Reviews of Skylanders Giants Lightcore Single Character Pop Fizz

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I have punch pop fizz and ultragulp pop fiz and normal pop fizz AND NOW LIGHTCORE POP FIZZ. If you own skylanders giants or skylanders swapforce... this is a must buy!

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Pop Fizz is my favorite new skylander character, however, after buying the regular pop fizz and the punch pop fizz, I was sort of fizzed out!! However, I do still like this figure and have fully upgraded him, he is just fun to play as!

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Since my son got Skylanders Giants for Christmas last year, we've had a hard time finding Pop Fizz in our local stores. The Easter Bunny brought Crusher instead. Now, a magic Skylander is all he needs and he's getting it for his birthday. I am so grateful to Amazon for giving those of us in Rural areas more of a choice for our shopping. I've saved a lot of time and gas money since I've not had to travel 1.5 hours away to get what we want or need.

Skylanders is a fun game and it encourages reading, too.

Honest reviews on Skylanders Giants Lightcore Single Character Pop Fizz

We received the Skylanders Giants Poster in the starter pack like I'm sure everyone else did. We'd been looking for Light Core Pop Fizz in stores and couldn't find him. My son ended up getting it as a gift, however what we received was not the same Light Core Pop Fizz on the posters or website. We contacted Activision and after speaking to a supervisor and getting a couple different answers they basically had no idea themselves what had happened.

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Love to watch granddaughter play SkyLanders Giants and to see how she reacts when new characters are introduced.

Wasted a lot time and gas driving to stores that didn't have it.

I should have looked at Amazon first and was happy with the experience.

Review of All Star Baseball 2003

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List Price: $49.99
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General/Summary: This is quite possibly one of the best looking baseball games that I have ever played and the gameplay goes hand in hand with it. At first I thought that this was just another mediocre baseball game but then I started to realize what this game is about. The detail in this game is amazing, the options and extras are very nice because it adds alot more life to this game. I'm sure the only reason anyone would read this is to find out if it is better than High Heat 2003 or Triple Play(ugh), well I used to own High Heat 2002 and I have the demo of 2003 and I would say that without a doubt All Star Baseball is better. In HH(the demo) it was way to easy to strike the opposing batters out, and i'm guessing that anyone who knows any kind of pitching strategy could easily win with 20+ k's. All in all All Star Baseball is actually more of a sim than High Heat

Gameplay: The gameplay is great. It reminded me of the MLB series from 989 for the Playstation. When you choose your pitch each button is assigned to a certain pitch, so x might be fastball and square might be change-up.(each pitcher has the right pitches that he has in real life) Then you would move the cursor to where you want in or out of the strike zone and press x to throw it. You can also throw pick-offs too first, second, and third,, simply by pressing the corresponding button, and you can also do a mid-windup pick-off which I was quite pleased with. All you have to do is wait till the pitcher is half way through his windup then you press the base, which base he's able to throw to depends on if he's a right hander of a left hander. If the batter hits the pitch then you move your fielder to the red circle and wait for him to catch it. If it's a ground ball you have two options. You can go to the circle and let him pick it up and then throw or you can push the base button before he has the ball to make one fluid play. This is referred to in the manual as "future throw". There is also two ways to bat in this game, you can use the easy batting or the regular batting. The regular batting is where you have a cursor and you try and line it up with the ball cursor, you can tilt the cursor to hit pop-ups or grounders or pull it or go with it. Then there's the easy batting which is just like high heat, you just time it right and swing. This is what I used because I find the batting cursor too hard. You can also guess the pitches on regular batting. If you guess right your cursor gets bigger and the opposite happens if you guess wrong. There are also player cards in this game which is quite fun. Basically you get points for doing things like a double-play and you buy packs containing six cards. The more cards you have the more cheats you unlock, it's really fun. If you're an arcade fan then play this game on rookie and pitch like you don't know the difference between a fastball and change-up, but if you're a sim fan then just use the right strategy, you might want to play on a harder level, but I played a one to nothing game on rookie so I actually think that this is more of a simulation than High Heat 2003

Graphics: These graphics are amazing, the stadiums are very accurate, and the actual field very much resembles the real field. It seems like they've used the 3D cyber-scan on every player because pretty much all of them look like their real life counterparts. You can know who someone is just by looking at their back because of their body build. The animations are also very good, when you're fielding a ground ball you see the player catching it, bringing it up to his chest then starting to throw it just like in real life. Every know and then you will notice the ball magically going to the player even though he's two feet away from it but it doesn't happen very often, and when it does it's not that distracting. My favorite part is the replays, you can't do a manual replay but there is one for every play, and it's simply amazing. When you hit a line drive and you see the ball flying by the people in the crowd you can't help but feeling that it's real. Speaking of the crowd, they're just your typical videogame crowd, flat paper like, but they do move and if you see them straight on then they look quite good.

Sound: I have heard better but not much. The announcers are almost always right and they'll usually tell you the stats of the player from last season in his first at bat. I remeber I was the Blue Jays and I was playing the Yankees and Carlos Delgado hit a game winning home run in the 11th inning. The next game the announcer said "He came up big yesterday with a homerun to win it." I was astonished to hear it. The crowd reacts nicely to what's going on. In the later innings they'll get louder if it's close or if it's a blowout they'll quite down. If a big play is made they'll get louder for the appropriate amount of time and then quite down again. Basically they react to the situations very well. I'm pleased that the sound doesn't take anything away from this game, although it doesn't add that much. I hope this helps in your decision.

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Two words...Franshise mode...finally somebody got it right thank you Akklaim Sports. The player detail is absolutely beautiful. The replays after each play make it almost feel like you are sitting in the stands or from the TV camera replay looks like you are watching an actual game. Expansion mode is also very fun with some very creative expansion nicknames and logos added by the software people along with some citys that should have teams such as Hawaii, Norfolk, VA, Puerto Rico, Oklahoma, Vancouver B.C. As far as the gameplay there is only one flaw that I have seen and that is sometimes when you are fielding the ball your player chasing the ball might make a catch that looks like the ball would land at least 5 feet away from where he was standing. But other times you will watch balls bounce off of players gloves and watch squibbers get under the diving infielders. Overall this is the best baseball game ever made for ANY system. The realistic feel and no 17-15 games make it that much more realistic. I have played four games with scores of 8-5, 8-3, 2-1, and 3-2. I cant get myself away from this game because every time I turn off the playstation 2 i just yearn to turn it on and play even more. Triple Play is dead...come on EA Sports add fantasy mode and i might give you a chance again but right now All Star baseball 2003 from Akklaim is the king of baseball video games. BUY THIS GAME NOW !!!!

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All-Star Baseball 2003 is a fabulous game. Although I've never played any games from the High Heat series, this blows Triple Play out of the water. All the different modes of play alone put it ahead of all the other games (nobody else even has a franchise mode!!). Fielding and Pitching is very well represented. Only a slightly odd looking catch will happen every now and again, but this is just a minor glitch. I've seen a couple of people complain about the hitting being difficult. If you don't want realism, then buy Triple Play. The scores are normal for a real baseball game 4-2, 5-3, 2-0, etc. It's realistic, so therefore hits don't happen all the time. There are bloop singles, line drives off the wall, hard grounders past the infielders, everything is represented. Without a doubt, buy this game, you won't regret it!!!

Honest reviews on All Star Baseball 2003

Ive been waiting since the idea of franchise mode for a baseball game to include it, and its finally here. With Trades,Free Agents, and best of all, a farm team, this game provides the most options to create a roster. Also, the addition of the 15 and 60 day DL creates even more chances to mimic reality. Players get better, or worse, depending on age. Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of this game is the Stadium and Throwback jersey options.. I was overjoyed to see another game at Tiger Stadium, and the chance to try and homer over the centerfield wall at the Polo Grounds. The graphics are beyond comparison, and the gameplay, contrary to other reviews, is quite good. Hitting SHOULDNT be easy, because the homer happy Triple Play series is extremly irritating. The Pitching interface requires you to mix your pitches and hit your spots. Anyone complaining about those two aspects is seriously missing the greatest joys in this (or any) baseball game. I would recommend this game to anyone looking for a baseball game to spend thier summer playing.

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This game is the best baseball game u can buy today. It has all the teams, all the stadiums and more. Graphically it doesn't quite match up with EA Sport's Triple Play, but it does offer many other features that EA doesn't provide. A couple features from the gameplay.

The part i liked most about being at bat, is the way it keeps track of your previous at bats. It tells you where you hit the ball on the field, what kind of pitch you hit and where the pitch was located in the strike zone.

The batting is a bit difficult but if you use the batting practice mode, you'll get better in no time.

-The feilding in this game is great. The advance bas throw is amazing. If you are used to playing Triple Play it might take a bit of getting used to it, but sone you'll be turning Double Plays with ease.

Here are a couple from the franchise mode:

Expansion: Let's u choose from many big citys/towns/states from across the US, including: Sacremento, Jacksonville, Virginia, DC, and even Alaska.

Farm Team: I have waited years for a good game to have a farm team. No more players living forever. Now when your all-star players retire, you have a brand new crop of players to replace them. This is one of the most difficult parts of the game. You must use your best judgement in when to bring up your young players and when sending them back down to the minors would be better than them sticking it out in the bigs.

History: This game is great at keeping you up-to-date on the past. It keeps track of all-time records both career and season records. It also keeps track of how many Gold Gloves players, ROYs, and MVPs your team has produced over your 20 year season.

Signing players: Just like if you have ever played Madden 2002 you must resign your players. You can even decide to go out on the market and steal someone else's star player.

Problems: One thing in the franchise mode is the schedule. You play the same schedule for 20 consecutive seasons. That just makes it a bit boring when u look at match ups.

Overall= Best Baseball game for the PS2 on the market

Best Two Worlds 2 - Xbox 360 Deals

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I wasn't expecting too much from this game. I personally was not a big fan of Oblivion. I tried to be, but there were aspects of the game that really bothered me such as all the monster leveling up with you. Having said that, I still bought this game hoping it would entertain me. For the first two hours, I really was not impressed. I did not like the character models, the way they moved, and I didn't like the voice acting. But I decided to give it a longer chance because I read someone say it took them an hour to get into it.

I am so happy I did. I love this game. Absolutely love it. I like it much better than Oblivion. I enjoy the combat much more as it feels more hack and slash. I like the fact that certain monsters will kill you with one or two blows. I have 9 1/2 hours logged into this game, and there is so much to do. The horse is difficult until you get used to it, once you do it is no problem. Remember that if you buy it and hate the horse.

For me, this game reminds me of an improved Diablo with the fighting, rapid looting, selling equipment, spells. If you ignore the voice acting which becomes easy to do as the game progresses, you will find yourself immersed in this game wanting to play more, to make your character stronger, and to make your weapons and armor stronger. There are graphical glitches, you definitely should load it onto your harddrive, and there are minor bugs here and there but they do not reduce the amount of fun this game is. As everyone else has stated, map is huge and there are so many side quests to do. Even though the voice acting is poor, the dialog is great and the characters have believable quests for you to do which makes them that much more enjoyable. I have played World of Warcraft, Oblivion, Sacred II, and I like the quests much more on this game than those. These quests actually have a bit of thought into them, instead of just making you "kill that guy because he has wronged me." Instead, you will hear him talk to you and tell you (and I am somewhat telling one of the quests but changing it a bit)"I want you to take care of this guy. By take care of this guy, you know what I mean. The reason I want you to deal with this is because when the Orc war was going on, he offered safe passage to my family in exchange for 500 gold. We paid him. On the day we were supposed to meet him, he disappeared. We knew the route of the passage, so we went. Little did we know he had led us straight into an ambush. It seems that is his way of making money..." and there would be more but you get the picture. It gives you an actual reason to want to do the quest instead of simple two line words that scroll across the screen. Anyhow, great game. I am glad I bought it.

I forgot to mention, so I will just throw it in here. If you like Rockband you may appreciate one part of this game. If you choose to, you can play musical instruments to earn money from people. To play an instrument, you need to buy one and you need to buy the music sheet. Each music sheet is different. To play, you have to use your controller and use both trigger buttons and both bumper buttons. Just like Rockband or Guitar Hero, the notes scroll down the screen and you have to hit the trigger or bumper when it passes the bar. But, it's hard. They scroll so fast. I would compare it to Expert on Rockband. But if you are good you'll enjoy it.

Edit: I am addicted to this game. Been looking for so long for a game to get addicted to and this one has done it. If you have been addicted to a game in the past but just couldn't find one give this one a shot.

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Let's go in this from the start and say that you need to play this with any expectations to match up to Oblivion will be gone.

If you go into Two Worlds II with low to average expectations, you may actually have some fun.

This game did nothing more that take bits of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars and mashed it into a pedestrian RPG that may be ok for the dry months of gaming until more AAA titles come along and by the time you have forgotten about this game, Elder Scrolls V will be here.

So far it's more playable than the original version. I bought the first one with high expectations and within 3 days I took it back. This so far looks and plays better and it's MUCH better than Gothic 4 which just came out 2 months ago.

The story is somewhat interesting where your character is actually so far working WITH the orcs that occupy Antaloor. It almost starts like Oblivion where you have to escape the King's dungeon and figure out how to rescue your sister Kyra with whom you share a mystical bond with. King Gandohar is torturing her to find out how to get her power so he can become a god and of course, you are what's stopping him from doing so.

As per usual, the first few levels act as a bit of a tutorial for you to learn the mechanics of the game. One of the issues that arises of course is there are still some things you have to figure out on your own, one being the lock picking mini game the other is how to create spells for the spell book but at the same time the game takes it time to show you have to kill multiple enemies with a bow.

Another little surprise is the ease of switching gear in the game. I was mixed about the fact that I have 3 slots in which to mix and match armor and weapon setting and that you can switch it on the fly. While it may seem like a good idea in some instances, it takes away from what is usually standard in RPGs that when you go into combat, you go in with the gear you have on and not be able to 'pause, change and fight'.

Something else that I caught is that the setting for this game isn't your standard medieval type setting. Most of the game feels more of an African/Middle Eastern/ Asian type of flair although most of the armor looks standard for this type of RPG.

Also it's one of those games where your choices do seemingly affect the outcome. For instance, early on, you get a mission to try to get through a gate to get to another city. I have so far the option to: fight my way out, get someone to forge a note, pay someone to smuggle me through work with town leaders to earn their trust to let me out. Not all of them work of course and depending how you do certain sequences, you relationship may change with one or several NPCs based on what you do...that's a big plus for this game.

Graphically speaking, it's a fairly decent game but part of the problem that I have with this game is that during daytime sequences, the back drops looks too washed out from the sunlight and no matter how much I adjust the graphics settings, it won't change. But when you do find a happy medium, the game looks pretty decent other wise. There is a lot of texturing and bump mapping that looks just great, when it works the lighting effects really work with the background. The buildings are very well detailed also. In some places it does tend to look better than Oblivion but considering that was 5 years ago it should! Some of the character models are outstanding including one who has some serious headlight issues going on!!!

The character creation is fine and a bit more detailed than what imagined and if it had more hairstyles to choose from it may have even beat Dragon Age in this category.

As far as game control goes, it's the one main reason why i have not given up on this game yet. It's pretty easy to get around, use in combat and do what you need to do to get through. Some games of this type fail because they try to make the control scheme overly complicated. But once you get it figured out, you are pretty much set.

The only combat issue I have to far (and I will have to refer back to the instruction book) is that creatures you come across you don't always know how and what you can beat. I have beaten things as large as an Ostrich, as fast and numerous as baboons, but a fire ant kills me in two blows...there is an unbalance in that somewhere!

That is the other quirky thing with this game. While you still have a number of bizarre monsters to kill, nothing will bug you the most than the fact that you are in a fantasy safari hunt and you track down wild boars, and rhinos. Well it beats having to always fight dire wolves or enraged rats in other RPGs...LOL

The voice acting in this game is just bad, bad baaaaaaad. It's laughably bad. The guy in the cemetery, the street beggar, heck even your character who sounds suspiciously like Geralt from the Witcher (I mean Two Worlds 2 is another Polish game) try but they all don't quite fit. One leg up it does have is that your character has his own dialogue through out the game. But this again comes back to that this is not a game done in America by the tops of the industry. There are a few other minor issues where the cut scenes don't quite fade right when transitioning, lip synching sometimes is off and the music rises and ebbs and some of the most peculiar of moments but the bottom line is that this game is more playable than the first one was but you have to be willing to give it a chance. You get tons of gear, an easy crafting guide, on the fly customization, multiple missions and side quests right out of the gate and even a multiplayer side which I have yet to try and it's really a decent package. I repeat if you go in not expecting this to be on the level of Elder Scrolls, then you can do ok. Get it only if you have an Oblivion itch you need to scratch but don't feel like closing about gate...

On a scale of 1 to 5 it gets a 3.

Best Deals for Two Worlds 2 - Xbox 360

I was a purchased of the original Two Worlds. I loved that game despite its mountain of problems (and believe me it had plenty). I love open world RPG's like Oblivion and Fallout. When I heard the developers were pledged to fix those problems in the next game and continue what made the original great my interest was peaked.

Now that I have the game, I can say the developers kept their promise. This is far superior to the first one (while keeping and adding to the RPG features that made it great) and in my opinion deserves merit and comparison on the level of other mainstream games.

Short but sweet;

+++ Beautiful graphics The draw distance is nice and the colors bright and vivid. The shadow and lighting is amazing and the level of detail on the character and monster models is very pretty. I kept finding myself impressed with something different as I went into each new area. 30fps for me throughout with the very occasional stutter.

+++ Interesting Innovations The magic system is awesome. You could play for days with the different combinations. I like the "equipment sets". Lets me hot swap various equipment builds with the touch of a button. Context sensitive actions are well done such as using the same button for Dash (while running), Sneak (while standing), etc. Crafting is a ton of fun and so is Alchemy.

+++ Game is just fun I really enjoyed walking around and checking out the scenery. The battles are fairly fast paced and the quests progress at a good speed. The inventory screen is standard fair and I found it pretty easy to use. You will find little details like spiders (not the kind you kill that are the size of a cat) hanging from dirty bookshelves and lightning flashes through skylights when the weather outside is bad. I just plain have been having fun playing it so far.

--Voice Acting I have heard worse actors, but not much worse. I am pretty sure they got Christian Bale to come in and do his awful Batman voice for the main character because that is what he sounds like in every situation. The Orc women you meet in the beginning was pretty good (The Orcs in general were serviceable) but most of the human characters just don't have any emotion or worse just don't sound like they fit the part.

-- and +++ Story What can I say about the story. It had been a long time since I played the first one so I couldn't remember what was going on. Man was that hard to find online. What a convoluted story. The new game doesn't do a very good job of recapping or explaining either. The opening cinematic while gorgeous is really confusing. Its clear there was a human/orc battle but not why, what happened, or who won. The NEW story seems a little easier to follow (a bit) than this but fair warning I think they assume you know all the details of the last one before you jumped into this one. I can tell the jist of whats going on but I like a bit more of that in my RPG's from the beginning. I like to know and feel WHY I am traversing the countryside trying to do whatever im doing.

--and +++ Cut Scenes I see what they were going for with the cut scenes and for the most part they are done pretty well. Unfortunately you get yanked from immersion when the cut scene starts and stops in completely different places with little explanation why. I think the story folks and the level folks needed to work closer together. Some of the animations in the cut scenes are pretty hilariously bad but can also be really good. Lip syncing is awful.

--and +++ Camera System The game seems to employ some sort of free running style shaky cam for any fast movement. I personally thought it was kind of neat and liked it but my wife said NAY! it was making her seasick. So be aware of that if you have a sensitive stomach. The camera can be a bit jarring/shaky with fast movement.

I admittedly have only logged a few hours so far but I keep thinking about when I can sit down and play some more and that is always a good sign with me. With Fallout: New Vegas to compete with for my time those are higher marks than normal. I say pick it up. If you like this type of game you won't regret it.

NOTE: I gave the game 4 Stars because it isn't perfect because of above mentioned issues but if there was a half star I would give it 4.5 stars.

Honest reviews on Two Worlds 2 - Xbox 360

I like RPGs. Dragon Age, Dragon Age 2, Oblivion. But Two Worlds sucked. I hated it.

I got Two Worlds 2 as a gift. And boy am I glad. This is an entirely different game that the first Two Worlds. Here's a few things about it:

Exciting Play:

Every few minutes, you're doing something exciting. And it's often something you didn't intend to do. For instance, you may be delivering someone's mail and then get side-tracked when you spot a group of creatures guarding some treasure.

The world is choked full of fun things to do.

Good Combat:

I enjoyed the combat of 2 Worlds better than any non-turned-base RPG I've played to date. You can quickly access your skills and equipment. And chopping into opponents with swords, spells and arrows feels quite visceral. The game has very solid animations for when you or enemies get hit.

A bit rough dialog and other Animations:

Some animations are a bit sad. When you're unarmed, you execute a very sissy kick. You look like a tween girl taking a swing at a mouse. And a lot of the dialog isn't much better (it's eons better than the first game, just not in a class with Dragon Age or Oblivion or other major works out right now). You'll often have to sit through the slow dronings of the elderly as they recite entirely useless information with tiny specks of usefulness buried within.

Although the animations and dialog aren't top notch, they're not so horrible that you'll want to quit the game.

Mini-games and Side-Quests:

There's too much to do. I'm nowhere near completion yet, but I've already run into dozens of side-quests and mini-games that are perfect distractions.

Overall:

There's tons to do. And I haven't even hit the multiplayer aspects yet. If you like RPGs and you're needing one right now, I think you'd do very well with Two Worlds 2.

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I've now logged around 14 hrs with this game and have still barely even scratched the surface. Granted I love to do side missions and there's plenty here. I'm also very blown away by how HUGE the world is, I also love how the culture and even plant and animal life changes based on the different area's and climates. I love going into battle, it's a bit tricky at first because you're so low leveled everything seems to kick your butt. Once you get around lvl 20 or so though it's not an issue. I highly advise anyone who's a fan of a great open world RPG to get this game!

Best Tropico 4: Modern Times Expansion Pack (Tropico 4 Full Version Deals

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The game hasn't really changed especially the graphics and this expansion doesn't do much.

Update the graphics and allow the game to continue with new leader after the old retires.Also a better transportation system is needed not just subways.Bottom line is this game with proper changes can be really fun again.

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Excellent Game to try. I can't wait for Tropico 5 to come out. Great graphics and menus. Easy to figure out.

Best Deals for Tropico 4: Modern Times Expansion Pack (Tropico 4 Full Version

I have loved every edition of this game. The new buildings were nice, the campaign was good. Hard but not too hard. I got a decent amount of hours of gameplay out of it. I can't wait for the next version.

Honest reviews on Tropico 4: Modern Times Expansion Pack (Tropico 4 Full Version

totally addictive. The add ons are terrific but I loved the game before I discovered them. I spent many hours before I eventually tired of this game.

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I feel like I was suckered in by false/misleading advertising. Modern buildings permanently replace older buildings against your will. None of the reviews made this clear. Some of the "upgrades" make no sense. Why is the restaurant replaced with a huge, pirate ship-themed restaurant? Stick with the original and imagine you are playing this expansion.

The Sims 3: Generations - PC/Mac Review

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Some people keep complaining about the lack of content in this expansion pack, calling it a "glorified stuff pack". There is actually quite a lot more there than one might think. Therefore, since someone asked me to post this, here is a pretty nice list of what you can expect to find in this pack:

This list was not compiled by me, but by a Sims fan-site

' There is not a new town for Generations. The town shown in photos and videos is Sunset Valley.

' There are 10 new community lots added to Generations.

' They have not added any new Rabbit Holes. (Still unknown if they have opened any existing ones)

' One of the new community lots added is a Playground complete with a Sandbox, Swing set, Seesaw, Playhouse Set, Spring-Rides, and a Treehouse(?)

Sims & CAS

' Body hair is a feature that has been added to CAS

' New accessory for Elders: Canes

Build Mode Features

' Spiral Staircases

' New type of Window

New Objects

' Usable Strollers to transport your toddlers. One per stroller. For more than one child, multiple strollers will have to be used with other sims pushing them.

' Bunk Beds and Loft Beds which can be used by Sims of all ages

' Tree-houses

' New Playground equipment

' Sandbox

' Water Slide which can be used by all ages (Slip n Slide) not a pool slide.

' Video Camera

' Chemistry Set to make lots of new potions

' Sleeping bags

' Children's toy boxes have been improved with costumes so kids can play dress up.

' Pink Limousines

' Costume chest

' Different sized picture frames

' Lava Lamps

New Interactions,Features & Events

' Children and teenagers can play pranks on strangers, neighbors, and even other family members.

' The Sims 3 Generations has two kinds of mischief: Traps and Pranks in public places

' Pranks & Traps include: booby traps, Water balloons, covering a neighbor's house in toilet paper (or TP'ing), Stink Juice (bombs), Flaming bag of poo, Ding Dong ditch, adding hair dye to shampoo, Throwing eggs, making the toilet explode, pouring buckets of water from the tree-house onto someone, messing with the sink to make it spray someone when they attempt to turn it on and whoopee cushions under the sofa!

' "Ninja Vanish-Potion" is used to disappear from the scene of a prank. Chemistry skill required to make the potion.

' Children & Teens can be grounded for mischief, have a timeout or have their video games banned.

' Pranks can contribute to your teen's social standing and will actually let you build up a reputation as a master prankster and local legend to the other kids at school.

' Children can sleep outside in their backyard and tell ghost stories. (Flashlight included!)

' Stories will effects how your sim sleeps at night.

' Sims can now have Nightmares.

' Children can have sleepovers and slumber parties!

' Children can dress up and be a "King or Queen" and reign over their subjects.

' Sims keep memories, so you can go back and review your Sims' milestones when you feel like reminiscing. Memories of significant life moments will be recorded in their Scrapbook.

' Adult Mid-Life Crises

' Pillow Fights have returned!

' Older Sims can interact with toddlers now by performing "claw" movements while in their arms. (most likely an add-on to tickling)

' Children can now have pirate attacks in their Tree-houses. A skull and crossbones flag is hoisted above the tree house, it hisses and pops on the inside and fire and smoke emerge from the windows.

' Children can now have Sci-Fi adventures in their Tree-houses. They dress as astronauts and UFO's appear.

' Children can now have "clubhouse" type adventure in Tree-houses where they spy on neighbors through a telescope to see what others are up to!

' If your sims decide to throw a wild party. a police car may show up! But don't be fooled as they are not real cops! They are there to add to the parties atmosphere.

' Grown-ups can now have elaborate bachelor and bachelorette parties before marriage, which include all manner of festivities like pink limousines, sexy dancers and plenty of "nectar".

' Bachelor parties, will include hiring a female "dancer" to pop out of a wedding cake and spray the lucky bachelor with a bottle of "nectar".

' Parents have the ability to send children and teens to different boarding schools. They can choose anything from military school to the sports academy, and has plenty to choose from to give their children a proper education! This happens outside our current world.

' Children won't go to college specifically, but what they will do are the following: Children can go on field trips now. Field trips are really cool. It is not just a new way of going with the community as they sometimes bring special things back from these field trips and have them in their memories.

' Teens will be able to have a Graduation and a party for it. (no details given on how a graduation will work)

' Teens can have prom dances. They will be able to take their date and go to the prom and they'll take their picture at the school. You can hang these pictures at home on their walls so they can remember this day and how it was like for them. Of course if they got prom king or prom queen that's a very special moment for them.

' New parties include: Teenage parties, graduation parties and bachelor/ette parties! They have also added new fun interactions to weddings such as the "Wedding Arch" and "Cake Cutting"

' Sims can now have Dates.

' Adult sims can Woohoo in the shower and in Tree-houses. In tree-houses, you'll see the adults climbing up in there and the tree house is shaking. Leaves falling down off of it and birds will fly of the tree house .

' Not only can your Sims record home videos of their children growing up, but they can take the Data Discs out of the camera and replay their home movies on most of the in-game TV screens!

' Sims can view the world from the video's perspective while they record events around them.

' Sims are now able to record home movies, or even tape unsuspecting victims to use the footage as evidence (blackmail)

' Sims now have the ability to gift flowers and boxed gifts.

' Sims will now be able to stargaze from the ground.

' Hopscotch

' Children can attend ballet class

New Traits/Skills

' Nurturing

' Rebellious

' These traits are not specific to any one life phase in the game, but they'll provide different benefits to Sims throughout their lifespan!

' As of now we do not know of any new "exact" skills such as cooking that can be improved, but making potions with the chemistry set is something to improve on.

Careers/Professions

' Day Care profession

' Parents can take their children to Day Care at a specific time, which is an at-home daycare. How many children will your Sim be able to handle? An additional challenge is that children with rebellious ways might anger you with their antics. Having the "Nurturing" trait is a plus for this job.

' Sims have this new "Nurturing" trait. Sims with this new trait will be great in taking care of other kids; they can interact with them in a special way. It's a very active career. You have to guide your Sims through these experiences to help them advance. So other Sims bring by their kids and drop them off and you have to take care of them. As you progress through it, it gets more difficult you may even have a problem child. They're going to pull pranks and get in trouble more often. But you make sure that you take care of them like they are your own kid. And as you keep going you will have more and more children and have the ability to manage them.

' Ambitions careers have been expanded.

Lifestate/Creature

' Imaginary Friends

' This fantasy creature with a fancy pants suit, different pairs of shoes and a glowing "light bulb" on the head, moves strangely. An imaginary friend stems from a doll which a child tends to nurture. Once the doll has turned into an imaginary friend, many new interactions become available.

' Only the sim with an imaginary friend can see them. Other sims will not be able to see someone else's imaginary friend. This will be odd seeing a pillow fight or a child on a seesaw with no one else in view!

' You will only be able to see the imaginary creature when the sim who created it is selected.

' Using a special potion, sims can turn their imaginary friends into a "Real" sim.

' Imaginary friends can perform actions that sims can. For example if you have to tidy up the house just ask your imaginary friend to do it!

' Sims can have romantic interests with imaginary friends when they become teens. This romance can continue into adulthood.

' Interacting with an imaginary friend, fills the social bar and gap for your sims.

Extras

' Collections (explained below)

' We now have this new filter in buy/build mode, where you click on it and select the icon of what product you want to see. So if you bought "Generations" and you just want to see the objects from "Generations" you click that icon and that's the only ones you will see. But it's a dynamic system. If you have "Late Night" as well you can click both of them you will see only objects from both of those. So you can show just the objects that you want.

' We will now be able to Upload Screenshots and Memories to our My-Page & Facebook.

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The Sims 3: Generations is the fourth expansion pack the the Sims 3 series and I must say, it's pretty good. I got it on the day of its release via Amazon. Now I'm no game reviewer as I'm more of a music reviewer (aspiring music journalist here) but I'll try my best to describe this game. Like with most expansion packs for the Sims, make sure you got your favorite families or games backed up on CD-Rs or whatever you back them up on. I've been doing this since Ambitions came out a year ago since I learned the hard way when one of the sims in my family wasn't moving. Alright, now to the game itself.

The theme for this expansion pack revolves around the idea of life and growing up. I found this interesting for EA to base an entire expansion pack on. What about the users who like having one sim families? Well, I guess you would get some things out of the new objects. If you're a user who likes to make families and have them go on and on, this might be the expansion pack for you. Your sims will get to keep memories of their lives (examples: Marriage, birth of a child, death, first kiss,prom etc). If you can remember in the Sims 2, your sims did get to have memories. This takes that idea and expands it. Memories can also be shared through the Sims 3 website and even Facebook! The only negative with the memories feature is that it may get annoying after a while. Also, I found this to be a bit funny: after you install the game, your sims will experience their "firsts" in just about anything. For example, my teenage sims, just about to be a young adult, kept his memory of his first day in school (when I know it isn't because he's been to school plenty of times before this expansion pack was released!).

New features are built around sims for all ages but for some reason, I feel like most of them are targeted for child and teen sims. For child sims, they'll get to have a bunch of new things such as see-saws, slip n slides, tree houses, and other things. There's also the interesting addition of imaginary friends. When your sim is just born, they will receive a gift in the mail. Its a doll, which you can give a name and have your toddler sim play with. As your sim grows up, so does your imaginary friend, based on your relationship. I'm also reading that if you keep a good relationship with your imaginary friend, they can have the chance to become real! For teen sims, they'll get to go to prom and even graduate high school. However, there's one disadvantage here with being a teen sim: teen sims can't automatically drive anymore! They have to now ask their parents for lessons! The lessons don't take very long (like 3 skill points to complete). As for other sims, there's a new chemistry set like thing. You can make potions that can help or hurt your sims. Your sims can also give other sims gifts, which is nice to see return!

These are just a couple of things you can do with The Sims 3: Generations. So far, I'm enjoying it. When you get it and open the case, you might be a little disappointed: there's still no $10 card for the online store, which is easy to get over. However, the booklet that comes with the game is barely even a booklet. I think the same goes for the Outdoor Living stuff pack: it just comes with an installation guide. Personally, the booklets have helped me and seeing this removed is sad. Still, The Sims 3: Generations is a great addition to the Sims 3 series.

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For a full in depth and positive review visit

I'm really digging the new interactions available for each age group. The pranks that kids and teens can pull off only are fun and makes raising and playing kids a worthwhile experience. Teens, young adults and adults can now ask their love interests out on dates. There is even an option in giving flowers and gifts (basically stuff from your inventory). I haven't tried out the midlife crisis for the adults just yet but I'm looking forward to it. There are several other new interactions which, like the ones mentioned above, only add to the Sims 3 gaming experience. Sims now have the option to pillow fight each other, share secrets, and effect each other's social reputations. For example, if your sim cheats then that sim will be identified as a heartbreaker or a player around town. Adults can also read bedtime stories to children. All sims can share ghost stories, look up at the stars and tell even more stories.

The boarding school features for the kids and teens is another worthy installment from this expansion. There are several schools you can choose ranging from military school, sports, art and a prep school. Each school improves upon a particular skill or trait. Graduating from these schools adds a more "life like" and rewarding experience for you and your sims. There are now better wedding events (by a wedding cake), bachelor parties, and childrens' sleep overs.

Lastly, the new items (though not as much in quantity) goes hand in hand with the new interactions and features. We now have tree houses (3), strollers, new radios, TVs, tables, Wedding Arches, a Wedding cake, several new decors, a slip and slide, a sand box, 2 new cars, and several new hair styles and clothes. Finally we also have SPIRAL STAIR CASES.

I definitely recommend this expansion for the new interactions because they give more life to your sims.

Honest reviews on The Sims 3: Generations - PC/Mac

--Edit March 5th 2012 ---

To this date I still can't get this game to work properly. But that's because EA doesn't support my video card anymore. EA didn't tell me this but I had to find the information myself. Below is a list of sites/pages that have been very helpful to me. I do not guarantee that this site has the help you need.

This site has a lot of information about The Sims 3. Everything from common technical issues to creating custom content:

The page (part of the above listed site) is a break down of system requirements and have been a great help to me. It lists most common video cards and will tell you if they work or not:

This page has information of technical/graphic issues and how the fix them:

--end edit ----

This game gives you more then a Stuff Pack but less then an Expansion Pack. While it is similar to a normal Stuff Pack--new objects, clothes, interactions/activities--it's lacking in new neighborhoods and only has one new job/profession ((that I've found))--Daycare Provider. I'm not sure what this job entails as I haven't tried it yet. It should be similar to the other professions (fire fighter, hair stylist...). Possibly meaning working in a daycare center or having an at-home service.

A new feature allows you to adjust the length of the age stages--baby, toddler, child, young adult, adult and elder. I love this feature. I thought it took too long for babies (3 days) and toddlers (7 days) to age. Now you can shorten or lengthen to your preference. You can also dictate how long your sims will live in total (preset at 90 days). This feature is accessible through the options menu.

This game offers more towards young sims--more objects, clothing, interactions, ect. You can tell your young sim what to dream about by clicking the bed while they're sleeping. Some dreams come true and some turn into nightmares. Teens can go to prom and become prom king/queen. Young sims can play pranks and have bad/moody days. Sims now have graduation (once they've aged to young adult) where they have a chance at valedictorian, being voted more popular, ect. Teens now have to learn to drive. There are more 'Wohoo' options now for grown-up sims. And for the elders--canes/walking sticks--wow, that's the best EA can do, really?

As mentioned by others, memories are back but with a twist. You can now share your sims' memories online such as Facebook. I like the memory feature but not the share. I highly doubt my friends and family care if my sim gains a skill point or marries. Luckily, you can turn off the share notices in the option menu.

Installation was smooth. The EA Download Manager didn't install properly the first attempt but did on the next try when I restarted my computer. Otherwise, I haven't noticed any installation or game play issues. A hiccup or two but nothing that really affects game play.

Overall, a nice addition to the great game of The Sims 3. But I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting more. I think EA could have done more with this game. Sorry EA but you really seem to be letting your standards drop for $$$. And I've been a fan since Simcity first came out on the SNES--I miss Simfarm.

***UPDATE 6/4/11***

I lied. The game is now crashing. It started to glitch with freezing every few minutes and one sim kept pop out of activities such as using a bed, bathing, ect. Then my pre-Generation sims became unplayable and frozen. I couldn't even click on them. Sims acquired after installing Generations seemed okay. Now the game is AMAZINGLY slow and freezes every few seconds.

All this started after I sent a sim to Egypt. Upon returning home the game began to glitch...

I'm trying to work this out with EA customer service...

***UPDATE 6/29/11***

The only things that fixed those glitched was to uninstall and reinstall. Unfortunately, that was only a temporary fix. Back talking to EA tech support and they're giving me the run around. If someone has had similar issues and know how to fix them please let me know.

***UPDATE 7/12/11***

After two weeks dealing with tech support they finally admitted to having a known issue with the game. They are working on a patch but don't know when it'll be out. Go, EA! I now have a game that's crashing/freezing and don't know when they'll fix it. Teaches me for buying an EA products new. Back to waiting a few months, and then only to by used.

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I have to say, I am a huge nerd for the Sims. Buy every game, every expansion, and so far Sims 3 has not delivered. Would like to see Sims Pets back at some point...but anyway back on topic. There is no new town in this expansion (which most of us know) so don't expect a lot of new trinkets and things. There are no added jobs in this expansion except for becoming a full time nanny. The Nanny job is basically 24/7. You work from 9 am to 8 pm (and sometimes later)plus weekends sometimes, and you can have up to 6 kids, mostly toddlers. As said above, this really is the family game. Its like speeding up your life and all life's events.

What has sims brought back?

MEMORIES! Remember life story and how you could go back and see "got married," "got caught cheating," ect..well, MEMORIES ARE BACK! You have a scrapbook of your life! This is actually a GREAT addition.

MORE INTERACTIONS! Sims can give gifts, give flowers, watch the stars...woohoo in the shower...hahahahah

Guys, if you love to play Sims because you love families then I recommend this.

If you don't then I recommend Sims Medieval...with all the Quests.

Personally *why there isn't five stars* I really wish we were given a new town a new jobs. Isn't that why we buy these? So we don't see the same landscape?

O well, that is my own personal opinion.

Enjoy!

Review of Xbox 360 Official NFL Miami Dolphins Controller Faceplate

Customer Ratings:

This cover is very nice and fits the controller perfectly. My son is very pleased and would like to order another for his other controller.

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I ordered this to put in my husband's stocking for Christmas. He seems to like it, he just wishes I bought two so both of his controllers would have one on.

Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller Review

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List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $47.31
Today's Bonus: 21% Off

I was very excited about the Rock Band 3 Wireless Fender Mustang Pro-Guitar when it was first announced.

I received mine yesterday (11/29) and was eager to try it out of the box. Straight out of the box, I noted that the overall body was still plastic but its heft and build are quite solid. The guitar comes in 3 pieces and snap together quite easily. I plugged it in along with the USB dongle into the PS3...and the game crashed. Tried it again, same result. So, I thought that maybe I had too many USB dongles in at once so I tried just plugging in the Mustang dongle by itself. At that point, the game launched fine. So here are a couple of warnings up front for you:

1. This guitar is not like you other guitar controllers. It actually functions as an alternate PS3 controller, so be sure that you are actually synced up with the dongle.

2. This guitar is a little bit finicky straight off the bat. I would suggest that you sync this guitar up prior to syncing up with other instruments. I haven't found the right combination yet as to what WON'T make it crash, but plugging in 1 at a time appears to work so far.

So, with the unpleasantness out of the way, how does it play? Wonderfully!! All 6 strings are nylon coated steel (which disconcertingly sound like plastic, but they hold up) and all 102 buttons along the 17 frets respond accurately and with no visible delay. If you're a real guitar player, you'll marvel at the realistic response; however, you may complain (and justifiably) that the fret buttons are all the same width and you won't be able to tell which "string" is which. If you're hung up on this, wait until the Squier (which doubles as a real, fully-stringed guitar AND a controller) comes out in the Spring for a rumored value of $280 +/-. The only other complaint that purists may have is that the "notes" on the guitar highway are a combination of numbers placed over strings. No, they aren't notes they just tell you which fret/string you have to hit. If you're used to reading sheet music, you may not be familiar about the 16th fret on the 2nd string...you may know it only as a note and a place to put your finger without consciously thinking how many frets down it is. If you're looking for actual notes, you're out of luck there.

The video game tutorials on RB3 were also fairly helpful in getting a beginner guitar player up to speed, but don't expect these lessons alone to make you a bona fide guitar player on their own steam. Still, they WILL teach you about the numbering and string schematics and also instruct you which fingers are appropriate for which chords. It's not a bad primer.

Overall, it's a fun guitar and the gameplay is phenomenal. Why they can support over 102 different possible fret/string combinations and yet be unable to support drums/keyboard/guitar/bass/vocalists without entering you into All Instrument Mode (as I explain in my review of Rock Band 3) is quite beyond me. My only other complaint is that for a guitar which costs so much, it would have been nice if they had opted for something other than a plastic body; I do feel entitled to something better for that kind of cash. Beyond that, it does work as advertised.

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When I got my MadCatz Fender Mustang Guitar Controller, I felt kind of sorry for it because for some reason someone felt it was necessary to put this message on the front of its packaging: "Not A Real Guitar". No, I guess not. A "real guitar" is like my Fender Strat which sat in the closet unplayed for 20 years due to a disheartening lack of real guitar playing talent. To me, that's a real guitar.

I've had my MFMGC for only a week now and I'm sure I've played it more than I played my Strat in 20 years. The disheartening lack of real guitar playing talent is not a problem on an instrument that is not a real guitar! With some computer help, playing this thing is a ton of actual fun and I actually feel like I'm gaining some real guitar playing talent as a bonus.

I'm not a great judge of whether a guitar-like object is big or small, so I'll provide some useful dimensions for you to decide for yourself.

Neck length (nut to 17th fret): 405mm

Width head (E to E centers at nut): 34mm

Width tail (E to E centers at 17th fret): 45mm

Width strings (E to E centers on strings): 47mm

Some things about playing this are a lot easier than a "real guitar" and some things are harder. Obviously I don't have wires slicing into my finger tips. However, I think that if you play with this thing for hours a day (which is easy to do), you'll go far in preparing your fingertips for real guitar strings. The button action is definitely not real strings, but it's not a terrible substitute if you're not fussy. The button action seems pretty capable of doing what needs to be done. I have had a button get stuck pressed in, but it's very rare and the RockBand feedback points it out right away. Tapping that button cures the problem.

I'm no expert but playing RockBand3 with this seems to foster good habits. The weird one is that you never look at the thing. Never. Harmonix made a fuss about how cool their fret fingering feedback is and that's true, however, they intentionally kept quiet about string feedback because, of course, there is none. I find myself resting the pick on a string just so I can know where it or its neighbor is when I need it. On a "real guitar" that would mute that string.

Some RockBand specific features are good, some not so good. For example, this device can automatically calibrate your audio and video latency for optimal game play. The menu in RockBand to use this feature was kind of confusing, but eventually it seemed to work. I do not like the overdrive feature being tied to the "Select" button. It would have been better had they put it on the down pad or maybe the X. Overdrive still works fine if you tip the neck up to some steep angle, but with complex playing that can be tricky if you're sitting down.

I've played this probably over 50 hours now and I'm still on the original 3 AA batteries. Could be worse for a wireless device. I should note that the battery compartment doesn't have a stupid retaining screw so you don't have to find a small screwdriver just to change the batteries like you did on other RockBand guitar controllers.

Now we come to the coolest part about this unreal guitar. I had thought that if I were going to design such a thing I wouldn't reinvent the wheel but instead I'd use a standard music instrument digital interface. And indeed, they did and they even put a standard MIDI output port on this. This feature makes the price suddenly pretty interesting just for a MIDI controller. After some fussing, I was finally able to hook the Mustang up to a MIDI to USB converter and get Ubuntu on my laptop to see the MIDI events. Then I used the awesome and free music editor Rosegarden to redirect the MIDI events back out to Fluidsynth, a free software synthesizer. This allowed me to play the guitar controller and have the sound come out my laptop. There's a bit of latency with such a setup, but it proves the controller is serious about standard MIDI output. It's not going to be the best guitar-like MIDI controller in the world, but for educational purposes and simple guitar track recording, I think it's great. One odd thing is that if you hit an open string, it tends not to ever decay depending on the patch. However, when you hit a fretted note, the note decays after you let up on the fret button. The way to cancel an open string note is to press a button on that string. It's workable. There's even a mode (press "Start") to send note events by pressing the fret buttons and ignoring strumming (think fretboard tapping). I also confirmed that the strings were velocity sensitive I don't think it's extremely fine, but there are at least two levels of intensity for hitting a string. I should also mention the mysterious headphone jack which disables the MIDI output. I don't know what it's for, but I didn't hear anything with headphones.

So there you have it. This is not a "real guitar". But it is a real musical instrument (technically a part of one) and a pretty fancy one at that. I'm having a great time with it and for me it's a better way to improve "real guitar" playing skills than playing a real guitar.

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Unable to find a Logitech G27 racing wheel last night I ended up buying the pro guitar for RB3. So far I have found it just as hard as learning to play a real guitar except my fingers don't hurt from holding down strings. I think this guitar is a good aid in helping one learn to play because it keeps your interest longer than say a real guitar and book or lesson. However if you are expecting to pick this up and be a pro playing medium or even hard in a months time than you might not have much fun. It will take time patience and dedication. I'm sure it will be months before I get past easy, even if I find the time to practice\play everyday. On a real guitar I know about 5 chords barely. On the normal guitar controllers I was able to complete all songs in Guitar Hero 1-3 on hard with all stars (except for one song on GH 3) but anyway... Right now I'm having trouble playing songs with the PRO Guitar for RB3 that use two strings and 3 buttons. I certainly don't feel like a rockstar when I'm struggling with only 2 strings and 3 fret buttons. I find RB3 overly challenging using this guitar(games are fun right?), but at the same time I feel like I'm going to be able to apply what I am trying to do with the RB3 pro guitar to my real acoustic guitar. And after all it would be pretty awesome if I'm ever able to play Free Bird on Pro Medium. I mean much much cooler and rockstar-esque than using that 5 button regular guitar controller.

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Please try this product before you buy, if you are a real guitar player, it at first, doesn't quite feel like a real guitar. Although, after about an hour of an adjustment period (and a pick is necessary), it starts feeling better and works quite well. I have also tried out the more expensive Squire Pro Guitar model, which has a much better feel, but is slightly less accurate than this one. If you don't already own an electric, the Squire one would be ideal, and if you have one, the Mustang Pro should be fine. The Pros on this guitar are the realistic strumming mechanism, close to the size and scale of a Mustang Guitar, wireless functionality and the amazing accuracy of hitting complex chords and strums. The only downside is getting used to the buttons vs real strings, but after the adjustment period, its not so frustrating.

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I just got my guitar controller today,

I have been a semi pro guitar player for 35 years (meaning I have been paid to play, but never made a living at it) I have turned my nose up at the guitar hero and rock band franchises because of the unrealistic guitars but I have been having a great time with the pro drumset and had the mustang guitar on pre order for more than a month before it arrived.

Well it arrived in the mail today and I rushed to put it together and start playing.

I am pleasantly surprised that there doesn't seem to be any notable latency at all. The fret buttons don't feel very much like guitar strings, but they do not take long to get used to at all. This could be a big plus for those who do not play guitar regularly and are not prepared to deal with the pain of getting your fingers accustomed to guitar strings.

I don't like that RB3 docks points for hitting extra notes, but I can't imagine how they would score otherwise. I am not used to reading music or playing songs "note for note" I usually do a great deal of improvisation when playing actual guitar, so this game is teaching me discipline I have never had before. Over all its a great accessory and I am enjoying it quite a bit. My biggest disappointment is the lack of pro guitar tracks in the DLC.

Review of Turtlebeach X1/X11/X31/X41/PX21/PX5/XP400/XP500 Xbox Live Talkback

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These cables for turtle beach headset are not worth the money you pay for them.. They last about 2 months and quit working... 20.00 every few monthes gets quite expensive. getting reading to switch over to a wired headset..

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First off,love the color love it all looks like the original but my original was white and my original broke because i sat and laid on it and it would make crackling sounds and echo this one does not and thank you guys for this amazing replacement.

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When my chat cable for my X41s starting shorting out, I went on the hunt for a replacement. I originally purchased a cheesy one on the cheap, but within 3 months I needed another. My buddy recommended these to me. It's actually better than the original chat cable. You will not be disappointed in this cable. If your Turtle Beach chat cable took a dump on you, this is the replacement to get!

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looks good on my xp500s and finally something to help me so people are not shouting in my ear can finally control their loudness

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Come on people, Google "Turtle Beach" and go directly to their website. I just bought an OEM replacement cable for $5.95 + tax and shipping. A whole $12 after all is said and done, but you want to pay $20 + shipping from a RESELLER?

Don't buy into the BS about this being "better than the original," because this is the original. This the same OEM replacement that you can find on Turtle Beach's website

Buy Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2

Customer Ratings:

Volume 2!! This is another awesome collection of games from the golden era of arcade! Many games here were made for NES and SNES, but now we get REAL arcade versions!

Each game looks wonderful and comes with history info, unlockable art, tips, cast, and music. You can adjust the screen, difficulty, etc.... Progress can be saved anytime during gameplay. Multiple players can play the shooter and brawler games together for more fun. These games really test your reflexes. Most games have beautiful graphics. The game designers' vivid imagination shines. I hope Capcom will make a volume 3 with Dark Stalkers.

Here are the machines:

1941:Counter Attack. A vertical shooter. You shoot up German WW2 planes, ships, vehicles, etc... Good game.

Avengers: A vertical brawler. Average game.

Black Tiger: A horizontal platformer similar to Ghosts 'n Goblins series. Medieval setting. Good game.

Block Block: A ping-pong game similar to Arcanoid(not sure of the spelling). Good game.

Captain Commando: A horizontal brawler similar to Streets of Rage, Golden Axe and Final Fight. You can pick up cool guns, operate robots(similar to riding on beasts from Golden Axe). Enemy design could be better. Good game.

Eco Fighter: A zany horizontal shooter. Control is similar to Forgotten Worlds. Nice graphics. I think this game was never released in U.S. arcades because it speaks Japanese. Great game.

The King of Dragons: A horizontal brawler with mediveal setting. Some RPG elements because you level up various statistics. Bigger and better weapons/armors are acquired as you progress. Nice graphics. Great game.

Knights of The Round: A mediveal horizontal brawler. Bigger and better weapons/armors are acquired as you progress. Nice graphics. Great game.

Last Duel: A futuristic shooter. Decent game.

Magic Sword: A simple medieval horizontal brawler. You unlock jail doors to recruit fellow fighters that act like satellite. Good game.

Mega Twins: A cute cartoon horizontal platformer. I think this was never released in U.S. arcades. Great game.

Quiz & Dragons: A trivia game. Good game.

Side Arms: Hyper Dyne. A futuristic horizontal shooter. You control a jet pack wearing hero then combine with another jet suit for more cool fire power. Average game.

Street Fighter: The original fighter game. The original arcade machine have 2 big 'power' sensitive buttons, the hitting strength determined heavy, medium or light attack. You literally get a work-out playing this game. Funky control with cheesy yet funny voice actor. Good game.

Strider: A futuristic horizontal platformer. You control a futuristic Ninja with sword slash attack. Awesome graphics. Cool design. There are various spoken languages between levels, including Japanese, Russian and Chinese. I played this game on Genesis but Genesis version didn't have voice-overs, so the arcade version in this Capcom Classics Collection V2 is truly great. Superb game.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo: A fighter game. Similar to earlier Street Fighter II games with more characters like Cammy, Fei Long, T.Hawk, and Dee Jay. There is NO loading time between matches. Superb game.

The Speed Rumbler: A top-view driving shooter. You control a land vehicle. Horrible game.

Three Wonders: Its actually 3 games in one. Platform, shooter, and puzzle. The puzzle game is similar to Pengo, you push blocks to crush enemies. The horizontal platform and shooter games are great, the puzzle one decent.

Tiger Road: A horizontal brawler similar to Trojan. Medieval Far-East setting. Good game.

Varth: A futuristic vertical shooter. Good game.

This is a must buy for all REAL gamers. Old school gamers will absolutely love it. Thanks Capcom for making this game!

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Boy this collection is much more expensive than when I bought it. Now I enjoy all the games I couldn't afford to play way back when. The transition to home console (original x-box in this case)seems flawless. A few of the titles are filler, but overall a whole lotta fun!

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This is all the fun of the arcade without blowing tons of quarters. I loved Capt Commando as a kid and this is just like the arcade. Not like when Double Dragon went to the Nintendo. There is a huge selection of multi player games here for youung and old alike. I highly recomend it for anyone from the 80s or anybody that loves good old arcade games.

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Alas, this excellent compilation of games is only compatible with ORIGINAL Xbox (not Xbox 360) consoles. [Anyone doubting the veracity my assertion can verify it by consulting Wikipedia's pertinent article ("List of Xbox games compatible with Xbox 360").]

Having owned my Sony PS2 console for several years; and having only recently added an Xbox 360 (slim) to my collection of consoles, I must say I'm sort of ironically relieved that my prior purchase of the PS2 version of "Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2" (as well as "Vol. 1," which is likewise incompatible with Xbox 360) wasn't, in effect, wasted. ;-)

P.S.: I recently also added the (easily confusable, but quite separate) "Capcom Digital Collection" to my collection of Xbox 360 games. I did this primarily because it (unlike the "Capcom Classics Collections" for Sony PS2 and the original Xbox) includes the excellent game "Commando 3."

Buy Xbox 360 Tony Hawk: Ride Skateboard Bundle Limited Edition Red

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I am a huge Tony Hawk Pro Skater Fan. So for the price they were selling it for I couldn't not purchase this item. Think of it as the first and probably last ever of its kind. Like Rock band or Guitar hero this item will be well collected like the power glove of old. From this stand point the purchase was well justified and received.

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Hoping this board lasts longer than the first. My 10 year old got it for his birthday and it las just a couple of days. Was used on carpeting and he is just a little guy. Not sure whay it didn't work but we are on our second one. So far so good.

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Works great and seems like a lot of fun. No issues with calibration and during game play. It's a cool change up on the skate games.

Gears of War Xbox 360 Face Plate Reviews

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I bought this faceplate for my son. He is younger and does not even play the game, but he realy wanted it for the cool looking style. It is easy t o swap and works perfectly.

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Buy Game of Thrones (Art Book Bundle)

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There doesn't appear to be much middle ground with regard to this RPG: either you like it or hate it. Yes the game has flaws and certainly lacks polish. This game could have been so much more in the hands of the correct developer. In my humble opinion, these reviews put up so far (as of 16 May 2012) here on Amazon do not do the game justice. This game is for fans of Westeros...whether you like the Song of Fire and Ice books by George R. R. Martin or the HBO series Game of Thrones. If one reads the Cyanide dev diary on this game they state the concepts for this game date back 7 years. This is long before HBO turned the books into the wildly popular TV series. As HBO crafted the visuals for series it forced the game to change to bring it in line with consumer expectations shaped by the TV show. I believe some of the lack of depth and quality can be attributed to this. However, it does not excuse the poor visuals and hodge-podge character graphics/animations.

What you do get with this game in lieu of cutting edge visuals is a solid story that takes you on a linear path (think FF XIII instead of Skyrim) and decent albeit repetitive combat mechanics. I have enjoyed my time in Westeros. It gets easier to overlook the visual flaws of the game when you are playing an engaging character and buy into what they are doing. I equally enjoy both of the main protagonists. The dialogue options seem appropriate and add to the most engaging aspect of the game, the story. Without spoiling the plot, you are faced with a grim story most of the game. If the player is not familiar with the series (book or TV) it will seem disappointing and sad in many aspects, but those knowing the way the books are it only adds to the story-telling aspect of the game. This isn't a Lord of the Rings-type fantasy or Dragon Age where good triumphs over evil. This is a story where life is rough, times are bad, and difficult choices have to be made.

I've seen some professional reviews of the game complain about the lack of character customization. This is misrepresented. Yes, you cannot choose your gender and you cannot choose how they look. You can choose their stats and skills and customize the class and choose any traits (e.g. bonus for being a good leader, resistant to poisons...etc.) to create a balanced character. What is meant by balanced is that these traits are optional. You don't have to pick any at all. Some are good and some are bad, but if you pick a good one, you also have to pick an equal bad one. Example: I picked poison resistance as a good one. So I had to pick a bad one too so my character was balanced. So I chose a trait that made me averse to bleeding. If I "saw blood" my ability to land a blow on an enemy was reduced because I didn't like blood. Keep in mind; you don't have to choose any of these. They are purely optional but add depth to the development of your character and can twist the strategy of how you play the game. Since I don't do well with bleeding, I avoid picking skills that cause enemy players to bleed.

The game has many flaws, but also some cool concepts. Fans of the books will probably enjoy the game as it adds to the overall story of Westeros. Fans of the HBO series will probably be disappointed. All must be willing to play through the unpolished aspects of the game.

I'm going to give the game 4 stars, but a 3.5 is probably more accurate. This isn't Bioware, Bethesda or even Obisidian that made the game. It is not an AAA experience and to my knowledge was never marketed as one.

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Kids with ADD will not like this game, that much is clear. But if you are an adult gamer who used to enjoy "old school" 90s PC RPGs and happen to be a fan of GRRM, then you will most likely love this story driven game.

The voice acting is actually very good, and if you're a fan of the show, you'll feel right at home (especially since the music is the same). The graphics are serviceable, and the RPG elements are quite detailed, though again, suffer from some old school game design choices.

One particularly cool thing is that your dialogue choices directly affect your character perks/development.

The combat is not really turn based... more of a "slow down time to a crawl and queue up your next skills and actions" thing. It works well, and is challenging. You'll have to constantly choose the best weapon to deal with the enemy's armor.

The cutscenes are great, lots of dialogue, excellent codex. If you're a true fan of the books and show and don't get scared away by non-AAA game budgets, you'll love this. It is a quality game.

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Let me start this off by saying I am new to the series. I have never read the books and I am about half way through the first season of the HBO series. So before playing the game for the first time I was aware of some characters, locations and lore but not much.

Gameplay:

As many have stated this game plays like what Dragon Age 2 should have played like. Some people have called the fighting boring, I would have to disagree. The combat is fun and rewards tactics. (IF you don't play of easy, which I assume you can just press the attack button a few times and wait for your foes to die) Much like Dragon Age 2, Combat at the start of the game is a little boring since you have yet to unlock skills and executions but by the middle of the game when hordes are crashing down on you it's rewarding to strategize a battle plan and not simply button mash your opponents into oblivion. (Hint: Make sure to utilize your dog as much as possible later in the game and on harder settings. The dog has saved me from the load screen on many occasions.)

Apart from the actual combat the rest of the gameplay is like your other RPGS. Exploring areas results in hidden compartments of cash and loot. There is not a lot of loot but it is worth searching around. Also searching with your dog lets you find loot that otherwise wouldn't not be available to simply pick up. (I didn't figure that out until about chapter 6 or I'm sure I would have found even more loot. An Example, there may be a fire pit that you have checked out with your character, if you switch to your dog and search the same fire pit all of a sudden there is a nice sword in there for you)

The Real Gem of the Game of Thrones is simple the story. (People complaining about the story have obviously not made it past chapter 4 of the game.) Like I mentioned before I'm not a huge fan of the series. (Well at least before I started this game) The Story for both characters is great, Better than most RPG's to come out recently. Kingdoms of Amular's story can't compare to Game of Thrones Lore. Not to mention the twists that I don't want to give away. Just make sure that you pay attention because much like the TV show there is a lot of dialogue to listen to.

Graphics...

While they are far from the best in the world; people comparing this game to PS2 graphics are simply spoiled whiners who don't remember the PS2. These graphics are not the best, but they do the job. The armor's look great but everything else you have seen before this generation.

Bottom Line:

The story makes you want to experience more of the Lore. I actually ordered the first book today so I can get started on catching up with the rest of you. The combat being compared to Dragon age is a fair comparison. ( I Beat Dragon Age Origins 7 times so I may be a little biased in exclaiming that I really like the combat of this game) The leveling system is fun and gives players a feeling of being unique while really not giving players a ton of customization options. I hope if they make a new game players can customize their character a little more. All and all Fun Game with a decent amount of gameplay. A little replay value as decisions you made the first time can be changed on a second play through. If you found this game for $40 bucks you are getting a good game at a great price. At $50 you are getting a solid game worth the money at $60 bucks you are supporting the video game industry and doing your part to help them balance their own budgets. Think of it as making a campaign donation this year that actually goes to a good cause.

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First I was kind of unpleasantly surprised the game has a quasi turn-based combat. But eventually it made sense. It is a story heave game, with long cut scenes, and a lot of dialogues. As a fan of the books, I really like it.

As I prefer RPGs that stress a story, I am really happy with this one.

The rest visuals, sound, and such are good enough for me. The game definitely does not look like my favorite wallpaper generator Skyrim ;), but for a small team on a tight budget it is understandable.

I gave 5 stars for a bundle. The art book is a nice touch, good quality, and free. BTW, I pre-odered this in February, so I got this bundle for 44.99, and I am glad that I did.

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While I am only a few hours into the game, it is by no means as bad as some would have you believe. The graphics are not the best and the voice acting can be stail at times, but the story more than makes up for these minor issues. Many will point to the lack of character customization as a flaw, I find that there is just the right amount. You choice your characters class, set the standard RPG states (strength, intel ect.) and learn skills based on the character class you choose.

If you are a fan of the show you will enjoy it, you see some events from a different light than in the books and TV show. If your not a fan, you will probably get more enjoyment from another RPG.

Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Swamp Reviews

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For starters, we were HUGE fans of last year's Scooby Doo First Frights for Wii. I personally thought that it was one of (if not THE) best games of the year on the Wii for the under 10 crowd. One of last year's break-out hits, for sure.

So it was with great excitement that we purchased Scooby Doo and the Spooky Swamp for Wii. I must say that I am not as overwhelmingly excited about the sequel as I was with the original. The main reason is that the game developers chose to change some of the fundamental game play structure for this sequel. Some may like these changes, others may not.

Chief among them is the fact that the game play is entirely objective driven this time around. You must complete an objective (or task) to proceed forward in the game. To that end, READING SKILLS ARE A MUST. The objectives are sometimes obvious, but other times the objective must be read (or re-read) from the objectives log to be certain that you understand the task that you need to perform. So even if your child can pick up the very easy game play mechanics on their own, a lack of reading skills will leave them constantly asking "What do I do next?" Where the original game allowed a non-reader to play on their own and still advance through the game without a problem, this new game requires someone to sit with a non-reader to guide them through the objectives.

The objective-driven game play does allow for the story telling and story progression to be enhanced well above and beyond the original game's high standards. This is a definite plus!

Voice acting is solid, as was the case with the previous game. Although, Shaggy's voice acting is decidedly a notch or two below the previous game.

This game is definitely more of a challenge for the younger set this time around. It appears that the game developers were pushing the game to be more along the lines of the "Lego" games for Wii. My suggestion would be for fans of the original game to try it for themselves and decide how they feel about the original vs. the sequel, and for parents to be aware of the reading requirement before making a purchase. While it is an excellent game, I feel that the fundamental changes will prevent it from becoming a classic like the original.

My 7 year-old son quickly lost interest after about 30 minutes, where the original game was one of his favorites for Wii.

UPDATE 9/19/2010 My son has regained his interest in the game, but only when I am close by to help out on a regular basis. On his own, he quickly gets frustrated.

UPDATE 9/26/2010 Finished the game in about 8-10 hours. Only 2 episodes in this game, as opposed to 4 episodes in the last. It was great while it lasted, but seemed like it was over a bit too soon.

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I've read the other three (3) reviews that were posted at the time I created this one. I agree that it is more of a problem for a non-reading child to be able to play this game. Fortunately, my daughter and I played this one together, so it was just fine. I liked the upgrades in the game, you get to use whatever character you want most of the time (before you solve the whole thing). The story line is a bit more complex and you have suspect files, pictures to take, a magnifying glass to use, mini-games you can play, and some pretty neat tasks to complete (like using a catapult for snowballs or watermellons), making food, washing laundry, putting together scraps of paper to complete a map or note, etc. There was a lot more creative development put into this game and it targets a broader skill set and probably older audience. My five (almost six year old) absolutely needed my help to get through it.

I really like that there are more things to do: collect medallions, collect costume parts, beat up a certain number of bad guys. You can see your statistics by pressing plus (+), and a variety of objectives. You can recall objectives or sometimes get clearer instructions about objectives by pressing minus (-).

I think it would have been nicer to have one more level (Episode). The First Frights (first Scooby game) had four, but this new one only has three. I think it would be better if we were able to get full coordinated costumes that actually allowed you to perform different actions. Like Scooby Ninja from the first game or playing one of the bad guys from the first game. That stuff is fun and I don't see any way to do that in the second one.

Overall, I am pleased with the purchase and glad that I was able to play it with my daughter. Although we solved both mysteries, we are not yet done. We have more trophies and Scooby Medallions to get in the first game and in the second game we have more trophies, ghost pictures, Scooby letters, and Scooby Medallions to get. Overall we are still having fun, even though the second game is light on one episode.

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We enjoyed the first game. It lacked many of the conveniences of this game but it was cute.

This game has a better means of monitoring what you've collected and a lot more things to collect, rewards for collection such as costume pieces, and relatively free switching between characters except when you really need to use Shaggy and Scooby only. It also does not allow both players to be the same character which I like because my 4-year-old thought it was funny to use the same one I did in the older game and it made it very hard to play.

It is, obviously, pretty easy to play, even with the nunchuck (though ours must be old, since the machine frequently tells us to plug ours back in. I can only assume they're shorting out). You don't get different powers anymore with costume changes, which was a little disappointing since Ninja Scooby was my favorite in the previous game. The panda hat and bunny slippers make up for a lot.

The story is a bit weak, but still reasonably cute, and how strong were the stories in the original animated cartoons anyway? Tar monsters? Thawed cavemen? An over-sized Dia de los Muertes monster isn't too odd by that standard... in fact, he's flippin' awesome.

I didn't find that reading was such a great obstacle. Of course, I played it with my daughter when we first got it since we bought it to pass the time while we shared a nice head cold. But if you're paying attention, they tell you aloud what you need to do most of the time, and if she gets stuck, assuming she cares what her objective is, there's the minus button that brings up a reminder that I can read to her.

This game, unlike the first, does not force you to keep moving forward, which suits my kid just fine, since there are many items that you can interact with... things you can pick up and throw, a machine that makes soup, catapults (oh yeah), laundry machines, and respawning monsters if you want to work on your quotas to earn costume pieces. When she plays it by herself, my daughter spends most of that time making soup and carrying places in the snow chalet, narrating the entire thing in squeaky voices as though she was playing with a dollhouse. Of course, this makes it hard to play along with her...

The complaints I have are not with story, features, or extended play, which is fine. There are even game features that unlock when the mysteries are solved. Nice. We also enjoyed the zombie brides and zombie mariachis... Their muttering cracks me up. "Where is my preence?" "How did I get here?"

But the trouble is technical, and in some cases with gameplay. The chases, which are thankfully very few, are frustrating in that you can run so far forward that you can't even see the path ahead, restart as often as you fail to escape without giving you a choice about whether you want to do it again, and worst of all, sometimes are subject to a bug which will not allow you to leave! That's right, the first times we did each chase, we got so frustrated not being able to see the holes before we fell into them that we tried to drop out, which is done by means of the plus button. If it lets you even once press the button and select "drop out" it doesn't let you do it again... which is odd considering it ignores the request and leaves you in the game. After you try it once, it no longer responds to the plus button. Considering this is also how you save and quit, it's a problem.

You can get further from your partner in this one than you could in the earlier game, but there's also the curious issue, as seen in the chases, that you sometimes need to be farther apart to see what you need to see. It's hard to aim if you choose a character with ranged fighting. Usually you get a few hits in and then for some reason you have to keep moving your character in order to stay targeted. There are almost no purple hearts (heals), and those are all drops. When you die, which is often, a bunch of your scooby snacks are scattered around you while you wait for respawn. And some enemies can actually pound you so hard you can't hit back, which is just maddening.

And if your partner is fond of running in circles for no good reason at all, the screen follows the runner... But again, I play the game with a 4-year-old. This game is at least mercifully free from the irritating character respawning glitch that plagued us in the previous game, and no more monsters that leap into the air and fly away. But in this game, they have made the mistake of having foreground objects sometimes obscuring the view of the characters... in one case, while you're heading toward a rope bridge over a snowy precipice!

Another curious thing that might annoy some people... and bemuse others. The games was made in Australia, and some of the regional terms have slipped in for characters that are not in the least Australian. Shaggy, in his best hippie drawl, slogging through mud and saying, "Dude, I wish this was fairy floss!" kinda threw me. I guessed what it was, but it did have an odd sound. The only one that actually annoyed me a little, as a native of Louisiana, was the gumbo. They called it stew. A girl with a Caribbean island accept and Voodoo chic in the middle of a swamp, mixing up a big pot of something tan with tomatoes and okra floating, in it says she's making stew. Eh, well.

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Kids loved the first one so we had to get the second. My kids are 5 and 7. The 5 year old just likes to watch. The 7 year old likes to play. We both play so I can help out and guide through when needed. Graphics are good as well as game play. Kids like the ability to change the looks of the characters. I like the fact that if the characters run out of energy, they simply reappear and action continues. This is a good choice if you have young kids and they are into Scooby-Doo. Action i easy and keeps them entertained. If they are advanced gamers, they might get easily bored. But for my 7 year old, I think it is just about right. Good game and looking forward to the next one.

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I gave my 12 yr old daughter this game five hours ago and she is still playing it. She says its too hard to find where everything is, but I think she just doesn't want to give any mental effort. As a Daddy watching it I can say that it plays just like the first Scooby Doo that came out for the Wii. I like this one because a frog comes on and tells jokes.