Cheap Counter-Strike: Condition Zero - PC

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From the makers of the ever popular HALF LIFE, here is a nice commando shoot-em-up role-playing game. People who have played HALF LIFE will find the gameplay similar insofar as weapons control / toggling & movement. This is a good thing as I always found HL to be one of the most straightforward games in that regard.

Instead of Marine Recon & aliens, in this game you are matched up against an array of terrorists. You are also not alone this time around; each scenario gives you the chance to be on an anti-terrorism bomb squad or hostage rescue team.

You get a set amount of $$ for each encounter, depending on how well you do. This money serves as the funding for your unit, and with it you can acquire team members, weapons and equipment. The better you perform, the better personnel & toys you're able to buy.

A nice feature of the game is that you're also able to custom make your own game. Want to have a virtual army of commandos go up against an army of terrorists? No problem! Want to be a terrorist instead of one of the good guys? No problem! Just be careful: if you get "caught" by yourself in one of these scenarios you will be taken out like a torch in a tropical storm.

While the game is fun, it does get a bit redundant after awhile. There are two basic missions: find and defuse a bomb (or kill the terrorists before they can plant it) or rescue hostages (or kill all the terrorists). While the maps change, your primary missions do not. People expecting an endless montage of missions similar to HALF LIFE might be disappointed.

Also, I do have a few minor critiques of the game. For one, your team dresses differently. Some dress like Navy SEALS while others are European anti-terrorism personnel. Not only is this unrealistic, but it's also distracting. Sometimes you can't tell your own men from the terrorists.

Secondly, the voices are the same whether you play a terrorist or a commando on the custom game. Somehow I can't imagine a terrorist saying "Yes Sir" or "Lead the way, sir" through a radio. Perhaps I'm being overly-picky here.

The single best feature of the game is what is known as DELETED SCENES. I didn't know what it was at first and almost didn't download it. I'm glad I did! It is a separate set of 10 or so missions. These are much closer to the HALF LIFE feel as you have a LOT of hit-points and you also work alone (for the most part) in the majority of the scenarios. These missions are very cool, not redundant & they're worth the price of this game all by themselves!

All in all this is worth picking up if you like role-playing shoot-em-ups. While it can't really compare to HL (except for DELETED SCENES) it's still worth picking up. For beginners I would recommend starting out with sniper rifles as you can pick off terrorists from afar without getting shot-up yourself. The range of the remainder of the weapons leave you very exposed to incoming bullets.

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BASICS:

This is a PREview, not a REview: Condition Zero was just announced to be released this fall. (I am 80% certain they'll finish it by then, too). CZ is an sequel to the hit internet game, Counter-Strike, which has been the #1 team-based shooter on the web for over 3 years. 70,000 fans cannot be wrong Counter-Strike is the funnest, most addictive game you can play right now. Trust us. Check out reviews for Counter-strike if you don't believe me.

NEW MAPS, WEAPONS, & CHARACTERS:

New maps are themed from 6 new "Hot-spots", namely: North & South America, the Middle-East, northern Russia, Asia, and "urban" Europe. Each hot-spot has several maps to play on, and each map has 12 objectives to complete in order to unlock new weapons and characters. As the developers actually travels to these various locations for research, the maps look very realistic and authentic. Each map has 12 objectives to complete in the single player game, thus unlocking new weapons, maps and characters. You will outfit your team pre-mission, a la Rainbow Six, and as you unlock new soldiers you'll find each has unique skills, specialties, and personalities (ie, AI routines). I've heard there are over 160 characters in the game so far, so lots to unlock and play with.

New teams include the Russian Spetznatz for the Counter-terrorists, and extremist militia group for the terrorists. New weapons in CZ include: Machete, Galil, Famas, M60, Law Rocket, Molotov Cocktail, Machete, Riot Shield, tear-gas grenade and coresponding gas mask. The Riot Shield will add some very interesting strategy to old favorites like Dust and Militia; the Molotov cocktail also introduces fire to Counter-Strike, and sounds like the perfect terrorist weapon.

AI BOTS!

The greatest addition CZ brings are new AI bots. Finally, people without high-speed internet connections can enjoy the game. Basically, the developers, Gearbox, are working on a complex team-driven AI that mimics real players: your AI teammates will choose appropriate weapons, work in teams, cover choke points, and even do crazy stuff like jump irrationally in corners or do other weird things that people sometimes do. The bots actually learn your tactics and adjust accordingly. Some beta-testers for Gearbox have already reported that they have a hard time telling the computer-controlled characters apart from real players. The best part is that all the AI is script-able, meaning you can go in and adjust the AI to behave exactly how you want it to. I can't wait.

THE HUGE COMMUNITY ISN'T GOING AWAY:

One thing about CZ which might sound like a rip-off but is actually great the multiplayer updates will be available for free online, including the new maps and weapons. That means that the 70,000+ current players can play with the new CZ players right when the game comes out. There won't be a division between "haves" and "have-nots". Of course, those people who download the free updates will miss out on much of CZ's coolest features, like the single player bots and new graphics.

NEW GRAPHICS:

The game still uses the ancient Quake 2 engine (5 years old!) but Gearbox has somehow managed to make CZ look good. The game supports high-res textures, 32-bit color, and trilinear filtering. There are also new, high-geometry character models and weapons. This doesn't make CZ look as good as Doom 3, but it still stands up pretty well for today's standards. And this graphical update is only available to people who buy CZ, not those who just download the free updates.

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Counter Strike CZ, is the sequel to one of the best games of all time: Half Life: Counter Strike. For those of you who play cs, the game has not changed much from cs 1.6. There are no new weapons, only new weapon skins and new player skins. The graphics are much better than original cs, and the traditional cs maps[ dust, aztec, inferno, militia, etc] have been slightly tweaked. This usually means another box or crate added here or there, or a slightly longer hallway in places, not enough to change the layout of the level, but enough to confuse you for that precious moment while that terrorist hits you with his ak47.

Players of the original Counter Strike will have no problem picking up Condition Zero, and after a few weeks of play will never want to go back to the old counter strike. The question remains: Should you buy Condition Zero? The answer is simple if you don't have the original: HELL YES. And even if you have the original Amazon is selling cz for only $20 bucks, you can't lose much on that. In addition to the kick ass multiplayer you also get a brand new single player campaign, as well as the ability to play against bots in the multiplayer levels[ id save this for when your really bored]. I the missions to be fairly easy even on the hardest setting, but some of the missions are fun, and new players many like to play this after they get owned from playing online for the first time.

Note that when you buy cz the cd key you receive also allows you to play the original counter strike against your cheap friends who haven't bought the new version yet. It seems that the counter strike community is slowly making the change to condition zero. As of today [6-5-04] there are about 4x as many playing the original counter strike as there are playing Condition zero45,000 playing cs to 10,000 playing cz. (No I did not pull that number out of my ass, you can see for your self on steams website, ) If I remember correctly that number used to be more like 10 people playing cs to 1 person playing cz a few months ago. By the time you read this Condition Zero may have overtaken the original counter strike in terms of player usage.

I give this game five stars because it is wicked fun to play, and it never seems to get boring. Counter Strike: Condition Zero does require skill and some patience at times. The game is round basedmeaning after you die you must wait for everyone on your team to finish off the other team. If your looking for instant respawns and mass killing, you should play halo, or unreal tournament.

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On 12/30/03, I think Amazon.com will update their expected release date. The new expected release date will be 3/17/04. They just left it 12/30/03 so everybody will pre-order. This game has already been made. The delay is a marketing strategy the producers are using to make this game the most anticipated game in history so they can increase sales and profit. Condition Zero is already complete, and they can't tweak the multi-player engine anymore than they already have. If you notice, the strategy guide was made months ago and already released by Prima. They wouldn't release a strategy guide for an incoplete game. I've been waiting on this game since 1/01/02. I've been waiting that long to blast newbies with new weapons. And you think you're pissed. I don't care if this game sucks I just want to see it released.

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Condition Zero is so great... I can play this for hours and never get tired of it. The new single-player mode, Deleted Scenes, is much better than the original's single-player, which was just beating requirements in a regular multi-player game. And the online experience is better. The graphics have greatly improved, and I find that there aren't as many problems with the servers. A great improvement from original Counter-Strike, and I say it's the best first-person shooter game on the PC.

Buy Beat Down - Fists of Vengeance

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I've seen some people mercilessly blast this game, especially pros--people who work for IGN.com or gamespot, etc. Well, I'm here to say that this game isn't all that bad, if you take it at face value and don't expect the moon.

However, I will say that the graphics are nothing special, the camera angles will frustruate you (especially around tight places and corners), and the characters are as flat as can be--in fact, the game might as well have just one playable main character, because the five of them seem like they can be five aspects of the same person. And the music--oh the music! Although every area of the city has different background music, they are all nothing more than 25-second loops that get tiresome very quickly, especially the downtown street music. I eventually found myself turning down the music volume to zero.

The system of recruiting the city's some 100+ thugs onto your side--sometimes through negotiation and other times through beating their brains in and forcing them to become your lackeys--seemed a little gimmicky: there really is no reason to have so many recruitable characters because you'll soon start to notice that there are only five or six different types of fighters (kickboxer, martial artist, grappler, weapon master, etc). Also, some characters have unique skills like lock-picking, pickpocketing, and stealing cars which adds an additional layer to the game but ultimately is not deep enough to hold your interest.

Also there is a glitch in the game which causes the vibration feature of your controller to be activated constantly. In the game you can carry a maximum of 200 items and/or weapons at once, and when I reached this number and got to a certain point in Chapter 6, my controller started vibrating and would not stop. I discovered the source of this glitch almost by accident. Needless to say I sold some items I didn't need, and the glitch went away. The problem is that there is no way for you to keep track of how many items and/or weapons you have simply by looking at your menus; you MUST go to a store and choose the "sell possessions" option to be able to see how much stuff you currently have. This can get quite annoying, so you should always sell stuff you don't absolutely need.

On the plus side: I found the voice acting to be quite adequate (what little of it there was), and by adequate I mean it was good enough to keep me from wanting to cut off my ears. The fighting engine is surprisingly robust, and it is indeed the meat of the game. When you get into a horizontal view 1-on-1 fight, it almost feels like you're playing Street Fighter 2 again. Each character has an ample list of moves that are relatively easy to execute, and you can learn more as the game progresses. Being able to dress your character in different outfits was a nice touch (although it's very disturbing to give one of the guys a mini skirt). You'll actually find that there is a surprising number of clothes, tattoos, and plastic surgery options that you can unlock by interrogating the right people.

And the game's smooth, streamlined interface you use to buy/sell/change clothes is what GTA San Andreas should have had. Remember the time-consuming interface in GTA where CJ goes into the closet, puts on the shirt you want, and comes back out and poses? Am I the only one who hated that system? In this game, you can change clothes in a tenth of the time. That's one thing this game actually does BETTER than GTA.

Capcom obviously did not give the developing team a very large budget, which is regrettable because this game had a chance to shine in a market that is slowly becoming cluttered with all the GTA clones (True Crime, Total Overdose, The Warriors, etc). Only if the developers had more to work with, because--don't laugh--they were on to something here.

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this is a very, very vulgar game for minors that are standing by watching, but its great for adult gamers!

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The loading on this game is frustrating to the point that I am so gettting rid of this game after 30 minutes of loading screens. It loads even if you walk a little outside of the city boundaries which are not that far and then you got to wait for cut scenes. Even to figh someone in the street you got to wait for it to load. How could Capcom approve of this crappy game its beyond me. Is not even good if someone gave it to me for free. Stick with Urban Reign, better graphics, storyline, less loading times and overall fun.

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This is a pretty good game. If you are in the mood to smack around people. This game was fun i liked it hey, i'd buy it for 2 bucks.

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This is like millions of other fighting games (Def Jam Fight for NY, etc) on the market, with a few slight variations in the story line.

Pick from 1 of 5 characters.

Long story short: You're framed by the very own mob family you work for... There's a traitor amongst you. Recruit other gangs. Get to the bottom of the story, find the traitor, make a name for yourself and seek revenge.

Don't particular care for the pan and scan style of the camera direction, as you're attempting to move about the different parts of the city.

The lack of user friendly system, when you're attempting to changes the look of your character leaves something to be desired for.

The fighting system and style is classic Capcom.

The graphics are up to par.

And that's about it...

Review of Tropico 4

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There aren't many reviews on this game so I will try to close the gap. This game is a city simulation game in the tradition of Simcity, where the gamer is given an island to run in the Caribbean -but the tone is much less serious and much more playful. It is the only such game that I know of for Xbox 360, other than earlier iterations of Tropico. The player must manage competing factions and make economic choices regarding how his island will run. The game offers a campaign mode of loosely connected scenarios and a sandbox mode.

The player can choose a single economy type or mix and match. Basic raw materials can be produced, including logs, ores such as gold or iron, farming products such as coffee or sugar, oil, or fish. Raw materials can in many cases be processed into higher grade items: e.g. logs into timber into furniture, gold into jewelry, sugar into rum, or tobacco into cigars. Tropico 4 adds some new industries such as weapons and chemical manufacturing. There are many examples of this, and new to Tropico 4 players may import raw goods for manufacturing a substantial change. Players may also develop a tourism industry, which is always fun and provides constant income.

As players manage their economy they must also feed (the marketplace actually works now!), educate, entertain, and police their citizens. This sometimes connects directly to the economy: farm goods can be consumed or sold, and educated citizens are required to operate more advanced industry. Various interest groups compete for attention the religious faction may want churches, communists want more apartments, and the military faction may want more soldiers but you may not be able to afford all of the above right away. If you have too many unhappy citizens it will lead to higher numbers of rebels, which you can fend off by building lots of soldiers or just appeasing your citizens. It sounds complicated, but it is easy to learn.

You also have an avatar, which you can use to shorten construction times or help in fights. New to Tropico 4 you develop and level up your character attributes rather than just picking them. For example, Level one administrator gives you +2% to commodity prices (along these lines anyway), if you complete a mission with it, you will have +4%. Maximum of 5 levels.

The biggest potential problem with a game like this is the controls. Tropico has been moderately successful because their controls actually work pretty well it could be quite a bit more successful, but I think the broader Xbox 360 community simply assumes that games of this type simply don't work for the Xbox. Yet menus are surprisingly intuitive, and managing your city proves quite doable. [The Tropico 3 menus were somewhat easier I preferred using the bumpers to switch between building types; in Tropico 4, you use the stick for both the type of building and the individual building. Using two different buttons somehow made the menus easier in Tropico 3. Yet it is perfectly manageable.]

This game does suffer some programming issues. I have not had a city crash on me, but I have had it get choppy after playing for a few hours. I have the most recent Xbox and installed the game, so I do not think it is Xbox's fault. Graphically this game features more Hawaii-like weather, with more rain and varied weather. It is very pretty, and makes you appreciate the sun. There are some new disasters which are quite visually attractive. The tone of the game is always playful and never takes itself too seriously the unique, parody-like feel of Tropico is one of its hallmarks.

This game is a step up from Tropico 3. Graphics are better and gameplay is more varied and with more options, but I do wish that there were some more substantial additions to gameplay. Imports change the game the most, and the maps are generally more spacious, but I'd have liked to see a deeper international relations and trade system, or perhaps more varied maps with the option to connect multiple islands together on the same map with bridges or ferries (think Venice or Indonesia like layout). Perhaps they could have added a more serious health system requiring management of different tropical diseases. Something to distinguish it more from Tropico 3. Yet too many changes and perhaps I would be complaining that it is too different (I loved Tropico 3!). The game already has just enough complexity to make it manageable too much more and it might just be too much.

This game would sell better if it wasn't released in such a difficult season (think Skyrim, G of W 3, MW3, Bfld 3, Rage, etc. -all released around the same time). Yet I do not believe it has gotten the attention it deserves. I am a bit of a nerd and have bought all of the new releases for this gaming season; I sell back the ones I don't like after playing them for a while. I will be hanging on to Tropico 4.

EDIT 6/23/12

Tropico 4 has a fair amount of DLC, most of it only fine, but recently a rather large DLC called "Modern Times" was released for 1200 MS points. This expansion is one of the best DLCs available for the price for any game. Offering a new campaign, spanning 12 full size missions, and adding lots of new buildings, "Modern Times" has gotten me back into Tropico 4. Some buildings are entirely new like the SWAT team building or the new 7-Star Hotel, others replace the old buildings like the modern apartment building or the organic ranch. Each alter game play, and makes the game feel brand new. The population limit has been raised, and larger populations are much easier to manage with the new buildings. One scene had me watching the fireworks from "National Day" over new office buildings and skyscrapers, while dozens of balloons floated in when I enacted the brand new "balloon day" edict. It is well worth the money, and makes Tropico 4 feel like a true sequel to Tropico 3.

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I was a big fan of Tropico 3, while it took a while to learn and was a little 'convoluted' in some of the controls. This version is much like Tropico 3, but it seems like they have improved on some of the control issues and made it much easier to learn with a very useful tutorial. Over all, it hasn't changed that much since the last version but it is still very enjoyable. If you have not played older versions, then it may still take a while to catch on, but I find it addicting. I bought this out right because I knew I would like itbut if you have never played before it is certainly worth (at least) a rent before you buy.

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I am a big fan of Tropico 3 and spent many many hours playing it. Tropico 4 is virtually Tropico 3 with a large overhaul. The game is in HD, so the graphics are better. Most all of the buildings from Tropico 3 are in Tropico 4, but there are a lot of new ones, including the buildings that was on the computer expansion pack from Tropico 3 that never came out for the console version. Tropico 4 has a lot more government needs that will keep you busy through out your play time. The game is also more user friendly compared to Tropico 3. Some times the fine print is still hard to read but it has gotten better. If you like city building games then Tropico 4 is a great buy.

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It's long been a figure of our imagination to create things to our liking. From stacking countless Lego bricks to make your own personal metropolis, to digital animation used today; or you could choose to avoid the building process entirely and become an el presidente and terrorize the citizens of Tropico Island. The options are up to you for what you want to create.

Tropico 4 by Haeminot Games has never been one to fool an audience. Tropico is real time simulator, which barrows many elements from Sim City, but brings many elements that aren't found in genre and help make it what it is today. One of the things that your easily going to like about the game is you are not invisible. Unlike other games, the citizens of Tropico Island dearly note your actions. If you end up acting like Fidel Castro, the citizens on the island will start a revolution (VIVA LA REVOULTION). Sooner or later, your military will have to suppress the uprising or else the citizen will over throw you from government.

When I first started playing Tropico 4, I killed every protester, let in ever immigrant and didn't supply enough housing for my citizens. Fast-forwarding three years in my el presidente term, my days were numbered with every citizen on the island trying to gun me down. It's these moments that make the series stand out because your actions have deep ramifications and help create a unique experience for yourself. My only gripe with this is I wish this was expanded on in the in the Modern Times expansion.

Tropico 4 finally welcomes it's self into the 21st century with the latest expansion called Modern Times and with that comes the latest goodies. New building, taller landmarks and a more traditional look that make cities resemble with what you are currently living in. If you think it was impressive how Tom Cruise scaled the tallest tower in the world in Dubai, then it's easily to do so (if you have the money of course) to create your own 21st century empire. Along with updated buildings, real time simulator fans will greatly appreciate the curved roads options to adequately customize your city. All together however, the look just feels like fancy re skin. Don't get me wrong, modern times gives the player more options from the outset and I love what it brings to the table, but the expansion fails to fix problem found in the original game.

The presentation values in Tropico 4: Modern Times are one of the biggest disappointments about the game. Either it's the Xbox 360 or the game it's self, the regardless of amount of time you spent ruling the city as el presidente. Tropico 4 fails to create a living breathing city, even though it dose a lot of things right with customizable buildings, eco friendly options and etc, but it miss a crucial part.

Citizens on Tropico Island won't appear on screen, even though you have a huge population in your city. Now to a certain extent the game dose do this, with the citizen's frequently revolting and sparking revolutions on the island, but it's still very few and far between. I wanted to see my citizens in my town crowded together, or see mass traffic jams due to the amount people on the island. For this reason alone, I felt kicked back from the experience and never was fully immersed.

Besides personal problems, the user interface on the Xbox 360 is still behind where it should be. Organize and micromanaging your city can be troublesome and frankly a pain to create your city to your liking. Rotating objects isn't as automatic as it should be, but it's still doable none else. What is going annoy most players is the of lack on screen guidance. Placing a farm in the right area can be a difficult for some because it doesn't explain what you should be aiming for and what to avoid. Now the game dose have a great tutorial system, but outside the tutorial system the game fails to teach you the proper success.

Modern Times is a good addition to the Tropico series, but the expansion still has the same mistakes. It's great that the Tropico 4 made the jump to the 21st century, but it's almost to little to late at this point. When you start digging and finding out what the expansion is all about. You will still see a game that has great potential, but is squandered by mistakes.

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Sometimes the sequels to games are not as good as the original. This is not the case with Tropico 4. I played Tropico on my PC. Missed 2 and 3, when a good sale came up I discovered this for the Xbox, and now fight with the kids for time on the Xbox! The first reviewer did a great job of summarizing what you have to do which is basically build an island, economy, people, housing, industry, transportation, and government. The graphics are great IMO. I love SIM games so this is right up my alley. My kids don't seem too interested, but my son is more the "shooter games" type, and my daughter is really not into games at all.

So for this 40 year old kid at heart I say go for it and enjoy that Xbox, not just for kids anymore thanks to Tropico 4!

Best No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way Deals

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The world of first person shooters is getting a bit played out. There's pretty much two kinds of them: the realistic military type (Counterstrike, Ghost Recon, Operation Flashpoint) and the sci-fi type (Unreal, Alien vs. Predator, System Shock). In all this, there's not much room for improvement and things are getting a bit repetitiveall you do is go in and kill everything that moves, and solve (or cheat) your way past the occasional puzzle that primarily exists to justify putting a longer gameplay figure on the box. Looking at most new titles, the only really interesting thing is even more detailed graphics and effects, whichby the waymean you need a new PC.

Enter No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in HARM's Way. This excellent shooter and sequel to an excellent shooter is the type that will save the genre. Here's why:

System requirements: You don't need a new PC to run this game, but this doesn't mean it looks like the original Doom. More on that later.

Gameplay: There are some puzzles, but they aren't annoying or counterintuitive. It is possible to get past some levels without killing anyone. Curiosity and inventiveness pay off here, but if you can't do that, you can usually just go in with guns blazing.

Something new: The game has some nice additions from the original NOLF. Most significant of these are skills. Completing primary and secondary objectives and finding intelligence items gives you points, which you can invest in 8 different skills that all have a significant impact on gameplay. Additionally, there are new and cool gadgets to play with. Many of them auto-activate when necessary, which disposes of the annoyance of having to switch over to use them. HARM also has some new hires and allies, including French mimes (no, I didn't make that up). Do you need any other reason to play?

Story: This is what really makes the game fun. The voice acting and cutscenes (all done with the game engine) are superb, and really draw you into the plot. As you might guess from the title, the usual suspects are up to no good once again. It's a tossup as to whether this is more of a James Bond or Austin Powers kind of script, but whatever it is, it's a good one.

AI: The NOLF AI is smartas good as any other game I've seen. They take cover behind objects, go prone, roll out of the way of grenades, and seek you out if you make noise. The AI characters also act like real people. If you pick one of them off with a silenced weapon, they'll be confused for a second and then load their guns and start looking around. If you can see them, they can see you, and given enough time they definitely will.

Replayability: Due to the detail of the levels, it's unlikely you'll find everything there is to find on one pass. Also, the AI behaves in a random enough fashion that every time you play an area the outcome could be very different (if you don't believe me, just try reloading a save). Also, you don't have enough skill points to advance to the max in every area. Playing again with a different set of skills is quite fun. For example, try going all-out stealth and health instead of firepower and attempt to sneak your way through places you blasted by earlier. It's arguably more exciting trying this!

Graphics and sound: This is the first game I've seen that models expressions believably. The Jupiter engine has the look and feel of something that would require a cutting-edge machine to run, but goes smoothly on an average computer. It is, quite simply, astonishing. There's a huge amount of interaction with the environment, and things have an almost movie-like appearance. The characters are especially a pleasure to see, due to the attention to detail. Ms. Archer in particular has had a gorgeous makeovershe is arguably the hottest woman in any game to date, even including live motion actresses. Oh, and by the way, the soundtrack is killer.

Multiplayer: The version of the game that shipped did not have significant multiplay support. This has been remedied. Updating to the latest version gives you deathmatch, team deathmatch, cooperative, and assault game modes. Additionally, there are plenty of maps out now. The only thing missing here is bots, which is a bit of a pity considering how good the AI is. I'm sure someone will think to add those later.

If this isn't enough to convince you, the setting is just plain cool. This is the 60's, folks, complete with President Johnson, neon colored clothing, retro-tech spygear, and even a bellicose American general. The characters that populate this world have true depth and, more often than not, are good for some great laughs. Lastly, this game is probably the best deal you'll ever see at such a low price. Don't miss outgrab NOLF 2 while you can.

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No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way continues the story of British agent Cate Archer, and her quest to save mankind. She's like a female Austin Powers, set in the 60s but a bit more witty and intelligent.

Cate Archer isn't Rambo. Her missions aren't about shooting everyone in sight. Instead, you lurk in the shadows, use your ultra-cool weapons like the Angry Kitty, and distract your enemies by throwing coins or hitting wind chimes.

The levels are very well done. The graphics are great and quite realistic, making you really feel like you're in different areas of the world in the 60s. The computer characters chat with each other and the ambient noise fits in well. The music is great!

There are all sorts of types of missions, with a wide selection of weapons to find and funny scenes to keep you entertained. The game really pulls you along and the ride is quite enjoyable. The characters are very well done and seem quite real. Add on to all of this a quite-fun on line game experience and you can easily play this for months. Highly recommended for any spy-game-fan!

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Having never played the first installment, I can't vouch for NOLF2's faithfulness as a sequel. Apparently some fans of the first NOLF were a bit disappointed. Regardless, I am now officially hooked on Cate Archer. "A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way" beautifully captures all the feel, textures, and sounds of 60's spy flicks with an absolutely delightful sense of humor.

Yes, this is basically another first-person shooter with an entrance and exit to each level, fairly linear missions, and several "bosses" to defeat, but enough was going on in between to keep me very interested. I found the levels and missions were also varied enough between stealth, shoot-em-up, investigation, riding on a snowmobile, and downgright silliness, to keep things from getting dull.

The graphics are gorgeous and show excellent use of the lithtec jupiter engine. All the locales from snowy Siberia to the caves of HARM's secret underground headquarters (complete with artificial lava) are very well done. I especially enjoyed the retro 60's look in HARM's undersea lab and UNITY's headquarters.

The sounds and music are also outstanding. One level has Cate doing some investigating in a trailer park in Ohio with a full blown tornado in the background. While inside, the sounds of the

wind battering and rattling the house are quite unnerving. Once outside, total chaos reigns with sounds of debris striking off of and embedding itself in various surfaces while the wind roars in the background and trailers roll over. The music is top-notch and perfectly matches each locale and the 60's theme. The music also changes appropriately depending on the action.

As far as weapons go, you always start each mission with just a small array, but every level has plenty of weapons to find with a little looking. As is the case with the game in general, weapons range from the typical shoot-em-up ak47's and tommy guns, to spy gadgets like tranquilizer darts and stun guns, to the plain absurd like laughing gas grenades, explosive mechanical kitties, and my favorite hands-down the banana!

It's really the characters, though, that made the game for me. The voice acting is movie quality and all of the NPC's are done very well. And, unlike the Austin Powers series, there is no shameless mugging or gross humor here, which implies that the creators of this game know what real humor is namely grabbibg a tommy-gun and hopping on the back of a kiddie tricycle being peddaled by your burly Scottish sidekick (kilt and all) in pursuit of a 3 foot mime/arch-criminal on a unicycle through the back streets of an Indian city.

System specs: P4 1.9ghz, 512mb rambus, TI4600 Geforce4 128mb, Soundblaster live X-gamer. Performance was flawless.

Honest reviews on No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way

If you had the opportunity to play the original No One Lives Forever, and you're thinking of purchasing the sequel, chances are you liked the original: A fun, campy, action-packed spoof of 1960's spy movies (James Bond in particular) and television shows.

NOLF2 delivers another dose of the same in this first person shooter. The graphics are well-done with Lithtech's Jupiter engine. The levels are varied (the tricycle chase and the house-in-a-tornado battle were both different and hilarious), the conversations between the bad guys are as much the silly fun they were in the original and the action is well-paced. A new skills-based "lite" system adds interest to the game. Cate Archer, the character you play, is able to be made into a sneaky, silent spy or a full-bore gun goddess. Your choice!

The Artificial Intelligence is some of the most interesting that I've seen. The baddies don't just go off on timed pathfinding. They are programmed to be object based. In other words, they do something different all the time, based on objects in a room. And when there are many different objects in the room (cigarettes, chairs, desks, coffee cups, etc.) it can trigger a different action each time you load the game--extending its replayability.

So, with so much right, why only 4 stars? On its own, it's a brilliant game. However, compared to the original NOLF, it is missing something. It's taken me a long time to pinpoint what that is, but I believe it lacks the same soul as its predecessor. The cut scenes have been trimmed CONSIDERABLY, which has led to less character development than the original had. The game is also shorter. Plus, some of the stealth aspects were still less feasible because there is a place early in the game where the baddies respawn. It tends to push you from loitering in one place for too long, but that is an irritating way to move the game along.

Overall, I got the feeling that the developers did an excellent job listening to complaints about the original and addressing them. However, I believe they overcorrected in their solutions. Still, the game stands on its own. I have no doubt a third installment will be coming. My hope is that the end result will include the better storytelling aspects from the first, meshed with the improved design of the second.

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I didn't think NOLF 2 would be so good, but it is awesome. Much better engine, great multiplayer, and more. And Cate is back, tautin' enemies, bein' her normal super spy self, you even get to find super ninja assasins with swords!!! It's so fun!!! It requires pretty heavy systems though, not as heavy as ut2003. And the gameplay is great, much better lightning quality and texture/environment detail plus shadow quality, better sound effects, music effects, only by alittle. Very Realistic Shadows, though I think they need to work on casting the shadows on to the models. Besides that, it's great!! Awesome!! On my computer, as I believe it's an P4 1.7ghz, 256 mb ram, GeForce 2 mx, WinXP, and more, It ran pretty fast and pretty slow. Yet the graphics are incredible, and so is the AI. Much better more realistic ingame cinematics, it requires an Pentium III 500mhz, 128mb of ram, 1.4 GB of HARD DRIVE SPACE, DirectX 8.1, 32MB 3-D Graphics Accelerator modern completeley compatible and supporting DirectX8.1 with Hardware T & L, it also requires an Windows Compatible 16-Bit DirectX compatible and certified sound card, 56kModem connection, and the OS is Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000 with latest service pack/XP. They recommed P3 1ghz, 64 MB vid card same, same sound card just with EAX 2.0 support, 1.67 GB of Hard Drive space, cable connection, And that's all I remember. And the water is much better. All I can say is this may end up being the 2002 action game of the year!!! I recommend this for any action/adventure gamer that meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements of NOLF2!!:) I recommend GeForce 3, but GeForce 1 is required....

Best Skinit San Francisco 49ers Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Deals

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This is a cool little product for your favorite sports team...or maybe the one of your other half. ;-) While the decal is well sized and properly aligned for the holes it buckles a little bit around the edges where there are some arches of the remote. Other than that the actual product is pretty neat.

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The Sims 3: World Adventures Expansion Pack - Mac Review

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List Price: $29.99
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I own every single Sims game, and had owned all of the Sim City series as well. With that said, let's move on to the review of EA's latest product, The Sims 3: World Adventures. I had high anticipation because I am used to the massive amounts of new things we got with the Sims 1 & Sims 2 expansions, which were offered at much lower costs. However, do not let this deter you. While you may not get a ton of new items, you do get adventure as promised. The pros:

1. You do get to travel, and there are goals when you do so. I didn't care for the way the Sims 2: Bon Voyage, didn't really give you a goal. It was go to a new place, relax, stay for a huge amount of time and leave. World Adventures gives you goals, while allowing you to visit various places if you would like. And in time you can buy a vacation home and spend more time there. You have to build up your "visa" to have stays longer than 3 days in each location, and you do this by completing adventures. I had a great time wandering around the maze like tombs, and avoiding torching myself.

2. There are indeed a few more items, and they have country themes. In the past few games we have really only had Asian oriented items; I love decorating the house with flaming chandeliers like the ones seen in the tombs.

3. I have not found all of the new social interactions, but so far there have been about three.

4. Basements! Yes you heard right, you can actually have basements to your house now; not only that but you can build "tombs" under your home.

5. A few new traits and music tastes.

6. Your sim, when they learn a new song, may come home singingwhich I find very cute.

Cons:

1. As with any EA game that just came out, there are glitches. The first time I started up, my sim was no where to be found. The plumbob was deformed and I couldn't preform any actions. I uninstalled it, the problem still remained. So I uninstalled the base game; that fixed that problem. Then I couldn't get skills or buy skill books. This was apparently a conflict between the new patch (that is required it seems.) and game mods and some custom content. I removed by mods and custom content; now the game runs like a charm.

2. The loading time is much longer than with The Sims 3 base game. I have plenty of memory, a new graphics card and plenty of RAM. I am above the required specs with everything, but only slightly. If you are working with the bare minimums or just a little above, it may run a little slower.

3. I have noticed (it may be my computer) that some of the graphics are not as clear, such as a blurry pixelation of my sims eye sockets.

4. Still no memories.

5. Some of the new features have been hard for me to find, such as the collection for photographs (which is a nice new bonus).

6. Toddlers & pregnant women cannot travel. I assume this is because it would be unsafe for them to be caught on fire, but it still stinks leaving them home.

7. Some people have been having a lot more problems, such as the game not loading, codes not working and games not saving. I have personally not had any of these problems.

I will update this as I continue to play; but so far the adventures have made getting the game worth it. I really enjoy having the goals and feeling like I'm achieving something for my sim.

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Like many others with The Sims Series... I have been a fan of The Sims since they first came out with "The Sims" and "The Sims 2" And I would expect that with such a money making franchise as The Sims, that EA would NOT do what they have been doing... But they did...

DO NOT BUY THIS GAME!!!! It will destroy anything you have done in The Sims 3 so far and is buggy beyond belief!

If you want to know how I truly feel... Then think about a time you got that feeling in the pit of your stomach, that made you feel sick because you had just been blatantly ripped off or betrayed... That's how I feel!

It is not a VACATION expansion... It is an ADVENTURES "add on" taking a fun non-linear game and making it into a console game where you actually have to go from point a to point b.

It is just downright inhuman what EA does with employees, and how it impacts the finished product.

They constantly lay off hard workers because they are afraid that if anyone works on a game for too long that they may try to leave and start their own company... So EA moves development teams in 6 week to 6 month shifts... Rotating them from project to project... This means that every time they "rotate" the new team has to somehow pick up where the old team left off, relearning and trying to figure out what was going on before the "rotation"... And this creates MAJOR ISSUES. EA also rushes things to release dates even against the development teams wishes to hold off release so they can make a more polished product... EA does not care! They are all about the almighty bottom dollar! So what you get is a half finished, problem causing game, that otherwise would have been wonderful.

Now, onto the MICRO-TRANSACTIONS!!! Not only do you pay for this overpriced, half finished game.... But you will also have to pay to "unlock" items and features that were otherwise already in the game, but hidden, because selling millions of The Sims 3 wasn't enough for EA, they now want to charge you $20 a pop of REAL WORLD MONEY to get 1000 "SIM POINTS" so you can have the matched sets and items and features that should have been in the game in the first place. You can see forum postings and reviews about the REAL COST of The Sims 3 here on amazon.com

This is the FIRST expansion... If you can even call it that, as I see it more as a step backwards. All The Sims games have had expansions that do, in fact, make the base game better and better... Like adding PETS, and a NIGHTLIFE, and actual SEASONS with rain and snow and so on and so forth... The base games also had a great deal of content to begin with, from tons of matched furniture to pools with slides and diving boards, hot tubs, and musical items that you could make your own Sim garage band with... Then enter the Sims 3 with NONE OF THAT STUFF!!!

Then enter The Sims 3 World Adventures, Still not adding anything other than a ONE TIME adventure for your chosen Sims... Yes ONE TIME! Still no vacation... Still no hot tubs... Still no diving boards... Still no pets... No seasons. I can say it was quite fun playing through the new expansion with one of my Sims... But here is one of the many problems... My old towns and Sims have been destroyed with the addition of this expansion... Where my huge town with tons of custom houses and Sims once stood are now blue property sized holes. If that wasn't bad enough... I create a new town and a new Sim household to go on ADVENTURES... I am having some fun exploring and collecting goodies, and enjoying the new themes and whatnot... Until I get bored and decide to try ADVENTURES with a different Sim... This part makes me very angry... Well more angry after losing my Sim town... I CANNOT DO ADVENTURES AGAIN! Yes that is right! Once you go through the tombs and discover everything with one Sim, any other Sims you try to do it with will not get the same bonuses and benefits as the first one! All the paths remain open and revealed, all the doors stay open, all the traps found and disabled, all the ONE TIME ITEMS do not return, including a required item called "Pengu's Axe"... On top of this is a disappearing inventory glitch where every now and then, items in your Sims "backpack" up and delete themselves!

Also, get used to seeing "Error Code 13" and "Error Code 16" when trying to save your games... When this happens, the save game is corrupted and everything you have done has just been destroyed, and you now have to go into the game save directory and HOPE that there is still a working backup copy you can restore with some less that user friendly editing.

I could go on and on about other glitches and bugs, and the fact they have Day One micro transactions on or before the release date of this expansion showing that they are intentionally leaving things out of the game just to make more cash off the people dumb enough to pony forth said cash.

So that means that only ONE SIM HOUSEHOLD and one Sim household ONLY can get the full experience of the adventures... Any others after that just walk through the already explored tombs with nothing to do and nothing that would be considered an actual "Adventure." So unless you want to constantly create whole new towns and start over again just to reset the Adventures... I say leave this game off your holiday gift list... At least until EA pulls their heads out of their donkeys and fixes the glaring issues with this game.

I am 27 years old, I build high end gaming computers, and I have only had to call tech support 7 times in my life... Once 10 years ago for Windows ME, and six times in the last six months! Each of those six times for separate EA games that either didn't work because of something in the game itself, or that relies on some sort of stable connection with ea servers, or was so flawed and buggy that it annoyed me to the point I actually broke down and called them.

As a video game fan, I would rather wait a longer time and PAY MORE for a better, fully polished and finished product, than to have some half done turd that needs a year worth of patches and editing to make even barely playable.

I cannot play The Sims 3 anymore because of this expansion and it's massive glitches and errors, and I am having serious thoughts about Buying ANYTHING from EA ever again!

Best Deals for The Sims 3: World Adventures Expansion Pack - Mac

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT buy this until they have the bugs worked out and it works. It might be a fun game if it would work properly but it doesn't.

I can not just save my game anymore, I have to "Save As" each time and then the game will still sometimes crash while saving. It also randomly crashes just during gameplay. I read on the official forum that this could be due to high FPS so I used my nifty Nvidia V-sync as suggested and nope, it still crashes away many, many times.

There are also reports of TONS of other bugs which I have been lucky enough to not have happen to me yet. Some people report their Sims completely vanishing or of an "evil twin" that shows up when they come back from visiting one of the 3 countries. They also have random spouses and children they never had before. The list goes on and on. Bad, stupid bugs here.

On the positive side, the destinations themselves are gorgeous. However, the adventuring you do there gets so repetitve and boring. I've only had this one day and am already thinking, "How many times do I have to explore tombs to look for stupid loot?"

Honest reviews on The Sims 3: World Adventures Expansion Pack - Mac

I loved the Sims 2 all the way thru. LOVED IT!!!! The only reason I moved to S3 was for promise of virtually no load screens(a real buzz kill back in the land & times of Sims 2) AND for the added enhancements that surely would come of the newest incarnation. I mean the programmers by this point have had lots of practice right? They know after so many S2 expansions what we'd likeNay,what we DEMAND from our Sims game, correct? But sadly that has not turned out to be the case. S3 on it's own I find is terribly boring. No pets, no businesses, no seasons, no college, no nightlife to speak of. Not much going on. Just work and school. Heckthere isn't even a drum set or piano to play. Just a dumb guitar. And when they do have a pianoyou'll probably have to "purchase" it off the ever dominant online "exchange" with your oh-so-fun "sim points". So EA actually just stripped the game down to the barest of essentials, re-packeged it and re-sold. I guess that's fine if you never played S2 and have no knowledge of how intricate and complex that game eventually became. S3 is like starting over from scratch. I know this is a strategic moneymakerstart from the bottom and charge the players to build it back up.

Which brings us then to S3EP1: Sims 3 World adventures (known in another life as Bon Voyage for Sims 2). Quite simply this game blows. Getting past the fact that for some reason EA would have us believe that a "world adventurer" only visits 3 desitnations. Sorry guysbut China, Paris, & Cairo do not make up the "WORLD". So more cities would have been in order before giving the game such a sweeping and worldy title. Next upthe price of the game. Initally retailed at $40 and like a sucker I payed that because as I said I LOVED Sims 2 and desperately hoped for Sims 3 to take it to that next great level. But $40 later my game (which is not terribly fascinating to begin with despite the wonders of jet-setting) is now laden with bugs. It worked perfectly fine, before the mandatory game update which was required prior to completing the install of the EP and its subsequent patch. Seriously EA? You release an update that you immediately have to patch???? Or release a patch that you immediately have to update?!? Either way now my game is almost unusable. The thing crashes to desktop sporadically. One of my families has now disappeared off the face of Sim 3 universe (THANKS ERROR 16!). The aging is botched so that my elderly sims are 90 one day but wake up the next looking younger than their youngest adult offspring. Trying to complete missions whilst on "vacation" is not only not relaxing but sometimes impossible as after completing hours of time on these scavenger hunts they call missionssuddenly the target you need to report back to in order to complete the action is nowhere to be foundEVER. So there went your very short 3 day vacation trying to build up your Visa level. Racing around to complete tasks that ultimately are not able to be finished. Ohand should you make progress, actually somehow get through the journey and then get whisked unceremoniously back to you homelandPerhaps your Sim shows up on the other end safe and sound but they arrive sans the spouse or the children that they ventured off with!!! What the heck? How are Sims being left behind on vacation? Or maybe, just maybe, everyone does actually show up on the other endbut then the game just immediately crashes back to desktop once more so you've lost days upon days of your Sims lives and Hours upon Hours of your ACTUAL life in terms of playing time. Sigh....

Let me mentionmy computer is new. Purchased almost exclusively for Sims 3. 750 Harddrive, 8G Ram. Quad Core. Decent graphics card. Up to date drivers. So it ain't me. This game is broken. I supsect EA knew too it. They MAKE games. That's what they do. They know how to test them so see whether they work or not before releasing it to the public. And It was strategically released in the 4th quarter to gain EA end of yr profits. I totally get it. Holding to fix it would have lost profits. But they released a shoddy product. They really should be ashamed and bending over backwards to fix it. But they aren't. Taking money like thieves in the night and leaving their gaming fans holding a very broken, very irritating expansion in the bag.

Seriously EA?!?! They actually outdone themselves this time.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Sims 3: World Adventures Expansion Pack - Mac

I just came online after angrily quitting the Sims 3: World Adventures. When I first bought the game it was a nice change to be able to go to different parts of the Sim world. It was a welcomed change. However, that was before I discovered all the glitches and bugs this expansion pack introduced to my Sims 3 game. I deeply regret buying it.

A few things that have gone wrong since I installed it:

If a Sim has been in an area too long (ie Egypt) that sim will out of nowhere have a family located in that area. My sim girl was in Egypt a lot because the mummies and tombs were fun to me. After a while I looked at the family tree and she's somehow already married to an old man and they have a kid together? What the?! I can't break up the marriage so she can't marry anyone ever. (See Picture I Uploaded)

My sim guy "went steady" with a girl from China. When he got home, the girl disappeared so now my guy can't marry anyone because it still shows that he's in a relationship with this girl. I can't reach her by phone or go to China because she vanished.

There is a car stuck outside my sim's homes and I can't do Move Objects On to remove it.

If my Sim asks a foreign sim (from China for example) to get married, the game glitches so that they marry but the Chinese sim doesn't move in. I can keep marrying them but they never move in, it just glitches and sends them flying around the house.

Lastly, the glitch that made me upset the most is that I was in Egypt exploring tombs when all of a sudden the game glitches and nothing, I mean NOTHING, is clickable anymore. I can't use my cell to get out of there, I can't make my sim walk anywhere because not even the floors are clickable. I just said forget it and quit the game.

These glitches have ruined the game for me. It was a big mistake trying out the game with my favorite family. Now they're all messed up and I cant do anything to fix it. This expansion pack was MAJOR FAIL. I advise you NOT to get it and only do so when *everything* is fixed. Save your money until then! The game itself is pretty fun if you're looking to trying new things and introduce new challenges for you and your sim but like I said, it's better to wait until its problems are fixed.

Update 7/14/10: Might I add that since writing this review I've had to restart a new game from scratch 3 times. I'm not sure if it was because I uninstalled World Adventures, or because the Sims 3 game is so full of glitches that crash the game itself but the game won't load up on my laptop anymore. I'm left with two "games" I regret spending money on.

Best KONNET Xbox 360, Xbox Elite, Xbox Slim Power Pyramid Charger Deals

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I got this at Christmas 2009 and have been very happy with it. It looks nice (kind of futuristic) and works perfect for charging up to four Xbox controllers. The other nice part is that it gives you a place to put your controllers when they aren't being used. The kids usually just throw their controllers into a box in the corner of the room (if we are lucky) but that can cause them to get broke. This gives them a reason to put them away. The lights are a very nice feature...red when charging, blue when fully charged. The blue light on the top of the pyramid is a bit bright, but not too bad. The only down side, if you would consider it so would be that it takes two hands to disconnect a controller as the pyramid is light and the controllers connect pretty solid into it. It has a seperate small power brick that plugs into the wall, so you don't have to keep your Xbox turned on to ensure the controllers are charged...nothing connects to the Xbox itself. This also means you can put it where you want in the room as long as there is a power outlet nearby. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to ensure their controllers are ready for play time, and for those looking for a way to keep their controllers from being stepped on when not in use. Konnet also makes one that has two ports for Xbox and two for PS3, as well as one that is just for the PS3 if you are needing that option.

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Great charger, charges very fast. The LED charging lights look really cool, and it will charge any compatible battery pack. I would definitely recommend getting the black one though, because it looks better in my opinion. Price is a little high, but it is worth it. The only real problem I have with it is the power cord, which lifts up that side of the charger. That is a very small complaint though and easily overlooked. Last thing, Konnet has pretty good customer service. I e-mailed them a question about it, and they sent a very complete reply back in 2 days. 4.5/5 Good job Konnet

Best Deals for KONNET Xbox 360, Xbox Elite, Xbox Slim Power Pyramid Charger

I didn't like the idea of being tethered with the "Charge & Play" (or however it goes) kit, so this was a very attractive option. More diamond-shaped than square, it has a very attractive design that works well. It charges (and will not overcharge) 4 controllers with no problem, and the LED lights are easily understandable. They are, however, extremely bright which is not needed in something like this. The power cord also tends to fall out once in a while, but it is fairly easy to plug back in. Given the security with which it holds the controllers, and the convenience of it all, the little things that I don't like are far outweighed by the goodness of it.

Honest reviews on KONNET Xbox 360, Xbox Elite, Xbox Slim Power Pyramid Charger

Well made product. Very cool looking. A great way to organize your controllers AND keep them fully charged!!!! My wife even likes it because it looks so much nicer than 4 controllers piled all over the end table.

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I had doubts that this thing could really safely hold 4 controllers at once, but it does no problem. Charges fast and doesnt overcharge. Charge-indicating LEDs are bright and there's also an LED inside the top of the pyramid which always stays on indicating that its pluged in, which some people might not like for a small room, but I love 'em. Sleek looking and will make all your friends envious. I've had this for a few months now and I have absolutely no issues or complaints. A must buy for any gamer.

Reviews of Van Helsing - Xbox

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...that's my reaction to the Van Helsing game. Many people have criticized it as having a bad camera, not enough acting out of the story (too many cutscenes and such), as well as being repetitive, but they're all nitpicking.

The first time I saw this game I was really looking forward to it. Well, I rented it and after a day or two, I hated it. I'd been playing games like Hitman, which require more strategy and "brain power", so I thought this was stupid, mindless game. However, I didn't realize one thing. This is NOT a "shooter", though most of the weapons are guns. This is an ACTION game, entailing tons of exciting movement, such as jumping and fighting while watching the really cool villains do likewise. In short, you have to be in the right mood to play this, or not expect too much. You may be dissapointed if you think this is another Red Dead Revolver or something. I bought it and had a blast because I knew what kind of game I was playing.

The gameplay has been called repetitive, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's really fun to just lay into your opponents', though some of the weapon' shooting (dual pistols) can become tiresome, despite its propensity for success. You basically have to use your tojos and/or twin scimitars to liven it up with some variety (I recommend tojos against most non-flying creatures and bosses, as it's really fun to tear through your adversaries). There are a fair amount of other weapons, such as the crossbow, shotgun, electric gun, and a few other great weapons I don't want to spoil for you, which all have strength and weaknesses of their own, making each of them a value and a hindrace (realism, folks) to getting through the game. The jumping/grappling onto things is a good bit of variety in the game, and when you have to use them, it adds a bit of reality (if you consider some of Van Helsing's jump "realistic") and makes sense with the mission. Last of all, there's a load of great monsters, such as possessed skeletons, giant owls, gargoyles, the main bosses you saw in the movie (including bonus fights with Frankenstein's Monster), and well, the list covers just about every major mythological/horror creature, way past the dinky litte list in the manual that comes with the game. It's great, trust me.

And now, some Game Tips:

Try beating the five challenges in "order" (that they presented in the game) and twice in order if need be (whatever works; I played the game 15 or so times through before I beat all the challenges so I'm not completely sure what unlocks the Rifle, though I suspect it's just order), starting with Challenge #4 (the maze is the easiest challenge and can be done the first time through the game), next Challenge #5 (time attack, should be attempted the second or third time through the game so that you have the gatling gun), then Challenge #1 (break the statues is easily the hardest, but can be done the first time through the game. You need to break the statues up high before breaking the ones on ground level; jump up and down to enrage the gargoyles, and if they don't come, immediately grapple the gargoyles and pull them into close quarters; you may want to try this when you have a lot of glyphs and the Armory Anytime cheat found in the second through the game so that you can keep buying Life Replenishers), then Challenge #2 (stay on the ring and don't let the owls knock you off; probably the second hardest and you probably want to wait till the third time through the game, having beaten the hard difficulty, so that you have the Unlimited Alternate Ammo cheat to use), and finally Challenge #3 (rising blood challenge; go to the right of the screen and jump onto the gargoyle head and follow the logical progression of heads until you get to about the six or seventh, where'll you be safe to grapple away and beat the challenge). If you need any other game tips, like where to find all the Life Increasers or whatever, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend buying Prima Games' Official Strategy Guide to Van Helsing. This is an AWESOME tip book and helped me get almost everything on the game (I'm still missing some Increasers, though). It comes cheap, and will become your best friend when playing Van Helsing.

Now onto the graphics. The graphics are superb, though many criticize them for being simple for a such a graphically capable system such as the X-Box. The backgrounds are very well-lit, and the environments you're in are very time appropiate and detailed, rivaling and maybe even surpassing the movie's scope. While Anna looks a little piggish with her slightly upturned nose, the bosses are impressive (I really like Mr. Hyde), and the more common creatures are uniquely good.

Some other things, such as the sound and voice-acting are worth going over. The music is good, though sometimes backgroundish, and not entirely noticeable unless you listen for it. Not to say its bad, but seems rather distant sometimes. The voice acting is well-done, at least for the time the actors had to do them (they were on a tight schedule). Some of the Transylvanian accents, such as Anna's (sorry, Mandy), sound a bit stilted at times, but at worst it provides a chuckle.

Sure, I've sung the game's praises, but here are some admonitions, primarily for parents. Other than a minimal amount of blood spilled (not much but the dwergi and vampire bats "spew" it sometimes), Dracula's brides appear in a cutscene where they aren't, well, entirely clothed. However, this cutscene can be skipped by pressing "Start", so it's probably not much of a problem. The same thing goes for the green banshee women who remind me of mermaids; they hold green pieces of cloth against their chests, concealing, well, MOST of their bosoms, but not all. Nothing detailed here, but not very appropriate.

As a warning for gamers, don't expect to be able to play as a werewolf at the end of the game (probably the biggest letdown of the century), which would have skyrocketed this game right past probably my favorite, Red Dead Revolver. In my opinion, the game's greatest downfall, which put in some good stuff not included in the movie (Frankenstein fights, the exclusive game creatures and more weapons) but left out one of the movie's strongest points (the Van Hesling werewolf) in gameplay, which would have been so much fun (just use the Wolf Man's moves or something). Van Helsing does change into a werewolf in the cutscene but it's not the same. A good idea, in my humble opinion, would have been to have Van Helsing in human form fight Dracula in human form with his weapons, then have a cutscene where Dracula basically says the kid gloves are off and they both transform, then the gamer could fight with the Van Helsing werewolf against the Demon Dracula (that way the gamers AND the producers could have what they want).

Overall, the game was quite enjoyable, and had the potential to be even better. I would recommend at least a rental of this game, because its one of kind (or maybe it's that just because I haven't played Devil May Cry). Remember, you most likely have to be in the right mood and like this genre before you can appreciate and have fun playing Van Helsing. That's my two cents.

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After seeing the AWESOME film Van Helsing, I was more than desperate to get my hands on the game based on the film for my xbox. I must admit that I was very worried, as I have played many movie-based videogames, few with satisfying results (the last movie-based game I had played was Terminator 3 Rise of the machines! You can see why I was worried!!!).However, my worries amounted to nothing.

Van Helsing is a solid game on its own, but it is more fun to be taking up the role of Van Helsing. All his awesome weapons are there, and some new ones! The fact that you can lose your hat in a fight is a nice touch, and the original voices of Igor, Dracula and Van Helsing himself add much class.

Visually, Van Helsing is nothing new. Its no Ninja Gaiden, but it does have some truly gothic locations, excellent weapon designs, and Van Helsing himself looks the part.

I was a little disappointed in terms of sound (for me, this was the games weakest area). Sure, the voices are cool, but bar that, it was a let down. The film had some truly fantastic themes, while the game's score was very dry and basic (I rarely paid attention to it). There were some nice sound effects, but small things like Mr Hyde lacking his hilarious accent, and the Tojo blades making no buzzing noise were disappointing.

Gameplay wise, the controls are quite nice, with a good balance between guns and melee weapons. The grapple rope proved very useful and easily accessable. No faults in this area.

Overall, Van Helsing makes for a rather satisfying (if short)play. Its no Ninja Gaiden or Prince of Persia, but is one of the better movie tie-in games out there. For fans of the film, I'd advise it. For fans of the action-adventure genre, its worth a look at

Best Deals for Van Helsing - Xbox

Based on the original hollywood movie, Van Helsing is an action packed game with voices of movie's cast. Instead of putting in cheat codes, you can cheats in the game by destroying secret doors, my favorite is the ghost body feature. As you go through the game, you battle tons of zomibes and monsters. You fight such monsters as Mr. Hyde, Wolfman, and, of course, Dracula. This game isn't for the Monsterpohbic.

Rating: 8.2 of 10

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I went to see the Movie and had to get the game. Then the game came with a free pass and I went to see the movie again.

They are both awesome.

The only thing wrong with the game is it is too short by the standards of modern adventure games it took me 3 hours and 40 min to beat it the first time.

When you beat it though you get to keep your player and beat it again.

The best part is that it will not really spoil the movie. It sticks with the Dracula legend and adds a lot too it.

I wondered for almost a year how they were going to tie all the monsters together and I think they did a spectacular Job.

Play it for yourself and see.

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Originally purchased this thinking it was a different title and was unpleasantly surprised when I started playing it. Low quality game, lots of glitches and I couldn't get through more than about an hour of game play before I tossed it,

Buy Deus Ex Human Revolution: Director's Cut - Nintendo Wii U

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List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $42.85
Today's Bonus: 14% Off

This is my opinion on the Wii-U version of Deus Ex. This is not actually a review due to the base game being out for a few years now. Most people will argue the fact that the price of the Wii-U version is higher than the other consoles. While I don't really agree with it myself, I can clearly see why the game is sold at the price that it is. I own all versions of Deus Ex... 360, PS3, and PC and I can honestly say that even if this were the regular game and not the director's cut, the Wii U version would be the version to to play. Why? The answer is simple...the gamepad. The way the gamepad is utilized and intigrated with the game makes playing the game a whole new experience. Inventory management, augments, emails to get back stories, hacking, radar, map, and various other functions on the gamepad give the Wii-U version the edge. There is also another cool feature that plays out a lot like Demon Souls and Dark Souls where you can leave data icons in the world with messages (written or voice) that offer clues and hints so someone else won't make the same mistake you did or to point out alternate routes....this is used with Mii-verse. I have not personally tried this feature out yet, but it is cool to know that it is there. Like Mass Effect 2 for the PS3, this game has the DLC "The Missing Link" intrigrated in the main story, which is good. If you have neveer played the DLC, now is a good time to do so. Another thing that sells this game is that the boss fights are fixed to support different playstyles now....which is a VERY good thing! Is this game worth a purchase? Yes and No....the only reason I think people should by this game; especially if they already own/played and finshed the regular version is A: You are a HUGE fan of Deus Ex like I am. B: You own a Wii-U and want to build a good library of games for it..like me. C: You were one of those individuals that were upset with how the boss fights were in the regular version. I will say it again, the gamepad and the way it is used is great! However, it should not be the ONLY reason to buy the game for this price.

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This game is great on the Wii U. Graphics are sharper from previous game, the bosses fight are really well done now and the use of the gamepad is incredible. This is a wonderful 3rd party game for the Wii U and a most for it. I like the detail improvement also. If you like Metal Gear 4 and Mass Effect, it has a combination of both. I love the dark and gold color atmosphere that the game uses. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because it cost $20 more than the other consoles but then again they don't have the gamepad exclusive which is really cool!!!!

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When the game came out I didn't have a good PC to buy the game since I didn't have a PS3 back then. Time passed and it went under my radar until the Wii U version was announced. I got hyped for the game ever since the reveal and I don't regret my purchase. I got this game after I beat Splinter Cell Blacklist on Wii U and I love this game as well since what I learned in the previous game can be applied here and works most of the time. The graphics are amazing, the story is pretty cool and reminds me of the first Deus Ex game (love it by the way), and the gameplay is smooth and spot on.

If you haven't played Deus Ex I suggest you get the Wii U version which is the best version of them all. but if you played it already you may want to get on another platform

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You can easily find many, many articles across the internet to describe what a good game Deus Ex Human Revolution is. As someone who never played the original, I was very excited to see this title coming to Wii U. I was doubly impressed to see the efforts being made by Square Enix and developer Straight Right to make good use of the Wii U's gamepad. Speaking directly to people who have never played Deus Ex, this title or any of the previous ones, I can highly recommend the game based on its game play and story alone.

However, what truly sets this title apart is the attention paid to the Wii U version. A lot of attention has been paid to make the gamepad a seamless part of the game. It's not perfect, but it is definitely one of the better uses of the gamepad. Inventory, game map, in game information, hacking, and other things like in-game instruction manual, full strategy guide, and the miiverse integration are all on the gamepad.

Inventory management is a breeze using the touch screen, but the game map is one of the best things period. You can leave yourself notes all over the map, never worry about forgetting gear or having to get lost while searching the city, just annotate the map at your leisure. On top of that, you can record hints and post them to the miiverse for your friends. This is one of the best integrations of the mic, and I hope to see more games use it going forward. Hacking is much more interactive with the gamepad, and I guess that is the point of all of this, yeah it can be done with a regular controller and you can pull it up on the tv, but there is something more interactive and immersive using the touch screen. It just works better. Lastly, and probably the one thing that made me spend a little more on this one, was the full strategy guide in game. I do not have a lot of gaming time, and it isn't always feasible to have a computer open while playing. So being able to pause, bring up the guide on the gamepad and see what I need to do is extremely helpful. I would like to see more integration here as well going forward, like being able to drag a hint from the guide on to the map.

Now this isn't all perfect, the touch controls take some getting used to, but overall they work great.

As a new comer to this series I have really enjoyed this game. It is a well done masterpiece that tells a solid story and actually lets you play how you see fit. It is worth every penny alone for the gamepad integration and the strategy guide(which is Wii U exclusive). If you are on the fence, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a really well made director's cut of a great game.

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I enjoyed the game when it first came out for xbox 360 and now with the additional feature I enjoy the game more. The Wii U controller takes a little bit to get used to, but the game is still great!

Discount Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Limited Edition - Playstation 3

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This is without a brainer, a must for MGS fans.

The Games:

The HD port for MGS3 is simply amazing while it's no Uncharted 3, it certainly still beautiful. As for MGS2, it does not look as nice as MGS3, the feel and gameplay is still solid (pun intended). Peace Walker feels and play much better than the PSP counterpart and definitely looks better in HD.

Of course the additional bonus of trophies definitely will please trophy hunters. 3 Plats to earn.

As for the physical instruction manual, it's very basic info. The full manual is a digital copy found when you select the game.

All in all, it's what is expected from an HD port.

The Artbook-

It's a nice thick hardcover artbook with all the arts from previous artbooks for MGS2/MGS3/Peace Walker. There are also some additional arts which are nice. This is something great for fans but if you're not a fan, then it's best to pass or don't hurt yourself searching for a copy of the LE.

The Box-

A hard cardboard box with a nice smooth feel. The game is set on a cardboard paper which slides into the box along with the artbook. Looks great with a bookshelves of artbooks/collectible strategy guides.

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This includes MGS2, MGS3, and MGS:PW, along with an artbook that has incredible pictures of the players and mechanics in the game. The games supply hours and hours of gameplay, in addition, it has a multiplayer function in Peace Walker. It is a great buy for people new and old to the series.

Best Deals for Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Limited Edition - Playstation 3

I wasn't a Metal Gear fan until I got Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots limited edition for the PS3 and now that I did I've gotten this and future sequels and I gotten the 3rd Metal Gear game on PlayStation networks PS One Classics!

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Been a fan since the Original game for the NES and beyond, The HD collection not only have a redefine Solid 3, PeaceWalker and Solid 2, but also the Original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 for the MSX2 that was released in Japan....I forever wanted to play the real Metal Gear 2 version.....I'm glad I've got the opportunity now after 22 plus years.

A great collection indeed....Go buy Today!!!

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comes with METAL GEAR SOLID 2 METAL GEAR SOLID 3 & METAL GEAR SOLID PEACE WALKER. All the games look AND perform wonderfully, frames rates are consistent and the new TROPHYS are funny and thoughtful.The game packaging feels good like premium materials and you get a nice artbook with it.I have to say the games are just amazing and seeing them on my big tv in HD make my day. If you played metal gear before or its your first time ill tell you this is something youre going to enjoy. BUY IT!

Buy Disney/Pixar Monsters, Inc.

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My 6 yr old son has enjoyed this game so much that I have to force him to put it down. My 4 yr old has enjoyed it just as much.

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I purchased this Disney/Pizar Monsters, Inc. game for my grandson. He liked the game, and it was a good price.

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I bought this game for my 4 year old son and he played this game maybe 2 times and now the game wont work at all.

Buy Mortal Kombat Kollection (Deception, Armageddon, Shaolin Monks)

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $19.96
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

Armageddon is my favorite since it has a huge list of characters. Also, it has a fun part called 'Motor Kombat' which is basically like Mario Kart, and another part where you can go out and play on your own (I don't remember what that part is called) so it's like getting several games in one. I haven't played Deception very much and I haven't played Shaolin Monks at all, I mostly bought the set for Armageddon since it was a good deal. What I have played, I've really liked. I recommend it to anyone. I actually bought the games for my boyfriend but I've ended up playing them a lot, too, so I think they're good for almost anyone.

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This box set is in exceptional shape and i have had a blast playing all 3 games. This trio for 9.99 was a wonderful investent. thank you so very much

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I bought this as a replacement for scratched cd's I had. I bought this used and they look and work like new.

Honest reviews on Mortal Kombat Kollection (Deception, Armageddon, Shaolin Monks)

the kids love it they were so excited to get three in one thank you so much for having what we needed

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All I can say that this is a 100% trusted seller, the items that I received were factory sealed and authentic.... If your looking for classic games like Mortal Kombat Kollection, its a classic game that hardcore fans will enjoy.....

Best Spyro Collectors' Edition - PlayStation Deals

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On my original Playstation I bought all of these games sepreatly when they first came out, and absoulutley loved them! And now all 3 games in the series are together in a ... collecters pack, so this reveiw is for all 3 of the games, so here it goes!

Just let me start out by saying these are the most fun and challenging platforming games I own, and that includes all the Crash Bandicoots. The graphics are great and there is just so much to do in them all it will blow your head off!

These games are all about Spyro, a young curious dragon who always keeps away evil out of the Dragon Worlds. There are so many types of worlds, inclucing arabian, ice, dessert, robot, farms, dinosaur worlds, space, mountains, underwater and many more, all with great colors and suprises around you all the time. The games also have great instramental musical scores like those of Rayman, and are full of magic and numerous enemies all that fun and challenging to beat.

The characters, ( which are all whimsical and creative,) of these worlds ask you for your help, and in return give you many prizes and clues to aid.

Combined in the series, you collect many items to help you with your quests, including tailismans, orbs, and my favorite, gems, which are your currency and are scattered all around in the relams' towers, cliffs, sea-sides and just plain everywhere!

Spyro also makes many friends, and has many abilites including gliding, flying, head-bashing, swimming, breathing fire and ice, charging, super-charging and fluttering. The Spyro games are also quite simple, but may take a few extra hours to unlock everything and beat all of the speedway records, so you truly never get tired of them!

After the first in the series, Spyro, the others to follow just got more beautiful and imaginitive in all aspects and way to enjoy them.

For any fantasy and adventure liking video game player, the Spyro series have everything your looking for.

There's no way to go wrong with a dragon!

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I own over 70 Playstation 1 and 2 games combined. In all of the games I have played the Spyro games are still the greatest and my most favorite. Spyro combines adventure, puzzles, mystery, awesome graphics, spectacular characters, and suprise. They are games that you can sit down and totally enjoy. I can't wait until Spyro The Year of the Dragonfly comes out on Playstation2!! I just wish there were more games out there like Spyro and so far nothing has come very close. This game is great for children as well as adults. I am 32 and absolutely loved it. I hope to find more games like Spyro but in the mean time will keep revisiting Spyro and Sparx every so often when I miss them!! :) :) :)

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I myself am a huge fan of the Spyro series. This gift pack is wonderful for any new beginner of this series or to adventure games. It's fun for all ages, and is very easy to learn the controls. Although this pack leaves out the mini game "Spyro: Season of Ice" for Game Boy Adavnce, it's still great for those Playstation fans, I myself included. So if your looking for a new game why not buy this awesome Spyro pakcage.

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This collection includes the only good spyro games, made by Insomniac. All the Spyro games after these 3 are horrible! Not even worth trying. The hardest of these 3 games is Spyro 3. Even for me, it is almost impossible to beat. The first 2 Spyro games are easy once you learn all the tricks. I've beaten the first and second at least 10 times each. It takes me about a day. I'm addicted to Spryo. The third I've only beat once. These are great PS1 games. Years after first playing Spyro, I'm still a fan and they continue to be my favorite video games... there aren't that many video games I like... anyway, get this collection!

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Spyro is a new favorite of my 5 year old that is a game genious! Even tho we don't have any PS1 memory cards he plays it over and over and over again. This collector's set has 3 different games included in it. Three separate discs. If he gets tired of 1 disc he puts in a different version of Spyro. Great graphics and story and ease of use makes it fun for him since he can't read yet. Also the game is clean enough for him to be able to play.