Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 Throat Communicator - Snow Review

Customer Ratings:

I was looking for something different. The OEM Xbox 360 headset would always become uncomfortable after an hour or so

of use for me. The foam/sponge "ear-speaker cover" would bother my ear and the hard plastic opposite end would dig into the other side of my head.

I had been looking all over (including in Japan) for a cool headset. I didn't want one that also played the sound from the game (ie. stereo or 5.1 audio),

I have an audio system for that, I just wanted a better communicator headset for talking with friends.

I saw this on a "popular game review site" and immediately went and got one.

I opened it. It felt like quality plastic and rubber. It had a durable feel to it. I was excited. Heck, I could even drink and not have to move the mic.

Perfect, right?

It fit a little tight around my lower neck, but I could deal with that. The ear pod was a little big and was deeper than say a traditional iPod ear bud.

It wasn't super comfy personally, but again, I could deal with it.

Problem #1

I plug it into the controller. The plug didn't fit super tight and it did that static thingy in my ear which made it seem like the connection wasn't all there.

it felt 3rd party-ish if you know what I mean. I was expecting it to kinda plug and lock in there, but it felt too loose for my liking.

Problem #2

So I connect with some friends. They say I sounded bad, too much static, so I looked closely and noticed that it came with the mute switch turned "on" (default setting? really?).

But if the mute was on, why could they hear me?

So I switched the mute to "off".

My friends said I sounded fine with the throat mic. I was actually surprised they said they couldn't tell the difference between my voice

with the Mad Catz product and the OEM Xbox headset.

Problem #3

My friends sounded drunk/inebriated. Their voices sounded horrible. I switched over to the OEM Xbox headset and they sounded fine. The ear piece had

horrible audio. It sounded like cheap equipment.

So basically the only good things are I can drink with it on and I sound OK, but the other issues were too much for me.

I can't express enough how bummed I am that this product isn't that good.

Oh well, I will repackage it up and return it.

The search continues.

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http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Modern-Warfare-Throat-Communicator/dp/B002NNFZT8/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1260937039&sr=8-8

Tested this thing multiple ways and the results were the same.

At first no one responded to me with multiple adjustments on the volume control and mute switch. So I hooked up system link(I have a line in a separate room for when my friends bring their box and they can use the other TV, that's why we use mics.) and nothing but static and a loud buzzing over the systems. Picks up background noise but not my voice.

The throat piece is not adjustable but comfortable after you adjust to it. But since no one can hear me...well doesn't matter how it fits.

switched between my turtle beach x1, the extremely uncomfortable stock mic and then this. Same problems each time with the throat mic.

I've used the real deal in the military so I thought this was a great idea, and it is, but that's all this is, a gimmick, and over priced at that.

Ironically the name snow attached to this product link is right on the mark, that's all anyone hears in game.

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bought this in camo not snow. i am a cool cat... works good enough. not saving the world with it and can eat and drink....

Reviews of The Ultimate Steering Wheel Racing Game Stand

Customer Ratings:

Pros:

Product seems to be very well built. Parts are actually made out of metal and are sufficiently rigid for force feedback steering wheels. Stand stays in place without sliding and the angle and position adjustments of the wheel did not require readjustment during use. I set it up where I was comfortable with the position and it just stayed there with no fuss and no hassle of trying to reposition while playing.

The mount is compatible with most current wheels and will likely work with future ones as well. It's simply a board that you clamp the wheel to. It's sturdy and big enough for several wheel setups such as the G25/27 with the separate shifter, which is nice as I may upgrade to a G27 at some point. So while it may seem simple and very basic, it's intuitive and likely future proof with no hassle of trying to find a different plate or drill holes etc.

Cons:

The holes in the "dial" for angle adjustment did not line up exactly with the stationary mount on the stand. It was close enough that I was able to get the bolt through the dial and stationary mount, but it did require some extra effort to screw it through with an alan wrench when it should have just pushed through and then tightened down with the cap nut. Not a huge deal, but a minor annoyance.

I'm not a fan of the angle adjustment on the bottom right foot of the stand. I was playing bare footed and managed to scrape my heel on the metal a few times. Once again, not a huge deal, but a minor annoyance.

Rating:

Initially I considered giving this product a 4 star rating because while it's a nice stand, I had a couple of niggles with it and there are better ones out there. Then I considered the price point and decided it did indeed deserve the 5 star rating. While there are better stands out there, they would have cost me almost twice as much from Amazon after shipping. While they are better, they may be a 5% improvement over this stand. Not 100%. I fully believe that I will keep this stand for a very long time and the build quality will enable me to do so.

I fully recommend this product to anyone considering the purchase of a wheel stand. MINOR annoyances aside, it can't be beat at this price range.

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I am not your typical game player, just a mature, retired adult, that got interested in playing racing games on a PC and Playstation. In the past I have raced Corvettes all over the United States, no longer can I race the real cars, but enjoy revisiting racing from the comfort of my family room.

I had been using different TV trays for the racing wheels and the carpet floor of my family room. This got to be rather frustrating, as the TV tray was not stable enough and the foot pedals constantly moved away from my chair.

So, after deliberation, I purchased the Ultimate Steering Wheel Racing Game Stand by One Source Living. When it was delivered, in a very timely manner, I was impressed not only by the way it was constructed, but how it was engineered. It was constructed of steel and real wood, not particle board and plastic. It came with a set of simple directions, all hardware required and tools to put the stand together. It took me ten minutes to put the stand together.

I have a Microsoft SideWinder Precision Racing Wheel, Mad Catz Dual Force Racing Wheel and Pedals and a Thrustmaster RGT Force Feedback CLUTCH Racing Wheel, I know this is kind of an over kill for a retired adult, it only took me minutes to change from one racing wheel combination to another, the Ultimate Steering Wheel stand is that versatile.

The stand consist of a metal frame that is just heavy enough to keep the game stand from moving forward as you use the foot pedals. On the base plate there is a wooden floor that has a metal angle that can be attached to the floor, this is to prevent the foot pedal assembly from moving forward or backward. I first attached this metal angle behind the foot pedals, for my long legs, this did not work as the foot pedal assembly extended beyond the attachments for the angle iron. This is not a problem, as at the end of the wooden base there is a metal vertical lip that not only keeps the pedal assembly on the wooden floor, but will not allow the pedal assembly to move forward. A shorter friend of mine, showed me a different way to attach the foot pedal assembly. He moved the foot pedal assembly so that the back was against the vertical tubing, attached the metal angle to secure the front of the foot pedal assembly. Thus the foot pedal assembly was firmly held between the vertical tubing and the metal angle. The vertical square tubing, is anchored to the base and is adjustable for a front to rear position / angle, at the base. The vertical tubing is adjustable for any height that may be required. At the top of the vertical tubing is an adjustable plate, to provide a comfortable position for the steering wheel angle. These adjustable, front to rear position and steering wheel angle, are like having a telescoping, vertical adjustment steering wheel in a automobile. The adjustable height and wheel angle can be quickly changed by easily accessible knobs, located at the top of the vertical tubing. At the top of the vertical tube is a rectangle piece of wood with many adjustable fittings, located on the under side of the wood table. These adjustments are for configuring different racing wheels, left to right or right to left, I did have to make any adjustments for my steering wheels. The wooden table is large enough to accommodate any of my steering wheel combinations, as well as leaving enough room for a cool drink. Plus, I can remove the wheel and pedals, fold the game stand and slide it under my couch.

It is a real pleasure to use the Ultimate Steering Wheel Racing Game Stand, in my family room, in my rocking, over stuffed recliner, in front of my 60" HD TV.

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I've been sim racing for a long, long time, and I've always wanted to buy a full rig, but I've never had the money or the room. I have the room now, but I still don't have the money. Luckily, this wheel stand is a good substitute.

For the price, you can't beat this thing. Ninety bucks gets you a solid, well-constructed wheel stand that's sturdy, stable, and easy to

put together. It's adjustable enough that you can put the wheel at the angle you need it, and, once you put the gripper legs in place,

the stand stays anchored to one spot, and you won't move it out of place unless you have incredibly stiff pedals.

Speaking of pedals: I use a Fanatec CSR wheel and Clubsport pedals, and the stand fits them both perfectly.

My only quibble is that the pedal mount isn't adjustable (I would have liked the ability to tilt the pedals up some. But, considering the price, that's a minor complaint. If you need a compact wheel stand that is stable, well-built, and easy to move, look no further.

Honest reviews on The Ultimate Steering Wheel Racing Game Stand

This is probably the best stand out there for the price. Serves the purpose and the build quality and finish are really great. I've been procrastinating buying a stand for a while due to the usually higher prices of these stands. This one is a steal.

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The Best Steering Wheel stand for the money and it does what was made for . I use my G27 on it and it's great!!

Review of Forza Motorsport 5 Day One Edition

Customer Ratings:

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

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

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

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

On to the bad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks.

Honest reviews on Forza Motorsport 5 Day One Edition

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

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

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

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

Pros:

The graphics are amazing. Near photo realistic on some tracks

The game runs at a perfect 60 fps

Sense of speed is outstanding

Orchestrated music fits racing well

Cons:

Tons of micro transactions

Not many tracks

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

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

Buy Xbox & Xbox 360 System Link Cable

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $7.99
Sale Price: $5.99
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

This cable is used ONLY for a hookup between 2 xboxes. This means that if you want to play Halo 4 vs 4 with 2 tvs, a regular ethernet cable will not work. Only the Xbox System Link cable will work between two xboxes directly connected. However, if you hook up four xboxes, you have to use regular RJ-45 ethernet cable with a hub. That is why this cable is necessary.

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If you don't like Microsoft or you think you can find a better deal on a different brand, look for "Cross-over" ethernet cables! "Patch" ethernet cables are the more common type, but they do not work for the Xbox.

For more information go here:

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This cable is absolutely necessary for anyone who bought the "xbox halo edition". Normal crossover cables do not work on this verson of the xbox and unfortunately microsoft found a way to screw you over, but hey, I guess they're being smart..

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After spending half a day trying to link two XBox consoles to play Halo4, I checked various posts about the problem being with Halo 4 and not the cable. Sure enough, popped in two Halo Reach discs and no problem at all!

I have many more link-ready games to try, but even if it works only for Halo Reach, then it was worth the price. BTW, a router does not work. I purchased a Switcher and perhaps this will let me link up for Halo 4.

Hope this helps!

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I have no idea what these other reviewers are talking about. The description on this particular cable doesn't give a length, it only shows a picture. The cable is sufficiently long enough. I received an original XBox system link cable, but it works just as well. The price at the time of this review is only 3.24, which is a wonderful price compared to others I've seen.

The product may not be as pictured, but it works just fine. Plenty long enough, and does exactly as the description says.

Reviews of StarTech.com COMP2VGA Composite and S-Video to VGA Video Converter

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $78.99
Sale Price: $48.98
Today's Bonus: 38% Off

This product does exactly what I anticipated. It allows me to play the Xbox using my PC monitor and speakers. The device is an all hardware solution, that once connected has a button to toggle the monitor/speakers between the Xbox and PC. Note that this device will also work with any other game console (Nintendo, Playstation) that outputs NTSC video.

I use the device on a 19" Trinitron monitor and the video displayed from the Xbox is not quite as crisp and clear as when the Xbox is connected to my 27" TV. But I found the quality to be very good and many people may not notice that a regular TV provided a better image if the two are not directly compared. The bottom line is that a purist may be bothered by the difference in image quality, but it provides me a great alternative for playing the Xbox when my TV is being used by others, or when a TV is not available, e.g. playing Xbox System Link games (like Halo) at a friends house.

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(first review)

Simply put, this item was DOA, straight out of the box. I attempted all of the following as input devices:

* Wii console

* VCR

* DVD player

and both of the following as displays:

* 17" ViewSonic CRT monitor

* 20" Samsung LCD monitor

and regardless of the configuration I got the exact same result -NO SIGNAL. I will attempt one exchange. If that one is DOA as well, I will get a refund.

(after getting the replacement)

I would like to amend a prior review where I gave 1 star, saying I would give 0 if I could, because it just didn't work. Well, the replacement does work, and I have successfully run the Wii through the analog port on my 20" LCD monitor. That's the good news.

The bad news:

* Piping sound through it is bad. Really bad. Tin cans and a string bad. Fortunately, you don't have to, and I don't any more. You just have to be inventive with your cabling.

* The video quality isn't great, but this may be as good as it gets with composite. Results might be better with S-video, but I don't have anything that delivers that. I blame outdated standards here.

* It doesn't drive 1024x768 like you may see in the specs, it drives 640x480. This makes the next point all the more confusing...

* It doesn't work with my 17" CRT monitor, which I had intended to turn into a TV with this, a VCR, and a pair of amplified speakers. The monitor works fine on the analog port of the video card, so there's nothing wrong with it. It just doesn't get along with the Video Game Jockey.

Also of note is that it sends an output signal even when there is no input signal. This means that if your monitor auto-detects source, it will lock onto the blank-screen analog signal if you try to connect the analog to the Jockey and the DVI to your computer. I can force-switch it, but occasionally it still flips back over to analog (and is guaranteed to if the machine is rebooted), and it won't go to sleep because it's always getting a signal. This can be dealt with by switching the Jockey to use the VGA input, even though I haven't connected anything to it. It does not attempt to drive a blank signal this way. I just have to remember to switch it back before I can use the Wii.

In short, it does what it says (other than the 1024x768 part) but it has crappy sound quality and doesn't work with all monitors. 3 stars.

Best Deals for StarTech.com COMP2VGA Composite and S-Video to VGA Video Converter

Bought this to be able to convert the composite video from my Directv box to VGA so that I could use an old computer monitor as my "TV." It does the job! No complaints.

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This product is great! I hooked up the video / audio in in the right spots, yet the screen was flickering and wasn't clear. I think this is what may have happened to the previous reviewers and their bad responses.

ANYWAYS, i went and bought a connector for the PS2, that had the same connections EXCEPT it had an S-video input instead of the video plugs. Once I hooked it up this way, everything was great and I have never had a problem.

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The static on this device on the audio line is intolerable in my opinion. However, newer computer stereo systems, as well as radio shack, have a converter that goes from left right audio to 3.5mm stereo jacks. That solved the static problem by bypassing the device all together with some creative cabling.

As for the video quality, it's not too good if your using a composite device. You'll imediately notice a flicker on straght lines and text that gave me a headache. However, if you are using an s-video cable (which is what I use for my ps2) then the picture is decent. Not the best product on the market, I'm sure, but a functional solution if your like me and don't always have a TV available.

Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV Round 2 Arcade FightStick Tournament Reviews

Customer Ratings:

Uses authentic Sanwa parts. (Along with Seimitsu, these parts are the best straight out of Japan.)

The control offered by this particular stick is phenomenal. Granted, I've only recently gotten serious about using one exclusively, I've been around the bloc a few times with these sort of products.

The Sanwa stick is very responsive and follows a square gate restrictor (stick moves around inside a square). When a gate is activated, you'll know as an audible *click* is heard. It may be a bit loud for casual home users, but it's part of the experience, in my opinion. Nothing to gripe about!

The buttons are also extremely sensitive. Contrary to the construction of the stick, these buttons DO NOT click! In a competitive sense, it's logical to reduce the amount of effort required to trigger the button, so no click. This is not to indicate that they are faulty, but fantastically responsive and dutiful in their purpose of translating your most complex inputs.

For stability, the several pounds that it does way are easily justified. To fanatics, input consistency is very important and they don't need their devices flying around because they're feather-light.

Other reviews may be bashing it, but the thought process in this product is quite legitimate, bringing together some revered names in the target audience and collaborating with them. Now, of course, it's a mass produced item, so there are going to be some business choices that not all of us would prefer. However, what you see is what you get and I've found a fantastic product in this.

Oh, it's also easily customizable with a bit of tinkering around. Even the face plate can be swapped out for one of a different design.

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This arcade stick is amazing. It is a must have if you play fighting games such as street fighter or tekken. The stick is very customizable, you can switch out the buttons or create a new template. It uses high quality sanwa parts which is a plus. I think the round 2 fight stick looks way better then the first TE fight stick, the all black and red looks awesome. Overall this stick is great and if you were looking for a stick, get a TE they are cheaper then before and perform great.

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There comes a point where you just cant go up the leaderboard rankings anymore with the xbox controller, why? because as you rank up you start playing against players who use arcade sticks and theyll own you.. this is were an arcade stick comes in handy and you cant go wrong with the TE.. very well built, durable will last you a long time, a must if you want to compete.

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV Round 2 Arcade FightStick Tournament

Although I am very much a core gamer I didn't really grow up in the arcades. Sure, I was there from time to time, but more often than not I would be play at home on the consoles. Since those days though, arcades have become something of a rarity. More recently, I have found an arcade dedicated to these games of old and purchased an arcade stick to go along with Street Fighter IV among other fighting games.

The Street Fighter IV Round 2 Tournament Edition arcade stick was the one I purchased. Prior to this I also purchased the official Dreamcast arcade stick, so this would be my second stick that I have owned. I also have a review on that stick, if you would like to hear my thoughts on it.

First, I am by no means an expert in arcade sticks. I could not tell you if these are genuine parts, or anything like that, in fact I am still learing how to use the stick. Coming from someone who has stuck with the standard fighting pad for years, I can tell you that there is a learning curve. The D-pad in geneneral is not made for the kind of precision that 2D fighters require. If you have ever tried to do Zangief's 360 degree movement, you know what I am talking about. In today's modern age the D-pad is reserved for things like switching guns and issuing commands. So the standard controller really falls under one size fits most. For the true fighting enthusiast, this is the way to play a fighting game. But then that afore mentioned learing curve compes into play. If you aren't used to playing with a stick it can be intimidating, the size and weight of the stick, the stick itself, and the large buttons make it seem like it's an unapproachable behemoth. But if you take the time to set up your controls properly and pratice it will come more naturally.

The arcade stick is Japanese style, which I prefer. If you are looking for the American style I reccomend the Mortal Kombat arcade stick, if you don't mind the ackward layout. The ball at the top of the stick is about average size, very gripable, and is great on the sensativity. 360 degree movements work well with the stick and I found some moves could be executed more easily. One of the more daunting movements in my books has always been the hyper and ultra combos for Street Fighter. It is a double down to forward movement and one or three attacks. The three attacks can be set to the other buttons so that isn't an issue, but the movement istself it. On the 360 D-Pad it's somewhat of a crapshoot, and while I can't pull it at the drop of a hat on the arcade stick, it does feel much easier to execute. With time, effort, and

pratice it will get easier. On games like Tekken and Soul Calibur the commands are generally more forgiving, making the learning curve much easier. I think the 3D fighter that that really makes the arcade stick shine is Virtua Fighter 5, some movements I found nigh impossible are much easier to execute.

The stick as a whole is rather large and weighty. It's approximately twice the size and weight of the Dreamcast arcade stick the Standard Edition SFIV pad I used at the arcade. I immediatley noticed it from the first time I picked it up. Once it was in my lap it didn't bother me. The other thing that I did notice was that it had an 8 button layout. I know this is a duh moment, but after fooling around with the DC stick and the actual arcade units which don't feature these it came off as a bit odd. Well obviously, they have to accomodate for all the buttons but it was yet another thing I had to get used to. What was nice is that the "extra" buttons are colored grey while the rest of the buttons are white, nice touch. The start and back buttons are on the front of the unit, this is for tournament use so you don't disqualify yourself by acciendtally pausing mid fight. It's the same deal as the guide button, it's on the top of the unit but can be locked off for the same reason. There is also a turbo function for those so inclined. Anyone worried about navigation outside of the game can put those fears to rest. Near the guide button is a 3 way switch for switching from either analog stick or the D-Pad. Don't get me wrong, you wont be playing Halo with this thing, it's meant for functionality across the dashboard. A word of warning though, the LT and RT buttons will not work as triggers with the stick, they are digital not analog buttons, not shocking, but worth mentioning.

The top of the unit is a glossy plastic, similar to that of the Wii or DS lite. Yes, it is a finger print magnet, I much prefer the matte finish of the DC arcade stick, but it doesn't kill the experience. The artwork at the top is a bit different from the original TE stick, it's black a features Street Fighter artwork. There are also screws on the top, which I believe are for adding custom artwork. Like many arcade sticks, this unit is designed to be modified if desired. You can swap out for american buttons or sticks. I cannot say how easy it is, becuase I have not tries, personally I can't see a good reason to modify this stick (voiding any warranty) to swap anything. It really seems perfect as is. The unit is wired, that may seem like a downer but it's actually the better way to go. Let me explain, first, this is a core gamers stick, so lag is not acceptable, I have never had any noticable lag with the wireless 360 controller but I do know that it exists on some level. I also like the fact that I don't have to buy any more batteries for it, this stick is expensive enough already, adding wireless tech and the cost of batteries creates more problems than it solves. The stick has a reasonably lenthy cord that comes out of a compartment on the front near the start and back buttons. It's a bit difficult to stick in such a tight space but it's a nice feature to have for storage. I had no problem sitting on my couch 6 feet away with plenty of cord left over.

Finally, don't be swayed by the manufacturer: Mad Katz. If you have been in the gaming world for a while you know they don't exactly have the best track record for quality video game peripherals. But I must admit this not only the best Mad Katz product I have ever used, it is by far the best quality stick that I have ever played with. Its is officially licensed from Capcom so if you were worried about the manufacturer that should be enough to get you over that hurdle. Overall, this is considered the best arcade stick money can buy. Even with it's small caveats and high price I would still recomend it to anyone who is going to get serious about fighting games.

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Bulky and expensive, but the size & cost are most definitely worth it -the joystick has almost fluid-like movement and the buttons are quick and responsive. No more blaming the controller if I lose! haha

Reviews of Jak 3 - PlayStation 2

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $12.95
Today's Bonus: 35% Off

Note: This review is spoiler free with regards to the game's story

All good things must eventually come to an end, such as the star wars series, the lord of the rings trilogy, and the Jak and Daxter trilogy (not including the racing game and Daxter's own PSP game). After two excellent games, our favorite elfin friend and his furry sidekick come to the last entry in the Jak trilogy. The big question is: Is it a good ending? I'm pleased to say that overall, yes.

Jak 3 takes place an undetermined time after the conclusion of Jak 2. Haven city has become divided after relentless attacks by robots, metal heads and other nasties. The population blames Jak for these problems and he finds himself flown out to the wasteland, a harsh and unforgiving desert where nobody can survive without help. Abandoned by those he saved, Jak and his buddy Daxter set out on thier final adventure.

Like it's two predecessors, Jak 3 is a platforming game combined with a gun shooter. You get various jumps, kicks, punches and leaps, and you also get a wide array of firearms to take out your foes when your fancy Kung-Fu and karate aren't enough. Jak's moves remain largely unchanged from Jak 2 (which will now be called J2). He can still punch like a man, jump like a kangaroo, and leap like a bullfrog.

Gunplay remains pretty much the same as well. You get four guns (blaster, rifle, machine gun and peacemaker), but in a nice twist, each weapon gets various upgrades as the game goes on. The rifle for example, starts out in it's default setting. Hower, the next upgrade allows it to shoot richochet bullets while the third upgrade gives it a flying platform that shoots bullets in all directions. Each gun has three upgrades and playing with them is a blast. The peace maker for example, can fire a shot that paralyzes all enemies and makes them float around (whee!) while it's final upgrade...well, let's just say that you'll be shooting mini-nukes a lot.

The biggest change to Jak's game play comes in the form of vehicles. While J2 had flying vehicles and zoomers, Jak 3 has cars (and not the nice, talking Pixar kind). Because half the game is set in the desert, Jak and Daxter get around on dune buggies. There are eight of them and each has various unique traits. Some are really, really fast, one can jump riddiculously high (wheee!) and some of them will spin out of control at the slightest twitch of the control stick (boo!). You'll be spending a lot of time driving the buggies and for the most part, it's enjoyable and fun, though some of them (such as the sand shark) can be a bit difficult to handle.

Another new feature of Jak 3 is the sheer size of it. J1 and J2 had two enormous areas to run around in. Here, you have not one, not two, but three, yes, three! gigantic areas to run around in. And like the previous games, there are no loading times, an astonishing feat considering how enormous both worlds (Spargus city, the wasteland and Haven city) are. You'll definatly see a lot of amazing sights during your trips throughout Jak 3's world (such as how Haven city has...ahem...changed since the last game).

Dark Jak powers return as well, but are now balanced by a new side to our hero...light Jak. If Dark Jak is the attacking force, Light Jak is the defensive force. Dark allows you to kill things really quickly, while Light allows you to heal, fly (this is so AWESOME!), surround yourself with an inpenetrable shield, and even slow down time to a crawl. Both powers can be activated at any time as long as you have light and dark eco in your meters. And in a very nice touch, you can stop being light or dark at a touch of a button to save your energy for when you really need it. While both light and dark do come into play at vital moments during gameplay, both are really just a little added bonus to spice up gameplay when you want to, as you can play throughout the game without needing to use either force (except for scripted moments where you need to). But then again, being able to heal yourself whenever you want is a very handy thing! *smile*

Like J2, Jak 3 has you going from place to place, talking to people and doing what they tell you to do. And when you finish with that, you head over to the next person and do what they want to do, etc. It's a linear system that makes it easy to tell where to go and what to do next and it sounds fairly restrictive, but it does have one big strength: You don't have to start the next mission until you want to. If you want, you can wander around the wasteland blowing up wanderers for twenty hours, go hunt down twelve precurser orbs and watch the sun go up and down three times, and then tackle the mission. This free roaming system allows you to do what you'd like to do if you don't feel like doing missions for a while.

One thing i'd like to address before we go any further is the difficulty level. If one takes a look at my review for J2, one can find a lot of anger and hatred directed towards Naughty dog for making J2 the most unnecessarily hardest game i've ever played (and it still is by the way, tied only with Spider man for PS2). I am very pleased that Naughty Dog towned down the difficulty a lot for Jak 3. No longer does each and every mission require twenty attempts before you pass it, and no longer will you be throwing the controller into the TV while screaming obscenities becuase that a**hole Errol won that fricken race again. Here, the difficulty seems just right. Not too hard, not too easy. Most missions require a few attempts before they are completed, and a few can be finished on one try. There are still a few that are quite difficult, and one or two that are grit-your-teeth inducing, but overall, nothing as infuriating as many moments from the previous entry in the series. Oh, and there are only a few "go through the ring" missions this time around. Thank goodness.

In addition to the free-roaming gameplay, there are also plenty of secrets to unlock in this quest. There are over 600 precurser orbs to find and collect in Jak 3, and by doing so you get to unlock various features such as unlimited dark and light Jak power, invincibility, extra vehicles, various weapon upgrades, etc. While some are hidden behind corners, many of these orbs are collected by doing various challenges that people throw your way, such as searching around a paticular area, going through rings (grumbles), following a little blue light and even stopping time. There are plenty of things to do to get those little shiny orbs, but the results are well worth it.

In addition, Jak 3 arguably has the best moments in the series in terms of "wow" factor. Fighting a gigantic sixty story tall monster with only a dune buggy is a moment that sends shivers down your spine.

Even with all these fine points, Jak 3 does stutter a little bit in what is arguably the most important part of the game...the story. J2 is most memorable to me for it's story. It had many twists and turns and you never really knew what to expect next. The story in Jak 3 is a good one and it does keep your interest in what is going to happen next...but ultimitly, it left me unsatisfied.

How so? The three biggest ones are charachters, the precursers and the ending.

And for those of you worrying that i'm going to tell you who the precursers are (which I won't) i'm going to keep this as spoiler free as I can.

First off, the charachters. We have Jak and Daxter of course, and those two are always fun to watch and care about. We have many returning charachters such as Torn, Sig, and Samos, and we have some new residents from Spargus city. The problem? Almost all of the returning charachters have zilch charachter development. It's assumed that you know them from the last game and because of that, Jak 3 takes no time to explain who they are or what they do. That may be okay, but pretty much none of the charachters are expanded at all. Torn is still gruff and tough (but not as much as last time), Ashelin is the firm leader, and Samos gives warnings on what may happen to the planet if things go badly. Keira, who was such a vital charachter in J1 and J2, has absoloutly nothing to do in the story aside from look pretty and important. Sig...well, he's just there because he's cool. The only returning charachter who kept me interested was Tess, who fufills the "dumb blonde" role. Her relationship with Daxter is sweet and lighthearted and kept my interest easily. Errol returns as well (though I won't say how), but he's gone from "insanely irritating" to "average irritating", a sad departure from his compellingly egotistic nature in J2.

Of the new charachters, only one, Damos, kept my interest due to his charachter. Tough, yet gentle and caring at the same time, he's easily the most compelling of Jak's new companions. The new villian, count Veger, isn't that compelling, though he does have some very powerful scenes (especially one near the ending).

One of the claims on the back of the game box is that we'll discover the shocking secret of who the precursers really are. As I said earlier, I won't reveal who the precursers are (someone did that and ruined the suprise for me), except that in my personal opinion, we should have never find out who the precursers were and leave them as a mystery. I personally felt that seeing who they really are sucked out all the suspense and mystery, esepcially since they have been talked about at length for two games now. It's like revealing the face of doctor claw. When you go back and experience your old memories, there is no more mystery or wonder anymore. In my personal opinion, these beings should have remained hidden forever.

However, the saddest part of the game for me is the ending. Again, I won't ruin it for you, but it's always sad when game developers have to wrap an entire trilogy up in three minutes. Some people criticise the ending of the film, Return of the King, saying that it goes on too long. However, the ending to the lord of the rings film trilogy took it's time wrapping up the threads from three movies and bringing closure to the story and leaving one satisfied. However, Jak 3 doesn't do that. As the game goes on and gets closer to the end, the feeling of dread and the idea that everything can be destroyed just vanishes and is pretty much gone by the time the final boss battle comes (and sadly, the battle itself isn't that exciting or memorable).

The ending does end the trilogy, but leaves the door wide open for more games (of which two have already happened). I've invested a lot of time on these three games, i've grown attatched to it's charachters and I would like closure to all thier stories. Saldy, that doesn't happen. Everything is left wide open when, in my opinion, it should have been closed. There is no real ending here, at least, one that ties everything up nicely.

But despite my points with the story, I do want to stress that Jak 3 is a very good game. It's a satisfying blend of storytelling, platforming, shooting, driving, and action. It's one of those games where you keep saying "Just five more minutes, just five more minutes", only to discover that time has flown by and it's two in the morning. It's addictive, fun, and, for me, a blast to play. I definitly recommend it, especially if you find it for under twenty dollars.

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This game is the last game in the jak seris. The end of the trilogy. Here is what I KNOW about Jak 3. Hope you find it useful...

It is a year after Jak 2. Jak is banised to the wastland because the people dont trust him because his Dark powers and his "relationship" with Krew and Kor. So the council banish him to the wasteland (home of sig). Ashlin gives him a beacan and they leave. Daxter and Pecker stay behind and go with Jak. Damious, The king of Spargous, takes you to his kingdom...

*Each gun can be upgraded 2 more times making 3 different forms for each gun

*3 factions are at war in Haven City

*Metal Heads, Freedom leage gaurds(Blue KGaurds)and Kg.

*Light and Dark Jak

*New moves for dark jak and old ones.

*Can save Light Jak after goin in a eco vent

*Moves for LJak: Fly, Heal, Slo time, ect.

*More than 11 of your own vehicles

*Hover Board upgrads

*5 time larger than Haven City

*Erol is back and is part robot.

*You fight Sig

*Can use a glider

*Can use a robotic KG

*A daystar doom thing comes in to play. Think is green sun.

Illupdate with new info

Best Deals for Jak 3 - PlayStation 2

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was a pure platformer at heart. It was more kid-friendly and goofy. Naughty Dog decided that they didn't want Jak and Daxter ending up like their previous Crash Bandicoot so they changed things up a 'bit' with Jak II. Jak II was darker, but not as dark as other games out there. It had the perfect tone of darkness for it to be a sequel to such a kiddy game. Jak II also had almost nothing to do with the first game. But enough of that, out with the old and in with the new. Enter Jak 3:

It's been a while since Jak defeated Metal Kor and saved the city...or did he? Now with Ashelin temporarily ruling Haven City the Krimzon Guards don't exist anymore. Instead now they're the Freedom League Guards. Now the Metal Heads have returned somehow recuperating quickly after losing their leader. This has made Ashelin get off the throne thus Torn not being the Freedom League commander so a member of Haven City's Grand Council called Count Veger takes control of the Freedom League. Also, the Krimzon Guards mysteriously return with a new leader. The battle of the three factions continues as they all struggle for control of Haven City. And who do they blame for this problem? Jak of course. Count Veger blames Jak to save his own tail since he's the real problem because he wants control over the city. Soon the entire city believes Jak is responsable because of his 'friendship' with Krew. The Council decides to banish Jak to the Wasteland for life. Of course Daxter decides to join him and for some reason so does Pecker. After Jak and company can't take the sand and heat anymore, they're found by King Damus; the ruler of Spargus. Spargus is a small city in the big Wasteland where other exiled people roam. But it's not all easy for Jak when he's taken to Spargus. There they value survival over all other things and Jak has to prove himself to King Damus and his right-hand-man Kleever. After a while, he'll find ways to eventually get back into parts of Haven City although it's nothing like before. When Jak makes his way into Haven City he finds out that the city is now a destroyed battlefield. But that's not even half of the problem. This Precursor monk called Seem keeps talking about this mysterious Daystar and that the world's final trial is coming. She also tells Jak that his dark powers will eventually consume him so a Precursor(or is it an Oracle?)grants him light powers. So now Jak will have both Light Jak and Dark Jak. I gave this game five stars because it's the ending of the epic trilogy and Jak II was a real good game but don't judge the game yet since it's coming out on November. (...)

Honest reviews on Jak 3 - PlayStation 2

Jak 3 is the end of the Jak trilogy, and gives Jak and his sidekick Daxter the largest world ever to explore. Jak can now use both Light and Dark eco powers, too!

Sure, there are a lot of comparisons between this game and the Ratchet & Clank series. And yes, both are similar in many ways. But I wouldn't say one is "better" than the other. Both have their unique traits that make them equally as fun. I definitely buy both and enjoy both greatly.

With Jak 3, you get a massive 'wasteland' to explore and run missions in, in a variety of dune buggies. There is also a desert city (Fremen and Dune, anyone?) and of course your home city to explore. There are missions involving riding missiles, riding hoverboards, stomping around in four legged tanks, searching for eggs, zooming on races a la pod racer, and much more.

The storyline is fun, but very linear. It's always quite clear what you need to do next to progress the game along. You earn weapons upgrades as you go, and earn secrets to alter gameplay in a variety of fun ways. The sound is reasonable, and the graphics are cartoony but well done, especially the animation in the cut scenes. The characters move very fluidly.

I do have to say that gameplay balance is a bit uneven. Some missions you fly through with no problem at all, and wonder what the deal was. Other missions you replay 30 times in a row until you manage by chance to get through it OK. If you get a walkthrough guide and just zip from egg to egg, sure you can finish it very quickly. If you actually take the time to explore the areas, seek out items for yourself, and play with the various mini-games, you could enjoy the game for several weeks. I'm not sure that the game is a replayable-minded as Ratchet, though. With Ratchet, we gladly replayed it many times to get the upgrades and secrets only available on the multiple passes through the game. With Jak 3, we're just happy to be done with it.

Certainly a great game to get and play, and there's even a secret that lets you blast away at Ratchet & Clank in the shooting gallery! :)

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J2 set a new standard for game versatility. It had racing, shooting, action platform, puzzle, jetboarding, and strategy. Every kind of gameplay was represented and that was what made it stand out. J3 on the other hand is 75% racing. Since I'm not a huge racing fan, it hurts the game a little for me.

Don't get me wrong. The game is fun, and judging it on its merits alone, it deserves 4 stars. But I had expectations that simply were not met. J3 is a victim of its amazing predecessor.

The storyline isn't as strong either, and the final revelation about the Precursors, while cute doesn't fit with elements of the previous games. But that's not important, and if the game was more fun, I'd easily forgive the story problems.

I do recommend it. If you like racing, you'll probably enjoy it. If you don't, you'll probably still enjoy it, though not as much. But it's just a bit of a letdown.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 - Xbox 360 Reviews

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The first thing you'll notice is the complete graphics overhaul from 08 that completely immerses you a truly Hi-def golfing realm with the most detailed and beautiful courses you'll ever witness designed down to a "Tee" to their real-life counterparts. I was blown away by the 08 to 09 screen-shot comparison, needless to say 09 blows 08 out of the water hazard. And when I say overhaul, EA really went out of their way to make this a Golf Graphical masterpiece and that's not even touching upon Tiger's rep for uncanny ability to produce drug-like addictive game play that can only be subsided with therapy.

As typical to recent Tiger tradition, this game uses the thumb-stick to simulate your swing; pull back and push forward as straight as you can to take a flawless swing. The further and longer you pull back on your backswing, the higher percentage of power will be applied to your shot. If you pull or push slightly to the right or left with your thumb-stick motion, you will end up slicing or hooking your shot in varying degrees depending on how bad you shanked one. Last year's gameplay suffered because it was so finely tailored to your thumb-stick motion that you had to be insanely precise and accurate with your swing in order to have a decent day on the golf course often leaving your blood boiling in frustration. Holes-in-ones and chip-ins were a rare-breed. 09 relaxed a bit and is more forgiving with the thumb-stick swing and accuracy. What I really like this year is that it displays your thumb-stick motion with lines (one for backstroke & one for follow-through) on the ball icon at the bottom left to show you exactly what you are doing right or wrong which allows you to re-adjust if needed for your next shot. Brilliant. This same ball icon also shows you how much extra power you put on your swing (Tap A during you backswing to add power to your shot), the percentage power of your shot (how far you took your backswing) and the spin on your ball (Tap A while ball is flight and a direction).

For the first time since Tiger's debut, you do not have to start from the bottom of the attributes barrel; no more starting at the beginner level and move your way up from scratch. Depending on how well you perform in the intro-training mode with Coach Haney will determine your initial skill level. If you played Tiger before (which I'm sure most of reading this have), your skill should be nowhere near the "Beginner" level. If you are Tiger vet like myself, you should start the game at somewhere in the "Pro" or "Master" level. If you are new to the game, don't panic as this game teaches everything you need to know with Tutorials with Coach Haney and, trust me, leaves plenty of room for improvement. What is also new, and you may dislike or like this feature, is the fact each attribute (four total) and your overall skill level can increase or decrease (*new) depending on how well you played the previous course. In previous versions, you could only improve upon attributes. This year, if you play crappy, expect your attributes, where you executed poorly, to go down. Further to boot, Coach evaluates your performance at end of a course or play and gives you the appropriate attribute training sessions on areas where he feels you need improvement. Choose to train or not, it's up to you -Coach is just trying to further improve your game. This new skill concept certainly draws this game closer to real golf (even Tiger has bad days) and makes for almost an endless challenge.

The four attribute levels, compressed from previous versions, are: Power, Accuracy, Short Game and Putting. Also, you will have an Average Skill (an average of all four attribute skill levels) rated zero to ten (0-10). If you are smashing drives straight, look for your power and accuracy to increase. If you're shanking drives into the woods, look to botch your power and accuracy skill.

Also for the first time (I love new features), you can tune your clubs. Not happy with your accuracy, increase the sweet spot of the club ultimately giving you more control but sacrificing power or vice versa. You can also tweak loft, spin, fade and draw. Tune club mode puts you on a driving range, allowing you to tune the club in question and then immediately test it out on the range. Too much draw, no problema -tweak it until that baby is hitting straight. Do you need to counteract your slice with a slight draw here's the spot to do it. More power less control, yup. Do you want more loft on your short game irons to place the ball dead accurate near the cup, you got it -tweak and tune your clubs to match your style.

Character creation and customization: One of Tiger's strong suits lie with player progression and customization. Nothing new, with tiger this year as last, you have an infinite number of options to create a character so that your avatar in the game almost identically matches your real life counterpart right down to the mole on your forehead. You can use the infamous Gamernet to upload your picture and face-capture your mug in a 3D rendering onto the game. Further customize your mug and player by inputting style of hair, clothes, height, weight etc. Game play, depending on how you play, will give you credits towards accessories, clubs and clothes to purchase to further develop your character .

Commentary: With a new face comes a new voice, 09 has changed a long tradition by switching commentators. The hilarious mockumentary and savviness offered by McCord and Faherty are out and will certainly be missed. Their refreshing, witty dry humor made you laugh and shone light even if you were having a bad day on the course. I won't deduct too many points though because it seems those guys were around Tiger for a long time and hearing different voices, at least at first, is refreshing but obviously not as humorous. Kelly Tillman and Sam Torrance are up to bat now and although uber-savvy in the world of golf lack in adding any new depth, excitement and humor. All is not lost, they offer great commentary, history, advice and still let you know when you are awful.

"New Courses and Golfers-Test your skills on new courses, including Gary Player Country Club in South Africa, Wentworth Country Club in England, and more, while international stars Se Ri Pak, Darren Clarke, and others join the competition." Amazon.com. Yes Yes and Yes!

Update: After Coach Haney's initial evaluation (one for every attribute: Driving, Accuracy, Short Game and Putting), he will give you an initial rating with a maximum rating of 4 (out of 10). No, you won't be able to be a perfect 10 at the start the game regardless of how well you perform in training. After all, what fun would that be. It leaves room to truly master your game. Play a round in a tournament or take on the Tiger Challenge to increase your attributes. If you've played Tiger before, it won't be long before you reach an average skill of 8 or 9. If you are close to 10, you've mastered and had a flawless streak. The challenge is to be within a certain distance on consistent basis. Even if you are scoring low, if you're not target, your rating will indeed suffer. If your game needs some work, you'll be a 7 and if are a rookie to the series, you be at the 6 or below. The great thing about Tiger, whether new to it or not, it gives plenty of opportunities to improve and more importantly makes you keep coming back for more.

Tiger Challenge has been overhauled and its welcomed change. Instead of a going through a Dynamic Challenge Tree where you select which direction to go in, this time you have to earn enough points to face the boss (PGA Star) of that stage. Each stage as 8+ challenges that you can play to earn points to face the boss. Once the boss of that stage is beaten, you move onto the next level until you ultimately reach Tiger Woods himself. This makes it more linear than the previous versions but it still fun and challenging nonetheless. If anything, Tiger Challenge is a fast way to earn cash to purchase new clothes and equipment.

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First, I must say that I am a HUGE fan of the Tiger Woods games. I have always enjoyed each years release and have never been disappointed with any version save for the number of courses included (more on that later).

-The new dynamic ability system is fantastic. I have good days and bad days on the course in real life and it does impact my overall ability so it is nice to see this included in the game. Some people will hate this though as it does punish you if you have a really bad round and forces you to place importance on EVERY shot regardless of whether you are in the hunt or not.

-Graphicsthere is definitely a noticeable improvement in the graphics. The course textures are more detailed and varied and the lighting has been improved 10 fold which gives the whole course a real nice look and casts some really gorgeous shadows from the trees. The water is insanely beautiful. The only downside is the trees. While they are much improved over last years version there are times when some of them are downright ugly. What makes them look worse is that the rest of the course is so beautifully rendered.

-The sound effects are great as always with a plethora of diverse environmental sounds on every hole. The cheers from the crowd sound good as well. As stated in another review on Amazon, it would have been nice to be able to turn off the crowd and just listen to the course sounds so it feels more authentic to when you go out in real life. The commentary is awful as always so I just turn it off.

-Club tuning is now a feature in Tiger Woods and I like it quite a bit. It feels very authentic going to the range and tweaking how your clubs work and it definitely has an impact on the game, at least it does for me.

-Courses I believe there are 16 in this year's game which is the same number as last year. There are some great new additions like Wolf Creek and the Gary Player Country Club but there should have been at LEAST another 4 courses included. I am certain that EA will dress up some of the older courses from years past and sell them to us for 400 ms points which is just plain wrong. How about this EA? For each brand new course you want to sell to us on the marketplace include one of the older courses for free. 2 courses for 400 points sounds perfect to me.

There is also an option to actually PURCHASE items in the pro shop with ms points. A clever idea but the prices are so high that it is just not worth it because you can still just earn in game money and purchase them. I tested it out and they wanted 200 ms points for a polo shirt that provided NO bonus skill at all. Insane. They should have made these items 20-30 ms points each at most.

So there you have it, a quick rundown of my opinions on Tiger Woods 09. I am sure there is more I should have said but I want to go play now :)

Overall I highly recommend this game to anyone that remotely likes video game golf. I am VERY happy with my purchase!!

PSHey EA, leave Take Two alone. You already own too much and have ruined countless games. Bioshock and GTA do not need your unrealistic corporate deadlines interfering with product quality!!

Best Deals for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 - Xbox 360

The other reviewers did an excellent job describing the game for people who've never played TW before. My review will be short and sweet for those who have played in the last few years. Basically I bought 09 because of all the people not satisfied with 10. I mean, I got it for about $15 on Amazon. I figured for $15 there were enough changes to warrant playing it over the dusty 08 sitting on the shelf.

That being said, there isn't a whole lot to rave about. Perhaps I didn't notice an upgrade in graphics because I recently bought an HD TV and (perhaps wrongly) attribute the increase to that alone. Suffice it to say, the graphics are good.

For me, the club tuner is fluff. It really doesn't add much to the game. For instance, one of the tunable attributes is loft. Tuning for loft is the equivalent of simply choosing another club! In essence, each tunable feature reduces the "sweet spot", which in turn makes you rely more heavily on spin to correct a poor shot. In reality, you may only NEED the tuner to get past some challenges to score points (long drives, getting over trees etc), it won't improve your score during normal game play. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't take away from the game at all, but it shows how far they need to go just to say the game has "improved" over past years. I would trade the club tuner for more courses any day.

Perhaps the most important thing about 09 is there isn't really anything major to complain about which is a plus now-a-days. The game is solid and worth adding to your collection at today's low prices. And if you're buying your first TW, this is probably the one to get.

Honest reviews on Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 - Xbox 360

There is no doubt Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 has beautiful graphics and great game play but it's pretty much been that way since 06. My main beef is the fact that the game case clearly says co-op 2 for regular and online play, but I see no difference from past Tiger Woods PGA Tour's!!! The game should include co-op in regards to the career mode so my buddies and I can play the tour together... Playing mini-games against one another gets old quick! But playing on the same tourney or tour with a friend gaining career attributes etc against the computer is more constructive and full filling! Again great game but I recall co-op tour play on Fox Sports Golf circa 99' PS1 so being that Tiger Woods has a monopoly on golf games for the Xbox 360 I guess I'll just have to accept it and hope they wise up and include co-op tour play.

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Game is fun to play, real courses & more real golfers. Online gaming is great. The only drawback is the swing control for expert clubs. You have to hit almost perfect to hit strait. Other than that it is great.

Buy Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy - Sony PSP

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $15.24
Today's Bonus: 24% Off

>>The Premise

Dissidia Duodecim, for the uninitiated, is a 3-D, real-time brawler featuring most of the main protagonists and antagonists of the entire Final Fantasy series. Battles are frenetic, acrobatic, and--while seemingly shallow at first--offer deep strategy and customization. It's a lot like Super Smash Bros. for the Final Fantasy series, except it's one-on-one and 3-D. What this means is that, just like Smash Bros., Dissidia provides tons of secrets, unlockables, fan service, and content. Players unfamiliar with Final Fantasy will get considerably less mileage out of Dissidia than fans of even one game in the series, but there's still a solid brawler in here with serious RPG trappings.

>>The Gameplay

Brawls play out in a similar manner: Prowl around your enemy and use the circle button to nail them with Bravery attacks, which don't do damage, but increase your Bravery meter. The higher your Bravery meter, the more damage you'll deal when you finally hit the square button and unleash an HP attack. The point, ultimately, is to whittle away your opponent's HP, using a mix of Bravery and HP attacks, until they're defeated. Mixed in with this is a lot of dodging, rolling, flying around, blocking, explosions, and magic.

Battles earn you EXP, which in turn levels you up, which in turn allows you learn new Bravery and HP attacks. This is where the RPG foundations of Final Fantasy come into play, allowing you to equip new moves, items, summons, and accessories in an attempt to give you the upper hand while duking it out.

>>The Verdict

Dissidia Duodecim brings enough new content to the table that returning fans should definitely take a look, even if they've poured hundreds of hours into the first game. Folks who have played even one game in the Final Fantasy series and are curious about this title should definitely give it a spin. If you liked the first Dissidia, you'll love this sequel--it's bigger, better, quicker, and deeper than the first. If you never liked the first Dissidia, however, this one won't convert you. Fans of brawlers should also take a look, even if they're unfamiliar with Final Fantasy.

Dissidia Duodecim is a standout title on the PSP, and offers a huge amount of bang for the buck.

>>What's New

* Characters: Lightning, Kain, Tifa, Yuna, Laguna, Vaan, and a few others all come to the roster with new fighting styles that are fun and unique. So far, I've played heavily as Lightning, Tifa, and Yuna, and their new styles fit right in to Dissidia perfectly.

* Stages: A handful of new stages have been introduced to coincide with the additions to the character roster. Orphan's Cradle from FFXIII looks and plays great, and there are several other new stages that provide a welcome change in environment. For now, though, it only seems like there are 3 or 4 new stages.

* Moves: Returning characters have a few new tricks up their sleeves to mix things up.

* Music: New tunes have been added--not only for games like FFXIII and FFXII, which weren't represented it the first Dissidia, but it also seems as if at least one new song has been included from all the previous games as well. Menu BGM has been remixed slightly. The music, both new and old, sounds wonderful.

* Assists: Pick your character, then pick any other character on the roster to be your assist buddy when you need help. Assist characters can be assigned in the customization screen, similar to how accessories, equipment, and summons are assigned. You can fight without assist characters, but it's worth it to have one along for some flashy help during a brawl. There are Bravery assists and HP assists, and both should be used judiciously: Although it's easy to fill up the Assist meter, it's also easy to use an Assist at the wrong time and waste an opportunity. Each character offers a different skillset for assists, so it's important to consider your own fighting style and bring along the right assist character in order to maximize your strategy.

* Story Mode: Much improved over the original, the Story mode in Dissidia Duodecim now offers an expansive overworld to explore in between the familiar, grid-based battle levels from the first game. There are lots of secrets, treasure chests, wandering foes, and moogle shops in the overworld, making it an awesome addition to this sequel. Cutscenes are done better, and the new scenario featuring all six of the new characters is great.

* Party Free Battle: Create teams of up to five characters to take into tournament-style or round robin battles. Assign a Class to each character to receive stat bonuses, then unlock temporary new classes that are more powerful as you progress through each battle.

* Creation Mode: This mode is truly the highlight of the game for me--I'm very impressed by it. Creation Mode allows you to create your own quest scenarios, including static cutscenes and custom fights, which you can then share with friends. You can also save, edit, and watch replays in this mode, which offers a surprisingly robust Theater mode similar to Halo 3 or Halo Reach. Pause the replay, move the camera around, take screenshots, cut and string together the video, and then convert your masterpiece to an .avi that can be uploaded to your computer! Awesome! I've spent hours playing around in this mode, and expect to spend many hours more.

* Gameplay tweaks: The AI seems tougher in Battle Mode, but battles feel much more responsive and smooth. Unlockable items and equipment seem to come along much more frequently after every battle compared to the first game, which makes fights more rewarding. Assists add a great new layer of strategy to battles.

>>What's Familiar

* Characters: All the familiar faces from the first Dissidia reprise their roles and fighting styles here.

* Stages: All the stages from the first game are available in this sequel as well.

* Music: All the music of the first game makes a welcome return

* Gameplay: The core gameplay remains unchanged. Aside from the addition of Assists, brawls are still very similar to the first Dissidia, though more responsive. Leveling up is still the same, and the Customization screen with the cute little chocobo is the same as in the first game. Don't fix what ain't broke, right?

>>Pros:

+ Gameplay feels a little tighter and more responsive than in the first game.

+ Graphics seem a little better.

+ New characters, stages, and music are great additions to the game.

+ New cutscenes in Story mode seem as if they're a little better written, better acted, and better directed than in the first.

+ The overworld in Story mode is awesome, and fairly large.

+ The ability to import your save from the first Dissidia means any old characters you leveled up will retain their skills and levels in this game. You can also choose to import your save without bringing over the leveling you've accrued.

+ Creation mode is a stunning and excellent new mode for those who like to make their own movies, screenshots, and quests.

+ The ability to save replays as .avi files that can be uploaded to a computer (and played from your PSP's video folder) is a truly awesome feature. (Be sure to turn on Replays in the Options mode, first.)

+ Assists are a great addition to battles.

+ The data install feature helps cut load times (installing the maximum of 814 MB cuts load times by about 75%--but it takes about 2 hours to install). The install sizes include 492MB, 574MB, and 814MB.

+ The game is overwhelmingly deep, and offers a huge amount of content for a great price--even for those who spent tons of hours in the first Dissidia.

+ Battlegen items are much easier to create in Duodecim.

>>Cons:

Load times seem to be a few seconds longer in this game than in the first. Even with a maximum data install, loads take just a second or three longer here than after installing data in the first game. The wait is noticeable compared to the first game, but certainly not terrible.

It's still easy to get stuck in cheap juggle moves by the computer, but Assists help alleviate this issue by letting your Assist character take the hits for you, if needed.

Still no infrastructure mode. With the ability to create custom quests and edited replays, it's too bad there's no online portal to share your creations. You can still battle and share with friends using Ad-Hoc mode, but a true online mode would certainly have been welcome.

>>Things to note:

* Dissidia 012 [Duodecim] Final Fantasy is the sequel/prequel to Dissidia Final Fantasy. If you're looking to get a Dissidia game, get this one, not the first, because Duodecim includes all the stuff from the first game, plus a ton more.

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First off, at 30 dollars, this game is a steal. There is simply so much you can do even after you finish the story mode. Secondly, while it looks a lot like the first Dissidia, there are plenty of tweaks that make for a better game play experience. Here's a quick list of some significant changes the game presents.

-New characters like Lightning, Kain, Yuna and Tifa.

-Chases require you to be on the ball at all times. If you're trying to guess whether you're going to either throw or receive an HP or Bravery attack, it's already too late and the chase is over.

-When entering EX mode in the middle of an attack, you are able to break the attack and slow down time for approximately five to six seconds. As a result, your EX meter is depleted, but you are free to unleash an HP attack upon your opponent.

-Characters have been balanced and tweaked. For example, Cloud can now use meteorain in midair instead of just on the ground.

-New stages and costumes.

-Story mode now has an overworld map that you run around in with your character to travel from the various battle stages. This makes story mode a much fresher experience so you aren't simply a game piece on a board going from battle to battle.

-Custom events.

There are probably a significant amount of features that I have yet to find in this game as well.

Finally, those of you that have invested hundreds of hours into Dissidia 1 can move over much of what you had to Dissidia Duodecim. Levels, items bought with PP, ect ect. So please ignore the other two misinformed reviewers on this page. Dissidia 2 is a Final Fantasy fan's dream come true....again!

Best Deals for Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy - Sony PSP

To start off the review I really thing it should have been called Dissidia Final Fantasy Final Mix or something along those lines also I will score the new characters from 1 to 5

Postives

1.9 new characters

Tifa 5/5 Very fast with BRV attack and has amazing Hp attacks and gernal movement

Laguna 4/5 Has good moves some are hard to hit but you can easily barrage foe with

some of he's moves mostly the explosives , also he's machine gun needs to reload

Vaan 5/5 I was very surpise how good he was everyone of he's weapones has two combos also has 4 Hp moves but are all good

Lighting 5/5 They used all of her moves from FF13 she is fast with BRV moves and you can easily switch from her styles, also has great HP attacks

Yuna 4/5 same has the others great BRV attacks and very useful Hp attacks just alittle slow with movement

Kain 5/5 fast and has amazing BRV attacks but some of his Hp lack range and

Didn't play with the others yet

2.previous characters have new costumes and most of their old moves have slightly new looks

3.The new characters have an 8 chapters story of the 12th cycle

4. The Cutscence are way better done

5. Assist can be vey useful when used at the right moment

6. The new music was well chosen like fleeting dream from ff10 and jenova from ff7

7.New areas to fight in

8.Battlegen are easy to get this time

9.Dissidia orginal story is in this one

10. you can spend hours a day on this games I usually play 8 hours a day and have 75 hours total

11. An open map other than than checker board crap

Negatives

1.I was hoping that each returning character would have an 12

cycle story they don't

2. Its great that every character has new moves but only one they should have each gotten 1 new HP move and 2 new Brv one ground the other Air

3.More characters! I don't like waiting 2 years for 10 characters 5 more would have been perfect

4.In the open world map I would have like to see it alot bigger than it is

5. More in the story mode it's cool that their is the first dissidia story, it should have had more on the 12 cycle story

Like I said before it is a great games but it has a few problems

Honest reviews on Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy - Sony PSP

Great game and very time consuming. This game is like a 3D fighting RPG. Graphics are proabaly one of the best of the psp games. Story wise I think it lacks because it isn't very interesting to me. The sound quality of the game is also up there with the graphics but not as good. But overall it is a good game.

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So yes, This game I have been waiting for for such a long time. I am glad that I got it. It is almost like I am playing a different game from the first. Now there are some good and bad to this game. Now if you have ever played draonball z budakai, there are cut scenes during the game where its a one button dodge or attack that will have you and the opponent go back and forth until someone is actually hit, well it was in the first Dissidia and easy to anticipate the opponent but now its HARDER, I mean harder.....

Love the new characters, Love that they updated the old characters with new moves. the storyline is not something you would buy this game for. Its not even good. But hell the last storyline wasn't good either. I will say if you thought you needed strategy for the last game now this one gets even crazier.

Some of the new features include new assist. this assist feature is kind of like marvel vs capcom and just blows me away on both ends, being the one hit with an assist and being the one hitting someone with an assist. they have new modes as well. I wish more people brought into this game because every time I go online no one is there lol :-( . say bye bye to Duelist coliseum from the first dissidia and say hello to labyrinth. From what I know, Labyrinth is like a maze and I believe the opponents get harder and harder?????

You can also play the original story ( for those who never got it) on this game as well. Yay for new comers, bad for us Pros lol. the only good for us pros is u get reports with every story mode completed, basically new cutscenes and possible battles that will mesh characters from original game and this game together ( ex. Tifa (new character) in a scene with Cloud and Sephiroth)

Overall I cant put this game down. your PSP collecting dust and you been waiting for a good fighting game to keep you going, This is the one

Cheap Perixx MX-2000II, Programmable Gaming Laser Mouse - Black - 8

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $39.90
Sale Price: $31.99
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

Like all the other reviewers loving this mouse, I join them too. I'll talk a bit about the Perixx then compare this mouse to the Anker (also for sale on Amazon at about the same price).

My thoughts: I palm the mouse, and it fits well. I just wish they contoured it with a bit more curve to the left. I'm not quite too sure how to claw it since the back is raised a bit high and you inadvertently end up palming it a bit.

I bought the Anker High Precision Laser Gaming Mouse with 8000 DPI (it's also on Amazon for about the same price as this mouse). If you were in my position and trying to decide between the two, both are superb mice and they have very very minor pro/cons but you can't go wrong with either of them. The Anker mouse is smaller and easier to claw, but still great for palming. Both mice have a bit stiff of a middle mouse click. Both mice are the same somewhat in design (the plastic running down the edges, where the rubber grips are... the kind of rubber grips used and the mouse wheel, the mouse wheel looks exactly the same apart from the Anker's is lit). Even the software feels the same to me (it looks different, but you have the same tabs, the same features, the same bugs (the DPI reset), the same sort of color pallet to choose color). I actually think both mice were based off of a common ancestor or they were designed off one another due to the many similarities underlying them both.

Quick pro/cons of the Anker vs the Perixx:

Anker has better button placement for the thumb, but the buttons below the middle mouse weren't so great in position

Perixx has more buttons, but the lower thumb button sometimes doesn't seem to register

The Perixx's macro feature has less stuff than the Anker. The Anker you can basically do... anything. The Perixx is limited mainly in you can't include mouse clicks, and you can only program button clicks.

The Perixx has a nicer weight holder case (metal vs the Anker's plastic case) but it's a minor thing if you ask me

If you're curious, I had to return the Anker mouse after 10 days since it started acting sluggish (cursor input was delayed by about 0.5 seconds) and their customer service was awesome in getting me a refund. I think if I were to buy one or the other all over again, I may go with the Anker for the excellent thumb buttons. But they're both great mice.

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I recently was in the market for a wired mouse to replace a wireless mouse; I swear was experiencing some interference. (Lots of folks in the office use Logitech mice) I typically do not purchase a peripheral with such little feedback but reviewing the specs of this mouse and the price, I was willing to give it a shot. I have to say I'm Very Pleasantly Surprised. Prior to purchase, the deciding factors for me: Omron switches (once a Technician, I'm familiar with Omron), braided cable, rubberized coating, added buttons, and the price!

The switches are responsive with clicking sounds including the thumb button at the base. You can't "flick" the wheel which is something I miss, but it does have a distinct bump feel I'm pleased with which should prevent ghost-scrolling. I forgot how light a wired mouse is! It came with weights (I have two in currently), but coming from a wireless mouse holding two AA batteries it didn't matter considering all weights in would still render the mouse light. No complaints, I can whiz around the screen now and despite the weight doesn't make the mouse feel cheap. The bottom has four teflon pads for easier gliding, seems many of the mice I have only have 3 pads. I love the feel of the rubberized, ribbed grips on the sides. I'm indifferent about the rubberized top which I imagine will begin to look used with hand goo in short time; although, I find I'm not palming the mouse like I was expecting, may be moot. Programming the buttons was fairly simple, I did have a moment of confusion when it came to trying to assign a CTRL+W to the under thumb button. Typically it would be considered a single keystroke configuration, but it's not, it's actually a macro displaying the following: CTRL(down arrow), W(down arrow), W(up arrow), CTRL(up arrow). You'll get the ah ha moment just like me and realize how extensible that becomes for more complex operations (there is an option to insert a pause, haven't tried it). The advanced settings allow you to change polling rate and other settings including the LED color of the logo which makes sense if you had multiple profiles, but...

Couple very minor gripes. No button assignment option for changing profiles. Since you can change the LED color, I expected you could assign a color to a profile; then cycle profiles with a button assignment displaying the associated color assignment. Nope. That may have been an item cut from the schedule to complete cause you can assign a button to change just the LED color only, worthless, imho. Moving on, I like the quality of the braided cable, but think it's just a bit stiff. It doesn't get in the way, but it won't lay flat if you have OCD it could keep you busy. LOL!

Final thoughts. Don't let the couple gripes deter you from giving this fine peripheral a shot. I did, will again and I've recommended it to others. The price was great and you get a great mouse that typically would be priced higher. It earns 5 stars. If it was priced higher, I would only give it 4 stars just for the lack of profile switching on the fly. I'm now looking seriously at other Perixx products.

Best Deals for Perixx MX-2000II, Programmable Gaming Laser Mouse - Black - 8

I was terrified to order this mouse because there were no reviews on it. However, I have been using it for the last few days and have loved the mouse.

I went from a plain desktop mouse to this gaming mouse, so pretty much anything is an upgrade. I really like how this mouse feels. It's a laser mouse, so it will work on any surface, really. The shape of the mouse fits my hand (I'm a medium sized hand...) it looks good, you can customize the buttons, it's really great. However when they say 11 customizable buttons, don't take that as true. It means you can customize your left and right click, scroll wheel click, scroll wheel left/right click, DPI +/-, forward/back buttons, and two buttons on either side of the mouse. One of the buttons is defaulted to a double-click, and the other changes the color of the LED that shows the Perixx symbol. I remapped the two buttons to the side for 3 and 4 so I can use my 3 and 4 items in League of Legends without having to use the buttons on the keypad. Items 1 and 2 are mapped through League to forward and back.

The responsiveness of the mouse is great. The clicks are nice. I like that you can add weight I like a heavier mouse.

All in all, it's a great mouse. The software is a little bit weird you have to restart your computer twice to get it to work properly, but once you do, you can fully customize the mouse. You can change the color of the logo LED to pretty much whatever color you want. I'm very happy with the mouse so far, but I will come back if any issues arise.

Honest reviews on Perixx MX-2000II, Programmable Gaming Laser Mouse - Black - 8

I just picked up this mouse for $35 from amazon. I actually already own several high-end gaming mice, but the feature list of this mouse, along with the price tag, made me decide it was worth it, just out of pure curiosity.

I now consider this mouse to be the best for money, by a mile. I can't say I love it as much as some $75+ mice, but there is nothing in this thing's league in this price range. The mouse switches are all very precise and responsive, the tracking is excellent, and the mouse build quality feels very solid. You feel like you're using a real piece of hardware, which is something some mice that cost twice as much don't get right. The scroll wheel is second only to the R.A.T. 7 mouse for awesomeness.

The few cons are the software, and the lack of onboard memory. I had some trouble getting the included software to see the mouse, and it also takes 2 full computer restarts to make it happen, but once I did, the software was fine. Windows drivers actually work okay, and if you just plug it in, the dpi switcher and everything still works as advertised, so its not a huge deal. Onboard memory would also be nice so that you could take your mouse to a different computer and have all your settings saved, but again, at this price, that is hardly a deal breaker.

All in all, I can fully recommend this mouse to anyone looking for something below $50 bucks. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Tip: I had to run the software as an administrator before it would see the mouse.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Perixx MX-2000II, Programmable Gaming Laser Mouse - Black - 8

Ok so first off lets just say this mouse is amazing. I am coming from a razer mamba which was a $130 mouse that decided to quit on me. I really didn't want to spend much on a new mouse and decided to settle on this one. I couldn't believe it. This mouse is everything and more than the Mamba. The only thing it doesn't have was its not wireless, where as the mamba could be both wireless and wired. But no loss there.

This thing tracks so well and is butter smooth. Tons of programmable buttons and dpi settings as well. I paired it up with this mouse pad. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005P4F0EM/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00. This pad was $10 and I am not kidding when I say this..It is the best mouse pad I have ever owned. The two together are amazing.

I am an avid gamer and have always spent tons of money on my mice and gaming pads until now. $44 is all I spent total and I have no regrets at all.

Do not hesitate on this mouse. GET IT NOW!!!!