything in response. Plugging the headset back in can also be quite irksome in the middle of fairly intense games (Call of Duty/Halo Firefights/ Fastbreaks in NBA 2K, etc.)

Review of Wii Boxing Gloves - Black

Customer Ratings:

I had some problems with fitting the controllers into the glove without them hitting the "B" button and taking me back to the menu screen. You also have to exaggerate your movements to make sure the Wii receiver picks up the signal. Finally, the stance you use playing Wii Boxing is different than real boxing so if you are trying to emulate a cardio boxing class or similar, you will be disappointed.

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These gloves are ok, but you DO NOT actually put your hands in the boxing gloves, so I was disappointed. I think if is actually easier to use the remote and nunchuk. These gloves are the most realistic, but again, you cant actually but your hands in them.

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Should have listend to the bad comments regarding this item. I found it better to use my hands rather than the gloves..

Honest reviews on Wii Boxing Gloves - Black

The gloves actually make it harder to play! And they often get in the way of the signal from the remotes...so the sensor doesn't even pick up on your awesome maneuvers!

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Don't waste your time or money on this item. Hard to control the boxing games. It needs to have the buttons on the controller accessible.

Best Call of Duty World at War Collector's Edition -Xbox 360 Deals

Customer Ratings:

My wife bought this for me as an early christmas present. I wholly enjoyed the previous CoD games, and was really looking forward to this one.

Unfortunately, the CE version is completely NOT worth your money.

Let's list the bonuses, and the problems with each:

The Canteen: This is, in fact, NOT a canteen. It's more like a flask. Oh... and it's welded shut. A hastily applied sticker over the packaging on the back tells us that it is "For display only, not for drinking"

Ok, that's not a huge issue, I mean, it's just a gimmick, right? The other bonuses are pretty good still!

The "Day 1 edge": First off, let me say that most of this will be second-hand information, because MY REDEMPTION CODE WAS BLANK.

From what I understand, there are a lot of people having issues with codes not working, codes not received, etc. In addition, the high-level gun is only available if you play the class it's for. It's NOT fully available... you cannot use it to create your own class.

For all of the problems people are having with their collector's editions, there have been little to no response from the makers. Their support forum has over 100 pages of posts from people having problems, and there is not a single post from an admin or developer, answering them.

If you want to buy the collector's edition, just keep in mind that you very well may not get your money's worth. BUYER BEWARE!

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The only thing worth while in the collectors edition is the Double XP which plays as a game type (Officers Club). You can bring a game party with too so everyone can enjoy double xp which helps fill game types, but you will still have issues finding matches on off hours (Nobody bought collectors basically). The double xp only happens when the company feels like putting it up and so far I've seen it twice. So I'd be wary about buying the collectors at this point since you can't redeem the code to get Double XP at any time you feel like it.

The Canteen is a joke, you can't drink from it. The top is either glued or welded on. It wouldn't surprise me if the canteen contains lead since it is made in China and that is why they don't want you drinking from it.

Early level FG42 access as a preset class you can't edit perks or anything, so it is as good as worthless.

Tin game case is over sized and looks pretty cool but it's just a case.

Overall the game is enjoyable, graphics/audio, plenty of maps, weapons, tank fun. The single player is excellent and 4 player co-op is worth buying the game alone. There is also a bonus co-op game type zombie mode where you fight off Nazi Zombies wave after wave that is a ton of fun. Regular multiplayer though will keep you replaying the game so it has plenty of replay value.

The biggest gripe though I have with online game play is hit boxes & hit detection. If you played Call Of Duty 4 it is painfully obvious how different/off it is at times but you can adjust to it. Toss in the map glitches and some bugs that the company is slow to update, it will at times make you yell out WTF and get you worked up a bit but that might just be me.

With all these complaints I still like the game and feel it is worth picking up, but I'm pretty biased to World War II themed games and prefer them to modern combat. I'd recommend getting the regular version on sale or lower price and avoid collectors edition because it is simply not worth it.

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It's not that bad, they just have some problems to fix. Other than the fact that you can't split screen on Xbox Live and that your progress in campaign doesn't save when you play it in offline co-op, its pretty fun. Also, when you get your code on the card you get in CE, make sure you go to the website to get the token first, not just enter the code off the card into xbox live market place (the website gives you a different code)

Honest reviews on Call of Duty World at War Collector's Edition -Xbox 360

Debate and discussions aside, whatever the reasons may be that the Call of Duty franchise was so decided to go back into the World War 2-era is beyond me and I've stopped all reasons to even considering thinking why or how come as the decision has obviously been made and people all around the world are playing this game, for whatever reason they themselves may have.

I for one am not here to speak directly about the gameplay-while multiplayer is fun and the campaigns are a thrill to play through, my review isn't based on the actual game itself. Instead, I'm reviewing the contents and the context in which 'collectors' find themselves in when it comes to 'whatever edition' of any game that fits one's fancy.

If you're a collector, you pretty much know what you're getting yourself into. Some people collect these certain editions particular to the simple fact that they're for collecting. This is pretty much that exact reason. Honestly, now that I think about it, I do feel kind of ripped off. At least when Call of Duty 4 released its collector's edition it came with an art book-this comes with nothing more than a couple of downloadable featurettes (which quite frankly you won't really be using all that much... unless you're a clan gamer then you'll find the clan tag deal to be something that might float your boat) and a flask you can't even use.

The tin that holds it all in though is HUGE! Probably only seconded by Assassin's Creed's collector edition tin. Most of the interior goes directly to packaging that houses the flask and that's about it. I bought this when it was still 79.99 (tax included as I bought it off a local game store), and seeing a drop in about 10 bucks makes me feel a little bit cheated but that's what I get for being the hasty, collector's edition nut of any release that follows.

In a way, I am kind of disappointed in my decision to go for this game's 'collector' edition but like I said, I pretty much knew what I was getting myself into. Almost every game I own, unless otherwise restrained, is some sort of 'edition' and this adds to just another item in that collective library of glam.

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Dad prefers GRAW2 but my two sons, 13 & 15, really, REALLY like what I call Brawl of Duty 5. They like the campaigns and the online play.

Please note: the language justifies the M rating. There are F-bombs and S-bombs a plenty as well as exploding heads, arms, & legs and large blood splatters. The game rquires much parental supervision and commentary to keep the gore filter (blood splatters) on and to uphold a sense of horror at the loss of human life.

Amazon distinquished itself to me. I had delayed ordering this "collector's edition" so long that it was not available for release day delivery or within that week at the local video game store. I figured Amazon would get it to me within two days of release. Not so!! I don't know how they did it, but we got it on release day, much to the enjoyment of the birthday boy. Thanks, Amazon!!

Review of Simpsons Road Rage Platinum Hits - Xbox

Customer Ratings:

This game has everything in it a simpsons fan could dream of. Although the game has a simpsons theme that doesn't mean you won't enjoy the game if you don't know the simpsons. The game takes the Crazy taxi formula that is so great and makes it better by allowing you to drive more characters up to 30 each with their own lines from the show and every time you pick up someone they respond to who you are. I.E. when your homer and you pick up bart he says "he its the big man" and homer replies with "that's my boy" and every character says 100's of things making this game entertaining and funny. This game is great if you liked crazy taxi get it. If you like the Simpsons get it. This game is hands down the best simpsons game ever made. Also for those of you who have noticed the ps2 and NGC versions of this game this one is the best graphic wise and gameplay wise. Plus no load times during gameplay. BUY THIS GAME

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If you are wondering whether or not you should buy this game, please read this first.

The concept of this game is a very exciting one! Simpson's game with a Crazy Taxi concept! Right? Wrong!!

1. The catch phrases and character sayings are very repetitive. You would think they would have recorded more phrases. Hearing the characters saying the same phrases over and over again gets old fast.

2. No System Link. While this may not matter to most people, the only way to play this game against someone is through one Xbox console using a split screen.

3. Annoyances: Picking up and dropping passengers off to only see them again seconds later on another part of the map. Could Professor Frink be going crazy with some kind of cloning machine?

4. There is no method to the phrases the characters speak. They just randomly blurt out sometimes completely irrelevant sayings.

5. Delay in voice responses: If you are fast and drop a character off and immediately pick up a new character, you will still hear the old character talking even though they are no longer in the vehicle.

Bottom line... Rent this one because it gets old fast!

Best Deals for Simpsons Road Rage Platinum Hits - Xbox

I was dismally disappointed by Simpsons Wrestling, so I wasn't entirely optimistic about this one. I bought it anyway, though, because I'm a huge fan of the Simpsons. I'm so glad I did. Yes, it's a blatant Crazy Taxi clone, but I liked Crazy Taxi. A difference, though, is the mission mode in Road Rage. Searching for mascots to chase down or newspaper stands to crush is a nice change of pace.

The animation is pretty cool, too, and I like that the real voice talent from the show was used. The catchphrases are funny ("I'm afraid of the future!" Grandpa Simpson) and they are often specific to the current fare.

The game isn't too hard, either. You earn new characters as you advance through the game, but it's cumulative even if you don't do fantastic in every round, keep playing long enough and you'll open everybody.

Also neat are the hidden characters (set your Xbox calendar to holidays such as Halloween and Christmas).

This game is best for Simpsons fans, but who doesn't like the Simpsons?

Honest reviews on Simpsons Road Rage Platinum Hits - Xbox

This takes a while so be patient.

Pros: 1. First Simpsons title since 1998

2. Much Better than Simpsons Wrestling

3. Real voices by simpsons actors.

4. Many a shortcut on this game.

5. a fun 2 player game

6. some good jokes...

Cons: 1. ...that get repetitive faster than the color commentator on NHL 2003!

2. graphics look like Robotech:Battlecry meets Superman (boo hoo hoo!)

3. difficulty settings are just too easy (its actually easier to get $$$ on hard)

4. voiceovers get repetitive in one run!

5. little plot at all, just the problem and the solution, no plot twists or the sort. too predictable

6. Mission mode: WAY too easy!

7. voiceovers lag badly.

8. all about the objective in the end (not good for a comedy king like the simpsons)

9. End Sequence not that good.

10. In game lips do not even move at all!

11. Cut scene graphics are much better than in In Game (did i mention that the cut scenes with Montgomery Burns get repetitive too)

12. Loading times are RIDICULOUSLY SLOW! oh man such a poor game graphically and it takes so long to load. (Ouch!)

Final Verdict: RENT FIRST![.] It would have been an ACCEPTABLE game for the N64, but they dont even tamper with the Xbox's potential. A lamentable day for all simpsons fans

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I recently purchased Road Rage for Xbox after playing the Gamecube version with a friend. Yes, the game lacks depth. Yes, the dialog can get kind of annoying. Yes, the cars do not handle according to any of the laws of physics. And yes, the game is almost exactly like the great Crazy Taxi (the original, of course). My response to all the criticism, so what! The creators took something good (the Crazy Taxi concept) and wrapped it in something wonderful (the Simpsons license), like a chocolate-covered peanut, or a monkey in a cowboy suit! What the player is left with is a very simple, pick-up-and-play game that is especially excellent when company arrives. It has the same basic appeal as Smash Brothers. For the more open-minded, less gear-headed gamer, Simpsons Road Rage is a fine choice.