Discount Record of Agarest War Limited Edition -Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:

Record of Agarest War was a title that was on my radar for some time, mainly through seeing it in magazine ads and on websites. I'm a pretty big fan of JRPGs so I was excited to see what AKSYS would bring to the states with this release. After picking up the limited edition yesterday, I've put in a solid 6 hours or so and I'm here to let you know what the game is like in the beginning. If you are on the fence about purchasing this title, you may use this as a guide to see if it will suit your taste (since there aren't many reviews out there for the game). So, without further adieu, my impressions...

Record of Agarest War is a Japanese SRPG (Strategy Role Playing Game). What this means is that you have a team of characters strategically placed on the battlefield and one by one you move them to a position and attack. The enemy will be doing the same. With Agarest though, they treat it a little different than the big boys (namely Disgaea). For starters, turns are broken into a couple steps. You begin your turn by moving all of your characters. When you are finished moving, you and the enemy move at the same time (so where an enemy is standing when you begin moving might not be where he is when you finish). After the movement phase, comes the action phase. You are given action points to do certain things. There are no free attacks, each attack will use points, as does using potions, and items. You can chose to bank points and do nothing that turn and use them for the next round, but you can never go above your maximum point count x2. Sometimes this is a good strategy on bosses, but on small mobs you won't need to do this. Another important part of attacking is that you can link up attacks depending on where you are standing in regards to other players. So, when you move, be sure to pay attention to not only the enemies position, but also where your teammates will be positioned. This all sounds a little complicated but there are some tutorials that taught it well.

So that is the quick and dirty description of the battle system (which in my opinion is the biggest part of a SRPG game). It's not the best, I'll be the first to admit, but I feel it's adequate. Disgaea does it better with obstacles and blocks, plus the maps in Agarest are pretty boring, but for some reason I had fun playing Agarest. The battles never lasted too long and I never felt I was at the end of a cheap attack by a computer. You can upgrade your characters individually after each level they receive, which is a welcome addition to any RPG fans playing the game. The system reminds me of Mass Effect where you have a couple different options and you receive a certain number of points per level you need to sink into each level of your character. As you level up you will unlock more skills and such. It's nothing revolutionary, but it works.

The other draw of the game is the dating sim that is apparently present. I haven't encountered much of it since I'm still very early in the game. I have met on e of the girls you can woo and a decision I made to go around a fort instead of threw it made her like me a little more. I'm sure there will be more choices down the ro ad with girls who like different actions at different times. I doubt you can please them all. The story also ranges across generations. So, at the end of the first generatio n (first of five parts of the game) you will need to pick a woman to have a child with. This will then move into the next generation where new girls will be present and new characters to continue your journey. This was one of the major selling points for me in getting this game, so I'm excited to see how this works.

So, there you have it, my quick and dirty first impressions of Record of Agarest War. If you aren't a SRPG fan, avoid this game. If you are an SRPG fan and ha ven't played Disgaea 3, maybe you should start there to experience one of the best SRPG games out. This game is for the rest of us. We've played Disgaea, maybe it wasn't our thing and wanted something a little toned down, not as serious...maybe you like the dating sim aspect, whatever it is, there is a lot to like with Agarest. Unfortunately, there are also some things to not like and if you are one to be brought down by the small things, you may not like this game.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Since the RPG "Thousand Arms" for the original Playstation first ported to the United States in 1998, the RPG world was forever changed/corrupted/made super awesome with the introduction of one of the greatest inventions to video games; dating sims. Granted it was in its early years and did not advance the game (it allowed you to forge weapons), but it did allow you to offer your date "to see a blue flame" when they asked if you would fart in front of them (no joke!). This spawned a new sub-genre of questing within the RPG world known as the "romantic interest." Games like "Knights of the Old Republic: Sith Lords" allowed players to choose and pursue their love interest and, in the case of Record of Agarest War, consummate the completion of the quest in order to advance the game.

Record of Agarest War ("ROAW") passes itself off as anything but truly serious RPG if not downright perverse. One look at the box and any potential buyer will instantly get the idea that the sole purpose of this game is to play on the greatest of sexual innuendo whilst still (somehow) maintaining the "Teen" rating. One picture on the side shows an attractive animated woman attempting to shove an over-sized sausage into her mouth playing, leaving the meaning behind the not-so subtle meta-message to the perverted imagination of nerds like myself. The name of the limited edition, "the REALLY naughty limited edition," speaks volumes as does the description on the back stating the game is a "cornucopia of debauchery." I am NOT making any of this up!

In short, this is a game is not marketed to anyone belonging to the AARP. Parents should utilize caution when purchasing this game for their teenage sons living in their basement and, if you choose to ignore said warning, don't be surprised when their minds (and hands) are NOT on their chores, studies, or global warming.

Continuing with the gratuitous level of sexual innuendo contained within ROAW, the contents enclosed in the "really naughty limited edition" are akin to something one would find in either a vending machine located in Tokyo's red-light district (don't ask how I know) or at every booth at CostCon. The first 'item' that I pulled out of the massive box of sin was the mouse pad. While the added gel pad proved comfortable for my wrist, it should be noted the picture printed on the mouse pad was one of the female characters with her... um... you know... better parts as the gel pad. This is really interesting to note since the double peaks in the gel actually proved quite helpful in preventing carpel-tunnel.

The next item on our list of enclosed suggestive trinkets is a pillow case of a "yearning" character from the game. While this is handy for anyone wishing to marry a pillow (legal in S. Korea), the pink color scheme did not bode well with my urban dark blues and blacks in my living space. That and any chick I bring home from the bar will see the pillow and wonder if they'll become my next wind chime. Still, a cool trinket.

Then there's the last item, the soundtrack CD... not much I can make fun of here so we'll move onto the next section of the review; the game itself.

OK, so the game itself is the latest in tactical RPGs, albeit with the main emphasis on overtly suggestive themes and the dating simulator. Similar to Stella Deus, it's a very simplistic tactical RPG although the environments all seem to be the same. Not to mention everyone goes in the same turn with "move" and "action" phases as opposed to one elongated battle with turns divided by who is the fastest. This is an interesting break, but it kinda negates the purpose of being fast since everyone goes once per turn.

Also, ROAW has the element of combos, something not exactly new to TRPGs but what separates ROAW from others is that you must be in specific formation in order to achieve this. Due to the weird nature and oddball formations required to combo, it almost becomes more trouble than it is worth as you then use up all your character's energy to take out one person. Combos are definitely ideal for boss fights and not regular stand-up fights.

Also, the experience system is stretched out and, in many instances, it takes bloody forever to level. Even early on in the game on the easy setting, it took me an hour to level and I was barely a few dungeons in. This makes farming a long and egregious, if not monotonous, process. It's annoying and, to make matters worse, it is required if you wish to advance in the game without worrying about your characters constantly dying.

Another interesting aspect of ROAW is the equipment and adventure guild system. While you can purchase armor as you go, you can also create/smith you own as well. Early on I was able to make fairly decent silver armor and so forth, which gave me somewhat of a competitive edge over the relatively difficult battles that ROAW offers. You also can visit the adventure guild and gain titles that render rewards that make progressing a LOT easier. Farm and develop these things early.

Lastly... the dating simulator.

I should state flat-outright that it took me forever to get there. I was three hours in before I even got to the first date. I remember having a Randall moment from Clerks II, where I would be going through yet another mundane battle and then I would yell out, "Where the (expletive deleted) is the chick!?!?!" When it finally ca-.... er... happened, I was intrigued by how you actually "woo" women; through actions in the game. However, it just got really suggestive after that. I wonder if Barry White would contribute his music to ROAW to make the moment more right.

I'm still playing through the gameplay, but I'm progressing slowly as the battles are long and monotonous and I have to take several breaks since the game really doesn't hold my attention long during farming... until I hit the wooing part, which is what we all got it for to begin with.

All in all, a B-.

Best Deals for Record of Agarest War Limited Edition -Xbox 360

Ok, this game definitely has a target demographic. For you to find this review helpful, you probably should fall into most of these categories:

-You like LONG games (50 hrs minimum)

-You like STRATEGY RPGs (moving around on squares, turn-based)

-You like JAPANESE RPGs (anime style)

-You like JAPANESE styled stories (sometimes corny, slighty perverted romance-type)

-You DONT ABSOLUTELY NEED English dialogue (its all japanese, subtitled)

-You like VARYING ENDINGS based on your decisions throughout the game

Alright. So if you satisfy 4 of those traits, you don't want to miss this game.

Before getting into the specifics of the game, I'll say that Xbox360 doesnt have enough RPGs in the first place, so if you are like me, you will feel like you HAVE to at least try it. I don't think you will be dissappointed in most cases.

GRAPHICS/AUDIO/ETC

It's all anime style drawings. The graphics aren't impressive. The audio isn't impressive. It's all gameplay focused, and looks like you are basically playing Final Fantasy Tactics on a nintendo DS. The 'cutscences' are basically just a visual novel. You have to read a bunch to get the story.

THE STORY

It is what you expect from a Japanese RPG. One defining factor, though, is that you aren't the same hero the entire game. The story spans over several generations. Each new generation present a new hero. He is NOT the same guy as the previous one. You will like some of them and you won't like others. The story is DEFINITELY good enough for most people to get over the fact that its all text instead of cutscenes.

I am the kind of guy who hates the play through a game twice. I pretty much lose enough interest to play another 40 hours if I already know the story. But there is even enough variety in this game's story for me to play again. Thats saying alot for me.

Overall, you have to like the Japanese tyle of storytelling to really get into it. As long as you aren't taking it too seriously, you will love it.

THE BATTLE SYSTEM

With enemies constantly changing from area to area, the battle system delivers the diversity necessary to play a game for 100 hours. STRATEGY is extremely important, more so than brute strength. This is a very good thing, as it eliminates the necessity to grind levels before moving on. You can grind if you want to, and end up powering through your next few enemies, but it isnt at all necessary on easy or normal difficulty. That is even more important, for reasons I will get to later.

Basically, you are on a big field of squares, where you use action points(AP) to move and attack. Each turn is divided into a movement stage and an action stage. You have to use AP to move, and to perform attack skills. The amount of AP a character has is determined by their agility, weapons, armor, *and* the location of their teammates. Each character has a unique set of "extended areas," which give them more AP if one of their teammates is located in them. It is the main reason you must strateically think out every movement you make. In addition, you can do combination attacks with the teammates that are in your extended area. These are the most important attacks, and are absolutely necessary to defeat powerful enemies. In some cases, you will have to risk recieving greater damage by turning your back on the enemy in order to link up with your teammates. All things must be considered.

Throughout the game, you will even uncover new battle formations and fields, allowing you to choose a differently-shaped 'field of squares' that best compliments your battle style.

Overall, if you appreciate the strategic elements of the battle system, and don't mind that it looks so old-school, you will never get bored with the fighting.

THE OVERALL GAME SYSTEM

Your decisions are important. Some decisions that dont seem important end up affecting you later in the game in ways you didn't expect. You can make decisions that move you between the "dark" and "light" side of the guage. Unfortunately, sometimes you cant really tell which way a decision will send you. There are even some decisions that you must make during actual battles, such as not attacking a certain person. I did not fully comprehend the consequences of alot of actions until it was too late, but that is a good sign that you have to be thinking about more than battles to get the results you want.

Your actions affect how the female characters in the game like you. This is important because at the end of every generation, you have to choose a bride to make the hero of the next generation! You will choose your bride based on her strengths and yours, and that will determin the strength of the next hero. So if you like to use physical attacks, it is better for you to do the things the more physical heroine likes. If you want a magic user, then you need to get on the good side of the more mage-like females. It is more in-depth than it seems: That bride's level of affection for you also determines how strong the next hero will be, so you can't just ride the middle fence the whole time, or your son will not be as powerful.

Each generation, you have 3 brides to choose from, leading to 3 different next-generation heroes. The bride from the 1st generation, though, also affects your options for EVERY generation after that. The variety of possible end-game heroes, therefore, is unprecedented.

Throughout the game, you collect items, weapons, armor, and even monsters that can be upgraded, augmented, and converted into new items, with which you can create more powerful ones. The amount of customization in this game is impressive.

Back to the grinding issue. Every battle and even in the story consumes "1 turn." The game keeps track of how many turns you use. If you spend a bunch of turns grinding levels, you will miss some big events, and eventually change the ending of the entire game! Getting to a certain point in the game too late may cause you to miss a new partner, or a variety of other events. If you skip too many optional battles, you will find yourself underpowered in the next boss battle, or you may miss some powerful items. You have to consider all of these things with every move you make.

The story is not presented in a very interesting way. Basically, you just move from battle to battle, with various events mixed in between.

It's a stragy game, and RPG, a great story, and partially a dating sim. None of these elements are ground-breaking in themselves. But when you combine all of them in this manner, you have something that hasn't quite been achieved before.

THE GOOD

-Strategy based battles emphasize your decision-making instead of brute strength. (no grinding required)

-Decision system makes your decisions from every generation important for the entire game

-Immersive storyline holds the player's interest for the duration, and is interesting enough to play through multiple times

-HP is restored after battles, preventing the need to use recovery items outside of battle

-Plenty of different characters to team up with, allowing you to choose how to fight your battles

THE BAD

-All japanese dialogue, and no subtitles during battles. Archaic system of story-telling that you expect more on a handheld game without cutscenes.

-Sometimes hard to figure out whether your choice is going to be considered 'dark' or 'light'

-Characters have limited amount of slots to assign skills to, causing you to use the same attacks over and over again.

-Graphics and audio quality are mediocre compared to the console games of this era

-Relatively limited selection of the most powerful move combinations in battle

CONCLUSION

This is a game that requires alot of strategic thought and patience. And there is no focus on impressive visual/audio effects. You definitely have to really commit to playing it, but if you do, you WILL NOT be dissapointed. You will be immersed, challeged, and satisfied.

Honest reviews on Record of Agarest War Limited Edition -Xbox 360

I didn't know what to expect when I purchased this game but I must say I am glad I got it. The gameplay is fun and the basics are easy to grasp. There are quick tutorials in the first few battles that give good explanations for the various options during battle so there is no confusion. The more you play the deeper the battles can become depending on how you play. New characters and formations are introduced that really allow you to decide how you want to play. Certain formations are better for defense while others excel at offense and there are other formations that can give stat boosts depending where you place your characters. Another good point is that the game offers three difficulty levels so the player can pick a difficulty that best suits there skill level. I have played with all three difficulty levels active and there is a difference that becomes more apparent as you progress further into the game. Easy mode is very good for players who don't play many tactics based RPGs and allows you to focus more on the story. Normal is good for just about anybody who enjoys tactics based RPGs and has some skill in them. Hard on the other hand starts off not to bad but gets really intense later on. So be prepared with the best tactics you can muster or you will end up being very frustrated very quickly. The story so far has been better then I expected and the ability to bond with some of the characters really adds a fun element to the game as certain choices will effect how those characters feel about you. In the end this is a fun game with lots to offer for most gamers. Oh and the mouse pad and pillow case are actually good quality as well so don't think there just going to send you some cheep freebies. The soundtrack is also rather good and is worth a listen if your a fan of game soundtracks. Have Fun!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Record of Agarest War Limited Edition -Xbox 360

I no longer buy games at Gamestop and unfortunately they carry the ones that Target and Best Buy don't carry. So I get all my games on Amazon. The arriving was timely. I thought the box was bigger but it's what in the box that counts. The pillow case and mouse pad are awesome!!! I definitely recommend this to fans out there!!!!

Cheap NBA 2K9 - PC

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $4.49
Today's Bonus: 78% Off

Here are some things you have to know when buying this game:

1. There is no online game play

2. This game requires a Steam account which means you will have to have an internet connection(Very stupid I know).

3. Once the game installs, the steam account needs to update the game. Be VERY VERY patient because it takes forever! Mine took 7 hours to update! Many people get so excited to play that they keep clicking on the "launch" button to play the game and don't let it install completely. Every time you hit the "launch" button the update will have to start over.

4. 2k Sports made a big error and forgot to send key codes with most of the games they sent out. They solved this by allowing you to install the game without a key code so it is NO longer an issue.

5. If you have any other issues with the game, go to

Here you will find a solution to almost any problem you may be facing.

Once you get the game to work it is AWESOME!! With all the problems people have been facing it might be worth it for you to wait 9 months and buy NBA 2k10 where most of these problems will be fixed (hopefully) and there will be online game play.

The bottom line is if you can find this game used for under $10, it is definitely worth your time and money.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

NBA 2K9 on the PC is the best game ever. Before I had NBA Live 08 for the PC and I thought that it was pretty good. However, after playing this game Live 08 is average.

This game has the great graphics since it is a Xbox 360 port, so it has the next-gen graphics! In addition, it has the features that the 360 version has like substituting on the fly, calling plays and team strategies. This game has pretty good commentary. The game has a realistic atmosphere.

There are many different modes such as a season, playoffs, slam dunk contest, 3pt. shootout, 21, pickup games, and a practice mode, where you can practice the different offensive plays which tell you where to move your controlled player.

There is even a free throw practice mode--something I wish NBA Live 08 had.

The Shot Stick is a very fun way to shoot since it can perform many different types of shots, layups and dunks based on the direction you put the Right Analog Stick. This increases the number of shots you can perform since each direction has a different move. With a shot stick, you have more control over the type of shot you would like.

I am really liking the automatic substitutions of NBA 2K9, since you can have them based upon the players' fatigue or the team's rotation. One aspect that makes it good is that it recognizes players' secondary positions and substitutes based upon them.

For instance, I use the Phoenix Suns & when Shaquille O'Neal is subbed out, it recognizes that Amar'e Stoudemire can play at center, so it slides him over, and inserts Matt Barnes at PF.

In Live 08, it would put Robin Lopez at center. This is where the rotations are important, since Lopez isn't a big part of my team's rotation.

2K Sports did the right thing putting out this game on the PC since ea sports decided not to make its game on the PC.

I highly recommend this game and at $20.00, you cannot go wrong! Buy it so that NBA 2K will continue to come out on the PC in future years.

Best Deals for NBA 2K9 - PC

Many options in passing and shooting. Also, the game has great graphics. Would have been better for PC users if there were visual illustrations for a PC compatible game pad. Hard to dunk with any regularity, even right under the basket. Overall, a very good game.

Honest reviews on NBA 2K9 - PC

This game is a simplistic and poorly executed port of 2K Sports XBOX 360 version. They even include a picture of the XBOX 360 Controller in the manual. If you have an XBOX 360, pay the extra money and play it on your 360, this game is a piece of the trash. The menu system is jacked up, sometimes you can use your mouse other times you need to use your joystick or your keyboard, it's never consistent or logical. But the problem that seals it at 1 star is the fact that it gives you an error message when you try to configure a controller that isn't for the 360 and the default configuration does not have the direction arrows or secondary buttons assigned. I have no desire to play a basketball game with my keyboard. Further complicating this debacle was that tech support was useless and simply suggested they couldn't solve the problem because their are many types of controllers. I have played countless games including tons of freeware games that all work with my controller. This is a beta game all the way, only they aren't interested in fixing the problems. Run away, and run away quick! However, you'll need to press a button on your keyboard though, as the trigger/run button on your controller will be rendered useless.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for NBA 2K9 - PC

Best PC basketball game ever for playability. Horribly menu system. If the menu system were better, or if there were documentation to explain the menu system at least, then it would be a 5 star game for sure. Even with the debillitating menu system it is a fantastic game.

BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition - Playstation 3 Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $19.99
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

If you are like me and mad late catching up with series, download the Bioshock demo off of PSN first to see if this your cup of tea. I usually avoid first person shooters like the plague. I have no interest in Call Of Duty, Battlefield or any other war crap. Yet, I was very impressed by what I played in the Bioshock demo. I was very close to purchasing Bioshock until I saw this great package was about to be released.

Take heed to the 'Mature' rating before purchasing this for little Billy or Suzie. These games may be extremely graphic, violent, bloody, and bizarre for those who do not have an open mind or the patience to understand what is going on. The rest of you will love it! A mix of survival horror, rpg elements and a fast paced shooter all blended together to make a classic series.

A perfect deal for only $30 plus tax. 1 disc, and 3 Bioshock Infinite promo stickers are included. Best to have disc auto start turned off before inserting these combo pack discs to avoid a game from automatically loading up like Assassin's Creed Revelations does with the Ezio Trilogy disc. You can disable disc auto start by navigating to Settings > [System Settings] in the XMB menu.

With disc auto start turned off, when you first insert the disc, 2 icons will appear. 1 icon to install Bioshock 1. A 2nd icon to install Bioshock 2 plus all DLC's for both Bioshock 1 and 2 which you can install separately from the disc anytime you choose. In other words, if you only want to install Bioshock 2 and then decide to install Minerva's Den, you can do so at anytime you choose.

Install times are nowhere near as long as the Ezio Trilogy pack. In fact, when you install Bioshock, you are treated to a musical loading screen playing 1950's music with interesting in game ads while the games install.

Graphics still look great and stand the test of time. The voice acting is very convincing and sets the tone for an eerie, creepy world to explore filled with various sinister, psychotic characters all with their own evil, twisted agenda. A lot of time and thought went into creating the story and the very believable city of Rapture. If you are not a first person shooter fan, give this a shot.

Here are a list of DLC's included:

Bioshock: DLC's Plasmids Pack, Challenge Rooms Pack, Bonus Museum Level

Bioshock 2: DLC's Minerva's Den, Sinclair Solutions Tester, Rapture Metro, Kill Em Kindly, The Protector Trials

SUBTITLES FOR BIOSHOCK 1:

Minor spoiler for Bioshock 1. To access the subtitles, start a game of Bioshock. After the opening plane crash scene, you will assume control of Jack who surfaces from underwater. Pause the game, select 'options' and you will see an option to turn on subtitles.

HOW TO FIX 'CONTINUE' / LOAD GAME ERRORS:

There was a common issue with Bioshock 1 and 2 where loading up a saved game by selecting 'Contnue' or 'Load Game' would result in a freeze error where your saves never load up. Unfortunately this issue still carries over to the Ultimate Rapture Edition. This happened to me recently and luckily there is an easy fix for this.

On your PS3 in the XMB menu, simply navigate to your 'Game Data' folder under the Games menu and delete all Bioshock files.

DO NOT DELETE ANY SAVED GAME DATA WHICH IS LOCATED IN A DIFFERENT FOLDER, SAVED GAME DATA FOLDER.

Once you delete all Bioshock game data files, simply reinstall Bioshock and your saves should load just fine.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Welcome to the Circus of Values! The first two BioShock games are two of the best games this console generation has seen and now we have the opportunity to get both of them, complete with all their downloadable content, here in one package.

There really isn't anything new I can say about these two games that hasn't already been said when the games were originally released. Both are amazing story-driven FPSs that showcase some of the best imagination and creativity in video games. The graphics were great for their time and still hold up well today but will show their age when compared to some of the more recent game releases. Since so many reviews have already been released about the original games I am going to instead focus on the extra content that is included. If you are on the fence about the games themselves, I would encourage you to view the reviews on the original product pages to get a better understanding of the games.

!WARNING! These games have great stories and it would be a shame to have them spoiled for those of you new to the series. A few inconsiderate reviewers will contain details that will spoil the story for you, so proceed with caution!

Bioshock

Bioshock 2

Now on to the added content!

The DLC is included on the disc which means no codes to enter and nothing to download. The case says 22 GB are required to install all the content but its not one huge install; you can pick and choose which pieces of DLC to install and each has to be installed separately.

The first BioShock comes with the Plasmids Pack, the Challenge Rooms Pack, and the Bonus Museum Level. All content is single-player; there was no multiplayer in the first game. While all the DLC from the second game is installed separately, the DLC for the first is installed in one package. This isn't that big of a deal since most of the DLC included is for the second game anyhow.

The Plasmids Pack isn't really worth mentioning; this was a free update that anyone with an internet hookup had access to. This patch/DLC brought in a handful of new Plasmid powers and added new trophies/achievements. While this update was free of charge, its convenient to have it on disk and not have to download it.

The Challenge Rooms pack were three independent levels that were separate from the game's story and originally only available on the PS3 and now 360 owners get to enjoy them for the first time. The name says it all; they are rooms with a challenge. Sometimes puzzle-driven, sometimes combat. They aren't really a necessity to fully enjoy BioShock; they're a nice bonus but easily done without. The Challenge Rooms originally released for $9.99 and come with their own set of trophies. Unclear at this time if the trophies were translated to achievements for this edition but I would assume so.

The Bonus Museum Level is a great addition for the big BioShock fans out there. Unfortunately, there's not much to it. It consists of one medium-sized room with several "exhibits" and concept art lining the walls. Here we get to see the different ideas that were played around with and ultimately scrapped before the game was finalized. Walking up to each piece provides a small description in paragraph form. Its nice to see actual detailed 3D models of these ideas, but without any movement or sound they're simply lifeless statues that you will quickly get bored with. Even the biggest BioShock fans will spend a limited amount of time in here; I consider myself one of these fans and I was out after 20 minutes. Very interesting and a nice bonus, but I doubt I'll go back anytime soon.

The added content for BioShock 2 are the Sinclair Solutions Tester pack, Rapture Metro map pack, Kill'em Kindly mode, The Protector Trials, Minerva's Den, and a Character Pack (apparently not mentioned on the case). Assuming that you're interested in the multiplayer aspect of the game at least somewhat, there's a lot of value here. Being that the game is nearing its 4-year anniversary, its understandable that the multiplayer has fallen off quite a bit from where it was. Many of the modes are simply impossible to find games for without setting them up yourself with invites to friends and the "players met" list. Most of the action takes place in the Civil War mode, which is simply Team Deathmatch. Getting into a Civil War match is fairly easy, but there are times when it will take a few minutes to find one. Also, without dedicated servers you're left at the mercy of the host. That means if they have a horrible connection you might see some lag and if they leave the game you're forced to return to the lobby to restart the match. I don't see lag too much, but be prepared for a host leaving every so often. Still a lot of fun and there's always hope that new players will emerge with the release of the Ultimate Rapture edition. Time will tell, but for now be warned; while playable, the multiplayer is far from thriving.

!NOTE! IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PLATINUMING THIS GAME, PLAYING MULTIPLAYER TO LEVEL 40 IS REQUIRED. This isn't impossible but will require about 15-30 hours depending on your skill level. I'm a fairly decent player and it took me around 22 hours.

The Sinclair Solutions Tester pack added a level cap increase to the multiplayer from level 40 to 50. Two new playable characters and 5 masks were added along with a third upgrade option to all weapons. The pack released for $4.99.

The Rapture Metro map pack features six new maps that you will likely never play. Seriously... if one person enters the lobby without this map pack then these maps are excluded from the rotation. Finding a lobby full of people with this map pack is next to impossible. The best way to ensure you see these maps (other than setting up a private match by yourself and roaming around) is to set up sessions on gaming forums. There are trophies tied to this pack, but as with all DLC trophies, they aren't required for the Platinum. This pack also included the option to "rebirth" at level 50, allowing you to start over at level 1 (like prestige in COD). The map pack released for $9.99 and had three new trophies/achievements.

The Kill'em Kindly mode is simply a melee only game mode for multiplayer. This was offered free of charge to anyone with an internet connection so again, this was mentioned only because its now included on disc without the hassle of downloading. Remember when I said most of the action took place in Civil War? Guess which game mode you won't be playing much of...

The Character Pack is the last multiplayer content and it wasn't mentioned on the case. It includes two playable characters that were originally only available for those that pre-ordered the game. The pack eventually released for $1.99. (And just to be clear, when I say "playable characters" I mean skins. There is no difference in stats or weapons available from one character to the next and choosing one from another is purely for cosmetics, though they each have their own set of one-liners that they spout off during the match.)

The Protector Trials is a single-player horde mode that contains somewhat of a side story. In each level you must protect the harvesting little sister from a wave of splicers. You are graded on your performance on each level and, much like the Challenge Rooms from the first game, your arsenal is pre-selected making you strategize accordingly. It released for $4.99 and had seven new trophies/achievements.

Minerva's Den is more of a traditional single-player side-story offering that is probably the best content included in this package. I don't want to go into too much detail for the sake of spoilers. It will probably take you anywhere from 2-6 hours depending on how your playstyle is. It released for $9.99 and had eight new trophies/achievements.

CONCLUSION

Now, after all that you can see that this Ultimate Rapture edition is a great value but more for new players that have never experienced the BioShock series or for huge BioShock fans. If you've played the games before but don't consider yourself a big fan then its safe to pass. For those of you getting pumped over the new BioShock: Infinite that's releasing soon, an exclusive pack of 3 collectible stickers are included. As mentioned by other reviewers a HUGE chunk of hard drive space (22GB) is required to install all of the content, HOWEVER... you are not required to install everything all at once. Meaning that if you are limited on hard drive space you can always install one game and play it, then delete it before installing the second one. This will cut that 22GB size down substantially(When checking my folders it seems BioShock measures in at just over 6GB including the DLC. BioShock 2 is 9.3GB for the game and just over 4GB for all of the DLC. Even if you include save data we don't reach the 22GB listed on the case, but its close enough).

Also, if you like the BioShock games and enjoy reading, be sure to check out John Shirley's prequel to the series. A great read if you're a fan!

Best Deals for BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition - Playstation 3

First off, these games are amazing, and with all the DLC included (on disc, no codes included), this bundle is a steal.

Now, both games and the DLC are all on one disc ( a dual layered Blu-ray disc to be precise). Once you insert the disc, two icons will appear, one for "Bioshock" and one for "Bioshock and Bioshock 2 Additional Content". When you start Bioshock 1, the only thing you have to install is game data, which is about 5GB. When you choose the "Bioshock and Bioshock 2 Additional Content" icon, Bioshock 2 and all the DLC for both games will be listed. Unlike Bioshock 1, Bioshock 2 (the entire game) has to be completely installed, which amounts to 9.4 GB of space. The DLC has to be installed as well, which is about 5.6GB all together.

Adding all three totals together, it's really 20GB instead of 22GB, but it's still a lot.

Despite all that, this is a great bundle, and at $30, it's one that should not be missed

Honest reviews on BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition - Playstation 3

There's not much to say about Bioshock that hasn't been said before: it's an awesome franchise (so far) and the story is VERY good (among the best I've seen); it's one of my top recommendations for video games. Still, it may not be for everyone: its a survival horror (think Silent Hill or the first Resident evil) in first-person view, but with a much more immersive story well sewn into the gameplay.

True Story's user review recommends downloading the demo before buying and I agree completely, because the game compels you to think stategically: in normal difficulty you'd be mostly fine just taking cover and shooting, but in the higher difficulties (or when aiming for the platinum torphy) you'll be slaughtered if you don't use every part of the environment to your advantage (and I do mean EVERY PART, as the game is designed for this)... Unless you play in the easy but not-so-enjoyable difficulty.

If you don't care much for serious storytelling, scarce resources, startegic thinking over bullets flying, and sensitive moral questioning, you'll not enjoy Bioshock to its fullest.

Anyroad, is this Ultimate Rapture edition (URE) worth it? Maybe: some factors may strongly influence the decision depending on what you're looking for. One thing, though: only Bioshock 1 comes in disc version; Bioshock 2 MUST be completely installed in the HDD, so if you're the kind of user who downloads most of your games into you PS3, think well about available room in your PS3 (about 20 Gb) before buying this bundle.

One kind of gamer I picture buying this is someone that hasn't played Bioshock before but is interested in it or has played it (either through a lent copy or through the demo) and liked it. They should actually get this edition, for Bioshock 1 will most likely absorb them so much they'll crave the sequel (and probably the prequel in book format: BioShock: Rapture) AND the DLC, because Minerva's den gives more story background, so why not get it all in one shot? Probably the continue glitch (see below) won't apply to you (just install the DLC for Bioshock 1 before beginning your playthrough).

Other kind of gamer I picture is the collector of all things Bioshock. This one has the collectors edition of the three Bioshocks, so, who are you kidding? You need this to complete your collection regardless of the very few new things it will give you (the stickers and the Museum).

But maybe you only have Bioshock 1. Then this could still be for you, as it inlcudes almost all the DLC (see below) available. Even if you've played both games (either finished them or not) but not own them and think this is a good deal to get them, you're probably right, though only the first game comes in disc format. Bioshock 2 is a digital version of the game (like the ones you donwload from the PlayStation Store). If this is your case, keep in mind there's an issue with the PS3 URE where the load screen freezes when you choose to continue or load a save file. Delete the game data (not saved game data, mind you) from your PS3 and install the game again to arguably fix this. It works, but when you install the DLC again, the problem will be back. This stems from the fact that the DLC for Bioshock 1 seems to conflict with pre-DLC save files (I don't know if the same happens with PS Store-downloaded DLC), so deleting game data and installing again reverts the game to a pre-DLC status, thus allowing you to use your save files albeit without DLC, which means that if you want to keep your save files, your URE DLC won't work. Looks like the "real" solution consists of starting a new game after installing URE DLC because, somehow, the save files don't conflict with downloaded content if you created the save file AFTER installing DLC (?). I did it and worked fine, but I only played the first level, so I can't say it's a permanent solution. I had already finished the game (platinum trophy included), so it's no big nuisance, but consider this if you haven't finished it and were thinking to do it on URE from a previous save file: either finish first and install DLC later or begin anew after installing DLC. This seems to be only a problem for Bioshock 1 (I checked for Bioshock 2 and everything works fine).

If you already own Bioshock 2 but not Bioshock 1 nor any DLC, this is a good buy. If you own Bioshock 2 and the DLC, better get the first game and Challenge rooms separately (unless you're willing to cough up $30.00 for one game and three stickers).

IF YOU HAVE BOTH GAMES BUT NO DLC, DON'T BUY THIS (unless you're a hardcore collector of Bioshock). It's better to buy the DLC directly from the PlayStation Store, as I will now explain.

The Plasmid pack will likely be irrelevant for PS3 because it was always there and it was made for Xbox 360 users, who didn't get it when the game came out (NOTE: this is just my memory speaking and I haven't been able to confirm this with online research). The Museum isn't a real playable level: it's just an in-game big room with 3D renderings of some of the content from the "Bioshock: breaking the mold" art book with new captions. The DLC for Bioshock 1 includes the New Game Plus feature (use your overpowered character from the beginning of a new game) for unlock when finishing the game (use wisely, as no trophies are awarded in NGP and, again, if you already finished the game, beware of the continue glitch, as deleting game data will wipe the memory of you having finished already).

That said, here's the total cost of the DLC from the PlayStation Store:

Challenge rooms: $9.99

The Protector trials: $4.99

Minerva's den: $9.99

Sinclair Solutions tester: $4.99

Rapture Metro & Kill 'em kindly: $9.99

Total: $39.95, which still makes "Over $40 of add-on content" an overstatement (would be true with base DLC prices plus the characters pack; see below).

If you think this is a good deal for the DLC and stickers alone, you'd be right, were it not for another option available: the $24.99 Bioshock 2 DLC bundle from the PlayStation Store that includes all of the above (save the Challenge rooms, which are Bioshock 1 DLC) AND the Exclusive character pack (two additional characters for multiplayer; $1.99 if bought separately). If you throw in the Challenge rooms pack ($9.99), you'd be spending $34.98 for the same DLC as in URE and getting two extra MP characters not included in URE. If you're looking to net the DLC alone, URE is only $4.98 cheaper with the Museum and the three Infinite stickers, but no characters pack (or a mere $2.99 if you buy the characters separately), so in my opinion you'll be better off with the $34.98 PlayStation Store option.

And then, there's me... I got this because I physically hate my Greatest Hits versions of both games (the red case doesn't appeal to me), because of the DLC, and because of the stickers, but there's something weird: for some reason, if you already own Bioshock 1 and want to play from the URE disc, you'll have to install the game all over again (if you use your regular version you'll only face a short install for the Challenge rooms). I thought this was because of some sort of "specific-disc-linked data", but the first time I played Bioshock 1 was on a disc a friend lent me and when I got mine (the Greatest Hits edition, :S ) I didn't have to install again, so I'm clueless as to why this happens with the URE... And there's the continue glitch, but still, for me, those are no biggies.

In all, if you don't own any Bioshocks and want to, this is for you (four stars). If you're a hardcore collector of Bioshock, this is for you (nevermind ratings). If you only own the first (or second) Bioshock AND no DLC, this is still for you (three stars because of the continue glitch). If you own both games but no DLC, this isn't for you.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition - Playstation 3

there are comprehensive reviews for both games elsewhere, so i will limit this review to this edition and its contents.

but that being said, both bioshock 1 and 2 are truly amazing gaming experiences.

this edition is a stellar value, no question. some of the dlc was previously available, some was not, but one thing that is totally new is the addition of STICKERS!

first off, all dlc is ON DISC. this is great news for those folks who are not fans of psn codes.

here is what is included:

bioshock1

plasmid pack

challenge room pack

bonus museum level

bioshock2

sinclair solutions tester

rapture metro

kill 'em kindly

the protector trials

minerva's den

3 stickers from the upcoming bioshock infinite

the stickers are a little lackluster, to be honest. i was really hoping for some of the vigors (murder of crows, anyone?) or even the beautiful concept art, however what we get are three stickers (about three inches by four inches) showcasing the following:

monument island

the first lady's aerodome

hall of heroes memorial giftshop

the real silliness involved in this set is the amount of time it takes to install. if both games and all dlc's can fit on one disk, i mistakenly thought install for everything would be a one-step snap. WRONG. just about every item must be installed separately, with some things taking an inordinate amount of time to do so. bioshock one took about twenty minutes (not a huge deal), however bioshock two took nearly an HOUR. this is easily the longest install i've ever seen...which is odd, because i already owned both games, and neither took so long to originally install. that being said, i recently upgraded to the 500gb ps3, so i know it isn't the system.

the box says the game/s require 4997mb of space...however looking at my ps3 i am more than a little confused. bioshock 2 installed to my ps3 game folder, and that game alone states 9343mb. and if bioshock2 installed directly to my hard drive, then why didn't bioshock1? color me confused on this one for sure.

all technical installation nonsense aside, i am super pleased to have the new content, and i will certainly be playing through both games again to experience as much as i can. bioshock1 holds the honor as my personal favorite gaming experience of all time.

i will update my review after i have seen how all the new dlc plays out. be warned: some of the dlc is multiplayer only. my only experience with the multiplayer aspect was not such a fun experience. i guess i was late to the multiplayer experience and was killed literally seconds after entering the game by other folks. that happened three times in a row before i decided that maybe it wasn't for me. i will probably give it another try in hopes that the online community has gotten less kill happy with the newcomers.

you really can't go wrong with this set. i would pay full price for bioshock1 all over again, let alone to get all this new dlc, PLUS the second game and the new dlc available with that. if you are on the fence at all, i'd encourage you to sieze this opportunity.

Reviews of Toy Story 2

Customer Ratings:

My almost 5-year-old and I got hooked playing Spyro 3 earlier this month. We've been playing endlessly. To take a little break we tried out Toy Story 2. What a disappointment. I don't think the graphics are that great, unless you're comparing them to a Super Nintendo. And the games are MUCH harder to play. We couldn't figure out what we were supposed to do in some rooms, and the skill required to complete most of the tasks is just beyond my youngster and I.

My other complaint would be with the help/instructions on-screen. In Spyro, the characters read aloud the messages as they appear on the screen. This means he can play the game by himself. But because he can't read, he can't get help or hints on-screen.

While he does seem to like it because of the characters, he just can't play it by himself, and his frustration level is pretty high with this one. Not to sound like a broken record, but if you've got a younger child, try Spyro 3 (or 2 or 1).

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Best Monster Cable PGLS 100 SV/R-6 GameLink Standard Composite/S-Video Deals

Customer Ratings:

I really only bought this particular cable for the S-Video connection, so I cannot say anything about the Composite output. If I were a more diligent soul I would have compared the Nintendo composite quality to the Monster composite quality to get a better comparison. But I'm not very diligent, I just want to plug and play, and I certainly did. The S-Video quality is great on my Panasonic TV. I think this cable was definitely worth it for me. I'm no A/V nut so I didn't want to spend a ton of money buying Nitrous Platinum Super Awesome cables, but I do know that Monster makes a good product, so I'm glad they had these low-end cables available.

Final thought: Worth every penny if you are looking for a cheap upgrade and not overly concerned with having the best of the best high end cables.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

by this cabel i can playing ps2 on my pc by msi fx5200 card

Crash of the Titans - Xbox 360 Reviews

Customer Ratings:

A real letdown in most areas. My whole household was thrilled and counting down to this game. We got it on day one, rather than waiting to hear what others thought. Well, remember the fun boxes and the TNT and the figuring out puzzles? There is very little of that in this game. If you loved the old area where Crash takes over that yellow robot suit, you may like this game. In Crash Titans, you highjack (or jack) other huge robot-like creatures, and smash other similar robot-like creatures. That is about it, total, for the whole game. It should have been called Crash Battle Bots. You highjack a bot, smash and battle other robots.

Remember the fun of finding boxes, figuring out how to cross gates taht open and close, hanging from suspended ceilings and spinning just in time to fend off scorpions, all the lighthearted fun colors and scenery? There is about, being very generous, 5% of that in this game. It's great for the first few minutes, then very dark and just battling. There are a few 'surfing' scenes here and there that are similar to the old games, but this is way more like Spyro even in those areas.

My kids played on Normal level. I suggest playing at the most difficult level for SURE if you want to get any fun out of this game. Unless you are totally new to not only Crash Bandicoot but also if you are totally new to games. Then normal is fine. Otherwise, choose the difficult level.

My kids got through the entire game in 3 days. That really sums up this game. $50 for a three day game. Usually, we play Crash as a family, each taking a turn for each level. We spend weeks, honestly even months, sharing the game. I did level one, waited for the kids to get bast the dark battle areas, and never played again. That's just all there is.

Total bummer. I really want my money back. :( Would be fun to battle other family members or friends in the two player mode though. The two person is a little clumsy, but at least it's more fun that way. Not worth $50. Wait til it comes out at $20. At the most.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I have to admit I wasn't a big video game fan before I tried this game. But my 8 year old son and I have been having a ball with Crash and his friends. The game provides a lot of clean fun and excitement and is fast paced enough to keep my son's attention! Yet on the easy level, easy enough that he does not get frustrated. A great game to start with Crash of the Titans has already enthralled the whole family. Too bad you can't play with more than two players...but aside from that, it rocks!

Best Deals for Crash of the Titans - Xbox 360

Among so many violent games, this game presents great entertainment for the whole family. It is not so easy to play, for absolutely new gamers, like my wife :-), but it is fun to spend a few hours in front of the game. Some characteristics of the series which I considered a huge problem (like rare saves) have been fixed, the camera works fine, and it presents difficulty without frustration. The graphics are pretty nice too.

I highly recommend it if you want to play a game that has little or no violence, since we don't have Mario on the xbox360, this is the closest it gets.

Honest reviews on Crash of the Titans - Xbox 360

Fun game to play and very well made. If your are an old Crash fan then this is for you!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Crash of the Titans - Xbox 360

This was an excellent purchase. I bought this from "Dutchmoney10". I ordered it on Friday, August 9, 2013 and received it on Monday, August 12, 2013. I was absolutely amazed how quick I received it. It was better than described. The purchase was simple, easy and quick to ship. I would highly recommend future purchases from this vendor, Dutchmoney10. I also received a personal thank you from this vendor, which was a very nice personal touch. I would recommend this vendor to anyone I know. Awesome Job Dutchmoney10!! My grandson was completely satisfied with this game, he played it for days.

Discount Fable 2 Platinum Hits -Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:

Let me be the first to say that this is not a game for the casual gamer who wants to just pick something up and button mash. It's a mix of action & role playing with an added twist...moral consequences for your actions. Meet people, find treasure, start a family, gain power, customize your appearance, learn new abilities, become loved as a hero or feared as a villian....there are limitless variables which accompany the main storyline. Granted I didn't play Fable on the original XBOX, but I've never played anything quite like this. I really like the fact that despite the games complexity, you don't need a strategy guide....things are intuitive and the game will lead you in the right direction (using the "golden trail".

I'd guess I'm currently over halfway through the main quest. I have maintained a fairly moral path. I look forward to playing the game through again making immoral choices and gaining renown through villiany. Yes, I haven't completed the game yet and am looking forward to playing again.....high replay value IMO.

The Platinum Hits edition comes with both expansions, which make it the best value for someone who doesn't own a previous release of the game. This one has been worth every penny.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Fable II for those who don't know is an Xbox only open world RPG which sends the player through the beautiful peaceful yet corrupt kingdom of Albion.

For starts the Game play is very fluid yet youll have to get used to it.

unlike most RPG titles your character does not "level up" , but instead using another system of doing so.

after killing any kind of target victim in the game they will leave behind orbs of experience which you must accumulate by holding RT.

Experience is divided into four categories : Strength , General , Will , And Skill. Strength improves the usage of any melee weapon , Skill improves the usage of any range weapon , will improves use of magic , while general helps with all kinds of combat.

skill and strength experience is used to buy new kinds of talents for melee and ranged weapons while will XP will be used to buy new magic talents , any kind of talent has more than one level.

Combat being a big aspect of the game if your traveling is pretty simple and straight forward.

the X button stands as your melee attack which if mashed continuously your character will perform basic swinging attacks , The Y button stands as your ranged attack , Hold or press B to use Will (magic).

like most RPG games Fable will have a line of main quest along with many optional side quest.

one major aspect of fable is the simulation of true life in the game think "The Sims" meets W.O.W.

For starters your player has an expression wheel ranging from Social , Fun , Flirty (not available when interacting with children) , Scary , and insulting which will affect how people look at you make some hate you others love you , expressions can be used during any point of the game.

your character will also be able to become fat or stay physically fit by eating certain kinds of foods (Steak pies against tofu fish celery) being fat will make you appear ugly to most people making it harder for them to like you.

through use of the right expressions your character can fall in love with another one which you can marry and start a family...which will involve SEX pretty simple don't wear a condom you might get an std or get your wife pregnant so for the sake of my character i always use a condom.

lastly the graphics of this game have their own look almost makes you think of Shrek cgi while the graphics are very good they still have a less realistic cartoonish side that makes the game look awesome.

the world of Albion while very beautiful and rich..i never had the ambition to explore it freely as i would in fallout or elder scrolls

overall this game is well worth twenty dollars and is an awesome addition to anyones 360 collection I would highly recommend buying this whether or not you have or haven't played the first one.

P.S. hope i wasn't to boring!

Best Deals for Fable 2 Platinum Hits -Xbox 360

Pros: To start with the game is beutiful. the style is the closest you will get to playing a charles dickens novel. and except for the abrupt ending the game has a pretty great story that manages to hook you in the beginning take into account your actions through the game. the way your characters appearance changes based on how you fight, moral choices, the type of food you eat is pretty awsome.

Cons: secrets tend to hide worthless items. Money is so easy to come by that you won't struggle buying anything, and vendor equipment is typically better than the legendary equipment you find out in the world. bassically the game gives you all kinds of optional puzzles to solve, but all they give you for finding and completing them is a Pie or a gold necklace. The game is short for an RPG.

Honest reviews on Fable 2 Platinum Hits -Xbox 360

The title of the review says it all, Fable II was a massive achievement for the Xbox 360 community in many ways more than just a few improvements. This is a must have action/adventure game that deserves more than it has earned(pertaining to the retarded 4 star rating this game has gotten on Amazon.)

And before anybody gets their pantys in a wad, let me clarify something; This is NOT an RPG(Role Playing Game)

It may be listed under the RPG genre category, but in order to not be let down by the pedestaled expectations that everyone had for this game in 2008; you have to think of this game as an Action/Adventure with some RPG elements sprinkled on top.

But enough of the Yada Yada's. Once again, lets get into the meat & potatoes.(No spoilers)

Graphics: 10/10

Let me just say, that out of all the games I have played in my life, not one oozes style as much as Fable II does.

This game is absolutely gorgeous, from the lush grass in the fields of Albion, to the creatures & enemies that roam the lands. This is one of the many upgrades that has improved from the original game ten fold.

Combat/Gameplay: 9/10

Melee: The melee system has greatly improved in my opinion. less clunky, more swift & agile like movements than the previous games combat system. Augments to improve your weapons also make a return from Fable.

Range: Range combat has a few new additions to the weapon selection. Bow & Arrows have been scrapped and replaced with Firearms, rangeing from Pistols, Turret Rifles & Muskets. Crossbows however have made a fully upgraded return from the original game.

Magic: The magic is the most improved out of the three combat category's in my opinion. Personally, I rarely used magic besides the healing power in the original Fable. But in Fable II, They made it so magic was actully useful and not a chore to use regularly in combat.

Story/Plot: 9/10

The original Fable's plot and inspiration was based off of folklore & fairtytale story's.(hence the name Fable)

Fable 2's story is based off of the period when technology was beginning to take off, a.k.a Then Industrial revolution. This period is known as the Age of Enlightenment.

Familiar towns from the original game have erected into full fledged cities & community's.

The story however, Doesnt have the mystic & enchanting feeling as the original game had. This is not necessarily a bad thing, this is just a different direction of storytelling LionHead has come up with. Instead of the abundance of cutscenes as seen in Fable 1, Fable 2 barely has any. Example: if your having a plot related conversation with a character, you have the ability to skip the dialogue or spin around your Hero, making the game feel less restricted.

The plot starts out fresh and keeps a steady flow of Drama, Action & a sense of exploration throughout the entire game. With the exception of the lackluster ending, which can be overlooked due to the many side quests that are available along with the up to par DLC's available on this version of Fable II. Above all else, a well rounded & entertaining plot and story.

Music/Sounds: 9/10

The legendary Danny Elfman makes a return as the orchestrator of the games soundtrack. The music fits the game like a glove and adds atmosphere to the beautiful lands of Albion. My only grief I have towards the games music is that it can get repetitive at times. I also found myself longing for Fable 1's music truthfully. I don't know what it is but, I found the soundtrack from the original game to be less repetitive to the ears.(my opinion)

Voice Acting: 9/10

The voice acting this time around has been slightly improved, The story driven characters give top notch performances. The citizens voice work however, have been completely upgraded but can get really tiring & old after hearing them a thousand times. And all male & female citizens seem to sound the same depending on their genders. Nontheless a great improvement.

Co-Op/Multiplayer 4/10

And this is where the one big issue of the game comes into play. The awful, awful nauseating co-op mode.

We were promised a well balanced story we could share with a friend. Invite him/her into our world and shape it the way we wanted......Well we got the well balanced story, but what we didn't get is a well balanced co-op mode. The guest in your world is forced to select Pre-set characters, allowing only the host to show off his Hero. And the main issue with the mode is the camera angle. The guest has no camera angle, the host has complete control over what the guest can see and where he/her can travel to. Only allowing about 10 feet of separation from each other before an invisible wall pops up.

Replay Value: High

Game Size: 10/10

The map size has been confirmed to be 10 times bigger than the original game's.

if you want a game to roam and wander, this is your kind of game.

THIS IS A WARNING: If you are confused about which version of Fable II to buy, It is in yours and your wallets best interest to buy Fable II Platinum Hits edition. Or you'll be forced to spend extra money on the games Downloadable Content. Below are the names of the DLC's that come on the disc, not a code on a piece of paper next to the instruction guide; actual on disc content.

1. Knothole Island: a well sized plot extension w/ tons of extra content.

2. See the future: Also a well sized plot extension w/ tons of content. But you are given a small sneak peek to the plot of Fable III.

Fable II is a gorgeous & entertaining game that deserves more recognition then it has been given since its release date. Whatever problems the original game suffered, Lionhead has made it a goal to improve those issues and more. Aside from the Co-op issues, This game is a must have for anybody who likes games that make them feel in control of the world they're exploring.

I rate this game a 5/5

And it remains one of my favorite Xbox 360 games of all time.

Thanks for reading.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Fable 2 Platinum Hits -Xbox 360

To put things concisely I loved the look and feel of Fable II and enjoyed the moderate complexity of the combat but was a bit disappointed by the role playing aspect.

Looks. Goodness is Fable II beautiful. The scenery and buildings are gorgeous. The lighting and change of light throughout the day and in different weather is amazing. The whole experience is stunningly atmospheric. The npc's and enemies are fairly diverse though more variation in facial features (particularly of the female characters which don't benefit from the wide assortment of facial hair varieties) would be nice. As for customizing your own character, Fable II rocks. Furthermore your character's looks change based on what skills you develop and how you behave. Brilliant. It's a little annoying that getting stronger just means getting huge rather than getting more cut and lean muscle and regardless of whether you play a male or female character, but overall this is a really innovative and fun feature.

Combat is fun. I'm not a big video game combat junky and I don't like to have to carefully aim or time everything I do in order to survive a fight. If you like that you have the opportunity to focus on skills that allow it, however. I, on the other hand, enjoyed using easily targeted or area effect will (magic) combat. Overall it's rather satisfying.

Then there is the RPG element. Granted, it's the best I've seen other than Mass Effect and Dragon Age, but those two games seem to blow every other RPG out of the water as far as interactive storytelling goes. Those RPG's feel like a video game choose your own adventure novel. You get to actually have conversations with people and the choices you make can have a huge effect on how people treat you and how the game plays out. I was hoping for something similar with Fable II and didn't get it. I guess that is the difference in what I'd term a 4 star and a 5 star RPG. Certainly worth playing nonetheless.

Reviews of Axis & Allies - PC

Customer Ratings:

If you ever talked to my friends they know me for me a first person shooter type gamer. I can't deny it but i like to branch out sometimes. Before i got my xbox 360, this was the game i always played except for halo combat evolved. I was confused with the idea of a strategy game but i got the hang of it real quick. This was my first strategy game and i loved it. I would spend hours playing it because of all the ways to play it. Between infinite money option, full enemy and ally views to see everything, and randomized maps it was awesome. I did make a stupid decision in letting my friend borrow it and i never got it back. Staples ran out of copies so i looked to amazon for a new copy and amazon wans't selling it(they need to its a good priced game for only 10 bucks). So i finally found a copy by a different seller that was fulfilled by amazon which seemed good enough for me because it works the same as buying it from amazon. They give you free shipping with it. I love axis and allies and many gamers should get there hands on it.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

This is a really good RTS game and pretty engaging. Of the WWII RTS games that are out there I've tried most of them, CoH is still probably the best but Axies and Allies lets you play against all factions and is more along the lines of Command and Conquer than CoH. Overall the game has a bit more base building and supply line concerns than those in favor or rapid attack RTS games may like. But I prefer building up base locations and putting down artillery and machine gun nests. There are quite a few additions/subtractions that could make this game more interesting, but overall it's a fun game to play. And worth the time. The individual campaigns are fun, or you can move into world map mode which I think they intended to be like the board game. Either are fun.

The best part is that you play all sides (American, British, German, Russian, Japanese)...I don't know of any other RTS that as a stand alone game offers that.

There are some parts of the game which can be unnerving. You can't build ships, so you work with what they give you. DDay can be excruciating to figure out as the German lines are so long their armor just keeps rolling around messing up any foothold you try to gain (sort of unrealistic given how they held their panzers back on DDay). You can build nukes in the Japanese campaign, but they don't do as much damage as you'd suppose an actual nuke would. Airplanes are kind of limited in their actual use in this game, more control over airfield building would have been better and infantry units at times can be garbage compared to the mechanized units.

Overall the game is fun though, certainly one I keep in my library to play when I'm bored. I don't know of an RTS that has attempted to take on so many theaters with so much actual RTS development. I wish they'd release a second edition of this game, as I don't know of any games that successfully have allowed you to play the Japanese in RTS (aside from boring Pacific Fleet games) or the Russians, though I suppose CoH2 comes out this month. This game has a combination of all. The game is fairly polished as well. I will say that the complaints about how this isn't like the board game are just dumb, it's an actual RTS game with the board game's name. Read what a game is before you buy it thinking it's going to be a board game for your computer, RTS is way different.

Best Deals for Axis & Allies - PC

I like real-time strategy, but I actually wanted the board game too. If you wanted the board game, try under board games. If you like real time strategy, this one is good, pick it up.

Honest reviews on Axis & Allies - PC

Having tried to learn the boardgame (and giving up pretty complex) I came across the electronic version here... I was hoping it would be similair to the boardgame (with the computer handling remembering all the rules) and what I got was a real-time strategy. I was expecting it to be turn-based still, but what it does, it does pretty well.

The game is a few years old now, so it's not cutting edge graphics but has held up pretty good over the years. There's sooo many different units to build and send off to war... The included maps have kept me busy for hours, and the enemy AI is pretty good. The most fun has been playing with a friend and taking on the computer players. Definetly worth the ~$8 I paid for it... would definetly encourage friends to pick it up to have some LAN fun.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Axis & Allies - PC

Excellent!!! Lots of fun. I lost the code to my last one and ordered a new one I love it so much!

Discount DISNEY INFINITY Figure Syndrome

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $12.99
Sale Price: $12.96
Today's Bonus: $0.03 Off

I got Syndrome mainly to unlock the vaults. He is rather slow when it comes to running. He isn't as agile and lithe as Violet and Mrs. Incredible. His moves include punching with an uppercut using his boosters. He can also equip Zero Point Energy, which is pretty neat. With the zero point energy, he can lift anyone and then catapult them into the air.

(The Incredibles can equip this superpower towards the end of the game right before the final showdown with Syndrome in the adventure mode. Once equipped, you can have access to the Zero Point Energy in the Toy Box mode.)

Do you need this Syndrome figure to defeat Syndrome in the final showdown?

No.

Buy Syndrome only if you want to open the vaults in order to access additional toys in the Toy Box mode.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

Grandchildren requested this for their collection of infinity figures. It is the new trend for them. These are true to the movie.

Best Deals for DISNEY INFINITY Figure Syndrome

My son loves this game and love this character. It's a fun game to play with his brother and friends.

Honest reviews on DISNEY INFINITY Figure Syndrome

My kid loves this toy, it is used with Disney Infinity and he play all the time he can as well with the other characters for this game, it is amazing all the kind of things that can be used with Disney Infinity......

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for DISNEY INFINITY Figure Syndrome

My family plays this game and they were very glad to get this "villain" character. They were not interested in the multi-pack for the villains so this single pack was great. Thank you.

Best Kinect Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again! - Xbox Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $25.29
Today's Bonus: 49% Off

So I was fortunate enough to pick up a review copy of this game and I have to say this is a very fun game, especially if you are a fan of the series. Just a heads up, this game runs on rails a lot, where you'll be leaning and striking out with you hands and jumping. You'll land in areas where you get to do various actions, which are quite fun. Activities include throwing, jumping, flapping, answering trivia, going through mazes, dancing, and more.

The game is for single player only, has 12 levels over three episodes, which lasts about 6 hours. As far as I can tell, there isn't anything left to do after, except play it again. As for my kids, they are more than happy to play it again...and again...and again.

All the voices from the show are in the game, including Neil Patrick Harris as Blowhole himself.

I hate giving games any scores because there is so much that can determine how a person will like or not like a game. Obviously hard-core Call of Duty fans will hate this game. Like I said though, if you are a fan of the series or are looking to pick up something for your kids, this is a fantastic buy. For that reason, I'm giving it 5 stars.

If you are interested in my full review, I have posted it at

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

So my 5 year old loves this game, however we've found a few "bugs" where it seems the screen goes blank but it does "reset" itself. Also it is very short, my 5 year old got it in about 5 hours, I'm sure an older child use to playing games could get it done in under 4. He's playing it again now so I'm not to upset but yeah I wouldn't buy it at full price. $30 max.

Best Deals for Kinect Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again! - Xbox

My 7years old grandson loved this game. He requested this for his birthday and played it everyday for about 30 minutes and was able to complete all of his missions in a couple of weeks. He also enjoys the extras like the dance moves and finds it very entertaining.

Honest reviews on Kinect Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again! - Xbox

My nephews are very fond of the Penguins of Madagascar, so I thought this game would be a big hit -and it was...at first.

Right up front I noticed that the graphics were pretty poor, and the game play a bit repetitive (most levels seem to consist of going in a circle three times.) But the boys liked the penguins so much it didn't matter at first. But after a while, the controls began malfunctioning, for instance: the game had trouble recognizing movements that were working fine two levels ago.

The "mini games" are annoying and pointless. My nephews were not impressed.

There are a lot of "videos" built into each level. Your penguin runs along for a few seconds, and then suddenly stops, a short video plays (usually just a couple of characters talking) and off you go again...it gets monotonous, even for kids -remember, they're going in circles here!

Maybe I've been spoiled by watching them play the...other Big-Name movie kingdom's Kinect game. It has stunning graphics and excellent controls. But the bottom line is I'll be selling this game and finding another for the boys.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Kinect Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns Again! - Xbox

I agree that is very Short but Very Good, Very easy so that a younger kid doesn't get frustrated with it .But I bought for my 10 years, because He likes the cartoon and He got it done in under 4. For this age is boring.

Best Barbarian - PlayStation 2 Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $14.08
Today's Bonus: 53% Off

Honestly, I feel that one star is too high a rating for this boring title. I bought this game, took it home, beat it and returned it to it's case less than an hour later. That is no exaggeration. You play the story mode as one of the characters who ultimately kill the main boss for various reasons. The story is never developed and you never really understand what is going on. Worst of all, the fighting is terrible. All you have to do is learn your character's most devastating combo and you completely thrash all of your opponents. Also, in between scenes you must wait for loading and the screen has this annoying little skull on it that's moving it's mouth. Maybe I'm just crazy, but it seemed like it was laughing at me becuase I bought this game. Sometimes my eye catches the copy of Barbarian sitting on my shelf, collecting dust and I can hear the skull laughing at me. Seriously people, walk right by this one.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

I think the game just [stinks]. The graphics are ok, but the UNBLOCKABLE combo's turn the game into combo hitting back and forth, back and forth... One on one battles are so repedetive it is absolutely ridiculous. The four player game is kind of entertaining due to the fact that four people are playing. As for the RPG element of the game, it is a really lame story and they just added it in so they could call it an RPG which it really isnt. None of the characters have fighting styles that differ from one or another its all the same. The big brute guys do the same moves as the little wizardy guys, pretty dumb huh? I think titus just made a game that looks good so they could sell it, and of course they knew the game was horrible. I don't even understand how the two people above me could give this game five stars, it was hard enough just to give it 2 stars. The extra star was for the multiplayer mode. I feel I have wasted my 50 bucks buying it. *knocks self on head* If you want a good party game for you and your friends I might suggest renting it, but even then there are better titles out there. For those of you that don't listen to me and buy the game anyways, I would like to see your reviews also!

Best Deals for Barbarian - PlayStation 2

i regret even renting this game. it is NOT an rpg. it is NOT entertaining. this is a third rate fighting game with lame moves and an even lamer "character upgrade" system. the fighting system is boring as are the fights you get into. even the graphics are substandard. this game should have been released for the super nes

Honest reviews on Barbarian - PlayStation 2

Why did titus software ruin this game. This game could have had a real plot. This a not an rpg this is a fighting game in which you gain levels for winning a battle. If you want to buy this game wait a year so it will lower down to [$$$} because it is not worth anything more than that. I am 13 and I could have designed this game better. But im not going to blame just Titus and say this game could have done better if someone else made it like THQ or EA. Most companies have been slacking off. I have played so many games that could have been made a different way or had some flaws in them. I think teens my age should be able to make these games. After all we are the ones that play these. Well If you want some Ps2 rpg recommendations I can only think of two: Baulders Gate Dark Alliance( a little short but fun nontheless) and Gauntlet Legends Dark Legacy. Oh and if you want to hear of a good fighting game on Ps2 get Tekken Tag Tournament or you can wait for MK deadly alliance. Well I hope this review helps. ...

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Barbarian - PlayStation 2

Horrible, but I had everyone over my house and we all played it, and now I buy it as a gag gift.

Spider-man: The Edge of Time - Xbox 360 Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $21.09
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

I think alot of us loved last year's SHATTERED DIMENSIONS. Yes, it wasn't an open-world game and the story was pretty silly, but the presentation was top-notch and the variety of the levels made it truly fun. I'm certain that Activison and Beenox identified the two main themes in terms of criticism for SHATTERED DIMENSIONS: the story was weak and most gamers loved Spider-Man 2099 the most. As a character, because of his cool look and futuristic world, he almost works better as a video game character than he ever did as a comic book character. So now we have EDGE OF TIME, which gives us a really great story and 2099 as basically the lead character.

Man, they really overreacted.

The entire game takes place in an office building. Yes, this is a Spider-Man video game in which you never, EVER even see the skyscrapers of New York City. The entire game is really short, about eight hours, and because there are no changes in environment and enemies, you go from the four distinct gameplay styles of SHATTERED DIMENSIONS to what is basically one style here. Amazing and 2099 pretty much play exactly the same in this game because their surroundings are the same, and that's really a shame. The game chooses to not have menus between levels, as you go right from one level to the next seamlessly, which does add a cinematic feel but also highlights the sameness in the levels even more. Each chapter is indistinguishable. The entire game really feels like one huge eight hour level. In fact, I was on Chapter 5 before I realized that I wasn't on the first level anymore! I just figured the environment was going to eventually change. The upgrades seem to have been lessened from the last game as well, and combat just doesn't feel as fun as it did in SHATTERED DIMENSIONS. You don't need to dumb-down what was already a button-masher. What an odd development choice.

You could argue that the difficulty levels and challenges lengthen the replay value, but I, for one, had my fill of the same labs and atriums the first playthrough and have minimal desire to return to them anytime soon.

There are three boss battles in the entire game, and they are very boring. Again, another curious decision by the developers because what made SHATTERED DIMENSIONS so great was that each level was basically a HUGE boss battle, where you fought the boss several different times in different ways. You even got to punch them in first-person.

So, what happened? Well, they got Spider-Man 2099 creator Peter David to write the story, and it's a great one, with a honest-to-goodness twist you actually won't see coming. The game is completely built around the story, and presented in a cinematic style. The production value is through the roof in this game, and the entire opening sequence is one of the BEST I have EVER seen in video games.

But, again, it's VIDEO GAME, not a movie. By sacrificing so much to tell the story, the developers forgot what makes a game great, and it's not the cutscenes, even ones as great-looking and fantastically-acted as the ones in this game.

I'm not a video game troll and find it juvenile and simplistic to just say things like "Activision is evil" or what have you, but I will say that we don't need a new Spider-Man game every single year. This franchise is not, and shouldn't be, Call of Duty. They won alot of goodwill for SHATTERED DIMENSIONS and, I fear, lost alot of it with EDGE OF TIME.

I'd like to take the rest of this review in a little, more personal direction, so apologies for the length. I loved SHATTERED DIMENSIONS alot, probably more than the average person because I love the webhead dearly, and so I actually pre-ordered this game and paid the full $60 for it. I got only more excited when I watched those behind-the-scenes interviews with the voice cast for this game, probably the most effective marketing they did. Those videos were ALMOST false advertising. For example, Josh Keaton and Christopher Daniel Barnes talked about how what you do in one timeline will affect the other timeline, but they made it sound like this was player-controlled. In reality, it is not, as the game's story pre-determines each instance the timeline (read: the level you're currently playing) changes. Laura Vandervort, whom I LOVE from INSTANT STAR and SMALLVILLE, voices Mary Jane, but she's only in the game for about five minutes total, and half the time she's just screaming. Those promotional videos sort of suggested we'd be experiencing this actress' performance as an iconic character for more than just a cameo. Ditto for Katee Sackhoff as Black Cat 2099, who is FANTASTIC, in a performance I would have loved to heard more of. Finally, this game has an embarrassment of voice acting riches, as VAL FREAKIN' KILMER is also not really in the game that much. This is a video game that has three legitimate film actors and didn't utilize their talents nearly enough.

One last thing about the voice acting. Josh Keaton and Christopher Daniel Barnes are great Spider-Men. Depending on who you ask, one of these two gentlemen ARE Spider-Man. They do a fantastic job and have GREAT chemistry here. In fact, the best part about the game is actually their dialogue, as through comic book/video game magic they can talk to each other even though they're in different time periods, so often one of them will pop up in the corner of the screen to advise/trash talk the other one.

However, as a long-time Spider-Man fan, I was absolutely offended by the characterization of these two heroes. First of all, they spend the entire game aggressively sniping at each other, like they actually hate each other, and show very little of the class and playful nature that a real Spider-Man would. Secondly, and most egregiously, Spider-Man 2099 is cast in the lead and Amazing Spider-Man, as in, the ACTUAL Peter Parker, is cast as the selfish, wisecracking fool who doesn't know anything. Miguel is constantly explaining time travel and other comic book science topics to Peter, who acts like an idiot and even sports an unmasked character design that makes him look like a jocky douchebag. Guys, Peter Parker is ALSO a scientist, a damn good one. Some of the best Spider-Man stories deal with Peter's humanity and vulnerability, and his weakness in the face of having to do the right thing, which this story also addresses not just in his possible death but also as revealed in the big plot twist, but in no way should Spider-Man 2099 have been presented as smarter and more capable than Peter. It's ridiculous.

Still with me? If you're a Spider-Man fan, buy it and treat it like an interactive should-have-been animated film. Otherwise, rent it, and pray they take a little longer to make the next game.

Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>

One of my favorite parts about some previous Spider-man games was the sandbox-style gameplay, and webslinging around the city. That was completely removed in favor of dark corridors that all look the same, and almost zero ability to websling freely. You can't even webzip wherever you want--you need to click on the predetermined locations, which leads to my first major gripe about this game:

Lack of Freedom: You get led around by the nose, with no freedom about how you will complete an objective. There are even glowing trails of orbs that add up to upgrades, which you need to follow around if you're going to find the next challenge. I often felt like I was playing Sonic the Hedgehog at times.

Fighting: The fights are repetitive and irritating. Nearly every room you go in has dozens of robotic soldiers which are surprisingly hard to kill, and when you do manage to kill them all, a new group teleports in, making you feel like all your previous work was useless. I got sick of it after an hour, and started completing my objectives by dodging the enemies whenever I could. Also, the developers must have been under the impression that "more is more", because every time you walk in a room there are literally dozens of enemies. I can't think of many times when I had less than eight guys trying to kill me. That's fine, but all the special combos seem to take a few seconds to charge, and you're not able to use them when someone shoots you the second you stand still. The shooting robots were annoying too. No matter how much you jumped, twisted, and dived, they would hit you. They never miss. Several times I even got shot through a wall.

Missions: Some of the missions you have to complete are completely ridiculous. I don't mind having to go fetch a key, but when it takes me twenty minutes to get the freaking key to open one inconsequential door, I get irritated. Sometimes I felt that the developers finished the game and said, "Hmmmm, looks like there's only 60 minutes of gameplay. Why don't we add in a bunch of other random objectives for the player to complete, so they don't feel like they wasted their money."

Gameplay: Every piece of the game was repeated at least five times. In the boss fights, there was only one way to kill the boss, and it always took forever. Even on the Easy setting, the bosses took forever to kill.

And speaking of repetition, here's a breakdown of how you'll spend the game:

Fighting a never ending wave of robotic soldiers: 25%

Fighting Bosses: 5%

Following Orbs: 10%

Clicking 'B' over and over to open a door, move a lever, or interact with some object: 60% (I seriously was worried my 'B' button would fall off).

Story: The story is actually not too bad. I enjoyed the 2099 character, and there was a cool twist. A shame that such an intriguing plot was put into such a mismanaged game.

Summary: If I had wanted repetitive gameplay, I would have broken out my old N64 and chosen a game I played as a kid. I'm glad I rented this from Redbox rather than buying it, but I still want my $2 back.

Best Deals for Spider-man: The Edge of Time - Xbox 360

It's good but I like it more when there are missions and I get to explore the city. Spider-man 2 was good but the story line is too short and so is this game. I like games that have a long story line so that by the end of the week I'm not saying to myself, "Man, I'm bored of this game."

Honest reviews on Spider-man: The Edge of Time - Xbox 360

Overall, the game was a fun play. It could get a little repetitive with the tasks and objectives, but the story was excellent and definitely made the game worth playing. I would suggest buying it used, though. There isn't a whole lot of replay value in the game and it only took me about 3 days to complete.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Spider-man: The Edge of Time - Xbox 360

Typical Spider-Man game that entertains for a while, but get old midway through. The game does have some good features like upgradable abilities and skills.