Review of MLB 11: The Show - Playstation 3

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This will be short and sorta sweetrefer to the comments I'll tack on for a much more detailed critique of this game, for those who are interested (ie: serious baseball geeks, like me).

This year's version of The Show is again clearly aimed at serious baseball gamersmeaning people with a somewhat fanatical interest in a baseball game that plays out like a real MLB game. Meaning accurate player models/performance, believable gameplay, reasonable statistical outcomes, and most of all, challenging to play. Arcade gamers should look elsewherethis is clearly a very serious baseball simand as for the "fun factor" (many criticize The Show series for this), I'd offer that it will likely be a lot of fun, but only for fans who are looking for a challenging game of video baseball, with all the ups and downs that entails. One guy said it perhaps most succinctly: if you grew up, as I did, playing the heck out of the Strat-O-Matic baseball board game, you will recognize MLB The Show 2011 as the visual representation of what you used to love about that game: real stats from real players, and real baseball game outcomes. And, I might add, outcomes that you have a lot of control over, but NOT complete control. More on that in my comment section.

This review will be mostly for people who like to play out a full season vs: the CPU, with their favorite team (single player Franchise mode). I'll mention the other game modes (Road To The Show, Home Run Derby, on-line play, co-op play) only in passing, since I don't use those modes much. I also think it's useful to state one's own background and baseball experience, when offering a critique of this game for others, as what people will/won't like about this game will largely be directly related to that. I am 56 years old, played competetive baseball from age 7 up through a college level, and have remained an avid fan to the present day. I have played most of the pc/PS baseball videogames over the years, starting with DOS-based pc games, up to the present PS3 generation of games. I play through a full season vs: the CPU on All Star level of difficulty, using my home town Chicago White Sox, and ensure each year before I start the season that all the rosters are up to date, and accurately reflect the current real teams. What I want out of any baseball game (board games through videogames) is a realistic baseball experience, that isn't easy to master after a few tries. MLB The Show 2011 is clearly for players like methose seeking an arcade style baseball game, where you can win games, hit home runs, and strike out everybody with regular ease, should look elsewhereyou'll be incredibly frustrated/annoyed/humiliated by this game, if that's what you're seeking. But for those baseball fans like me, THIS is your game: read on.

The new addition to this year's game is the use of the right analog stick to control hitting, pitching, and fielding (baserunning still largely button controlled, same as last year). However, one of the best things about this game is the flexibility it offers: you can play with the old button controls if you don't like the right stick, or you can play with any combination of old/new gamepad controls. For instance, I am playing this current season using last year's zone control/buttons for hitting, but the right stick for pitching and fieldingmore on this below.

To hit, you pull the right stick back(down) as the pitcher is in his windup, and push forward(up) to "swing". It's largely a matter of timing that affects the outcome of any swing, as the only "aiming" you have to do with the right stick is left or right, as you push it forward, to hit pitches on the inside/outside part of the plate. The CPU automatically adjusts for whether the pitch was high or low. I went back to the old button control for hitting after a number of games, but not because I was having all that hard a time with it....it just simply didn't "feel" like hitting to me, especially because of not having to consider whether the pitch was high or low. "Swinging" with the left stick, and having to aim the left stick to a specific zone where the pitch is, to successfully hit the ball (last year's mechanism) just feels more like hitting to me. But to each his ownhitting has always been challenging in The Show series, and this year is no different, regardless of what control you choose. See my comment section for WHY hitting is hard. Hint: it's not because of the controls.

Pitching with the right stick is a major upgrade, IMO, compared to last year. You still select the type of pitch you want with a button, but then pull back on the rt stick to start your windupthe height of the pitch(high or low) depends on how close you come to releasing your pitch (forward on the rt stick) when a meter bar approaches a white linehitting the white line exactly when you push up on the stick means a pitch on the leveltoo soon or too tardy on the release affects the up/down location result. You are also required to aim your upward push of the rt stick to hit the spot laterally, where you aimed before the windup startedhit it exactly, and the pitch USUALLY winds up where you intendedthe more off the target you are with the upward stick motion, the less accurate the lateral location of the pitch. I have stuck with the rt stick for pitching, as I find it much more challenging and interactive than the old model. It IS harder to avoid walking CPU batters, as a result, but much like hitting, success with the analog stick for pitching depends on more than just accuracy with the stick. Comment section for more on that, but in short: strategy, and some baseball know-how/experience counts.

Fielding with the rt stick has some issues, IMO. I use it again because it is much more interactive than the old push-a-button-and-hope-for-the-best mechanism. You move your fielder with the left stick, and throw with the right. You push the stick in the direction of the base you want to throw to, and then a tricolor meter bar will rapidly appear below your fielder. Throw when it is green, and the throw is always on the mark. Throw in the yellow, and it usually is, but better fielders will have better throws when it is yellow, and the chance for an error higher with a less skilled player. Throw in the red, and it is almost always an error, and usually a seriously wild throw, no matter who the fielder is. Pure fielding errors/bobbles on batted balls still seem rather random to me, howeverthough this is supposedly based on the individual fielder's real MLB skills, I'm not entirely conviinced of this yet (ie: I've already had to watch Sox fielding wizard, and future Hall of Famer, Omar Vizquel, bobble a number of routine ground balls). So this is OK, since it's way more engaging now to field, and PERHAPS takes into account more of the individual player's fielding skills, but it has some serious issues, IMO, that affect gameplay a lotsee my comments again for details. Just be prepared for making LOTS of errors, when you first start playing the game. The learning curve isn't all that steep, though, so keep at it. It IS more engaging than last year.

The graphics are again stellar, and easily the best of any sports game on the market currently. Player models are unbelievably accurate and detailed, as are individual player batting stances, pitching motions, and mannerisms. There are a number of new gameplay animations from last year, which add to the fun factor in playing a game. The stadiums are also more detailed and individualized, as are the crowds. The noises of the ballpark and gameplay are also spot-on, with the result being that the incredible visuals in this game greatly add to the gameplay experience. It's totally immersive, and looks like the real thing. All they need to add now are the smells of hot dogs, peanuts, and beer......

The announcers, alas, remain the single weakest aspect of the game, and a main reason why I don't give this game 5 stars. Eric Karros has replaced the annoying Rex Hudler, but Matt Vaskurgian and Dave "Soup" Campbell are back. Karros stuttering, gee-whiz delivery is probably an upgrade from Hudler's ridiculous schtick, but the other two unfortunately have very little new scripting involved in their announcing of a game. It's obvious that very little effort went into upgrading this aspect of the game, and it's too bad, because it was old last year. MLB2k does this WAY better, though the rest of that game remnains inferior to The Show. More in my comments again, but for now, that's all I have to say about THAT.

Rosters are fairly complete, though again most minor league players are fictional characters. It seems that real players exist only for players who have played some games at the MLB levellikely a licensing thing, I suspect.

Not a big deal, though, since again a major strength of this game is that you can edit just about everything, and create players to your wishes as well. Players are all rated for a number of skills, that affect individual performance and gameplay results, and you are free to edit any player that way, should you think the ratings are wrong. I have found that most ratings are OK, with the consistent exception that many fairly fast players have relatively low speed/running ratingsso I edit those accordingly, as I come across them. For on-line users, the game again updates rosters, based on real MLB changes, on a weekly basis.

Other modes again include Road To The Show (I don't use this, but consensus I hear is it's also much improved from last year), Home Run Derby (to satisfy, somewhat anyway, the arcade-game seekers), and on-line play (still apparently a serious lag problem, though), and co-op play, where up to 4 players can play a game at the same time. I'd refer readers to other reviews for a critique of these game modes, since I rarely use them: playing a full season vs: the CPU is all the time I can manage.

In summary (guess this wasn't too short after all): MLB The Show 2011 remains the best baseball game on the videogame market, by far. It has it's appeal mainly to serious baseball fans, though, and will likely be "too hard" and "no fun" for more casual gamers, especially those who don't understand that the best MLB teams LOSE 4 out of every 10 games. I'll add details in the comments section for those interested, as the season moves onand I get more games played, and comments are welcome.

PLAY BALL!!!

P.S. As of this date, no less than 26 professional videogaming review websites rate this game 89.5%, out of 100%.

I'd have to agree.

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Maybe it's the fact that I've purchased this game since '08. Maybe it's because this game is so good that it has spoiled me. But I can't help but feel this franchise has reached its peak and is starting to level off.

First things first, as usual, the graphics are amazing. You've seen the screen shots, watched the YouTube videos, and maybe have even played the demo. If there's one thing The Show fans can count on, it's photo-realism. One graphical complaint I do have is the sky textures. Would it kill them to put in some clouds? Or in night games, maybe the moon? Stars? With so much of the game taking place from the batter's point of view, the sky is constantly on screen. It's just so.. blah.

The new gameplay mechanics utilizing the analog controls require suburb timing, making pitching and hitting challenging yet engaging. Analog controls are also added for fielding.

Also, a pretty important change I'd like to mention: no longer can you simply guess the pitch type and have the game automatically give you the location. For example, in previous versions, you could guess fastball and sit changeup. If the pitcher threw a fastball, an indicator would flash at the exact location where the pitch would end up, whether it was a ball or strike. In '11, you now must guess the location along with pitch type. Simply correctly guessing the pitch will not reveal the pitch location, upping the difficulty of hitting even further.

Returning this year are Road to the Show and Franchise.

RTTS has improved somewhat. Remember those annoying goals, like "Hit and Run" or "Drive in the Run"? Those are a thing of the past. It was a broken system. You'd attempt a Hit and Run, but the pitch could be far out of the strike zone. If you swung at it, you'd invariably miss the ball, failing the goal in the process. Now, each at-bat is rated as Poor, Good, or Excellent. From my experience, there is NO way to gain negative points during an at-bat. Even if you end up hitting into a double play, you could still earn points (albeit, not many).

As usual, you'll spend about two seasons in the minors before being called up to The Show. If you're lucky, a player in your position will get injured or traded, allowing you to ascend the ranks much more quickly.

Franchise allows players to manage everything from ticket prices to concessions. It's essentially the same as last year. Running a team can become a little tedious, especially dealing with injuries. If a player on your MLB roster needs to spend time on the DL, you will have to call up a player from your AAA roster, call up a player from AA to replace the AAA player, and basically do it all over again in reverse once the MLB player returns. And injuries are COMMON. Of course, you could always set all of the tedious decision making to AI control, which is what I did.

One thing that annoys me to no end in Franchise is the way MVP awards are decided. Just like in previous versions of The Show, pitchers are awarded the MVP award at an alarming rate. In real life, a pitcher has won the MVP only once since 1987 (Dennis Eckersley). Since there is an MVP award for each league, that's one pitcher out of the past 46 MVP awards bestowed. In The Show, I've played five franchise seasons and SIX pitchers have won the MVP. Yes, in three of those seasons, both the AL MVP and NL MVP were pitchers. That's unheard of!

The commentating is just foul at this point. Matt Vasgersian has probably not been in the recording studio since '08 other than to say a few new names. Dave Campbell is back to add absolutely nothing to the experience. Where's the excitement? Where's the inflection? Why does everything sound so forced? Eric Karros is new to the booth and an improvement over Rex Hudler (who WOULDN'T be an improvement over Rex Hudler?). But it's marginal. Karros has more energy, but his lines are still painfully generic. Of the three commentators, Karros sounds like he had the most fun in the recording booth.

There have been reports on multiple message boards that the game is prone to freezing. I've personally experienced instances of freezing. The very first time I loaded the game, it froze during one of those opening montages. Next time, it froze on the trade screen in Franchise mode. Luckily, the game hasn't frozen during an actual game.

One other minor gripe has to do with the Home Run Derby. First, there is absolutely no unique broadcaster commentary for this mode, just the muffled PA announcer in the background ("He's down to two outs!"). There's no golden ball as the final out, which could have been a cool touch. And there are no kids running around in the outfield shagging balls! Honestly, when I watch the home run derby on TV, I get a kick out of the kids diving for balls and trying to catch pop ups. I think that would have been such a great addition! Instead, you're just hitting balls into an empty outfield. It just feels a glorified session of batting practice.

Many of you die-hard fans probably think I'm being too tough on this game. But hey, if I buy this game four years running, my expectations are going to be high. Sadly, this game feels like what perennial sports games should never turn into the $60 yearly roster update.

If you are new to the franchise, buy it, hands down. But if you own The Show 10, I'd wait for next year.

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I've had every edition of this series since it started, and I've grown accustomed to the great graphics and the slick presentation. I've always found, though, that the playability needs quite a bit of tweaking to make the gameplay realistic. Thankfully, you have the ability to make these changes with the dozens of settings that you can customize with using the slider bar. I will say that this year's game seems the hardest to play in the MLB series and after hours of tweaking the gameplay settings, I still can't get this right. My beefs:

1. Hitting has become exceptionally hard which is fine if it works both ways (i.e. hard for the AI as well), but it doesn't. I've abandoned the analog controls for now as they are not consistent and seem 'off' a bit (for lack of a better word). I was a very good hitter in the '09 & '10 editions but this year, it's much more difficult. I'm up for a challenge but I think the AI needs to be impacted as well. I'm scoring 0-3 runs per game and haven't hit double digits in hits 22 games into my season (with the Tigers, and there are some good hitters in that lineup). Too many grounders and soft pop flies to the shallow OF.

2. Piching is regressing year-over-year. The AI seems to have no issues hitting whatever I throw at the plate and has the plate discipline of Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs with every batter. Whereas my pitchers struggle to hit the corners consistently, the AI does so with ease. Guys with a 5.00+ ERA in real-life are studs in this game. There is absolutely zero forgiveness when pitching. I also think this game is to the point in its development where needs to improve pitch recognition and pitch physics. While it has always been tough to see balls vs. strikes on borderline pitches, this year it seems a little more difficult. I don't think there is enough recognition separation between pitches with 15 to 20 MPH differences. I actually think MLB 2K is better in this area. Other than 12-6 curveballs, pitches tend to be flat across the board.

3. Hits into the corner are seldom doubles. I think this game has always struggled with effectively scaling OF speed, throwing accuracy and throwing velocity. Not enough drives into the gap fall. This needs much tweaking to get right and, again, for some reason I have not yet been able to find that elixir in this year's edition.

4. Stealing is, as always, tough. Not enough separation in catcher skills between those you cannot run on and those you can thieve all day. It's been this way for years.

All in all, I do enjoy the game but I'm now looking at MLB 2K11 as a diversion to the somewhat unrealistic gameplay that The Show is becoming more and more. The Show, graphically, blows away 2K11 but in my opinion playing the game is why we buy them.

Honest reviews on MLB 11: The Show - Playstation 3

First off, let me state that I come from the school of thought that if they had done nothing but update the rosters I would consider the game awesome, so what I have seen so far deserves A+ in my opinion. Secondly, let me add that I have no interest in analog control. I tried it for about 30 seconds. I don't see that it adds to the experience for me at all. I am all about playing Franchise on All-Star level with my Cubs and Yankees and I have only played some pre-season games so here is what I can offer.

Graphically I see improvement in terms of the appearance of the players. The biggest thing I have seen with limited playing time is that the movement of the players in the field is, to my mind, significantly more life-like. They move toward the ball in a more natural fashion and I have noticed that if you try to change direction they are not able to turn on a dime, but have to slow down and will move in a much more realistic way. Each individual player's range is actually a factor. I noticed that Soriano will bumble a little bit in LF--I have personally seen him drop flies like a little leaguer (those of you who know Strat-O-Matic will understand when I say he is a definite "5" in LF)so no one can claim this is not realistic.While I am still feeling my way through the settings (that's what Spring Training is for) I am starting to really appreciate the broadcast camera view. I am still getting used to it and it can be a little deceptive when fielding , but the look of it is really pretty.

I have also noticed that the hitters will take their sweet time in between pitches. It can be a little frustrating if ,like me, patience is not your best trait but it is very realistic and really adds the relaxed pace that is a game. And on the subject of issues that arise with a lack of patience, I loooove the balk feature. And I learned you have to be careful. I was getting beat and getting frustrated so I started to hurry and balked a guy from first to third and he scored on a hit. If you don't like it you can turn it off, but I love having to come set . Again--the real feel of the game comes through.

I think the commentary, while largely the same, has improved. Karros is heads and shoulders above Hudler--he speaks in a more relaxed,conversational tone that adds to the leisurely ambience that is baseball--not goofy and on fire all the time.I almost fainted when I heard interaction between him and Vasgersian, when Matt asked him if he agreed that C.C deserved CY Young consideration!

Hitting is very challenging (see edit) challenging, and it almost seems like pitchers are mind readers in foiling your location guesses. You have to be patient, work the count, be aware of pitcher (and umpire!) tendancies. After I had a strike called on a high pitch clearly out of the zone, I took a chance that the wiley pitcher was going to try and get away with that location again, and roped it for a single. I have not tried the contact swing too much, but love the idea that with a 2 strike count you have the option to try to protect a little bit and cut down on the strike outs. The cancel throw feature is also a great idea.

The game is even more visually stunning than last year and I haven't even scratched the surface of what I will see as I am planning for the first time to play all the Spring games to really get a feel for the game and my roster and build that anticipation toward opening day!

If you really love baseball and have the patience for hitting, with no arcade expecatations that you will hit a homer every at bat this game is a real loving tribute to America's past time, and really done in a first rate fashion.

A tape measure home run on this one for me!!

EDIT:

I have played several more games as the Yanks and Cubs in Spring Training and I think that my experience is consistent with the general consensus that hitting is definitely more challenging this year.I am really struggling on All-Star level. I did not have trouble at all in last year's model, but I am averaging like 1 run a game with a team BA of .177. I have won five games out of the twenty-odd that I have played. One, I was down 7-0 in the third and got miffed and simmed it to the end, and lo and behold the CPU had the Yanks win 13-7.One I won against the Nats 1-0 on a suicide squeeze in the 11th after Burnett had a no hitter thru 8 1/3. The CPU is clearly even more develish than last year with spotting pitches, and focus and patience at a much bigger premium. I have never been a slider adjuster, but have found that with this version it is a must to tweak the sliders a bit to generate some offense. As I write I am still perfecting that, but I can say that, unlike Madden in my opinion, this game can be adjusted to play beautifully and the graphics are really just stunning.

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Its an awesome game. So realistic and the picture is amazing. I love the Sox and its so cool to see all the updated players and play as my team in different parks. I bought PS3 for this game and I'm glad I did because it is that awesome.

Buy Calvin Tucker's Redneck Jamboree - Nintendo Wii

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I purchased this game for a good laugh, and that is exactly what I got from it. It is a funny game and easy to play. There are several events to play.

1. Backyard Shooting this game was great. You shoot at bears, bottles, cans, birds, etc. A lot of fun.

2. Bottle Opening Contest this was probably my least favorite game. It's funny at first, but pretty pointless.

3. Dynamite Fishing this was the best game out of all of them. You character is in a little row boat throwing dynamite at the fish in the water. Very fun and entertaining.

4. Outhouse Hunt was hard to play at first. You have to find the outhouse in the dark and you encounter bears and skunks along the way that lower your life line.

5. Mower Racing This game was awesome and a lot of fun.

6. Quick Saw Contest (Locked) You have you unlock this game. It's a pretty basic game, you saw a log....good workout for the arms.

7. Toilet Seat Throwing just like horseshoes except you use a toilet seat and plunger.

8. Get Off My Lawn (Locked) I have not unlocked this game yet.

9. Let's Barricade (Locked) I have not unlocked this game yet.

10. Soda Brewer (Locked) I have not unlocked this game yet.

11. Sound Safari (Locked) I have not unlocked this game yet.

Overall, this was a great fun game if you enjoy redneck humor. And to comment on the review that said he/she could not beat the computer, I did.

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How do you rate something like this? Strictly for the game quality, it's probably only 2 or 3 stars. But aas a party game, it's a blast.

Basically, it's a very limited selection of simple mini-games. But the theme is really amusing, and the games are easy to understand, so it's the perfect party game. When I pulled it out at my last party, everyone got a good laugh, and even the non-gamers in the crowd were glued to the set. And the price is definitely right.

Oh, and as for the kids, are they really going to be scarred by farting cows, toilet seats as horseshoes, and an outhouse search in the dark???

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I bought this for my husband who hates video games. How can you not want to play a game that shoots things in your backyard, toliet seat tossing(horseshoes), dynamite fishing, beer bottle opening with your teeth (try not to crack your teeth), outhouse searching (in the dark). It is kind of like My Redneck Wedding on CMT. If you like that you will probably like this game.

But like the show this game is pretty crude for children. Especially the outhouse searching, you try to hold your bladder while trying not to be scared of animals in the dark. The picture shows Rating Pending... But my case shows E+10. (Probably more like 15 and up.)

It would certainly be fun at a grown-up party.

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Game is a good party game. Not one that I sit down and play alone. Good for some laughs but graphics and navigation through the game is not as highly polished as some of the mainstream games.

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This game is awsome. I got it as a gag gift for my wife for Christmas to go with our new WII. We have had several WII parties and it is always the hit of the evening. Some of the games may be difficult for younger kids. It just goes to show there is a redneck in all of us. Great buy!!!!

Discount Brink - Playstation 3

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Like many people, I wanted this game to be like Team Fortress 2 but to the next level. Unfortunately, you cannot have as much fun in Brink like TF2. Obviously the game is new and not as many people own it but there should be more servers with different mods or methods of playing. For example, games like Uncharted 2, Black Ops, Killzone 3, Socom4, and others have many different ways to play. Brink has a number of mission types but it does get repetitive. As far as I know, I have not seen a Team Deathmatch type game even though you are technically in one due to the mission.

PROS

-Very good Graphics

-Cool Customizations

-Maps are large and lots to do

-The movements of the game

CONS

-Not enough weapons

-Some glitches

-Not Enough maps

A DLC will be coming out in early July (was supposed to be June) that will include 2 new maps (only)and some new content. The DLC is free for people the first 2 weeks it (the DLC) becomes available.

This game is not horrible, but it is not great. It was hyped up no doubt and should have way more content. The content in this game is about 10% of what it should be. Solutions

1. Adding at least 5 more maps

2. Adding new weapons somewhat similar to Team Fortress 2 but more modern looking. We all know the huntsman of TF2 for the sniper. Brink should have Crossbows, flamethrowers, harpoon guns, whips, chinese stars,swords, and many other items.

Cannons would be cool instead of the stupid mg nests. This game has a lot of potential but needs a serious upgrade for the weapons. Like many have pointed out the weapons are very similar even with some of the changes you make. The sniper rifles are pretty good but need more additions.

3. Needs more gamers playing on PC and others to create new servers with new mods

Just look at Team Fortress 2. They have new additions every so often with weapons and maps. Yes it has been out for a long time, but Brink runs the risk of not getting more sales and losing current gamers. This new DLC better be very good and they need to have another update about a month or two later because Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 will surely make Brink forgettable. I know they are not the same style, but people can only play so many games at once.

Team Fortress 2 is favored over Black Ops and many other newer games by many gamers. It does not have the greatest graphics but it makes that up by having a huge amount of maps and upgrades. Brink needs to follow this lead and bring more maps and weapons. Currently there are only 8 maps (2 more with DLC) and weapons are horrible before you customize them.

To people who hate this game, it may be that they really don't like it. I hated this game the first couple days I had it until I learned how to quickly upgrade the weapons. Common sense: You must go to Challenges and complete each one. When you go to the weapons selections it tells you what challenges you must complete to get the weapons. Once I upgraded my weapons I went from a one star rating to a 3 star rating.

Bottom line: This game is not as bad as people say. However there should be more interacting when playing as a team via typing or mic and more mods and other upgrades via Bethesda as I pointed out.

Thankfully I got this game for under $30 and play on PC. As for Xbox360 and PS3 I don't think you would be disappointed spending about $30 on this game. I think the price needs to drop to $30 or less for all platforms not just PC.This game would be excellent for $20 which could happens soon if the DLC is not good. People should rent the game or buy it used if you are unsure. Also keep in mind that the DLC update coming soon will be free for 2 weeks. So you need to get the game sometime during the 2 weeks that the DLC is available.

I went on very long and was a bit repetitive cuz I hope Bethesda improves this game. I also wish more people owned this game and played it like Team Fortress 2.

***** UPDATE***** 8/11/2011

I have been playing the game mainly on PC ( I also own the PS3 version but PC version is far better, especially the graphics) Nevertheless, it is still pretty fun on PS3.

So the DLC has two new maps and a few other items added for the classes. However, Splash(Bethesda) has failed to incorporate different modes in the game such as team deathmatch, capture the flag, or other modes of play. This game will probably be next to free very soon especially since the big hits (B3 and MW3) are coming out pretty soon. Nevertheless, I would still recommend this game for PC due to the better graphics and the long and fun matches between teams on a full server. When the servers are filled with human players (not bots) the game is very fun even on PS3. The matches last a lot longer and you can see what the developers wanted this game to be like. However they failed on a number of things. I will list the following recommendations that can make this game a huge hit like TF2.

1.****************** NEEDS MORE MODES OF PLAY.*******************************

2. Addition of different items every so often such as TF2 that can be purchased and some would be free.

3. Game should be made free or for $10 maximum to attract lots of gamers.

4. More maps and weapons as stated

5 A Reason to play. ( TF2 has people playing since its fun and free. But more importantly, there is something to play for. People have new items being acquired and people can dominate others in the game) Brink needs this type of stuff to make the game REWARDING if you know what I mean.

Like I said, if this is implemented this game will be one of the biggest hits on steam and the company will make lots of money selling items and just giving the game for free and building a very strong and active Brink community.

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I have completed this game now on my main class engineer as well as taking another to 15 as medic, and after figuring out the point distribution I have high hopes for this game once it is online for my platform (ps3).The point system lets you max out only one character class, but does not totally punish you for changing jobs on the fly if needed. Not to reiterate the previous reviews I want to touch on what they did not.

I play Call of duty, Killzone 3 and many FPS since the early 90's. Many of my favorite FPS are what I would refer to as frag tag. Fast kills in an almost arena like atmosphere. This game is not of that model.

This is a splash damage game as they have always produced, taking a Wolfenstien / quake: Enemy territory approach to a comic like post apocalyptic universe.

I have scored it high because what it does it does well. I feel the low reviews are based on expectation. Expectation that does it no justice as it is being compared to games that are FPS but not of the same style.

The choke points that people complain about can be flanked or massed against. They are meant to cause a strategic showdown between two opposing teams and they deliver.

I am not a "fanboy" of this title, but I am a bit disappointed with the low reviews. To me many of them mirror a fictitious popular mechanics article trashing a car because it did not do well when they tried to take it out on the lake. Most of the anger is frag taggers beckoning to know why it took more than 2 shots to drop a foe, frustration due to overcoming a obstacle they expected to glide through. I understand, it's not the fast smash and grab/ Run and gun they are used to. It is like the difference in action RPG, and a Menu based RPG.

Here is the honest ending statement if you like a challenging first person shooter blending a similar play style to Unreal tournament/ Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory.

Then you will enjoy this game. People wanting a bad company 3/ COD 5 should wait for those titles. This is not meant to be offensive to fans of these type games I am as well but hopefully this will make people more aware of what type of title this is. Some people would love a game of this style and have been dissuaded due to "It's not COD!" type reviews. My opinion is thats all the more reason to love it, it adds to my library without adding to an army of clones.

Best Deals for Brink - Playstation 3

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What do you get when you try to cross MAG or Team Fortress 2 gameplay with the look and feel of Borderlands and a futuristic Mad Max? Bethesda Softworks (Fallout 3, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) and Splash Damage (Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars) hope its the next big franchise to hit consoles. The impressive art direction in the advertising campaign originally drew me to this game, but does it translate to tengaging gameplay? Now that it has dropped in price almost universally, is it something you should pick up now? Is it even worthy of it's all CAPS moniker?

The premise in BRINK is not anything we really haven't seen before, but it centers around a man-made, eco-friendly, floating city, designated The Ark, that is on the brink (get it) of Civil War. Since the oceans of the world have begun to rise to unsafe levels, The Ark has become a sort of haven for people affiliated with its original inhabitants, as well as other displaced people looking for a better life, who have to live on the outskirts. It's basically a bunch of Haves versus Have Nots. One group wants to break free of the overpopulation and desecrating conditions for the outcasts on The Ark (called The Resistance) and leave the floating city to see what the world is like beyond its walls, while the other group wants to keep the refugees in control and living in continued squalor, while they continue to benefit in The Ark (called The Security).

Upon starting the game, you have to first select and customize a character. While the customization options are ample, they aren't exactly endless. The character design is similar to Gears of War, with overexaggerated features and bulging muscles. There are four different classes of characters: Soldier, Engineer, Medic, and Operative. Obviously each has their own strengths and weaknesses and in this game you will be switching classes a lot during each level or mission, to complete objectives.

To move around, BRINK also uses whats been classified as SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain). In this, a button can be assigned to to quickly traverse across different environmental obstacles. Think of it as parkour influenced climbing, jumping, and sliding, reminiscent of Mirror's Edge. Unfortunately, much of the time, I kind of forgot about SMART and did the regular old climbing and jumping, except for the occasional slide.

I've spent quite a bit of time with this game, beating both campaigns (a total of 16 missions, but they are long missions, which turns out to be a blessing and a curse), and utilizing both solo play, as well as completing levels online with human counterparts. I get that the online component was designed to be a major selling point for BRINK, but the online community is pretty stagnant at the moment. When starting a level online, I would say that only about 25% of the time did I have another human joining me.

Gameplay

This game is quite frenetic when you first jump in. There is a lot of action going on around you and quite a bit of chatter from your teammates (which I liked initially, but then grew to hate). Initially, only one or two classes will have an objective that are pretty basic (hack this, defend this, escort this person, etc.), but the objectives increase (both primary and secondary), as you progress through the game. Just find a (or take over an opponent controlled one) command post, and you can switch classes. There is an objective wheel that is easily accessed at any time, that highlights the objectives and classes needed, so it's not too confusing. Select an objective and it'll point you in the right direction to complete it.

That's not to say that BRINK isn't fun because at times it really is. Shooting people and is almost always fun... for a while. Having the missions broken up by each side seemed like a really interesting idea, but they basically turn out to be the same levels, but just opposite objectives of each other. If the Resistance was trying to destroy something, when you play the mission as the Security, you're trying to defend the same thing you were previously asked to destroy. This doesn't flesh out the story as much as I would have hoped for, and really didn't make me pick a side I was rooting for, as if they had added totally different levels for each side.

There is a major problem with your teammates AI in the game. They are basically worthless (but every now and then surprise you with a well-placed turret), and you constantly feel like you are the only one that is able to do anything. For instance if you have to repair something and are playing solo, without human teammates, it seems like you are the only one of the class you selected that can get anything done. You have usually around 10 minutes to complete the objective, but it usually takes all 10 minutes because your teammates don't help at all. When they do decide to help, it's like a mad rush in the final minute or two. The opponents know where to congregate to protect what's needed, but it seems as if your team gets bored rather easily and leaves their mark.

Which leads me to my next problem with the game. If you die, or I should say when you die, because your opponent's ammo tends to be much more powerful than your own, you have to respawn

There are a few "what if" missions tacked on at the end, but they seem as more of an afterthought, than a critical part of the story, and are some of the shorter missions of the whole game. I recommend playing through some of the Challenge levels early on, as by completing them, you earn some upgrades for your weapons. There are 3 different types of challenges: fulfilling objectives, moving around with SMART to certain areas in a time limit, and defending, each with three levels of progressively harder levels.

Graphics

There are two distinct setting for the missions in BRINK. One is the futuristic Ark, which kind of reminded me of something out of Mass Effect. Lot's of plexiglass, neon, etc. Once the action moved away from The Ark, to Container City, I became re-interested in the game again. It's a totally different kind of look that really made me push through to finish my first half of the Campaign. There are lots of little crevices and creative shortcuts to find.

I didn't really experience any lag, when playing online, but only really connected with one other person at a time when playing the campaign. The multiplayer was solid and much more fun than playing with bots, but by the time I tried multiplayer, I was kind of burned out by the game. Sometimes when enemies died, parts of their body would be underground, or if they were standing on something and killed, seemed to be floating in mid-air.

Sound

Throughout the game you have a Commander basically talking in your ear the whole time. He gets very frustrated when things aren't going the planned way. Considering that you feel like you are a one man show on many of the levels, it get very annoying quickly.

I did find the chatter between teammates amusing. When you give supplies to another teammate, they always respond with some form of thanks. Additionally, when you have some supplies and they are needed by someone nearby, they will let you know.

Replay Value

There is a planned DLC coming soon (free for the first two weeks), which may increase the number of people playing online. Currently, there are 8 maps available for multiplayer skirmishes. I fear, however, that most players originally interested in the game have either moved on to something else or sold/traded in their copy.

Once the campaigns are completed, there is not much incentive to return to those missions. Especially the ones where your teammates seem clueless. There are some audio logs to collect, which supposedly add more to the story (or unlock a trophy/achievement when all are collected) but I didn't have an interest to find more.

There is a cap at level 20. When I finished both campaigns, I was at level 16, so I played multiplayer and replayed missions to reach the cap. There are bonuses for completing missions online (which I didn't know until about halfway through the game)

Honestly, I really wanted to like BRINK. Blending solo, co-op, and multiplayer into one somewhat seamless experience seemed innovative and intriguing. However, in the end, it wasn't done well enough to grab my interest for extended periods. Each mission is quite long, and if you don't succeed, feels arduous instead of energizing at the challenge, that you have to relive 15-20 minutes all over again.

Rating

6.5

Honest reviews on Brink - Playstation 3

another new IP, another disappointment [read: homefront].

first of all, if you plan on getting this for the single-player campaign, don't. there is no single player campaign.

brink's 'campaign' is simply offline multiplayer with bots [think about Killzone's 'skirmish' mode and you get the idea]. there are eight 'missions' in all and each mission can played from either the resistance or security persepctive.

unfortunately, these missions are convoluted, difficult to navigate, and even more difficut to complete because your wonky AI squad mates are essentially useless. most of the maps contain narrow corridors that result in chokepoints with 16 guys in a fifteen foot radius all doing the hokey pokey or break dancing. i was half expecting pop 'n taco to show up with a broken down cardboard box and do the electric bugaloo. and if you should die, well, you may have to wait as long as twenty seconds to respawn and then spend another 30 seconds running back to the action. in and of itself, it's not a bad thing, but since all the 'campaign' missions are timed, it's problematic.

another big complaint: weapon damage. sure, i can understand wanting to eliminate one-shot kills, but it literally takes an entire magazine to put someone down. so most of the time you're trying to find ammo or hoping one of your squad mates buffs you some. good luck with that.

sure, you have four quadrillion customization options, but if you're playing from a first-person perspective, who even cares? you can't see all your fancy face paint, head gear, and outfits [unless you're in the menus], so why bother?

instead of a great new shooter, you've got a great new $60 digital costume closet. congratulations.

if splash damage had spent as much time with the gameplay as they did with the customizations, they might have had something. unfortunately, as is the case with so many shooters these days, the game ships with skimpy content and we undoubtedly await the first $15 "map pack" in about a week or two.

it's getting downright insulting.

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I avoided Brink at first due to poor reviews, but as the price got a lot cheaper, I decided to give it a try. Since I've only started playing it, and am nowhere near an expert on it I'm just going to comment on what I've experienced with the game. As a first person shooter, I didn't find it very satisfying. First of all, I'm amazed at how difficult it is to actually kill the enemy. Even at point blank range, it takes what seems as too many bullets to take someone down. Then, your downed enemy often isn't dead, but will rise right back up to kill you if you don't go and finish him off. Meanwhile, the action, which is pretty much non-stop, sometimes makes it difficult to even do this. Also, the actual aiming and shooting process just isn't as much fun as many other 1st person shooters that I have played. I want to like this and have played the first few missions on it, but I just can't see myself sticking with it. However, If you like non-stop, fast paced action, it certainly does deliver on that. It's frenetic pace does sometimes lead to confusion as what to do next, or exactly what is going on at the moment. I was hoping for a little more stealth and discovery, rather than the constant run and gun action. I could deal with the run and gun action if the actual shooting was a little more rewarding. I'm just glad I didn't pay $60 for it when it came out.

Discount World Tour Soccer 2005

Customer Ratings:

dude fifa is so slow and theres no juke moves how stupid.this is this years 989 soccer game dominates the others whit so many teams i cant decide what team to choose you can also play euro cup ,mls and even for us latinos they have copa libertadores,they even have teams from pakistan i swear lol.anywho go buy it its the game

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The fight is between FIFA and WS7. In the recent years this small company is getting better at making this soccer game yup in one more year 989 sports is going to eat the other soccer selling video games. I is way much better for beginners and for the advance people. Plus the stadiums look cool. Another thing is the the play is much more real the the winning series. But this is me, so go out and rent it fist. The graphics is not lagging although the controls seem pretty wierd at first.

WTS2005 is now Fighting for a spot in the soccer game world and if they get the permission to get all the culb it will so cool.

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This is one of the best soccer games I've seen. The graphics are excellent and so is the gameplay. You should check it out!

Review of Borderlands 2 Mechromancer Pack

Customer Ratings:

(While I played bd2, I played Axton, Zero, Maya, Salvador and Gaige all the way to lvl 50. my total playtime is 330 hours)

To be honest, when I heard about this character I thought it was a cheap copy of Axton with flying turret. I was wrong

She isn't a cheap copy. In fact, I gotta say her skill tree is perhaps the most impressive, fun, and complicated one I have ever seen.

Up for some challenge? Well, here you go!

Best Friends Forever

-the key feature of this tree is making Deathtrap (and you too) harder to kill with additional damage resistance, health, and even a copy of Gaige's shield when maxed out. Also, the tree has a decrease cool down ability that is really helpful since Gaige's skill cool down is way too long (1minute). There are 2 skills in this tree that is a MUST if you decided to go for BFF.

-Close enough: make your missed bullets bounce back to enemies-->good for beginners with trouble with aiming, or even for pros hiding behind cover and shooting at walls for safe, effective attack.

-Explosive Clap: what it says. makes DT drop some heavy AOE explosive damage that deals a moderate amount of damage along with an pulse that pushes enemies around.

Little big trouble

-this tree is often overlooked/ignored for good reasons. This tree focuses on you and DT dealing additional ELECTRIC damage. Although the additional shield capacity for Gaige, and some AOE electric burst every time you reload is pretty cool looking, the element electricity itself is really under powered in borderlands 2 in general compared to fire/corrosive/explosive. Cool looking, but not practical.

-The stacks you get for not attacking for a short time/critical hit bonus, however, could work if you are looking for a sniper play with DT acting as an initiator/tank. Even though Zero was MADE for sniper, I found Gaige with some mastery in this skill tree quite useful when sniping.

ANARCHY

-ah...the signature skill tree of Gaige, and perhaps the most fun/hardcore skill tree in existent yet. This, I believe, is where the fun from playing Gaige comes from. The key feature of this skill tree is very simple: every time you score a kill or reload while in combat you gain stacks that increases your gun damage in trade for accuracy (this tree is not good for snipers). This may sound easy, but it really is ridiculous since it takes a while to collect enough stacks to really make Anarchy shine, while it is one hella easy to suddenly lose all your stacks.

-This skill does have a melee override skill but it sucks really bad.

Gaige pack is a good choice for both solo players and co-op players looking for something new. She might seem a bit under-powered in early game due to her weak robot and insanely high cool-down rate (1 min...the longest CD in borderlands), but I can promise you that you won't be disappointed. Mix up your skill tree. Fight as a sniper or a tank or whatever the heck you want. Your robot got many skills under its sleaves, and so do you. Go use them!

A little tip to maximize your fun, is that since her ultimate skills on each skill tree are somewhat useless, you need to carefully invest points in each tree just to a point of necessity for maximum efficieny.

Gaige's most important and effective skills are usually located at the beginning point of the skill tree.

Me? I invested most points on anarchy but stopped before the Nth bullet, and invested some points on BFF tree for more HP/Defense.

!!!A couple things you should take into account before you purchase!!!

-In BFF the shield recharge skill for DT sometimes glitches, making DT charge your enemy' shield or try to charge your shield even when you are

in the fight-for-your-life state. Still, works properly in most cases.

-DT's AI seems to be having a hard time using multiple active skills.

-The relic is total junk, along with gearbox guns and 2 keys. (You can get keys for free by following Gearbox in twitter)

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Gaige and her robot are awesome ! Plus this pack gives you the pre-order bonus guns, relic, and a Golden Key. Make sure you sign up for the SHIFT account under extras in the menu. When you do you will recieve another gold key. These codes still work at the time of this writing.

KTCJJ-FHZJW-W6JJB-TTBTJ-R9WWJ ( 1 KEY )

WTCBB-H5WHC-5F3T3-TBT3T-HR6TJ ( 1 KEY )

5BKBB-TXWS5-WX3BB-TBT33-3SHSB ( 1 KEY )

K3WTJ-TXZWW-SCRJJ-33BTJ-933ZS ( 1 KEY )

K3K33-3W9JT-6XJJT-TB3JB-HWZZF ( 5 KEYS )

Again a very fun character pack !!!!!!!!!!!

Best Deals for Borderlands 2 Mechromancer Pack

Couldn't find it listed anywhere but this does work with Steam w/o any problems. Great game and a great addon!

Honest reviews on Borderlands 2 Mechromancer Pack

This is a nice addition to the game. Her ability works similarly to a moving turret, mowing down enemies with total disregard to what you are doing. You do have to play the same game again to level her up, so if repetition is something you don't enjoy, this probably isn't for you. I play with my friends online and rarely play alone, so that's what makes this game have replay value for me. I gave it four stars because it was fun and inexpensive, but not five stars because it really didn't blow me away. I would say if you have a couple of extra bucks to spare and would like to kill some time, this is not a bad way to do it.

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Best character in the game hands down. This is almost as much fun to play as the original Siren. The mech power is awesome, the voice acting is funny, and the character can do anything.

Cheap Sam and Max - The Devil's Playhouse - PC/Mac

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $6.49
Today's Bonus: 78% Off

Another fun Sam and Max adventure. Fans will want it, just to see what the dog and bunny are up to. The plot was as bizarre as the fuzzy logic behind the puzzles. Voice acting was superb, as always.

"Sam and Max Hit the Road" was a masterpiece, and this title falls a little short. The script was a little dialog-heavy, and I found myself skipping through conversations. The animation and graphics were crisp, maybe a little too crisp, for this comic-based game. "XIII" comes to mind -a comic book look and feel would have been truly dazzling.

That said, the game was a lot of fun! Sure, the game falls short of "Hit the Road" and "Grim Fandango," but it was still very enjoyable.

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It came on time and in great condition, I am very happy with it! It was a gift and the person I got it for has not stoped laughing from the second they started playing it :)

Best Deals for Sam and Max - The Devil's Playhouse - PC/Mac

alright now sam and max the devils playhouse is about psychic powers max finds along the way that help you out per episode (i think its pretty invetive). so instead of the point and click kind of game like the last two (three if you count hit the road) it uses the wasd keys to have you move while you can also use the mouse to click on things. if youre thinking on buying this game go to telltalegames.com (i think the price lowers for everything by $10.00 $15.00 everytime december rolls around. right now its the same price on telltale as amazon but amazon has free shipping while telltale doesnt (thats not bad either!) so overall (i havent been able to play the devils playhouse recently) from the looks of what ive played its a good adventure game so this is a must have for fans of sam and max if youre just being introduced to them this is a good start!

Honest reviews on Sam and Max - The Devil's Playhouse - PC/Mac

this is really good!!!!! it is dark, funny, and clever. the puzzles are not too hard. you will enjoy this.

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from what i've seen and heard this game is awesome and a good adventure game to play in the genera so buy it today.

Best King of Fighters Neowave - Xbox Deals

Customer Ratings:

When I first got this game I was a tad dissapointed. It Had NO Story. NONE! It had a smaller rooster then KoF2002(46 After every1 is unlocked in Endless mode)& many of the characters I was good with were tweaked to the point that I was thrown completely off my game(I'm looking @ you Mature & Geese).

The graphics were kinda off also, High res semi-3-D Backdrops & lower rez sprites(which look even worse when compared to KoF 2003 or even KoF evolution for Dreamcast). However the graphics can be adjusted to your liking, with the ability to soften the characters & 6 dif(very subtle)levels of sprite detail as well as 2 dif options for background detail, you can make it look presentable.

The audio is spotty @ best. While the voices come out crisp & clear, the music sounds like it was composed on an 8th graders keyboard. It's repeatitive & annoying in most stages & forgetable in the others.

Now for the good part, while @ first I was vastly irritated with the character balancing after I played for a while I got used to it. For once in an SNK game EVERY1 is prettymuch an equil(exceptions may go to Ralph & Jun Hoon)! Even the bosses, the usually overpowered, cheep, make you want to pull your hair out bosses are balanced to mid teir players! Omega Rugal is the most balanced I have ever seen him & Young Geese is the easiest SNK boss I've ever fought!Trust me when I say thats a GOOD thing. This is a tournament quality game in terms of playability. Also due to the balancing novice players who have never played a KoF game will be able to pull of combos & special attacks without trouble(The supercombos are extremely hard to do @ some points, but thay really aren't needed anyway)

Next for any1 who has ever played Capcom vs.SNK 2:EO or Street Fighter Alpha 3, they will love the variety of gameplay options simular to the groove system in place with the above games.

There are 3 systems to choose from:

Super Cancel: which allows variety in escape manuvers & wicked combos by means of special/Super canceling(Balanced mode simular to KoF 2002 Engine)

Guard Cancel: (My Personal Fav:)) Allows for Just Defence (which is simular to the parrying manuvers in StreetFighter III Series)the ability to break your opponents block,& a few escapes (Defencive mode)

MAX2: Here you have one super combo bar that fills constantly between supers, allows guard cancel & lets you unleash a Super Powerful super combo when your health gets low(Extremely agressive mode, Good for beginers).

These modes add ALOT of replay-ability to a game that lacks a story of any kind. Also new is a heat mode that drains your health in exchange for double attack power but it seems poinltss b/c it takes more health from you then you opponent.

Also there are a few game play modes to keep you occupied, Endless mode, which is a survival mode that lets you unlock portraits & characters(Kasungi, Seth, Omega-Rugal), Single battle/Vs., Team Battle/Vs., & a color Edit mode where I killed ALOT of time.

All in all if a little bit more time was put into adding some win quotes & music this would be my fav KoF yet. It has the most balanced gameplay & options seem since Fan Fav KoF 98. If your one for gameplay over graphics this is the game for you, if not then sorry you missed out.

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king of fighters is a game where if you have played one you have played them all. the games are basic fighters. this game has several returning characters. only a few of them are interesting. KOF has long been accused of being a street fighter clone and to a large extent that was true. the later games like those on xbox though the games have changed quite a bit giving you three on three tournaments, class groupings, etc. i like it and recomend it to die-hard fighting fans and to those who are curious.

Best Deals for King of Fighters Neowave - Xbox

In my opinion this is the best in the whole saga in 2D after so many intents to change the game way, the graph of the scenarios and of the characters it is sensational and the powers and limits also. I recommend them to him...

Honest reviews on King of Fighters Neowave - Xbox

Being an old school gamer, I have a soft spot in my heart for the 2d brawlers. The current 3d fighters on the market look incredible, but I've always found them lacking. Perhaps I'm just a sucker for the half-circle/quarter-circle moves.

As you would expect from any KoF game, there's a huge roster here, with many of the SNK favorites to chose from. It seems to me that some of the fighters got a bit of a boost over previous incarnations, and some may have been toned down. Terry's power geyser doesn't look as impressive as it did in other games, and it may just be me, but it seems he has a harder time with some of the cast than he would have in other games. Andy, and Joe on the other hand seem to have gotten a nice boost.

Visually the game doesn't look all that great, when compared to other 2d fighters...namely those from Capcom. The backgrounds do look good. They have a 3d look. But the actual fighters are heavily pixilated. Still despite the appearance, the game is loads of fun, and offers up quite a few different modes to play in.

Thanks to a patch from Microsoft, this game plays on the xbox 360. If you have a 360 or for some reason are still playing on the original xbox, and you're a 2d fighting fan, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

This game will supply me with my 2d fighting fix, until Street Fighter 4 is released later this year.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for King of Fighters Neowave - Xbox

Basically, this is a KOF 2002 clone with a bunch of tweeks to it. What I mean by "tweeks" is that a good deal of the existing characters that were in 2002 had their stats modified a little bit as well as a few combo changes. Not to mention that the new groove system for Neowave also disturbs some of the balance in the character rooster. I won't go in depth about character tiers in this game. Go visit some fighting game boards if you want that. But basically, this is just a diffrent flavor of KOF 2002. No more and no less.

Now for a few facts and tidbits about this particular version of the game. The US XBOX version of the game is missing Angel and May Lee. They are only in the Japanese PS2 version. Furthermore, the Japanese PS2 version does support online play from what I see on the box. Not to mention that the standard PS2 controller is much better suited for fighting games then the standard XBOX controller and it's fairly obvious which version is supierior.

The only problem with the PS2 import is that you either need a flip-top, slider card, or MOD Chip to play it and that the cheapest .

However, after saying this, if you already have a modded PS2 and are looking to pick up this game, get it imported. It's not really because of the two extra hidden characters as it is about the PS2 being more fighter-game friendly. It's the standard for them. And while $35 is quite a jump compared to the price of $15, well...that's just my personal preference. And I know for a fact that I'm not the only one that has problems with XBOX ports to 2D fighters. And, at least, you are not paying $70-$80 for the PS2 import for King of Fighters XI, $65-$75 for the PS2 import of Samurai Shodown 0, and $60-$70 for the PS2 import of NeoGeo Battle Collosium.

Reviews of Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues

Customer Ratings:

I find this game incredibly frustrating. We loved the 1st game and were really excited about this one and it's SOOOO different and not intuitive.

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My kids love the lego series and have a few for the xbox now. This one is a little different in the its not a stright through play, you have to go back and do boards after you have unlocked different people. Great game, my 7 year old son and won all the levels and still plays this.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness Reviews

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In this day and age, are we as gamers really expected to put up with this level of crap? Possibly the biggest disappointment in the history of videogames since the Sega Saturn, 'Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness' is the first next-gen outing for the intrepid Ms. Croft.

Stuck in development hell for the best part of 2 years, Core and Eidos should be very, VERY ashamed of themselves for allowing such a bug-filled, poorly thought-out piece of software onto the shelves, much less a game with such a rich and popular reputation to live up to.

Put simply, 'Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness' is an absolute dog.

First: The graphics just do not cut the mustard. Granted, the human characters in the Tomb Raider series were never graphically astounding, but here they're just badly done. Textures are pixelated and the frame rate is low. Lara's animations are smooth and her new costumes are diverting, but that's it. Characters like Bouchard and Carvier are not good enough for the PS 2, being underdetailed and very badly animated.

Level design is very substandard for a TR game. And, horror of horrors, there's only one tomb, The rest of the game is like a horrible cross between Metal Gear Solid and a weak RPG, where Lara is forced to run about Parisian streets and warehouses with no real sense of raiding anything.

Second: The control system is an absolute abomination. Lara is just not meant to be analog. Gone is the intuitive quad-style floor layout and now jumps and falls are impossible to judge, the upshot of which is Core have created a game which is insanely easy to beat. Lining up the camera, controlled by the right analog stick, every time you want to make a jump, is just annoying, and the collision detection is ridiculous.

Third: This is such an easy game to beat. Although I should point out, you'd better get to like the phrases 'Overwrite Successful' and 'Load Successful', becuase you'll be seeing them a hell of a lot. Thanks to the ridiculous control system, Saving and Loading happens far more often than is acceptable, and when you do manage to make the jumps and climbs without the control system hampering your every move or the game crashing out (happens a lot, sound and event glitches abound) you wonder what happened to the rest of the level.

A horrible, horrible game that yields no rewards, and will cause great distress to fans of the TR series, 'Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness' is something we should all forget.

Core, never let this happen again.

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Despite all the hype and all the delays, "Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness" turns out to be just a waste of plastic. The game would've been great had the designers taken the time to fix up the unacceptable amount of bugs and glitches, and come up with a new and different style of gameplay.

What do I mean by that? Every single movement Lara makes is animated and much slower than it ought to be. A three-legged dog with one eye could swim through a pool of molasses in less time than it takes Lara to run from one side of a room to another. Not only that, but simple actions like crouching take at least 3 seconds longer than they should. And don't get me started on jumping. Jumping from ledge to ledge is about the only task the developers could come up with for you to do. Apparently, it's the camera's job to make it seem a lot harder than it is. If the camera's turned just slightly to the wrong angle, you might end up doing a side flip to your doom instead of jumping forward.

The puzzles that you come across (rarely), are usually idiotic and unrealistic. At one point in the game, you're asked to get from one side of a room to another, unfortunately the only way the door on the other end will open is if the laser security system is activated. The first thing you should notice is that these lasers are very poorly placed and any real person could easily just step over them or duck under them. Of course, being the tomb raider she is, Lara must use a series of timed run-and-jump moves to get through them, making what would be an extremely easy sequence to get through into a much harder one.

You'll learn early to save all the time. The game is extremely glitchy and freezes up in certain areas, usually when there's lots of things going on at the same time (like when three lights are turned on and there's another guy in the room). Also, since Lara dies inconsistently, you'll never know if that jump to the floor below is too far or not. I found that in certain areas, a ten foot fall to the floor can result in death, while in other places, falling forty feet will only slightly hurt your life bar.

Then there's all those nagging questions. Why is it that setting yourself on fire will slowly drain Lara's health, but stepping into a laser can kill you instantly? How come it takes seven bullets to kill a guy with no body armor? What kind of dog dies after two kicks, but remains alive after being shot several times? What's the point in the stealth mode if you almost never have to use it? In the extras section, why do the game designers claim that '"Tomb Raider" has always set the benchmark for games'? Why does the "Cradle Of Life" movie trailer have such messed up audio? I could go on and on.

In conclusion, all I have to say is that "AOD" was not worth the wait and isn't worth your money. Save it. I hope Eidos decides to speed up the gameplay in the next "Tomb Raider" installment and gets some developers that aren't mental patients to work on it. If not, I won't be buying it.

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Had Eidos bothered to finish Angel of Darkness before they released it, they might've had a halfway decent game. It's certainly lengthy and offers a variety of challenges, even if the gameplay hasn't really advanced much beyond old-school Tomb Raider object-manipulation and shooting really dumb bad guys. (Yes, I know there's a stealth mode. It adds nothing. There's no penalty for being spotted, a la MGS or Splinter Cell, so why not just go ahead and shoot everything in sight?) But even with all the delays, Eidos never managed to fix this game's considerable flaws. Two major areas stand out: control and graphics.

First, the controls. They're terrible. Lining up jumps is awkward, as the game offers only walk and run speeds instead of true gradated analog control. The button layout is confusing-even a simple act like holstering your weapon is difficult, since it's not mapped to an intuitive button-and the manual actually identifies the target-switching button incorrectly (not a small gaffe, since one boss battle requires you to utilize this feature). The inventory screen is a mess, and once again makes simple tasks (say, reloading your weapon) way too complicated. And even when you figure out how to move and fight properly, Lara still seems to move too slow... and that's without the game-crippling slowdown you'll periodically encounter.

And that brings me to the matter of the graphics. First, those who consider these graphics "good" simply haven't played any real state-of-the-art PS2 games. The textures are repetitive and drab, character motion lacks smoothness, and there's little use of lighting to speak of. The cut-scenes are even worse-just compare with Silent Hill 3 (yes, the full game's not out, but all you need is the demo to get the picture), with its phenomenally expressive characters, to see how badly Eidos has mangled AoD's story sequences. But the in-game graphics are just blah; it's the slowdown that's inexcusable. It occurs even when there shouldn't be anywhere enough on screen to cause it-such as the end of the first level, where all you've got is rain falling and a door to enter. Never mind that no console game should experience slowdown anyway, if the designers truly know the hardware; why does it happen with so little going on?

There's simply no excuse for Eidos to release such an obviously unfinished product, after so many release date changes, and charge full price for it. It's glitch-ridden, it controls badly, and its gameplay is about three years out of date (at least). Rent it if you're curious, or believe it can't possibly be that bad; but save your purchasing cash for a game that truly deserves it. With Silent Hill 3 only a month away, there's no reason to waste money on AoD.

Honest reviews on Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness

I've played all of the Tomb Raider games but Chronicles. AOD should satisfy any fan, despite all of the criticism that you read. It takes a little while to get used to the looks and feel of the new game, which kicks into high gear once you get out of the Paris Ghetto. As for the controls, yes they do take a while to get used to, but you do get used to them. Some people mention that they cannot step sideways or back to set-up a running jump: read the instructions, it's there, stop whinning.

Here is a list of the positives and negatives that I have encountered, and some things that I would have liked to see in AOD.

Positives:

1) The graphics are great, including Lara herself, with even some jiggling you-know-where.

2) The story line is a great combination of the first movie and the previous games, mixing murder plot and traditional site exploring.

3) New moves like peaking around the corner and sneaking up on people.

Negatives:

1) The game slows down in certain places. Really annoying.

2) The controls are not responsive enough.

Some things I miss:

1) The mansion.

2) Lara saying 'u-huh' when she finds something.

3) She loses some of her English accent. It's there, but it's really light.

4) I would have preferred a greater variety of sites to explore, including outdoors. Instead, it's really Paris and Prague (so far).

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Quite a few players out there rate the games on the graphics and pixels and grids... whatever. I am a gamer in it to get lost. Tomb Raider was always a fun series to play and that is what I enjoyed. The scenery was cool in past games with the suspense hidden in the walls themselves, not in evil underworld-serial-killers-with-a-secret. She used to fight against the past, not current bad guys hinged on the promise of past treasures.

Alright, basically Lara has gone to the dark side (sorry Anakin) and it makes you cringe to go around corners. She's lost her edge and has fallen into the role of a victim running from someone in her quest for the truth, instead of the quest simply being the drive itself. I miss the rainforest and the underground tombs. I miss walking into a movie sequence that unleashes a broad new visual that is haunting yet intriguing. Lara is smart, sassy, and strong. Eidos and Core don't need mutilated "angels" to bring Lara back to life. Remember her purpose and let that be their guide. As for now, skip this one. She is not the Lara she used to be.

Reviews of Warhammer 40K Dawn of War II Retribution - PC

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $19.95
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

AS noted in another review, the campaign is short, but you can play it with 6 races. The "Last Stand" mode is not for novices. You should be familiar with the DoW "Last Stand" scenarios and have some virtual "combat" time under your belt with other DoW series games before playing (not required, but it is a steep learning curve for those without experience). If you want tips for Last Stand, use "Steam News" and it notes best heros with specific equipment that have been successful.

Don't bother using Amazon's downloader for this game. Tried for a whole day to download 8GB... left it overnight and the download continues to get interrupted. Finally, was so frustrated, I logged on to "Steam" and used the game validation code (from Amazon) it finished the entire download in an hour. Amazon has to do better with their downloader. Hope these notes are helpful.

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The second expansion to "Dawn of War 2", Retribution offers a new faction and a new campaign. It's more of the same, but that's hardly a bad thing.

The main new feature in "Retribution" is the addition of the Imperial Guard faction. Unlike their elite counterparts, the Space Marines, the IG relies on massive numbers and vehicle support to get the job done. There's a lot of concepts brought over from Dawn of War 1 and the tabletop game, but they don't really seem to fit as well. DoW2 has a much tighter squad focus with more enclosed maps, so the IG's traditional tactics don't seem to fit as well as they used to.

Still, there's some interesting potential. The basic IG unit is the guardsman squad, which focuses on improving its numbers rather than making soldiers more effective. Other guardsmen units include the stealth-based Catachan Devils, the specialized Stormtroopers, and the brutish Ogryn. Their heroes show the most diversity the Inquisitor is focused on targeting enemy heroes, the Commissar Lord combines melee damage with inspirational bonuses, and the Lord General relies on more tactical options like troop drops and battlefield commands.

The game's other factions have gotten some attention, too, in the form of a new unit for each one. Space Marines get a mighty Land Raider tank, Orks get a massive Battlewagon, the Eldar get a powerful Autarch, and so on. I wasn't particularly enthralled by any of the new units, but it at least gives them some new options instead of ignoring them for the new faction.

The other new feature in Retribution is an expanded campaign mode specifically, there's a campaign for every single faction, instead of just the Space Marines. This is kind of a neat idea, and holds some promise, but really it just boils down to similar missions on similar maps with RPG stats. It's fun in the same way that the old campaigns were fun, but other than new scenarios it doesn't seem to introduce much. It's good if you're okay with that old gameplay, but it honestly gets repetitive after a while. There's some ways it's different than previous campaigns, but that seems to come down to tech tree upgrades (in addition to character upgrades).

Basically, Retribution isn't a bad expansion pack by any means, but it gets old pretty quickly unless you really like the core gameplay. If you're already tired of DoW2, Retribution won't hold your attention for long. If you still like it, then it's a worthy addition to the game's content.

Rating: 7/10.

We purchased this game with our own funds for the purpose of this review.

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If you are a Dawn of War 2 fan this is a must have. The new map for "Last Stand" is very challenging. The campaign is too short but you can play through it with all six races. Oh and the new Imperial Guard units are a blast (pun intended).

Honest reviews on Warhammer 40K Dawn of War II Retribution - PC

To start off I only play single player. Ever since the first Dawn of war two I haven't really had any interest in multiplayer. It's possible that extend the value of the game for you, but it didn't really for me.

What I like about this game is that it allows you to treat some of your hero units for a larger quantity of lesser units. By lesser I don't necessarily mean week, as the generally they lack the special attacks and have no benefit from armor and such that you get with the main hero units. This means that you can choose either double small squad or if you go all in you can have a semi-large army.

The graphics and voice acting in this game are good. I have no complaints there. The levels are well laid out and I found them all the fun. A lot of cases you have to take advantage of cover and be strategic with your units or they'll all get slaughtered. You're also able to play the single player campaign with any of the factions. The best thing out of the game to me though, is it FINALLY ends the story of the first Dawn of War game way back when this was more a traditional RTS. I'd been waiting for that resolution ever since I played Winter Assault and was disappointed it didn't carry on the story.

So there so many factions and you can play single player, why do I say short? What problem is that each race plays in almost identical campaign. Sure they're sometimes different dialogue, some of the races don't play every level, every race gets their own blurb at the start, and their own ending, but the levels play pretty much the same and you only have a short period of time the level of any of your characters so the whole thing feels abbreviated. Despite the really impressive allowance to go with heroes or sacrifice them for lesser units, the story is weaker and it still feels like the weakest of the three Dawn of war two games.

Is it worth the price? Maybe. If you're into multiplayer games, want to play the Last Stand mode (which kind of got boring for me, but so many people like enough you can buy it separately from a certain digital download provider), or will be playing a race before doing something else and then coming back to try another one, I'd say get it. If you want a truly different experience for each race that you can play back to back, then it's slightly disappointing, so you may want to wait for a price drop.

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Pros:

-Great and New Concept to RTS Instead of building bases, etc, you actually focus on the hero units and your infantry as they can upgrade in items and experience.

-Great Same Old Races You got the typical races, as every 40K fan knows, the Orks, Chaos, Space Marine, Imperial Guards, and Eldar, and a new race but anticipated Tyranids.

-Includes a "Last Stand" gameplay Which allows you to play as you control your choosing hero unit and survive multiple waves of enemy units and vehicles. As you gain XP, you get more weapons and upgrades which will help you through the game.

-Co-Op Campaign Pretty fun addition if you want to play through Campaign with your buddies online.

Cons:

-Campaign Felt a little too short and too shallow. Compared to Chaos Rising, the story isn't defined and detailed, but you do get to play as multiple races.

-Last Stand There's not a lot of maps and items to make the experience entirely complete. I wish it had more items and maps but it didn't make the game not worth playing. It's still addicting and fun, if you want something different from the multiplayer RTS.

-Steam Don't like Steam being included with Retribution, but wished it was optional. Sometimes matchmaking through Steam doesn't work or is really slow.

Overall:

It's a really fun game, in my experience, and I feel confident that anyone who is already a 40K fan, will love as well. This game and it's new game plays make it worth the price. While there are a few hiccups like Steam in the way, it won't take out the fun out of your experience (most of the time).

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Customer Ratings:

This game is sort of like Splinter Cell mates with Ghost Recon = Rainbow 6 for Xbox. The online play is great. You really need to communicate hostage rescues with your online friends so you'll need a headset communicator for this game. In addition, for single player games you can control your AI teammates via voice activation. Its a very cool game. I recommend you add it to your collection.

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Reviews of Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack - Xbox

Customer Ratings:

I've been anticipating this for awhile. There's not a lot to it so I'll jump right into the juicy bits first, it's nice they put the auto-update in the package for those who don't have Live, as the gameplay tweaks have a pretty noticable impact. But it's the maps we're really interested in, right?

CONTAINMENT This map essentially plays like Coagulation; the big differences are the larger bases and the series of tunnels and ditches. The opening and closing base doors breed interesting strategies, and you've gotta love a map that has the Scorpion tank as a default vehicle. The explosives on this map only serve as a hazard for the vehicles, as they are too spread apart to be used as a defensive weapon against intruders on foot. The bright white snow makes active camo VERY effective on this map. It's a great 2 flag CTF map and will probably work just fine for other large team objective games.

WARLOCK an INTENSE slayer map and average lifespans tend to be on the short side because of the small space and lack of things to hide behind. This sucks if you're a camper but I like maps and scenarios that force me to get comfortable with new strategies. There are no "power" weapons save for four shotguns, if they count, forcing you to use strategy to gun down your opponent on a level playing field as opposed to blowing them away with a bazooka from a distance. Visually superior to the sterile scenery of the original it was built from (Wizard in Halo 1.)

TURF I've only played Turf in 1 flag CTF but it was pretty fun. The tight spaces are great for sneaking up on the opposition's base, and equally handy for staging ambushes. My only reservation about objective games on this map is that it is so small with such short distances to run with the flag or bomb, a single slip up on the part of the defensive team will most likely cost them the round... games like this will probably be pretty short. However, that same small size will make it a fantastic slayer map. Sadly, there is no sword perhaps Bungie knew I'd "pwn" this map into the ground if they included it [/joke].

SANCTUARY A circular arena, and a fairly large one at that. This is probably best suited for 4 on 4 team objective or slayer games, leaning more towards assault variants. A visually and atmospherically pleasing map, especially on blue team's side where there is flowing water and a humongous tree. There is a sword but wide open spaces limit its usefulness. Again, a map more situated for medium sized objective or team slayer games, although I wouldn't recommend it for free-for-all slayer.

ELONGATION A remake of Halo 1 map Longest. It is asthetically far superior to its predecessor, being based on the space station level of Halo 2's campaign with dials and knobs and lights and various things I will never, ever understand. Great lighting effects on the steel plated walls and a brilliant window view of the Earth and its moon. Removing the ladders was a smart move on Bungie's part not only does it make climbing to the second level much less risky and awkward (and more realistic looking,) but it offers another tight space for close encounter skirmishes. The crates can be an asset as well as a liability as they offer cover and serve as stepping stones, but also make it more difficult to retreat. Great small team 2 flag CTF/assault and small or medium sized slayer map.

BACKWASH Fantastic atmospheric effects on this one, which is based on the 343 Guilty Spark level of Halo 1. The fog is a tremendously significant element to this map as it hides the location of weapons and breaks up the outline of your opponents (which can also work to your advantage.) The soundtrack is very "lush" sounding, complimented by the amusing if also distracting hum of 2401 Penitent Tangent as it occasionally passes overhead. It's set up with two bases for objective games but lends itself the most to slayer varients, with the hunt-or-be-hunted vibe created by the vision obscurring fog and many trees.

GEMINI Visually one of my favorite new maps, designed after the High Charity level on Halo 2's campaign mode. All the futuristic sliding doors and random noises are there, and the view of High Charity's core from the "back porch" area is some of the best scenery in all of Halo 2's multiplayer maps. Due to the small nature of the map, it probably won't make a great map for assault or CTF variants, but it's perfectly fine for slayer variants as well as oddball, juggernaut, et cetera.

RELIC sort of a "storming the beach" style map designed for single flag CTF and assault. Unlike Zanzibar, the water is actually a hazard as you will 'fall to your death' if you swim out too far (something to think about when screeching around haphazardly in your warthog.) This is a very unique map with a very specific setup the defensive structure is extremely difficult to gain access to as you must travel all the way to the back of it, on the opposite side of the island, to find a ramp, with lots of open space and few obstacles to hide behind inbetween. Also, there is a two way teleporter that can be activated from inside the base (a double-edged sword, as you can imagine.)

TERMINAL Probably the busiest/most complicated map in the pack, it can be very disorienting before you learn where everything is. It is based on a train terminal somewhere in New Mombasa and the bullet train itself is a very important aspect of this map. No attack can be launched on the defensive base without taking the train into consideration, which deals out sudden death indescriminately. Your vehicle will not save you. After getting your bearings straight, this is a pretty fun map and a flexible one at that. It's complexity lends itself to large slayer games (at least 8 people because of its size) and the bases are designed in a lopsided fashion that encourages single flag CTF in specific.

And now the bonus content I would not recommend buying this pack based purely on the bonus content. First, the cinematic is novel, and relatively well done, but ultimately isn't about anything. And it's only about 2 or 3 minutes long. The documentary is a lot better and covers each map individually, but in the end it is still too short for comfort I'm sure there is a lot more to tell us and most of this information is available in the booklet as well, if you're patient enough to read it. Overall, the incentive to buy it comes down to permanence of ownership, since now that you have the disc in your hands, you can reload the maps onto your Xbox no matter how many Xboxes you go through or if your Live service goes kaput. A second, morally questionable, incentive is that I'm pretty sure you can use this to load the maps and game upgrades onto friends' Xboxes if you're having a LAN party and discover that one of the rotten b*stards doesn't have any of the new maps you want to play on (I'm pretty sure Microsoft installed a sort of failsafe involving registration similar to Windows XP, so said rotten b*stard probably would not be able to take those maps online.)

Overall, great purchase, great maps Bungie did a fantastic job with these fun, unique maps and asthetically they have outdone the old maps by a LOT. One can only hope we will be blessed with another string of great map add-ons some day in the future, but with the immenant release of the Xbox 360, I'm not holding my breath. Soak 'em in.

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The world's greatest multiplayer game just got better. Take the fight from the streets of the Old Mombasa to the islands of delta halo to the very edges of the galaxy. The nine new maps included in this pack nearly double Halo 2's multiplayer arena. Some battlefields feature tight quartered, intense spaces designed for small scale mayhem. Others are large scale, interactive arenas with explosive vehicle combat perfect for split screen, system link or xbox live.

Nine bran new maps feature a huge variety of locations, from swamp to space station and beyond. Huge landscapes for epic vehicle battles, and dynamic environments for strategic confrontations. New gameplay enhancements intensify weapon, grenade, and melee combat.

BONUS FEATURES: Behind the scenes: Halo 2 Multiplayer pack documentary. "Another day at the beach" Animated halo 2 short side story. Complete game updates, including support for HDTV, improved Xbox live gameplay and cool gameplay enhancements.

MAPS:

RELIC: A battle scarred island rises from the blue waters of the Delta Halo sea. A titanic Forerunner structure juts menacingly from the center like the spine of a beached behemoth. It is outdoor, the vehicles are ghost and warthog. The weapons are: Carbine, Energy Sword, Magnum, Needler, Plasma Pistol, Battle rifle, Beam rifle, Plasma rifle, Sniper rifle, Rocket launcher, shotgun, SMG.

Best for 1-bomb assault, 1-flag capture the flag. There is a two awy teleporter.

TURF: Outdoor, Asymmetrical. Vehicles are warthog. Weapons are: brute shot, magnum, plasma pistol, battle rifle, plasma rifle, brute plasma rifle, sniper rifle, shotgun, SMG.

Best with king of the hill, Oddball, Slayer, Territories.

WARLOCK: Indoor, Symmetrical. No vehicles. Weapons are: magnum, needler, battle rifle, shotgun, SMG.

Best with CTF, Oddball, Slayer. optional turrets. Steam lifts, and active camo.

An ancient ruin forgotten, whether a temple or prison warlock is another key of the forerunners.

Elongation: A cargo cruiser that shuttles weapons and supplies right above earth.

Indoor, symmetrical. No vehicles. Weapons are: Brute shot, magnum, plasma pistol, Battle rifle, plasma rifle, shotgun, SMG

Best with CTF, king of the hill, Oddball, Slayer.

CONTAINMENT: Part fortress, part laboratory. Snowy place.

Outdoor, Symmetrical. Vehicles are: Banshee, scorpion, gauss 'hog.

Weapons are: brute shot, carbine, magnum, needler, plasma pistol, battle rifle, plasma rifle, sniper rifle, rocket launcher, shotgun, SMG.

Best with CTF, Slayer. There are turrets, gates and teleporters and active camo and overshield. This place is huge!

TERMIANL: Once a neighborhood now a place for chaos.

Outdoor, Asymmetrical. Vehicales are: Ghost, warthog, wraith.

Weapons are: Carbine, Energy sword, magnum, plasma pistol, battle rifle, sniper rifle, shotgun, SMG.

Best with Assualt, CTF. There are turrets, trains, and overshields.

BACKWASH: Basically a swamp with many hiding spots with a centerhold that veiws the whole area. Hard to see enemies with dark colors, its freakin foggy. It is outdoor, Symmetrical and has no vehicles. The weapons are brute shot, carbine, energy sword, magnum, plasma pistol, battle rifle, plasma rifle, sentinel beam, shotgun, SMG.

Best in slayer and CTF. There are optional turrets and active camo.

Sanctuary: An ancient place with structures made from brick. The place is identical on both sides and is hard to tell where you are. It is outdoor, Symmetrical and has no vehicles. The weapons are: Carbine, energy sword, magnum, needler, plasma pistol, battle rifle, plasma rifle, shotgun, SMG.

Best with CTF, Slayer, and territories. There are turrets and no devices or power-ups.

GEMINI: The alien ship of prophets. Has a huge model of a prophet in the center. It is indoor, Asymmetrical and no vehicles. The default weapons are: Brute shot, carbine, energy sword, plasma pistol, beam rifle, plasma rifle, shotgun, SMG.

Best with king of the hill, oddball and slayer.

This is a very good map pack and should pick it up if you dont have live, if you have life just downoald them for free. It is rated M for mature for blood and gor and violence. For my opinion this should be rated T for teen, not enough blood and gore to be named mature. So remember if you want to Enhance, Expand, and Engage your Halo then pick this up.

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I can not get over how much this disk kicks ass,1st of all you get 9. count em 9 new multiplayer maps, sure we all love zanzibar,coagualtion,ascension...etc, but those maps do tend to get old after many months of playing. luckily bungie has saved us all from becoming bored with halo 2 especially us who are live less.Although their were alot of small to medium maps they were awesome, i love the bonus movies that come with it as well the day at the beach was a great short story about the marines who were shot down in new mombosa.The killtacular video was great as well showing each of the new maps in their prime as well as giving their feelings about them.Although it dosent say it on the package their is actually 2 MORE bonus movies the original halo trailer from 2000 and the 1st halo 2 trailer ever shown from 2002.Now on to my reviews of each of the maps

1.Containment-Oh my God this map is HUGE it is set in the quarintine zone, their are 2 symmetrical bases on each side which each contain a gauss hog and a banshee and on your outside wall you get a scorpion tank blah,blah,blah thats all old newsright? well littered through out this huge map are fusion cores which create mass damage when hit, and out side each of the bases their's a little switch tower which opens the door to the base which allows vehicles in although it closes shortly after.Over all i give this map a (5/5)

2.Warlock-A small map set somewhere on delta halo this map is reminiscent of the halo 1 map wizard it was actually the basis for this map it is totally symmetrical so its fair the only noticable things on this map are the warps on each side, the grav lifts, and the active camo in the center. i give it a (3/5)

3.Turf-Ah Turf the map that had everyone hopes up for big rooftop battles and climbing atop the fallen scarab well give up those dreams because you can't there is VERY few rooftops you can get on this map, it is a lot smaller than i thought it would be this is a medium to small map depends on your view point.although this map really disappointed me it's still really good not as good as i hoped it would be but it is still a great map which was designed for the game territories great for 2 player skirmishes or even more any way i give this map a (4/5)

4.Elongation-A very small map set on a cargo ship,its not hard to see the base of this map it is none other than longest from halo 1, if you are familiar with this map you should be happy to know that the annoying holes and ladders are gone and have been replaced with ramps and slopes, but the greatest feature of this map would have to be the moving crates that go through the level believe it or not these are actually key to getting to the 2nd floor quicker.this is a really nice remake of longest i give it a (3/5)

5.Relic-Relic now this is an awesome level,set on an island in the middle of the sea of delta halo the greatest aspect of this map is the big tower in the center of the map.This map was designed for 1 flag ctf matches this map is more of a snipers haven than turf is supposedly the only complaint i have with this map is that it dosent support tanks it is definately large enough for it over all this is an awesome map a (5/5)

6.Backwash-The suprise map for me i expected this to be another run of the mill slayer map right? WRONG this map is great its set on a swamp on delta halo similar to 343 guilty spark on the halo 1 single player level i personally love this map its so foggy and strange for ONCE having the sword is a disadvantage because players can see you on the whole map normally you can't see anyone less than say 3-10 feet from you theres a tower in the center which contains a active camo and a bruteshot which is great but the center is very well lit and thats not a good thing everyone will come after you one of the greatest aspects of this level is that it actually supports 1 vehicle although the book that comes with the disk says other wise.this is one of the greatest maps in the whole map pack a (5/5)

7.Gemini-ah yes another remade level although not from halo 1 this time you have to go back to bungies early days to find this ones base it is a remake of the marathon map duality.this map was great a lot greater than i expected it would be theres warps everywhere a nice sniping perch a huge statue of a prophet in the center which is good for camping over all a great map i give it a (4/5)

8.Sanctuary-A great medium to small level this map was made for multi flag ctf, set in an outside environment theres a large temple in the center which holds an energy sword and bases on opposite ends of the maps another symmetrical map it has a nice atmosphere water falls everywhere aquaducts its a nice calming invironment to bad you have to fill it with blood and bullet holes a nice map (3/5)

9.Terminal-ah at last we reach terminal my favorite out of the whole map pack 1st of all the greatest feature is the trains which run through the center every 15-30 seconds anhilating anything in its path this is a large map set in new mombosa theres parking garages tons of sniping spots this is the best map for 1 flag ctf its awesome not so good for multiflag though the sides are very assymetrical, i love the fact that they put the sword in the center of the tracks so now its a challenge to get i love this map i give it a (5/5)

Well theres my review of the halo 2 multiplayer map pack a steal at $20.00 i definately recommend it.Especially if your x box live less like me.

Note:Also included in the map pack is an autoupdate for halo 2 that you MUST download it makes melee and grenades stronger along with the brute shot it also fixes a lot of the gliches that a lot of people were abusing.

Honest reviews on Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack - Xbox

The map pack is a must have for Halo addicts. The new maps are creative, complete and offer new variations within a game that is already incredible.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack - Xbox

I've been playing Halo 2 for quite a while now, and most of the time I play split screen with my brothers. We had gotten bored of the old maps, although many were really cool (Zanzibar, Ascension, Lockout). We had simply played them too much. So when I heard about this new multiplayer map pack I knew I had to get it, to have some fresh new maps to try and experiment with.

This map pack has 9 new maps, which are all unique and suitable for different game types (capture the flag, team slayer, oddball, territories, etc.). Some of them are really huge, the largest being Containment, Terminal, and Relic. Containment is a huge, snow-covered map with huge fortified bases that look awesome, good for 8-on-8 or 4-on-4 team CTF or slayer. This map has new interactive objects on them that blow up if you run them over or shoot them, which can be moved around and used like a mine (watch the mini-documentary called "Killtacular" that comes with the CD you'll laugh at what one guy at Bungie coins these explosive devices). The other gigantic map is Relic, which is a really cool and awesome-looking map. It's a huge island with lots of new scenery and it's also great for big CTF or slayer matches. Terminal is another large level that looks really cool and futuristic, and features a fast train that runs through the middle. If you get hit by the train you die (apparently killed by the Guardians, whoever they are), and there's an energy sword on the train tracks. Since I usually play split screen 2-on-2 team slayer with my brothers these huge maps aren't really suitable, because you get bored if you run around for five minutes before you see someone.

My favorite maps are Sanctuary, Backwash, Turf, and Elongation (in order of descending size). Sanctuary looks beautiful, with waterfalls and really cool tunnels and bridges. It has two distinct bases and some really clever sniping spots. Elongation is an interesting level, because it has two conveyor belts that move in opposite directions. It also has big blocks on these belts which are great for hiding spots. Turf is in a urban street environment, and has alot of hiding spots and tight alleys. This level definitely has the most detail in it. Backwash is a humid and spooky-looking level that's pretty cool and weird looking. It's like a swamp and you can't see far because of the green fog. It's pretty good for close battles with energy swords and shotguns.

The last two maps I didn't mention are Warlock and Gemini. Warlock is an interesting map because it is perfectly symmetrical. This map is dark and has a great environment, and features shotguns, battle rifles, SMGs, plasma rifles, and magnums. This makes it a close-combat type level. Gemini is a very cool and surreal looking level that is supposed to be a holy shrine for the covenants (see the video "Killtacular" for more information about the maps) I really like this map also, although it's a bit too dark.

Overall, these maps are a great addition to the Halo 2 multiplayer maps. My only gripe is that most of the maps are really huge, and the games I play are usually 2-on-2 split screen. I gave this map pack 5 stars because these maps have really been produced excellently, the detail is great, and the originality of the maps is definitely evident. In my opinion Sanctuary and Turf are the best additions. However, you'll probably have different favorites. Basically, the best way to know about these new maps is to play them and see them for yourself, because as they say, "a picture is worth a thousand words." There is definitely a great variety of maps, and these are original maps that are very different from the ones that came with Halo 2. So I think all that's left is for you to purchase this map pack, which I believe is a good deal at $20, considering that you get 9 maps and some neat movies on the disc. Granted, the map pack disc will probably not be touched after downloading the maps and seeing the movies, since the maps will be on the X-Box's hard drive and you'll just play Halo 2 regularly. So if you're a Halo 2 multiplayer fan who either plays on Live or has big multiplayer parties, and you're tired of playing Zanzibar or Ascension for the umpteenth time (like I was), then go ahead and get this Halo 2 Map Pack. The guys at Bungie worked hard to make fresh, new maps so that all of us Halo fans can still have fun playing awesome multiplayer games into the wee hours of the morning.