Best Dragon Age: Origins Collector's Edition - PC Deals

Customer Ratings:

First things first: in the past I have chastised EA a number of times for its release of cookie-cutter games, crippled with atrocious DRM schemes. So, in all fairness, I now have to say this: DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS IS A GAMER's DREAM! It is an excellent game and it comes FREE of any DRM madness. So, thank you EA for listening to your customers (let's only hope this new trend holds...).

This is one of those games that are easy to control, a joy to roam through and fun to play at no end.

I am a huge cRPG fan and cannot remember such a great companion/squad cRPG ever since the Baldur's Gate Saga. And to tell you the truth, this is the game I was dreaming of being able to play one day while playing BG (yeah, by now we all know that NEVERWINTER NIGHTS never delivered).

There are about a dozen gender/race/class/background choices and a great many combinations in forming your party. The armor and the weapons are exceptionally made and everything shows on your characters. And the graphics are truly beautiful! You have to see the rendering of flames to believe them.

Nevertheless, what really stands out is the gameplay. Every battle is a puzzle to be solved, pausing ever so often to reallocate enemies to the best suited party members (a feature I loved in BG!). Of course one can always turn off the autopause feature and let the AI take over the rest of your party and turn the game into an hack&slash action RPG (not exactly my cup of tea but, hey, it's still nice to know it's there).

Finally, this is a game made just like the classics in many ways, including duration. I am now playing the game for over 20 hours and I feel that I barely scraped the surface! DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS is one satisfying RPG!

My only gripe is this: I did not appreciate such short dialogue options. Most fit a single line and more often than not they consist of a couple of words. I like my RPGs to be wordy and challenging to my verbal imagination as well and I want my characters to participate in the humor, not just provoke it or react to it. Remember the long dialogue options in BG? Well, expect to find DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS much more laconic.

I guess 10 years of fast-paced FPS and blitzkrieging RTS do take their toll...

Now this is the COLLECTOR's EDITION which is almost 30% more expensive than the Standard edition. For the extra money you get: a tin case, a cloth map, a bonus DVD (soundtrack, making of documentary, concept art & wallpapers and strategy tips), an in-game quest and character as well as three enchanted items. Is it worth it? You be the judge.

The blood sprays, the swords clang and the spells explode. The animations are beautifully made and add a lot to both enjoyment and immersion. There is a verse in Homer's Iliad I love: "the warrior fell and his armor echoed around him" and I was reminded of it many a times throughout the game.

This game will stay with you. Do not miss on it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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Installation

For some reason it took three installs to get the program on my machine. Not sure why, I received no error message or other indication there might be a problem. So getting the game installed took nearly an hour.

Digital Rights Management

-DRM is not present in DAO. A simple CD Key and online registration to get an account with BioWare/EA and you're ready to rock.

Tech Support

Thank goodness the BioWare community is intelligent, helpful and generally proactive. Since EA purchased BioWare official tech support is passed off to EA. EA has no tech support to speak of. So imagine my frustration to find my NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX had issues running the game. I've got a gaming rig CPU Intel 2 X9000 2.8GHz, 6GB RAM, etc. and I could not run DAO. Big WTF. Thank goodness the BioWare Forums had the answers I sought.

Exclusive Content

The bonus items at start up are nice, having the Stone Prisoner is great (I think as DLC it retails for $15 US) But the Cloth Map is meh. The tin case is nice if you're into that kind of thing I often discard packaging in favor of my giant CD book. The features disk is interesting but if you want to play the game not see the whole shebang it may not be worth it for you. Overall I'd probably get the Collector's Edition again (it was a birthday present from me to me) but if you're on a budget or want plenty of bang for your buck its probably not worth it.

Gameplay

Graphics

Anyone that tells me the game looks outdated or poor isn't paying attention or can't witness DAO in all its glory. When I can see the pores on Morigan's face, the individual teeth on Dog (aka Rabbit) and see stray hairs on Alistair, it is amazing. Not to mention the burning, bleeding, spurting, freezing, effects from damage. Seeing an enemy break because he's been frozen is awesome. If you've got a mediocre rig a PS3 may be the way to go. I haven't seen a 360 in action so check those out but if you've got a machine that can handle the settings check the PC version is way worth it.

Cutscenes

If you've played BioWare games before you know they're big on story. If you've played Elder Scrolls, Fallout 3, Fable, Diablo, Guild Wars, LOTRO, and like the story this has more, and it is good. If you like Demon Souls this is less hack n' slash and more about the entire experience. Heavy dialogue, great and frequent cutscenes, are BioWare hallmarks. If that is not your bag you can hit ESC to skip the scenes.

I do miss the dialogue wheel from Mass Effect, I rather enjoyed hearing my character speak. Selecting dialouge options is akin to KOTOR or Baldur's Gate and at times it seems like your representative in the game is mute. This is not enough to discourage or dissuade me it is merely an annoyance.

Gameplay

Think an updated Baldur's Gate. As your avatar gets better at killin' he or she performs more stylized attacks and finishing moves reminicient of Fallout 3's VATS finishing/killing attacks. The game goes to SloMo and shows you doing X to critter Y. Navigating is easy your compass has a quest arrow when you use the feature.

One of the most interesting things are the "tactics" the more cunning your avatar or the higher the level you get more "if A then B" actions and choices making a very flexible but very effective "script" for combat. I.E. Condition: 'Self health is < 10%' Action: "Use strongest healing potion". The limitations are your ingenuity, imagination, tactical know how and your avatar's intelligence.

Downloadable Content (DLC)

I like the way the have DLC set up, it relay's what you have, what you can buy, and etc. It seems that Electronic Art's buisness model in DAO is to provide a solid and addicting product then have you purchase things to make the story more in depth. As a gamer it is annoying but I'll probably persist. As a stockholder if it would raise the share prices it seems like a good idea.

DAO Creator is awesome. I don't know what the consoles can do with regards to this option but it allows PC players unlimited creativity and ensures amazing replay value.

Overall

I am very happy with the game. If you have any doubts cast them aside, there is enough knowledge to ensure bugs are being fixed (there are few if any) and almost all technical issues I've seen posted on the BioWare forums are resolved.

This is an extremely enjoyable game with a new twist on old genres and the story creates a world that I certainly hope persists in BioWare's repitoire.

Have fun, enjoy.

*UPDATE*

Content

The rating of M is well earned. Gore is aplenty with decapitation and similar fantasy violence. Those concerned about the romance plots should know that you can engage in sexual relationships. The scenes depicting these are similar you would see to day time television, no genetalia or reproductive organs. There is also prostitution though once again no nudity.

Best Deals for Dragon Age: Origins Collector's Edition - PC

To long time classic CRPG fans, Dragon Age: Origins (DAO) is a nostalgic trip back to the bygone era of CRPG Renaissance amist the blight of dark forces joined with many (certainly not all of them) of generic FPSs that gives you measley 4-7 hours on single player campaign and hybrid RPGs that blur the true quality of classic CRPG. While Bioware has released many games that all found financial success and critical acclaims, Bioware's track record since Black Isle's demise hasn't always been impressive among classic CRPG fans.

Bethesda has successfully reinvigorated non-linear, open-ended, free-formed, real-time CRPG of 'TES: Arena' and 'TES: Daggerfall' with 'Oblivion' and 'Fallout 3'. Now Bioware has done the same to narratively-focused, linear, story-driven, party-based tactical CRPG of 'Baldur's Gate' series with DAO. Both are in lineage of classic 'Dungeons and Dragons', 'Tolkien', 'Ultima' series and 'Wizardry' series. But each camp go for totally different experience.

Now for the fans of classic CRPG fans can finally find great solace in the latest medieval fantasy epic called 'Dragon Age: Origins'. This game really picks up the torch from the late Black Isle and its own 'Baldur's Gate' in terms of gameplay, design, lore, and character development and carries on the impossible task of putting CRPG back on the track. It generally succeeds with DAO but it will surely polarize many others too.

Those who began to acquire the taste of RPG through games like 'KOTOR', 'Jade Empire', and 'Mass Effect' must be warned though. DAO is not quite like aforementioned Bioware's titles. DAO is a classic, hard-core PC-centric western CRPG firmly rooted in D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) compared to the past three Bioware titles, which were hybrid western / console RPG geared toward more accessible and broader appeal that could be viewed as shallow to hard-core CRPG gamers. But there are definitely similarities among these titles too.

Those who began to acquire the taste of RPG through games like 'Oblivion' and 'Fallout 3' must be warned also. DAO is not a non-linear, open-ended, free-formed CRPG. You don't do anything anytime anywhere you please, and interaction with items and environment is non-existent. While you are given a fair amount of freedom once you pass the initial origin part and first big prelude, DAO is a linear game where main focus is on narrative focus via plot, dialogues, character dynamics, and of course tactical combat. DAO is the polar opposite to TES series. You don't have such freedom in DAO, but intensely plot-driven, character-driven game just not feasible in TES series. You don't get the visceral, in-your-face hack n' slash here. Combat focuses on character management during each wave of enemies. The action is governed by number-crunching Bioware's own original ruleset, similar to D&D ruleset. DAO gives you much broader scopes of battles with waves of mobs thrown at you alongside your companions, so it's totally different kind of pulse-pounding combat. But I personally love both styles.

And finally this is not a click-fest hack n' slash 'Diablo' clone or various MMORPG either. So if you are looking to get some fix for action RPG, 'Diablo 3' and WOW expansion are on the horizon. You won't get far in this game by just clicking your mouse pointer on your foes.

To some people, it might feel oddly enough it seems Bioware might have taken a step back, Bioware actually has taken a step forward from the games from the golden age of CRPG such as 'Baldur's Gate' series, 'Planescape: Torment' and 'Icewind Dale' series. And those of you who were big fans of 'Baldur's Gate' then were somewhat disappointed with 'Neverwinter Nights', you will be thrilled to finally have the heir to a decade-long empty throne since 'Baldur's Gate' in 'Dragon Age: Origins'.

You get to choose your sex, race, class and background to determine your origin among six different origins. Then you play totally unique origin story / tutorial for a couple of hours. Once you familiarize yourself with control, menu, etc, it leads you to big intro part where you wet your feet with couple of side quests and combat. A good 3-4 hours will be spent to this point. Then you see some exciting cutscenes and you are into the thick of epic battle and more exciting and revealing cutscenes. You get to play a part of the battle. And off you go finally to your main quest after the longest prelude of the video game history. And from hereafter things opens up and give you some freedom.

It still has loading screen between areas like all other Bioware games although it now feels less confined and limited in each area dut to the game's bigger scope created by newly created and much refined 'Eclipse Engine'. I just wish there's an open overworld map where you can actually traverse and level up fighting foes like classic Final Fantasy style instead of clicking on the world map and occassionally running into random combat area.

In terms of graphic, even on high-end PC, things are somewhat bland, blocky and jaggy. While the game doesn't look terrible and CRPG has never been the front-runner graphically, graphic in this game definitely looks dated even by the CRPG standards. By comparison to games like 'Oblivion', 'Fallout 3', and Bioware's own 'Mass Effect', graphic in DAO might even come as a shock. It generally looks more than fine on PC; just don't expect top-notch graphic.

Beside the confined world map, modular nature of the map with loading screen and not quite top-notch graphics, everything else is delivered with depth and grandeur. All the dialogues are voice-acted, except your player character, and there are tons and tons of dialogues in tradition of all previous Bioware's games. The gameworld is littered with lores. Weapons, armours, items, magic, skills, map, quest log, codex, character development / customization, party management and combat tactics are very well handled in robust menu design. DAO is the most PC-centric game since 2002 with 'Morrowind' and 'Neverwinter Nights'. You can handle the combat with either micro-management in 'Baldur's Gate' style using pause function and action queue or more fast-paced with programmable tactics slots for your companions. And the combat mechanics is similar with 'Baldur's Gate'. You have full 3D camera so you can zoom in and out on the fly with mouse wheel and pause with space key. While you have new tactics system, user-programmable command slots that control each and every member of your player characters, thers's only one action queue per character. While tactics slots do generally fine job, multiple action queues are desired.

What seperates DAO from other CRPG is character interaction and dynamic. The world is no longer black and white. Bioware abandons good vs. evil dynamic over much more ambiguity and complex shades of grey. The tone of the game is much darker and bleak. This in turn makes story truly dynamic unlike other Bioware games in the past that only give you the illusion of choice. Besides 6 different origin stories, you now have multiple endings and various permutations depending on your actions. The only thing set in the stone in DAO is the main plot; you are the protagonist who eventually leads the army against the force of evil. How you start, who you start with, who you side with, who you abandon, who you clash with, how you get to the finale, you and your companions' fate are all up in the air.

The story arc is massive, expansive and immensely complex with many different possible outcomes from branching storyline directly stemmed from your choices. It's also very heavy and mature thematically. At the end of my first 70 hour run-through as a human noble, I really felt as if I was truly ladden with the fate of the world as well as people around me. Political intrigues and personal agendas are everywhere. Choices you have to make are genuinely difficult and whatever the consequences you face are irreversible. Each and every single wave of combat feels difficult and exhausted. One wrong move and your party is wiped out. It really felt like a load of heavy burden often too much to bear. This is where DAO truly excels and shines. Not only DAO made me feel like I was actually integral and the most important part of the game, I wanted to embark on a brand new, totally different journey immediately after completing a long, winded and tiresome journey (in a very good way).

'Eclipse Engine' is much better and more powerful than ill-equipped tile-based 'Aurora Engine' and rightful 3D successor of 2D 'Infinity Engine' but still restrictive and modular in nature. I hope Bioware refine the engine in the future to open things up little bit more. It's down right annoying when you get stuck by a tiny pebble on the ground or simple nook and cranny. Loading between each area, both interior and exterior, is still present but each area being much bigger and more detail than ones created by 'Aurora Engine', along with much tighter camera controll, it alleviates a lot of problems. Furthermore, thanks to free 'DAO Toolset', we can expect tons of quality mods from a very active modding community that will probably surpass that of 'Neverwinter Nights' and possibly equal to 'The Elder Scrolls' community. There are already a few official DLCs available for purchase and several mods from 'Dragon Age Nexus', the same site that also host for both 'The Elder Scrolls' and 'Fallout 3'. I guarantee we can expect some terrific mods in the future from the site.

While I had not run into any technical glitches at all throughout my 70 campaign, there's memory leak problems, which cause the game's loading time gets longer and longer during each single continuous session. It's solved by occassionally restart the game but there's some serious loading time problem due to poor memory management.

This game runs surprisingly well on my now ancient P4 HT 3.0Ghz with 2GB RAM and nvidia 7800GS with everything max except AA and resolution, as well as my brand new Intel Core i7 with 6GB RAM and nvidia GTX 295 with everything max.

As for CE package, I solely got this edition because the regular edition comes with really flimsy plastic case, which is a new cheap trend among DVD movies and PC games to save cost. And I am happy they don't stack 2 discs on top of each other with seperate disc divider. As for contents, the cloth map is nothing like the one that came with 'Neverwinter Nights Limited Collector's Edition'. It's very cheap and useless. Extra disc contains about 60 minutes worth of making-of documentaries and promo materials as well as 18 music from the game. It also comes with a few free official DLCs, which are way way over-priced if you decide to purchase seperately.

While I am definitely not happy about the current business trend in the video game industry with DLCs over expansion pack, cheap package with weak manual, over-emphasis on online features, I commend EA for letting Bioware realize its vision with minimum artistic interference and toning down the DRM scheme from the draconian secuROM that forces Internet connection and limited number of installation to much linient version of simple secuROM DVD check. It's definitely step-up from 'Spore' and 'Mass Effect'.

Although it's little too early to tell whether DAO will eclipse 'Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn', DAO is definetely the best game from Bioware since the legendary game on the other side of TES series. DAO is without a doubt one for the age; crowning achievement among the very best of CRPG indeed.

'Morrowind', 'Oblivion', 'Fallout 3', 'Gothic Trilogy', 'Risen', 'The Witcher', 'Two Worlds', and now 'Dragon Age: Origins' closes this decade on a very exciting note for CRPG and joins the handful of elite 3D CRPG collection from this decade that rivals the golden era of 2D CRPG of 'Baldur's Gate' series, 'Icewind Dale' series, 'Planescape: Torment', 'Fallout', 'Fallout 2', 'Divine Divinity', 'Sacred', and 'Arcanum'. DAO will delight CRPG fans for a long long time.

Honest reviews on Dragon Age: Origins Collector's Edition - PC

If you love the Epic Fantasy, Dungeons, Castles, and Knights genre of video games this is a great addition to the realm. These games used to be a bit more popular and they don't come out now as often as they used to . The gaming industry is very heavy in a lot of different genres and the military game is very popular right now. Anyway, I am glad this game came out. Some other great games in this genre are The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition. Gothic 3 Collector's Editionand Dungeon Siege.

About the game

This is a very complex game. It took BioWare five years to develop this game and it shows. There is an awful lot of stuff in it. And most of this stuff is what is expected. There is plenty of battling and plenty of world to explore. And it is a party oriented game so if you have played Dungeon Siege or World of Warcraft you are very familiar with the style of game play. As you adventure through and explore the world you pick up party members that will fight with you. And you have to put together a complimentary set of members. You need a balance. If you are a warrior you are going to need a mage for healing and a rogue for lockpicking etc. It's a nice way to explore a lot of different roles in the game.

Where this game gets different

There are some very interesting things about this game that set it apart from other games in the genre. First off, there are a lot of moral and ethical choices that you have to make during the game. Will you steal from others? Will you make sacrifices for the greater good? And these choices affect what happens in the game. For example: Will you kill the evil king who has been wreaking havoc? If you do then his daughter will not marry you. This ruins your chances to become the new king if that's what you seek. Or how about this: When battling the evil bloodmage you have the choice of making a deal with him. Will you spare his life in order to get a permanant boost to your constitution stat? If you do this then some of your party members will disapprove. Bad Karma! And it has an effect on the game. Party members will get upset with you and leave the party permanently!

Not for kids

This game is definitely not for kids. There is quite a bit of very realistic bloodshed and you have killing blows that will actually decapitate your foes. And, there are lots of cut scenes after battles where you and your party members are spattered with very realistic looking blood. And....You can actually woo and seduce other members of your party through gift-giving, conversations, and good karma actions. It is an interesting concept and if your seductions, which take time to develop, are successful you will be rewarded with an animated cut scene of the actuall nuptials (PG rated).

Some of the minuses of the game

I got the collectors edition with all the extras which include a special character, some special armor, and another realm with quests to explore. But the game doesn't come with a storage chest! Yikes, no place for your party to store all their stuff? Wow, all you can do is carry a limited number of things in your backpack and when it gets full you have to sell the stuff to vendors.

Well, seeing as this game is very quest oriented (There are hundreds of quests) you never know what stuff you are going to need to complete a quest. And, I love to accumulate all kinds of armor, weapons, gems and things. It is a fun part of the game for me. So this is definitely a minus for me. But they do offer a solution. You can buy and download the add-on quest that gives you a whole new area to explore and a party chest to store your goods. This downloadable costs seven dollars but is worth it for the chest and the extra game play. And it's a seamless download. You can get it through the game screen which means no worries about extracting files. You pay for it and click it and the game does the rest. In a few minutes the new game area shows up on your world map.

Crafting is a bit weak Crafting is a big part of many online games and other epic fantasy rpg's. In this game you can do some crafting like make potions and traps but this is definitely weak in the game. There are not a whole lot of options for this and materials tend to be scarce. I really like the crafting aspects of games and usually do a lot of it but there is not a whole lot of it in this game. Definitely a minus for me.

Political intrigue

I am not really sure if this is a negative but in the games I play and the epic fantasy books I read I tend to not be too interested in all the political intrigue. You know, this is where the various houses, lords, and barons are all struggling for power. In this game there is a lot of this and the decisions you make during game play have an effect. As you are trying to conquer the blight that is set upon the land you have to drum up support from the various houses and factions. The moral and ethical decisions you make do matter. And the quests you complete are a factor too.

Extra stuff

There is some real fun stuff about this game. The developers really took a good look at combat and there are lots of great sword and weapon moves that your character makes and there are some great mini animations. Sometimes when you fell a large creature like an ogre your character will actually jump right up on its face and issue the killing blow. The combat is pretty good!

Mechanics of the software

I have a fast computer with Windows Vista and everything has gone smoothly for me. The installation was smooth and game play is smooth, no crashes and no errors.

So, should you buy it?

This genre used to be the norm for video games but these kinds of games don't come out too often anymore. So if you like the genre then you definitely should get it. You won't be disappointed. It delivers what it promises.

This collectors version comes with a cloth map, lots of extra materials, a bonus character and more quests. But it doesn't come with the party chest for storing goods so if you want this you are going to have to spend another 7 dollars for the download -which is worth it.

And, because the game is so very complex I highly recommend you buy yourself a game guide. I bought this one: Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) It is absolutely necessary if you want to find all the secrets and make your way successfully through the complexity of the game.

It is what is expected from the genre; You are set in a medieval world and expected to save it from the forces of evil. Along the way you get lots of political intrigue, battles with monsters and lots of opportunities for adventure.

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Deluxe edition stuff at the very end.

If you don't want to read my retarded ode to Bioware, please skip ahead to where it says, "Actual Review!".

Ah, Bioware. You're like an old girlfriend. The one who defined love for me (1). Then you hurt me (2). I still loved you, but I didn't understand; why did you have to do that?

You went your way and I went mine. Eventually I learned to forget. I met new people; sometimes I'd fall in love, but it was never quite the same (3).

We'd see each other every couple years, and we'd have a lot of fun for a night or two (4). But other times I thought to myself, "What are you doing with your life? We could be happy together! Why are you doing this? (5). After these ultimately disappointing hookups I'd always dig up our old photos and go through them (6). I'm not ashamed to say I cried a little.

You always told me you were searching for something. Learning who you were, and how to be.

Then, one day in early November, you called me. You said, "I know now; I know who I am. I know where I belong: with you." And then you came back home to me.

Then it all became so clear; you HAD been learning. It was the old you, but a new version! Everything past was prologue to this; the version of you I always knew was there. I just needed to have faith, and you'd see it too, and we could get back what we had, what we'd always known was us.

I love you Bioware. I realize now I've always loved you. Thank you for being in my life.

Answer Key!

1. Baldur's Gate I and II, the infinity engine that led to Icewind Dale, Fallout, and Planescape

2. Neverwinter Nights

3. The Elder Scrolls, Neverwinter Nights 2, FFX, FFXII

4. KOTOR, Mass Effect

5. Jade Empire, Sonic RPG

6. all those replays of BGII

ACTUAL REVIEW!

This is the best cRPG experience I've had in ten years. It becomes very clear within the first few minutes of your Origin story that you're experiencing gaming history. Not the revolutionary, innovative, awesome new mechanic kind of gaming history. This is analogous to a new album from your favorite artist that's been doing experimental side-projects for the last few years, and now comes out with a solid, deep, meaningful effort in a well-established form.

All the old ingredients are here: rich, meaningful character relationships; deep, tactically challenging combat; well written, thought-provoking dialogue trees. In short, everything you knew Bioware was capable of, but hasn't been fully present in any of their games since BGII.

Don't get me wrong; I've liked almost all of their games since then (Jade Empire and the Sonic RPG being the exceptions). It's just that none have fully satisfied me, or they've left me with the nagging feeling that something's just not quite right (re: KOTOR and Mass Effect feel slightly underdone).

This game is an instant classic, from a master of the genre. It's the kind of game that will be added to the roster of eminently replayable games (BGII, Fallout 1+2, Morrowind, Final Fantasy [pick your favorite], etc.). It's as good as or better than all of those.

Now, those of you that have NOT played Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Icewind Dale, NWN2, beware.

As evidenced by the very few negative reviews, the ad campaign for this game is not very representative of the content. This is a true western RPG, especially if you're getting it on the PC. Combat is challenging on every difficulty mode but easy.

IT IS BY NO MEANS a hack-and-slash or action RPG!!!

I still recommend it, but be prepared to open your mind to a new experience.

For those of you trying to decide on which version to get, here are some things:

If you played and loved Baldur's Gate, and got it because you bought into the "spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate" thing, get it for the PC, no question.

On the console, the camera is locked in behind the character in the style of Knights of the Old Republic or Mass Effect. This is fine for those who fell in love with Bioware since their console years began, but not if you want to play it for full tactical enjoyment.

Also, if you have a capable PC, the graphics are far superior to the consoles, which is often the case.

360 vs. PS3?

PS3 looks better, 360 moves smoother. 6 of 1.

Don't hesitate. Buy this game.

Learn it,

Live it,

Love it:

Bioware is Back.

P.S. For those of you getting the Deluxe Edition, the added content is completely worth it. You don't have to feel cheated; they did it right. Worth every last penny.

Xbox 360 Officially licensed F.P.S. Pro Wired GamePad Reviews

Customer Ratings:

I've had the controller since Oct.20.2012 and They're still working.

-Pros-

For FPS players the combat button is really useful for call of duty so you don't have to mash the left stick so much to run.

I like the LED lights, they still work.

The AXBY, Menu button, select and start buttons are nice and flat and don't feel squishy and annoying to press.

My controller is still in good shape, no control stick getting stuck slightly at all.

-Neutral-

LB & RB may feel weird at first, but you'll get used to it, they're good, clicky.

The controller has a nice feel, but it will wear down, but all controllers do that.

Just pointing it out there, I dropped my controller a few times by accident because I kept pulling the cord at times because I use it for PC games too and I keep it close and the controller still works perfectly fine for me.

-Cons-

If the DPAD was thinner, it would've been better.

Not much else I can really say bad about the controller.

The Controller still works and it's been about 7 months already, It's a great controller, despite Madcatz's reputation, I think this is one of their nice works.

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One of the side grips wobbles a bit, but the controller functions as advertised, is comfortable in my hands and build quality seems solid. Works fine with steam games on pc with Windows 7 once xbox 360 controller drivers are installed.

Best Deals for Xbox 360 Officially licensed F.P.S. Pro Wired GamePad

Control is nice for just about any game other than fighters. The game is built to withstand aggressive gameplay. Good.

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Officially licensed F.P.S. Pro Wired GamePad

Cool for the price!! Long cord is convenient. I would recommend this if you don't want to spend lots on batteries or have to worry about your rechargeable battery dying during a game.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Xbox 360 Officially licensed F.P.S. Pro Wired GamePad

Being an avid gamer, mostly FPS games (HALO & Skyrim), I have only used wireless controllers. The times I spend playing would most always require me to charge the wireless controller during gaming. Which essential made them wired controllers and the same would go for the headsets. So, why not get a wired controller and not have dead battery packs or dead batteries laying around.

I went with the F.P.S. Pro after reviewing the product on Youtube compared to the Razr Onza controller done by arCtiCvBi. I have to say the programmable thumbstick colors was a turning point for my purchasing of the controller. I also like how easily you can change the combat buttons; left thumbstick color, left bumper, A or B button on the left side (combat 1) and right thumbstick color, right bumper, X or Y button on the right side (combat 2). Naturally you have to select the colors you want every time you turn on the XBOX controller.

Not having to worry about the controller dying is quite a weight lifted as well. Overall...I enjoy the feel, look and durability of the F.P.S. Pro wired controller.

Review of Forza Motorsport 5 Day One Edition

Customer Ratings:

This is easily the best Forza in the series in regards to vehicle physics, handling, AI and sound. The actual gameplay is phenomenal. Unfortunately it's easily the worst Forza in the series in all other regards. The efforts that the developer have made to further monetize the series with tokens stinks of Free-to-Play manipulation on a AAA title. The features have been completely neutered in order to entice the player to purchase tokens with real money, which are offered at exorbitant prices.

Additionally, Forza has always done a great job with DLC but have decided to double the price of car downloads this time around. The content (cars and tracks) have been cut in half (really even more), and although this is a launch title when coupled with the token gaming it smells like an effort to sell back more of the content that used to be part of the game as DLC. The story with this series will really unfold over the next two years as we see if Turn 10 takes action to redeem themselves with Forza 6 but until then the jury is out and the present offering is a disappointment.

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I've owned every game since the first, including having bought every limited edition and DLC/expansion available since even bought tokens in 4 and Horizon. I can even stomach day-one on-disc DLC. I held my faith despite my doubts and kept my Forza 5 order. After having played for the last few hours I sincerely regret that decision.

Let me start by saying there are a handful of things I do like about Forza 5. Finally the ability to paint stock rims, and to paint wheels white great. Engine swaps are now more varied and not limited to being within the same manufacturer, also great. The changes to make gold medals for 1st-3rd and silver 4th-6th and so on is excellent, no longer do I need to fall asleep while playing at a difficulty that ensure I am always in first place. Physics simulation seems improved as lower power cars now drift much more easily/realistically. The game is very pretty and I am sure those people who were fans of completing all the career races in past games will find equal enjoyment in Forza 5. Sadly I was never one of those types of players.

On to the bad.

I didn't mind tokens in Forza 4 when I could spend $10 and get a handful of the most expensive cars in the game to tinker with. Now the converted token-to-dollar cost of the Lotus E21 or Ferrari GTO is a staggering $63. Suppose I won't ever be playing with those, because career mode cannot hold my interest long enough to earn $6,000,000 and I will be damned if I am going to drop another cent on this franchise in its current state.

I was really looking forward to the feedback triggers, however as someone whose playstyle gravitates towards drifting, I can't stand it. The strength of the trigger vibration when sliding the car is obnoxious at best. Part of the blame lies in the controller itself since the noise it emits when at that threshold resembles what I can only describe as a honeybee trapped inside an empty aluminum can. The feel and sound while drifting or driving at the threshold is nothing short of unpleasant.

Another bizarre and unwelcome change is to the menu design & the removal of the ability to browse by manufacturers for cars and wheels, making the browsing process cumbersome. Who decided that was a good idea? I assume it was the same person who decided that all of the voiceover prompts should be unskippable to endlessly annoy anyone who is either familiar with what is being explained from past games, or simply has an IQ above 70 and doesn't need to be told that they can paint their car after they select the paint shop. I appreciate T10 is making continued efforts to reach out to casual gamers and auto enthusiasts who otherwise aren't gamers, but there is no need to make the rest of us suffer your attempts to hold their hands through everything.

Don't think I would mention the wheels without pointing out that we have had the exact same rim selection since Forza 3 and even that had a reduced selection from Forza 2. With a fraction of the car count, none of the money saved on licensing vehicles could go towards rims? How about with all the money you will apparently be making with tokens? Toss us a bone here.

Perhaps a bone is too much to ask for since we cannot even get the fantasy tracks which have been pillars of the franchise. These are tracks which countless others and I have used as tuning and performance benchmarks for our vehicles for nearly a decade. If you are going to use inaccuracy as an excuse to cut the track list of real life circuits, what is the justification for the removal of the fantasy tracks? The only foreseeable reason is so that they can be re-released as paid DLC/expansions.

Truthfully my biggest issue with the game is how I feel marginalized as a fan of variety and customization. The only reason Forza 4 and Horizon held my interest for such an extended period was my ability to buy and customize hundreds of different cars to mess around with in multiplayer with friends. The cars I loved to drive were never the first cars I liked based on look/name/brand etc.; they were the ones I picked up just to toy with and discovered how great they are. The primary '2 or 3 cars' that Turn 10 claims people use I only ever came across because of my ability to experiment and compare with everything available. Now I cannot even sell cars or parts to try something else if I decide I do not like a vehicle because that functionality has been removed entirely. To further compound the money grab, car clubs are gone so that my friends and I can no longer wisely pool our resources into different vehicles to share with one another.

The manufacturer affinities (or discount signs in Horizon) did wonders for allowing me to play the franchise in the way I enjoyed without needing to grind out the parts I disliked in order to do so. Now Turn 10 has apparently decided that I how I play is wrong and that all I should be doing is racing a handful of cars in career mode or rivals, and if I don't like it then I can pay them more money or go to hell. Every screen has a prompt for me to buy or spend tokens.

The removal of the storefront and auction house to combat money glitching without similar functionality for finding liveries, vinyl groups, tunes, etc. feels like more of a disservice than the money glitchers destroying the economy were. But Turn 10 couldn't possibly allow anything into the game that might hinder token sales.

In fact, every facet of the design of Forza 5 seems tailored to squeeze every last penny possible from the player. I don't know if blame lies with Turn 10 or Microsoft or both. I can only assume that the majority of the developers must not be happy with the published product considering past entries in the franchise were everything Forza 5 is not. As a (former) devoted fan of the franchise I find the monetization of the game, and the means by which it is shoved down my throat, simply insulting and equally disappointing. I can see why the game has received great reviews from those ignorant to what the franchise used to be. I wanted so badly to like 5, and I tried despite everything I was told, but I simply can't. Not like this.

Best Deals for Forza Motorsport 5 Day One Edition

Let me start this review with stating what a huge Forza fan I was. Forza 4 was my favorite game on the Xbox 360. With the introduction of Microtransactions into the game, it has totally ruined the whole gameplay.

The game also has few tracks, though I fully expect them to add additional tracks for DLC at a later date. This either means you have to grind racing around the few tracks that they do offer to purchase the extremely expensive cars in the game, or you can just pay for them with real cash... Even though you just dropped $70 to purchase the game..?

That is why vehicles are harder to get in this Forza, because they are trying to influence you to spend money in the game.

I will boycott any game that tries to gouge me with Microtransactions. You have deluded your franchise with this trash.

I will never play this trash again, and strongly advise that you do the same before Xbox games turn into the garage filled mobile platform where they charge you out the ass for everything you do to progress in the game.

Thanks.

Honest reviews on Forza Motorsport 5 Day One Edition

The driving, and graphics are as great as always, but buyer beware! This game is what happens when free to play games aren't free. Read here: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-23-whens-a-free-to-play-game-not-free-to-play .

"Unlike in older Forza games, cars aren't offered as rewards for success: instead, the only option is to buy them in a grind that can be augmented by pumping in real-world money.

It's a problem exacerbated by Forza Motorsport 5's drip-feed of cars as part of a $50 season pass, a number of which are being reintroduced from earlier games. And even when you've bought them as DLC, in order to own them fully in the game they have to be purchased using in-game currency or, of course, by pumping in a little extra money of your own."

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I wont go into detail about the micro transactions as other reviewers have covered it well. I will say that I am disappointed at the extent of them in this game as it really feels like a lot of the game is missing unless you fork over a ton of extra money.

Pros:

The graphics are amazing. Near photo realistic on some tracks

The game runs at a perfect 60 fps

Sense of speed is outstanding

Orchestrated music fits racing well

Cons:

Tons of micro transactions

Not many tracks

While all of the tracks are insanely detailed some just don't have much to them and look a bit boring

Overall a solid entry in the series and good launch title. Would like to see a free track pack in the near future or at the very least an affordable track pack. I still recommend this game and if you are a fan of the series it is of course a must buy.

Best Borderlands Double Game Add-On Pack: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned Deals

Customer Ratings:

This is a very fun add-on to Borderlands: you need Borderlands and a hard drive to benefit from this expansion. It's really 2 things, the Moxxi Underdome and the zombie island. I love the zombie stuff: fun, fun, fun. I like the zombie expansion better than Left 4 Dead or Resident Evil. A variety of new enemies and environments: you start in a "bayou" area that is just good old-fashioned horrifying fun: zombies popping out of the muck and trying to eat your brains. The new missions in Moxxi's Underdome are ok so far, nothing great. The real plus of the Underdome area is a bank that lets you stash items rather than make the tough choice to sell some of those things you like but don't have space to carry.

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This expansion comes in two parts: The underdome and Dr. Ned's Zombie Island.

Both are very fun, and quite challenging. They require new techniques apart from the normal campaign. For example, on the Zombie Island, corrosive weapons are nearly useless against the zombies while explosvie are among the most effective.

The Zombie Island add-on is well worth playing, and can add another 10-12 hours of gameplay onto the original game. There are new enemies and challenges that you do not get in the original game. The XP gained and weapons collected in these missions carry over to the main game. The integration is pretty seamless in that regard.

The underdome is a slightly more frustrating add on, but it is a fun way to play with friends and re-play bosses and enemies you have played in the original campaign. There are different strengths and weaknesses given to you in every round in the different domes, and creative challenges put in place against your enemies. Very fun, but it can be very frustrating. You can keep the weapons that spawn for you (sometimes eridian weapons), but you gain no XP just for playing. I havent been able to beat a single dome yet after many attempts.

Overall, this is a 4-star recommended add-on with plenty of worthy content to make a great game even better!

Best Deals for Borderlands Double Game Add-On Pack: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned

I absolutely LOVED the original Borderlands one of the best games of last year in my opinion. Great shooter action, tons of different weapons, excellent humor!! The add-on pack totally delivered a "post game fix"!!! The add-on was HUGE and almost like a whole new game! The only other xbox 360 "add-on" I'd done before was for Fallout 3, and I was SO happy with it AND Borderlands.

Honest reviews on Borderlands Double Game Add-On Pack: The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned

It will not work the slim line if it still has a internal 4G flash drive vs an installed hard drive (i.e. 60/120 gigs).

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I love the zombie island of Dr. Ned! It is such a blast! I can compare it to zombies on call of duty except it's not rounds of zombies coming at you in the same place. There are a few missions to do and things to find and experience to gain! Mad Moxxi's underdome riot is extremely hard. It says in the mission log that it is a level 15 mission but I beg to differ. My husband and I tried it at level 20 something and we got our butts handed to us on the second round of the second room. We haven't played it since that and we are level 35 now, we plan to try again tonight. It is fun and it will be something we play a lot when we get to be a much higher level with our characters.

Toslink 3x1 Optical Audio Bi-Directional Switch + (4) 3ft Toslink Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $23.99
Sale Price: $14.82
Today's Bonus: 38% Off

Good unit. A bargain. A required accessory for anyone with an extensive/elaborate home theatre system. Good to have on hand when you run out of digital audio optical inputs on your receiver. Note: in the review section for this product, the amazon computer categorized this item as a "game", and asked me for the number of stars for "how much fun is this game?", and then for the number of stars for "how would you rate this game overall?". The system did not allow any way to proceed without assigning stars. I thus gave the "fun" category 0 stars, and the "overall" category 5 stars... the PRODUCT deserves it.

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works ok but cables are super tiny and very cheap......if your looking for something like this i would definately spend the extra money and get better one

Best Deals for Toslink 3x1 Optical Audio Bi-Directional Switch + (4) 3ft Toslink

I got this to run my DirecTV, XBox and PS3 into my surround sound. It works exactly as it's supposed. The 3rd port is a little picky so you have to have the switch lined up perfectly. I'm not complaining as this is much easier than switching cords by hand behind the surround system. The cords that came with it seem to be good quality and I haven't noticed any less quality of sound.

Honest reviews on Toslink 3x1 Optical Audio Bi-Directional Switch + (4) 3ft Toslink

I've had this unit over a year now. It works great! Sometimes the lever that switches between sources can be a little tricky, just make sure it snaps in place. The cables it came with are still working with no issues. Good purchase.

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I bought this as my TV doesn't have an optical output and my soundbar only has one optical input so I have to move wires between my PS3 and Apple TV. The cables don't fit in snugly to this switch and always feels as though they will disconnect. I wanted it for multiple inputs and one output as the switch is supposedly bi-directional. Only one of the 3 inputs even worked. If I moved the switch to the other two the switch didn't work. I am thankful I didn't spend more on it since it belongs in the trash.

Buy Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends - Playstation 3

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $28.48
Today's Bonus: 29% Off

Let me start by saying that I've followed this series since Dynasty Warriors 3. In my opinion, that was its peak. I've bought every game, and many of the expansions. Upon hearing that battles from previous games would be included, I was hopeful that the good old DW3 maps would be a focal point. They were not. There are a couple maps from each installment from DW3 to DW6. There is really only one mode with significant replay value, and that's legend mode, which features a nice collection of battles to be unlocked and played with any character you want. You return to your castle town after each battle. The town features a strategist from which you can purchase increased attack, defense, points, speed, or power for the character you have selected. You also can purchase weapons from the weapon-smith, and choose which of about 10 places to send a merchant who brings back gold, weapons, or guardian animals. You also appoint an adjutant to watch over the castle town, but he really doesn't matter. The battles feel no different from DW7, but they are quite enjoyable. You can play with friends now, which is nice. I'm glad Koei remembered that some people still have friends. The new characters are fun to play with and I love the new weapons. I've nearly beat the game, and I can't help but feel rather unsatisfied. The game feels kind of empty. I realized this was because of the lack of cutscenes and no progressive story for each character. Before each battle, the story is read to you as the stage loads, but this hardly takes the place of the epic, mood-setting movies and unique stages of the older installments. Some of the battles are rather cheesy. For example, on one of the last battles, you follow Liu Shan around as he says stupid things and looks for childhood toys and friends. There are a few cutscenes, but they are rare and not all that exciting. One thing that really disappointed me is that you can't choose the BGM for the battles. Basically, this is a collection of new battles and a good way to level up characters. If you liked DW7, you should enjoy this, but there is little that is really "legendary" or "extreme" about DW7 Xtreme Legends.

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I have been a long time fan of this series. So, when a new one came out, of course I bought it. While there are some nice new features (described in the description), and three new characters, I found Legend Mode to be where I am spending most of my time. The new weapons, as always are neat, and the OMG THIS IS INSANE mode is exactly what it promises. However, Legend Mode lets you pick a character and bring a dead town back to life. There are plenty of new scenes for this Mode, new stages (or just ones from old games and revamped ones), and a new ability....buy ups in your life/attack/defense/etc. The most annoying areas were the still disappearing characters (the enemy gets too far away and vanishes) and having to change disks between XL and 7 to play Legend Mode. This is a great addition to the series with a great deal of replay value.

Best Deals for Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends - Playstation 3

its an awesome expansion to the dynasty warriors 7 game but i wish it had more modes. i highly recommend getting the original dynasty warriors 7 for the games full story because this game is kind of short in terms of game play

Honest reviews on Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends - Playstation 3

The title says it all. The amount you enjoy this game will depend on which systems you enjoyed the most. I started with Dynasty Warriors 3 so it's hard to say that I really loved this game because you can't create your own officers and I miss the body guard system. Regardless, good game and if like me you will play every game in this genre regardless of quality then I recommend it.

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It's been since the 4th game since I've been into the series, mainly because I had heard it was falling away from what makes it fun, but decided to give this one a chance, and I am not disappointed. It's a the series upgrade I've been waiting for since the PS2 for the PS3.

Buy WWE All Stars - Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:

IF you remember the old wrestling arcade games that quarter after quarter was pumped into when you was a kid/teenager this is an exact equal to that experience.

This is an arcade wrestling game. Over the top moves with nonstop action.

Controls take alittle getting use to but within 30 minutes you are laying the smackdown like it has never been laid down before.

This is an equal to the Nintendo64 wrestler we loved back in the day.

Controls 8/10

Presentation 9/10

Sounds 8/10

Fun Factor 10/10

Fantasy Warfare

The buildup for each match in Fantasy Warfare is nothing short of awesome. Its sinks you into the moment of the match

Nothing like whoopin CM Punk with Stone Cold!!

Path Of Champions

You have three roads to take on this one Battle Undertaker, Randy Orton or DX...But before you get to them you must win 10 matches to prove your mighty skills. Wait until you start the DX road. Classic DX Humor to get you on your way. Use Hogan and Macho man and pop an achievement after your first win for using them two as your tag team.

Online Play

So Far So Good. No lag for me. 4 player slobber knocker fun.

If your still on the fence about this game go rent it. But it will be money wasted you could have used to buy it.

Im Off to lay down some Latino Heat!!!

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Let me start by saying I've been playing wrestling games since I was about 6 years old, beginning with the NES games like WWF Wrestlemania and Steel Cage Challenge. I've owned nearly every console since then and have also purchased almost every WWF/WWE game ever released (exceptions being WWF In Your House, King of the Ring, Crush Hour, and the Game Boy Advance titles). Like many other fans, I felt that THQ's N64 wrestling games (WCW vs NWO, Wrestlemania 2000, No Mercy) were the most fun to play overall, and will always be considered classics.

I enjoy Smackdown vs Raw for what it is, and I think they've made a decent amount of progress since the PSOne Smackdown games, but the recent titles just haven't been that much FUN to play. The moves are mostly accurate, but many feel weak and lack hard-hitting impact. There are STILL things, over 10 years later, that the N64 titles did better (including submissions, location-specific damage, weight detection, momentum shifts, and overall pacing), and I honestly feel that SvR has become more of a yearly roster update and cheap cash-in, similar to what EA does with their annual sports titles. Remember the amount of progress made between Smackdown: Just Bring It and SD: Shut Your Mouth? And the equal amount of progress made with Here Comes the Pain? We never see that anymore. Yeah, we have more match types, features, and modes than ever before, but the in-ring gameplay has become an afterthought.

Enter WWE All-Stars. Gameplay is the focal point of this title. Sal Divita, formerly of Midway Studios and creative mind behind titles like NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, and WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game, has given us something completely new and fresh. Yes, the character models look like action figures on steroids, but they're some of the most beautiful graphics I've ever seen. Yes, many of the moves are completely over the top and ridiculous, but they're also so much fun to watch. There aren't very many game modes or match types (1 vs 1, 2 vs 2, Handicap, Elimination, Extreme Rules, Steel Cage), but this type of game doesn't necassarily need them. I rarely even leave the ring to grab weapons or climb the turnbuckles, because I'm too busy pulling off crazy combos and defending myself from my opponents attacks. Yes, the entrances are very short, but this is an arcade-style game and isn't trying to be a simulation.

Beneath the cartoony style and crazy moves is a surprisingly complex and VERY responsive grappling engine. If you played TNA Impact, they based this game on the same engine, but seriously tweaked and expanded on it. You have 2 buttons for weak and strong strikes, and various combos that can be performed by entering different sequences. You also have weak and strong grapples, then each face button will perform a different move. You can also tap the right analog stick while in a weak or strong grapple transition into a headlock, go-behind, or other positions and perform alternate moves w/ the face buttons. Also, you can irish whip by holding the right trigger after you lock up, then perform a number of moves out of the irish whip position. There are a number of turnbuckle moves, flying moves, springboard moves, and so much more. I was shocked by the hidden depth, and it reminded me of Day of Reckoning with much better animations and a great reversal system.

Each character class (acrobats, brawlers, etc) plays differently, but the thing I was most impressed with was the difference between individual wrestlers. I expected more generic movesets and repeated moves (similar to TNA Impact) and was pleasantly surprised by THQ San Diego's attention to detail. For example, when you play as Rey Mysterio, he does a lot of his signature lucha-libre style moves. Although John Morrison is also in the "acrobat" class, his moveset is much different and includes moves that you'd expect Morrison to perform. Randy Savage has his signature punches and taunts, Randy Orton has his signature stomps, kneedrop, and other moves. Each wrestler has a number of signature moves than can be performed from various positions (Orton has his punt as a ground signature, his neckbreaker as a standing signature, etc), and of course one finisher, which has to be activated and then performed. Many times you'll activate it, then get attacked and have to rebuild your momentum. This makes for some amazing back and forth endings to matches. The best thing is that most wretlers have moves that they don't use anymore. HBK has his old side suplex finisher as a signature move. Sheamus has the Fiery Red Hand, which he hasn't used since his days on the independent circuit. Orton has his old standing neck-drop move that I haven't seen him use in at least 5 years. The developers paid very close attention to the wrestlers movesets and mannerisms, and clearly are passionate about their product.

The steel cage match is my favorite match type, by a long shot. During this match, your signature moves include crazy slams and throws into the cage wall, and you can perform multiple diving moves from the cage wall and the top. I can't describe in words how awesome this is. There's also a challenging mini-game for escaping the cage (similar to TNA Impact's Ultimate X mini-game), but it's not frustrating and makes sense for this particular match.

In future All-Stars games (if they continue this series), I think they have the potential to really expand on what they've done here. The grappling engine, while deep, could be much deeper. They could have twice as many grapples if they would assign different moves to different directions on the analog stick. Right now, if I grapple and press A, for example, I'll do the exact same move if I press a direction + A. I remember the old wrestling games had different moves for Up + A, Down + A, etc, etc. This could really open up the moveset and make the game feel less repetitive. They also need to place more emphasis on submissions and have the wrestlers stay down longer and sell the moves a little more. They could give us tables and ladders, and definitely Hell in a Cell. I'm sure they could find a way to make those match types insanely fun. The surrounding environments could be more interactive (i.e. announcer tables, ringside barricades, backstage areas, parking lot brawls, the stage itself could be used to toss opponents off of, etc). I'm sure THQ SD is one step ahead of me, and they're probably working on implementing new match types.

Even if the gameplay was garbage, the roster is clearly the game's best feature. When I began watching WWF programming in 1990, Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Randy Savage were the biggest stars. Then came Bret Hart, Undertaker, and HBK, followed by Rock and Austin, and now Cena, Edge, Orton and The Miz are the top guys. So I basically get all my favorites in one game, and it's actually a GOOD game. I do have a few gripes about the roster (Drew McIntyre?), particularly the upcoming DLC. Mark Henry? R-Truth? Michael Hayes?? Where's Batista, Evan Bourne, and Rick Rude? Why do we have to wait for guys like Chris Jericho, Big Boss Man, Road Warriors, and "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase??

Bottom line This game is the polar opposite of Smackdown vs Raw, and that's a very good thing for fans who are growing tired of the same old thing. Don't expect a wrestling simulation, and don't expect the huge number of wrestlers, modes, and match types that you would get from SvR. If you're simply looking for a fun, solid WWE game that doesn't take itself too seriously, pick this one up.

Best Deals for WWE All Stars - Xbox 360

So my little brother got this game as a gift from my sister, I couldn't help but think how stupid it looked when I would walk by and see him playing it. I eventually picked up the control and played an exhibition match. My initial impression was it was too damn hard as many people have said. It is a bit challenging, it's not your typical arcade style game, but you adapt to it the more you play so don't give up on it right away. It has 3 different path of champions mode featuring DX, Randy Orton, and The Undertaker. I haven't watched wrestling in quite a few years due to it being awful, so seeing Paul Bearer in the story with the Undertaker was really cool. There are unique wrestler classifications, (Brawlers, Big Men, Acrobats and Grapplers) that all come with their own unique abilities. There are also 15 Legend/Superstar matches that are battle for a specific title such as The Undertaker vs HBK for the honor of holding the title "Mr.Wrestlemania".

There's a nice intro video showing the wrestlers greatest moments before the match. I thought that was a nice touch. I like the nice stylish cartoon graphics, but I feel they go a bit overboard. I wish they would have gone for the Legends Of Wrestlemania look instead. It's odd seeing Randy Orton with a Jay Leno chin, but to each his own. Overall they're nice. The entrances are cut short. They fade as you walk down the aisle. Think No Mercy. The only time I went online it was a bit laggy, but I was connected wirelessly. A good game overall, but I'd be a bit weary of the 60 dollar price tag. If you can wait, get it when there's a price drop.

Honest reviews on WWE All Stars - Xbox 360

This game is great fun to play, but I feel the roster is lacking. If you add a few more 70's, 80's, and 90's stars to the mix,this game would have been the ULTIMATE.

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I remember hearing how good it was a few months back when it came out, and I planned to check it out and forgot about it. I just played it for 6 hours strait with my friends and I had to force myself to stop after "just one more match" turned into just 20 more matches. I am trying to think of something about it I DON'T like, I guess I wish it had a few more modes. That is about it.

Honestly, this is the most fun I can recall having with a video game in possibly this entire console genre. I never once got frustrated, in fact I spent the majority of the time laughing until tears rolled down my face at some of the outrageous things that happened. This is THE local multiplayer game I have been searching for since.... a long time.

I can not praise WWE All Stars enough, it is just that good. I can say without a doubt this will be a title played in my house for years to come. I feel sorry for people who don't know what a great game they are missing out on, I was one of them until a couple days ago.

Discount Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCIe - 4-channel Internal Cable TV Tuner Card

Customer Ratings:

I was an early adopter of HTPC technology. Windows Media Center and I go all the way back to the original version in Windows XP. Since then, Windows Media Center has matured nicely in Windows 7 and is finally ready for Prime Time. Even if you're not a techy, I strongly suggest looking at this technology, especially if you're fed up with the substandard DVRs the CableCo's charge too much buck for too little bang.

DVR v1.0 used an ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner. Since there are multiple people in my house, and the ATI tuner can handle only one channel at a time, the Ceton card was a welcome upgrade for DVR v2.0. The installation and configuration is straightforward and will take about 1 hour depending on your level of expertise. Here's a rough outline of the steps you'll need to follow.

1. Pickup a CableCard from your CableCo. (They may tell you a home visit is mandatory, violating an FCC directive. Read on below.)

2. Open up the PC and insert the Ceton InfiniTV card in an empty PCIx slot.

3. Insert the CableCard into the Ceton InfiniTV slot.

4. Visit the Ceton website to install the latest drivers and firmware.

5. Connect your coax cable and reboot.

6. Start Windows Media Center and follow the setup wizards. The first wizard certifies your PC as Cable Ready. The second establishes your channel lineup. Typical configuration time is about 30 minutes.

During your journey to build the perfect HTPC, there are three possible hurdles you may encounter, which are surmountable given some time, patience, and tenacity.

1. Faulty card

2. Poor signal strength

3. Reluctance from CableCo to support CableCard technology

I experienced two of these hurdles, which I'll share with you in the hopes it will bring you to a speedier resolution.

The first card I received from Ceton had a faulty OOB (Out of Band) tuner, which has been documented on several websites devoted to Windows HTPC enthusiasts. To make matters worse, when I initially explained the issue to their tech support department, they ignored my detailed analysis of the issue and sent a canned reply requesting that I jump though a bunch of time-consuming hoops that they would have realized were unnecessary had they actually read my email. After I became more assertive regarding the situation, they apologized, and overnighted a replacement card, which has been running without issue for a month. Since Ceton is a new company, I expect missteps such as these. In the end, they did the right thing and made me a happy customer. I can now record up to 4 programs simultaneously and stream those programs to any XBOX 360 in the house or any Windows 7 PC in the world. (Try doing that with the CableCo DVR!) The recorded programs look and sound great and so does live TV. The diagnostic software is useful and well organized.

As people here and elsewhere have pointed out, the CableCo's are very reluctant to support this technology, even though the FCC has directed them to. Since they will lose substantial income from your DVR rental cancellation, the sales staff will do everything in their power to talk you out of using a CableCard. Then the technician who visits your home will most likely not understand CableCard technology and know even less about Windows Media Center. In other words... they are going to make the whole process as frustrating as humanly possible and you're pretty much on your own. For example, Comcast/xFinity insisted that they had to send out a technician (even though the FCC rules say that they must allow customer self-installs). Once the technician arrived, he had no idea how to set anything up. And to add insult to injury, they wanted to charge me for the visit!

Bottom line is: Why am I paying for an untrained technician to make a home visit that according to the FCC shouldn't be necessary in the first place?

So if your CableCo tries to bully you into submission, ask to speak with a supervisor and refer the supervisor to the rules listed below:

* CableCARD fees have to be the same for everyone, no matter which package you have.

* If your cable company allows any self installs, they must allow CableCARD self-installs.

* Cable companies must support SDV for CableCARD users -this was implied before, now it is black and white.

* By default, all new deployments must be M-Cards (unless you actually request a S-Card).

* Cable companies can include an IP interface in set-top-boxes lieu of a 1394 port.

* One way HD boxes without CableCARDs are no longer forbidden and they don't require IP interfaces.

The irony of course is that DVRs will be obsolete in 5-10 years thanks to advances in on-demand services (Internet TV in Windows Media Center, Hulu, iTunes, Netflix, etc) combined with faster broadband and cellular data speeds. But for now, despite the hurdles I described, this is truly the best DVR option out there. Yes, it's a little pricey, but the money you save in DVR rental fees will pay for the card. If you can get past possible equipment failure and your CableCo's frustrating reluctance to support technology the FCC directed them to, it's all worth it in the end.

My HTPC Specs: goo.gl/dHBKr

I give the InfiniTV 4/5 since the first card was faulty and because the repair process wasn't as smooth as it could have been.

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The Ceton 4 tuner cablecard tuner is a marvelous piece of hardware that can solve a long standing problem of how to have High Defintion Cable TV throughout your home without paying $17 a month for each cable box for each screen in each room.

First a warning, your cable provider can really turn an install into a pain if they are imcompetent, not an unusual occurence.

I had no problem installing and getting my Ceton up and running within an hour of it being delivered. I had gone to my local Comcast store earlier in the day and picked up a cablecard. My Ceton was delivered around 2 PM. I had the tuner and cablecard paired up and activated by 3 PM, the big 82" in the living room was looking good.. Wasn't long before it was working in the bedroom on the plasma, then in my den on my work PC and finally the Notebook as well.

Comcast ufortunately managed to completely farkle my account setup details when I returned the original cablecard I had been using in my Tivo a few days later... The Tivo HD is a great device which the Ceton has sent to the showers by the way.

After returning my old cablecard to the Comcast store, the rep there had through total incompetence ended up disabling my cablecard in the Ceton at the house. Drove all the way home only to find that cable TV had stopped working properly. I had to to make another tirp back to the Comcast office again to straighten out the serial number issue. I had no idea what was going on but the phone techs at Comcast support were able to see her mistake but were not allowed/empowered to fix. So back I go to the Comcast store to argue with them for awhile before they would even consider they screwed up. Even after the billing mistake was correctd (wrong cablecard serial number, a typo by the rep supposedly, makes you wonder what is the point of using the bar code scanner to check them in and out). I drove back home thinking she had corrected the information but when I got home and reinstalled the cablecard it still would not work correctly.

This whole sequence of events was so suprising as everything had been fine just 30 mintues before I left the house yesterday to return the Tivo's old cablecard. Heck the Ceton had been running several days already. The tech I now spoke to assured me getting the serial numbers fixed on the account was all I needed to get my Ceton up and running again. I hate to beat a dead horse but the customer service rep that scanned the cards with a bar code scanner so it still eludes me how she could make a mistake on the serial numbers. The only thing I can figure is that it is Comcast I was dealing with after all.

Back home again and back on the phone again, the local Comcast tech support group could not fix the next issue, a duplicate Host ID problem, one that resulted from the mistake made on cablecard serial numbers in the Comcast store, a mistake supposedly fixed. I was about to lose it. My issue had to be escalated, the local office tried but they either did not know what they were doing or lacked the empowerment to make the necessary changes, they tried by gosh, they tried. Thank goodness I have a speakerphone.

Another team took over my case and resolved the problem the next day. Pure imcompetence on the part of the employee at the Comcast store led to all that touble, arghh! Anyway, after many phone calls, a lot of driving back and forth and a lot of standing in line at the Comcast Store I was nearly at my wits end. It is probably a good thing I am not writing a review of Comcast Customer Service as it would be scathing. There are two points I am making here, cable companies just don't seem to be able to do things right and when it comes to cablecards they are sort of deer in headlights and what is so simple in theory, can be a nighmare in practice. The Ceton is great! Good luck with that cable company of yours!

Anyway, assuming your cable company doesn't make your life completely miserable, the Ceton is a great solution, especially if you have the infrastructure to fully support it. It takes a good bit of equipment besides the PC it will reside in before the Ceton's 4 tuners are going to be taken full advantage of. Whole house video is what the Ceton really offers that is new. First you need a very good cable signal going to the Ceton otherwise the picture is going to pixelate and it will ramdomaly drop channels. Ceton provides tools for you to view your signal strenght and quality. I bought one of the Motorola Broadband Distribution Amps offered here on Amazon to bring my cable signal up to snuff. You can't run splitters willy nilly, and if you are doing it right the Ceton does the job of several boxes and you shouldn't need all those splitters reducing the signal to zero.

For reference, the same signal that made my Tivo happy was not sufficient for the Ceton with the latest firmware. Give the Ceton a top flight signal and it will lock to your cable provider's programming very well. Perhaps future firmware will allow the Ceton to work with weaker less clean signals, it really needs a good line, seriously! Tivo has had years to refine their firmware so it is not surpsing that what was good enough to make the Tivo happy is not good enough for the Ceton.

So now that you have gotten a cablecard paired up in the Ceton and solved your signal strength issues...

Okay, what do I mean by infrastructure?

Well 4 tuners is a lot, and unless you are recording every program on the dial you will probably want to share some of those tuners with either other Windows 7 PCs or with some Windows Media Extenders or maybe even a healthy mix of both. You will need to be going through HDMI to your displays big or small.

I used the Ceton Network Tuner Utility to reserve two tuners for my main HTPC, one for my main desktop pc and one for my main notebook. I also have an older HP Windows Media Extender plugged in for good measure. All of them are nicely playing any and all of the channels available though my Comcast service tier. I already had cat 5 ethernet running through my house . I also have a 1gb D-link router and plenty of 1gb switches. Gigabit (1000 mbps) is the only way to go if you are steaming lots of content around your network at the same time. That stuff is really cheap these days.

What does all this give me? I pretty much have HD cable TV in every room that matters with just a single cablecard running in the Ceton. No cable boxes, no eqipment rentals, in case you don't know the first cablecard is free. I hate paying the cable company to rent anything, I even own my cable mode, bought a Motorola right here on Amazon .. and who could ever justify putting HD Cable DVRs in every room?

With the Ceton it is not only possible to have HD Cable in every room,it is practical and if you have the infrastucture you can recoup the Ceton price in 2 years easily. I confess I had all the gear needed to make this work up and running for sometime as I had the local broadcast HD channels running into every room for a couple of years now. If it was not for Comcast, the Ceton install would have been a drop in, no muss, no fuss, cakewalk of an install for me.

Since we mentioned HD Cable boxes, let me also confess I can't stand them and that is why I have been using a Tivo HD for HD cable in my living room since 2007. The Windows Media Center Interface for DVR is much better than what is in any cable company box, better in a number of ways than even the Tivo and you can add more storage for recording whenever the fancy strikes you.

I have a very new Dell Notebook with the latest wireless technology from Intel in it. It is 802.11n but with triple streams, that means it delivers speeds up to 450mbs.. what that gives you is a notebook that handles HD Cable pretty darn well over wireless. I can be out on the patio watching HD cable TV without a network cord, if I ever get a router with the features to match the Intel Nic in the Dell,I could probably stream HD cable to more wireless devices, maybe even watch HD Cable TV streamed to my neighbor's house.

Your individual results using wireless are hard to predict, every house is different and wireless routers vary in quality immensely as do wireless nics. The newest latest Netgear top of the line router, has the hardware to fully support the speed you can get with triple steams, that new technology provides for uninterrupted rock solid HD streaming in most normal environments. But, in your house and with your existing equipment, succes in streaming HD can be stated this way, in some homes with the existing wireless gear, streaming HD works just fine, in others using even fairly new gear will only drive you crazy.

So again your mileage will vary and no promises when it comes to HD TV over wireless.

Wireless HD did not work in my house before the new Dell it worked but it needs to be close to perfect or it is really annoying. I have other notebooks with older nics, I won't even bother with them for HD wireless streaming. The Intel nic in my new Dell notebook is the latest and probably the best PC notebook wireless nic in existence today. It is only now that wirless routers are starting to catch up and support the full wireless speed and bandwith of this amazing Intel Nic. So wireless HD cable can definitely be done if you have the enviroment and your gear is good enough.

The Ceton is not cheap, but nothing else will allow me to watch HD cable in a Media Center Window in one corner of the PC's monitor I am using it to type this review on. This is happening while at the very same time my wfie is watching HD Cable in the master bedroom on the plasma. Not enough HD Cable, the HTPC is also playing a basketball game on the big set in the living room. Someone else could be watching another channel on the patio with the Dell notebook and if I had another Media Center extender (I will shortly) someone else could be sinulataneouwly watching TV in yet another bedroom all from a single Ceton InfiniTV 4 installed in my HTPC.

The Ceton is also coexisting nicely with my HD Homerun dual ATSC tuner grabbing free HDTV from the rooftop antenna. Actually the two tuners (Ceton and HD Homerun) complement each other and the integration is seamless in the Media Center Guide. If the same program is available via OTA I will always watch it from the rooftop antenna, the picture is frankly better. Now that is not due to some limitation of the Ceton. It is just because the cable companies compress the signal to run more channels over the wire, they sacrifice piture quality to do this. Theorectically, there could be six different HDTV shows in action at my houese at the same time using the Ceton and HD Homerun dual ATSC tuners I have on tap. I actually have another HD Homerun sitting on the table over here. I just don't need that many tuners going at the same time.

So if you have the PCs, have the network wiring in place, verified the cable signal strength and maybe even have some Media Center Extender(s) then you can do with the Ceton what has been a practical impossiblity until now, which is HD cable TV viewed throughout your house with just a free cablecard and no cableboxes, sure you still have a cable bill but no rentals and no sluggish hot piles of iron sitting on top of your TV to curse at. Bigger houses with more rooms and more TVs, just add more Cetons and more Win 7 PCs and or Win Media Center Extenders, one Windows Media Center PC supports a bunch of Media Cetner Extenders, I think the number is like 10 extenders for each Win 7 PC. Most people are using Xbox 360s as their Media Center Extenders, the new slim ones are nice and word is the price is going to drop shortly.

If you don't want to use the Ceton at full capacity, you could choose to use the Ceton to watch and record shows for only one TV/display. But to me that is like somebody commuting all by himself to work in a big yellow school bus.

Best Deals for Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCIe - 4-channel Internal Cable TV Tuner Card

I've had this tuner about 3 months now (wasn't on Amazon at that time), and I can say, it just works and it works well It's really what Cablecards should have done 7 years ago. Had some minor concerns about the Comcast cablecard installer, but the Ceton Diag tools even made the installation fairly painless. Running Win7 on an i3, homebuilt HTPC, and things are FINALLY the way MCE should have been years ago the card doesn't seem particularly problematic with incoming signals (I have mine sitting on a 7 way splitter but that includes an internal AMP) and my signal and SNR both look good Card is quick to tuner to other stations, and it even goes to sleep and resumes correctly (YEA!) There is a slight 30 sec pause on system resume while it seems to "sort of CC encryption stuff", but MCE displays the "spinning wheel" for a few seconds, and then your getting all the HD you want. I have this internal turner next to an analog PCI turner (Hauppage) as well as an HDHomeRun on the network Everything seems to co-exist nicely (although setting the guide up the 1st time took some effort). Finally, I was also waiting for the SD HDPrime, as I thought 4 tuners was overkill and pricy but in the end, I'm glad I have the 4th tuner and the extra $100 was worth it We now watch basically all the TV in the house on extenders, and between recording shows, we've had all 4 tuners busy several times Support has been good from Ceton (read the GB forums), and all it all, while pricey, this card is WELL WORTH IT, if you want HD in your W7MC box It's almost enough to make one forget about the pain of the OEM boxes with ATI tuners... Long awaited, and an excellent product!!

Honest reviews on Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCIe - 4-channel Internal Cable TV Tuner Card

I couldn't rate customer support because quite frankly I've never needed any customer support with this, and I've had it about 8 months. But everything else is definitely 5 stars. If you are in the market for a CableCARD tuner, this should be one of the products you consider. It might be expensive, but it's worth every penny....plus you get your money back anyway since you avoid renting a cable box or paying DVR fees. The monthly savings add up, and before you know it, this card is actually free.

Cost aside, I really enjoy not having to use the cable box the cable company has. With the InfiniTV4, I can record 4 HD cable channels at once...something my old cable box couldn't do. I can also add as much storage space as I want, so I don't have to worry about running out of space. And believe me, with 4 tuners, I am recording much more than I used to. I hardly ever watch live TV anymore. I just record everything and watch it when I want to.

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I built an HTPC four years ago. At the time, the only option to get HDTV in Windows Media Center was use an HDHomerun tuner. Yes, CableCard was available for HTPCs in 2007, but you had to purchase a system from an OEM manufacturer and it cost way too much money.

Fast forward to 2010. I was one of the first people to receive one of these cards. I must say, the only thing that hurt my experience was Comcast. Without question, this card is unbelievable! It is SIMPLE to install the card. Further, assuming you have a cable technician who has any experience, it is easy to set up in Windows Media Center.

Simply put, this card works. No, I do not get On Demand or Pay Per View (maybe if I call the cable co., but not via my remote). However, what I do get is a tuner that records 4 shows at one time without any problems.

Ceton's customer service is unparalleled. When I told them the trouble Comcast was causing, they contacted a Comcast engineer in New Jersey who fixed everything. All of this was done without question and without fail. They also have fast response times.

Yes, the card is not cheap. However, look at it as an investment. It's an investment in sanity as there are no more battles over what gets recorded. It's an investment in technology because my system can do things that a standard cable box could never accomplish.

I NEVER submit product reviews. Period. This product, however, is awesome.

Reviews of ABBA You Can Dance

Customer Ratings:

My wife is a great fan of the Just Dance Series and she just loves the ABBA musical Mamma Mia!. Whenever she is feeling under the weather, she pops the movie in and after a short while she is singing along. So, picking this as a present for her was an easy choice for me. And it sure got me brownie points...

GIMME! GIMME! GIMME A MODE AFTER MIDNIGHT!

There is a number of modes, I am sure you will find the one for you. There is, of course the classic Dance Mode, where you get to follow the dancing figures on the screen, trying to match their moves holding the Wiimote in one hand (only one is required corresponding to the gloved hand of the dancer). There is also a Story Mode, where you get to participate in a mini-musical with ABBA, enhanced with their original music videos, snippets from their tours and numerous pictures. And then there is the Karaoke!

I AM A MARIONETTE!

What is the use of having an ABBA dancing exergame if one cannot sing along, right? Well, this game got you (almost) covered. In the Karaoke Mode the lyrics appear under the dancing figures and they get highlighted with the rhythm in order for your to sing along. It is a very fun mode, one clearly missing form the other JUST DANCE games if it was not for the issue of the missing microphone.

MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!

For the karaoke to function properly you will clearly need a microphone (such as the Logitech Wii Vantage USB Microphone, the Logitech Microphones for the Wii or even the Nintendo GameCube & Wii Microphone) as, unfortunately, NONE is included. We had to order one separately. Of course, until it too arrived, my wife was far from discouraged from simply singing along anyway!

This is where the game looses the perfect score, though: the karaoke mode is a major selling point so UBISOFT deciding not to include the required microphone (which is essential in fully enjoying the game) was a bad (and cheap, I might add!) marketing decision.

TAKE A CHANCE ON ME!

Once you solve the missing microphone issue, you will be having tons of fun with this game. I always liked their sound yet I was never a huge fan of the ABBA. Nevertheless, I caught myself not a small number of times singing along their happy tunes as well. What can I say, their pop 70's mentality is obviously infectious!

RECOMMENDED!

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So we get four friends together along with this new Abba Dance game, four "mature" women who would certainly be Broadway stars if only we had the time and lived in New York and didn't have other jobs or families. (And if we could sing!) This game has some challenging moves, but after a few sips of wine it's time to discover our hidden talents so we pick up our Wiimotes and throw ourselves into the rhythms of "Dancing Queen" and try not to throw ourselves into the coffee table. At first we're barely moving in the same direction with the dancers onscreen and we're jabbing each other with errant elbows or outstretched arms a beat too late. But we're determined! After several times practicing this song (and a few more sips of Chardonnay) we're into it. We're not only moving along with the dancers on the screen, but we're all moving together, in the same direction. Not hitting each other. We're good. Darn good!

At the next gathering of friends and family, we bide our time before making our debut. Everyone has finally arrived. Food and drinks flow and everyone is having fun catching up on each other's lives. Our eyes meet over the crowd. It's time. We turn on the Wii, take our places in front of the big screen, all four of us. The music begins. "You can dance, you can dance! Having the time of your life..." The room becomes quiet except for the music blaring from the Abba Dance game over the TV's speakers. In almost perfect (well, somewhat coordinated) moves we begin our dance routine, following the dancers on the screen, our singing a little shy at first but gathering steam as everyone watches, mouths open, amazed when they suddenly realize that we can dance! We're amazing! Everyone (who isn't rolling their eyes) joins in the singing with the lyrics on the screen. We are stars, at least in our own family room! We collapse at the end, laughing our heads off. Other guests pick up the Wiimotes to try. While we probably won't quit our day jobs just yet, we vow to get together again in the following weeks to practice some other songs in the game in time for the next party. Since there are 26 of them, we should be kept busy (and exercising) for a long time.

There's a reason these dance games are so popular and I think it's because it's a great way to get some great exercise in a fun way. And anyone can learn the dance moves and routines if you do them often enough. When you're dancing alone, striving for high scores makes it easy to keep the motivation going so it's a form of exercise you look forward to, rather than putting it off. (And you can sing as loud as you want!) Two thumbs up for this fun game!

Best Deals for ABBA You Can Dance

I am 27, I own 4 other wii dance games by Ubisoft, and I love all of them. I also love ABBA. This ABBA game is leaving me a bit disappointed. The moves are just way too easy for me. In most of the songs you just stand in one place and wave your arms around. The dance moves for each song are quite repetitive as well. Once you are 30 seconds into the song, you've already seen all the moves you will be doing. I like my dancing games to have some footwork as well as arm work, instead of just standing in place.

After playing this game for an afternoon, I must conclude that the target audience for this game is older adults, and that is why they made the dance moves so simple. They probably figured that most ABBA fans are probably older. (Not the case for me and my friends, but whatever.)

So, if you are perhaps a middle-aged person that wants to get some exercise, and you love ABBA, this game would be perfect for you because you don't have to be a great dancer, and the moves aren't very fast. I got 5 stars on every song on the first try, so I think the wiimote is good at picking up your movements, too. The scoring is much more lenient than Just Dance or the Michael Jackson Experience. Even if you don't get the move completely right, it will still give you a perfect score.

One other issue I have is that on the four person songs, there are no pictograms to show you what to do, so it makes those ones a little confusing at first. I'm not sure why they don't have them, I guess it wouldn't fit on the screen or something?

So just to recap: this game is probably great for beginners, older adults, and maybe younger kids too. More experienced dancers will probably be bored, even if you do love the songs.

Honest reviews on ABBA You Can Dance

I wasn't certain about buying this game, as the reviews were so-so. But, I'm older, and not in the best condition. After an unhappy visit with the doctor I decided to change my slothful ways & give it a go. ABBA is like The Carpenters...even if you don't like them that much it's amazing how many of their songs you actually know. It's perfect for me. Easy moves, still got my heart rate up, following the model is an interesting exercise in hand/eye coordination. I imagine you get better as you learn the moves. I like that I didn't have to go out into the cold to do it, nobody else was here to see what I look like when I dance except for the cat who took refuge under the chair. She probably thought I was having a seizure or something. I enjoyed it. I can't really do the yoga bits on Wii fit & I find the cardio stuff kind of boring. So, this is something to put into the mix. If you're looking for a way to ease into exercise you'll do OK with this one.

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It's similar to a "Just Dance" except with all ABBA dancers & songs. In the Dance mode, there are pictograms, lyrics, gold moves, "x, ok, good, perfect" grading throughout the dance moves. There's also a stars gauge that indicates your overall performance over the course of a song.

Also has a mini-musical game mode where you dance, sing, & follow a story being communicated through music & dance moves. You choose your choreography & be part of a musical. Haven't done this yet.

I didn't expect a Karaoke option. This will be cool to try. I'll need to buy a Hudson Wireless or Logitech USB microphone to play this part. (Of course, I'm already singing along to all these songs from my childhood).

This game is better than I expected! If you like the old ABBA songs & like to dance along, you'll love this game. Voulez-Vous & Dancing Queen are my favorites but I recognize & like all the songs.