Cheap Guitar Hero 2 Guitar Controller

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I own the PC version of Guitar Hero III. The game comes with one guitar and I wanted another to hook into the multi-player option. This guitar has a USB connection and was recognized by Windows XP with no trouble.

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I bought this guitar as a second guitar so we could play multiplayer Guitar Hero. The guitar itself works great and the game is a blast. My only complaint it that I have to sit closer to the TV then I would like because of the cord length. They really need a wireless version of the Guitar. My kids are always running around the room and trip over the cable as well. That said, it's still a great guitar for the game.

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This is one of my favorite guitars to use for guitar hero as well as rock band. The strum bar is right on as well as the notes. The only downfall that I would say is that it quit working after a year of some really heavy playing.

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Of the seven guitar controllers I have used, this one, even after four years, is still number two on my list.

The reason this guitar really works is the same reason that newer models of guitar controllers don't: nothing fancy was done. The guitar is hard plastic, single body construction. No detachable neck, overly large whammy bar, long or wide neck, silent strum bar, loose frets, too heavy, and so on.

This and the controller that came with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (my all time favorite) are both about the same weight, but the GH:A controller was wireless, and when it finally gave out it just became too expensive to keep buying it on its own to justify using it as my primary controller. So since that one isn't economically viable, I have gone to my number two to fill the void, and it does so beautifully.

I think the state of current guitar controller models can be summed up in a short story that took place a couple weeks ago. I had recently purchased the Logitech Xbox 360 Wireless Guitar Controller, and when I showed the couple of friends I frequently play Rock Band with, they were both blown away at its beauty and realism. But over the next few hours (I brought the Logitech and the XPLORER) over which both were handed around and used quite a bit, the unanimous conclusion was that the white XPLORER guitar controller was far superior. And so my conclusion is that if what gamers wanted was the heft and look of a real guitar, they would learn to play a real guitar (or try out the upcoming Pro Mode in Rock Band 3 using a MIDI guitar controller). All the bells and whistles and wirelessness in the world can't compete with results.

And this is the original Guitar Hero 2 controller at its core. It can handle the beating I give it (I play on expert), where other guitar controllers can't really cut it. This controller takes some time to break in, maybe a couple weeks or so to loosen up the strum bar and break the frets in, but once you do it is completely worth it. The two biggest things that completely ruin guitar controllers for me are:

1. When you down-strum and the controller reads it as two when it snaps back into place.

2. When the frets are too loose and the controller doesn't read that you are pressing a button down.

This guitar controller has neither problem. Well, for the most part. Over the few years I've been playing I have probably gone through about six of these XPLORER's, which isn't too bad considering they get a couple hours of use a night on average.

The XPLORER is wired and doesn't have any show, but it works a lot better than the glitzy controllers being produced currently. What good is realism if it's going to negatively affect your playing?

Eventually you realize that it isn't worth a thing.

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Great game but guitar quit working after one use. The button started sticking and I had to return it. Charlie's house of discount was great and didn't give me any problems over the return. Guess I should have bought something that they still make...

Best Zuma's Revenge with Peggle Bonus - PC Deals

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $11.99
Today's Bonus: 40% Off

ZUMA is back! And if you can believe IT IS EVEN BETTER!

PopCap Games introduced the original ZUMA in 2003 and brought to the foreground a genre that was, up to then, oriented exclusively towards kids. ZUMA created a new school of games: from the excellent LUXOR Series to the recent INCA BALL, the playful BEETLE BOMP and (my favorite!) ATLANTIS: SKY PATROL: Zuma-clones came in all shapes and forms. Some introduced new ideas and some of them improved the original concept. And the new ZUMA has incorporated most of them.

If you have already enjoyed the original game, let me tell you what is new. First off, yes, the graphics and sounds are much improved. Also, your frog does not have to simply rotate all the time. As with LUXOR, in some stages you can slide across a predefined path (not always horizontal) whereas, in others, you can hop between multiple Lily Pads.

Moreover, there are now three new special abilities: the Laser beam, the Lightening and the TriShot. With the Laser you can target specific balls (advisable to aim at the bonuses!); the Lightening will remove all balls of the same color as the one you targeted; and with the TriShot, well, it is pretty much self-explanatory: you fire off three metal canon-balls that wipe out everything in their path.

Finally, every 10 stages there are now bosses you cannot harm until their henchmen get smashed (an idea from ATLANTIS: SKY PATROL) or their specific weakness is figured out and of course you will be fighting the color-stream at the same time.

If you are not familiar with the game this is the gist of it: a series of colored balls (with the number of different colors increasing every few levels) streams in and you have to shot and match them in sets of three or more in order to remove them and prevent them from reaching the end zone. There are now numerous different modes (ADVENTURE, various CHALLENGES, IRON FROG) and all are exceptional addictive!! So take care not to have any deadlines or immovable obligations looming!

This is a perfect example of what has come to be known as Casual Gaming. It would be a good idea to download the limited-time free trial version from a casual gaming site (such as POPCAP GAMES or REFLEXIVE you can Google them) and decide for yourself whether this is indeed your cup of tea. It comes to about 100MB so a fast connection will be needed for that.

Everybody can make a good game that will run only on a super-computer. This is an example of pure programming genius!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

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Oh the hours I played the original version of Zuma! I could have been working on more intellectual pursuits, but no I was addicted to Zuma. But then after much time had passed it lost it's appeal from over-use and slipped into the background, once again I had time for all the old hobbies that I had loved. I only played occasionallyand I was in control. Things were good.

Then, Zuma's Revenge came out. My husband brought it to my attention. I tried to seem disinterested. But we ended up buying less than a week later. When it arrived I tried to be coy. I didn't even look at the box, and gave it to my husband to load on his computer and play.

The familiar Zuma sounds, mixed with new ones kept seeping into my ears... The new graphics... they seemed intriguing. And new levels... and sort of a story line... and new types of 'power' balls... It was too much for me. I loaded it and began playing. That old familiar feeling was back again, compelling me to play for hours on end until my eyes dry out from staring at the colored balls.

Game play is similar to the old version, the idea is hitting colored balls to make matches and eliminate them before your time runs out. But this version has new levels and new configurationsin several you can hop your zuma frog to a new lily pad or in some he slides along a track at the bottom. I also appreciated the Tiki area where you can see your stats for game play. For someone like me who fancies herself a champion Zuma player, it's cool to have the data although I miss the old version where you could see if you had beaten your top score and it also let you see other user's scores if they happened to be higher than yours on each level.

I also liked the new way they configured the challenge area, and the extra iron frog challenge is nice.

I'd say it's worth the 19.99, but you can download a free trial at if you still aren't sure.

Best Deals for Zuma's Revenge with Peggle Bonus - PC

I hate it when I purchase a game and have it beat in two weeks. This game keeps the challenge up. And, I love the fact that it has "adventure" mode and "challenge" mode. When the adventure gets too tough, you can play in challenge mode for a while and challenge your own score. I still haven't beat the game, but it's not frustrating me, it's keeping the game fun. Really am enjoying it.

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I have been a great fan of Zuma. While many game 'updates' have disappointed me Zuma's Revenge did not disappoint. Some nice extra functionality in the game, graphics run much better (even on my slimmed down laptop running windows 7). If you liked Zuma, Zuma's Revenge will be an great addition to your gaming addictions.

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I bought Zuma Deluxe thought that was awsome it was. Then Zuma Revenge came out. I can not stop playing it. Need to master all of the levels. The sound effects and the visual effects of this game is awsome. I would recommed this game to everyone. This game is for every age group even my young grandson and great niece and nephews love to play you can start at the easy levels and work your way to the more difficult levels. It is hard to stop playing this game. LOVE IT

Cheap Xbox 360 Repair Kit XCLAMP 3 Red Light Fix X-Clamp RROD Red Ring

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This rrod repair is fantastic. It was every easy to install with no experience really needed. I installed it a few months ago and I've been gaming non stop. And, you can't find a better price.

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Xbox 360 Official Rock Band Faceplate and Console Skinz - Scorpion Reviews

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $4.98
Today's Bonus: 83% Off

I recently acquired a Kinect and a new Xbox 360 controller (black with LEDs). My 360, a Jasper arcade, was a boring white. So, when combined with my sleek black Kinect and sleek black controller, my 360 appeared out of place. To remedy this, I decided that I was going to find a skin or a faceplate or something-anythingthat would make my 360 match everything else. Upon searching for decent skins and faceplates for my 360, I was annoyed with the outrageous prices many of them had ($25, $30, $40, etc.). Then, I discovered this. At my time of purchase, I was able to obtain this product for around $10 (with shipping) like the other two Rock Band skins. Although the price is now much higher (due to only 1 seller having it), I am certain that the price will lower again soon. Anyways, I decided to order this product. Upon receiving it, I quickly opened it up and removed the faceplate from the package and then the skins. The faceplate is an excellent quality faceplate (sturdy, well-painted, etc.). Most of the time, a high-quality faceplate alone will cost a lot of money, so I was extremely pleased with this one. Installing a new faceplate is very simple and anyone can do it (even a little kid, though I wouldn't recommend it XD). The skins look very nice as well. However, like many others have said in other reviews, the way the product is packaged creates a long crease down the middle of both of the skins. Installing them can be a bit frustrating if you want them to be on even and perfect (I am a person who must have something like this perfect). Once you have the skins on properly, they really make your 360 look cool. Unless you're specifically looking for them, the creases aren't very noticeable at all. When the skins are combined with the faceplate, your Xbox won't look the same at all. Many of my friends think that my Xbox looks amazing now, and I have even caused one friend to want to buy a skin and a faceplate for his system.Overall, I love this product and am very glad that I purchased it. Now, my 360, Kinect, and controller all match perfectly, and my setup is loved by many.

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This skin was easy to install and makes the xbox look completely different. Unlike some others, this one comes with the hard face plate instead of sticker to cover it. As I am not a video game expert, just the mom to two of them, it took me a while to realize the original face plate will come off. Very easy to install, and apply the skins to the sides and top. As the other reviewer mentioned, they seller did fold the skin in half which leaves a crease, but hardly noticeable. For the price it was a great buy.

Best Deals for Xbox 360 Official Rock Band Faceplate and Console Skinz - Scorpion

In short, this skin was very easy to install and looks very professional on the xbox 360.

The skins for the top and the bottom of the xbox, came in a nice package, however, the skins were folded in half.

This wouldn't be a big deal, but this rediculous idea to save space left both the skins with two permanent crease marks through the middle of the skin. Additionally, this comes with a physical faceplate, which is a major PRO

however, seeing as its only $10, came out really nice (and i dont even notice the creases due to the placement of the console)i still will give this item 4 stars

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Official Rock Band Faceplate and Console Skinz - Scorpion

I love this skin changed my 360 and made it rockin.The cover is just what I need, my friend and family love playing our rock band 360.I love it!!!!! Thank you.

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The vinyl part of this which covers the sides is fairly good, however the front panel or faceplate, is useless. it clicks on but won't allow you to use the power button! Needless to say it renders it useless! I tried it on all 3 x-boxes we have with the same results. Before you ask, I am not trying to apply or use it on a slim or similar unit.

I was really disappointed as I purchased mainly for the faceplate. I don't know why these consoles only seem to come in bright colors for the most part. Who really wants to have a bright white box next to the TV? As for the rating, I am being generous with 2 stars simply because the vinyl sides are a nice quality, however why would you want to have an X-Box with black sides and a white front

Reviews of XBOX 360 Bulk Hardware Lot for XBOX 360 X-Clamp Replacement

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great item but service sucks dealing with them directly. If you want to order a certain amount you better do it here or they will try to sell you a bunch of them you will not need for a period of time and ask for a smaller amount and they will not reply to your email anymore. Lowes also sell shorter screws m10 as long as you dont have the fat heads you are good to go....

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very fast shipping it came faster then what the delivery date stated very impressed the quality of the screw's,washers, and nylons i'll be buying more once i run low thanks selling i'll be doing business with you soon.

Best Deals for XBOX 360 Bulk Hardware Lot for XBOX 360 X-Clamp Replacement

You know you hate those dreaded red lights on your xbox. Fear not though. You can fix the issue yourself with a bit of time and some parts from XBRDepot. I hadn't heard of this company until I had trouble finding some of the parts I needed to fix my box in the home improvement stores. Lucky for me, Amazon carried their products.

The first thing I noticed is how flat the tops were. This is exactly what you need for this mod. I also noticed that the screws were MUCH shorter than the ones recommended by other sites for this mod. But once I checked out their website for the instructions I found out the size was actually perfect. It was just as wide as the other screws, just shorter which meant you didn't have to waste as many washers. Perfect!

The screws themselves looked exactly like the picture posted. All in perfect condition and all felt like they were very high quality. If you are looking to fix your xbox on your own and are thinking about removing the XClamps, take a look at all of the great products this company offers by looking at their website. Then come back to amazon and order it here. It costs the same as the site but you can use your amazon prime to get it fast.

Reviews of Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare - Xbox 360

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $14.99
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

This does NOT CONTAIN Red Dead Redemption's single player campaign. Undead Nightmare is its own single player campaign (along with the multiplayer bits outlined below when you buy the disc version of Undead Nightmare)

For those wondering, if you already have any or all of the Red Dead Redemption DLC, this probably isn't the most cost effective way to collect the rest (assuming you pay MSRP; currently Amazon is running it for $20 (Nov 29, 2010)).

Here's what you receive in this set, including current price on Xbox Live:

Undead Nightmare $10 (800 points)

Liars and Cheats $10 (800 points)

Legends and Killers $10 (800 points)

Outlaws to the End FREE and NOT INCLUDED in this set; I'm not sure if you can download this and use it w/ UN, though I don't believe you can

Xbox Live Total price: $30 (2400 points)

One option that is ALSO available on Xbox Live is the Undead Nightmare Pack for $20 (1600 points). The only reason this isn't the best option is under 2 circumstances: you've already bought ANY of the DLC ($10 each) OR if the MSRP of this stand alone edition is $20 (which, as of Nov 29, 2010, it is on the 360). Except for those circumstances, $20 is always cheaper than $30.

Another reason to buy this set is if you don't own the original RDR and JUST want to play multiplayer RDR, as this game contains the same multiplayer community as the original RDR and can be played with those that have just UN OR those that have RDR only. DLC restrictions not withstanding of course. This being said, however, I don't feel the multiplayer tight enough to justify buying this just to play multiplayer. And given the UN piece is single player (with exception to the horde style mode), and you won't necessarily know the characters (there is little to no character development as Rockstar assumes you already know the RDR cast), buying UN as anything but DLC doesn't make a ton of sense to me personally; this review is for those that decide to go this route anyway.

The final reason you should pick this up as a standalone release is if you don't have the hard drive space for the DLC. That makes perfect sense. Of course, the other option is to buy the DLC and buy a USB hard drive or USB memory device fast enough to install content to, which would allow you to use UN AND other DLC you may wish to own and your hard drive is full.

Now for the review of the content proper.

Undead Nightmare. In an interview with a Rockstar employee, the statement was made that Undead Nightmare (UN) should be taken like this:

The cast of Red Dead Redemption (RDR) has evenings off but has access to the set, makeup and cameras. Being bored and having nothing else to do, they get together in the evenings and create a new production with the same characters and a twist on the RDR story and that is what UN is all about.

This description seems to make you think it isn't RDR canon then. It is. And that's the cool part. It plays right into the whole RDR game perfectly; well almost. RDR, for the most part, is believable. UN, well, we know zombies or the walking dead don't exist (plausible deniability here on my part!), but with the way it starts, and ends, it fits in the world almost seamlessly. If you take out the fact that zombies don't exist (plausible deniability again).

You take over John Marston's character once again. Without giving away too much of the plot, John feels tasked to finding a cure for the undead walking because of an issue that, once again, hits VERY close to home.

They've almost nailed this DLC to perfection. They bring back many of the characters you know and love from RDR and give you extra quests with them. Some "return" if you know what I mean, which is cool too. The music takes the RDR music and turns it on its head. Given the sickness present in the world, which infects people and animal alike, it is only right that the music is also infected!

What I don't like is the repetitive nature of the DLC. The quests are all well and good, but having to save towns constantly from zombie hordes is a bit tiring. Ammo is supposed to be kind of scarce, but given killing zombies isn't all that difficult, ammo tends to be quite plentiful, especially if you free all the towns whenever they are being over run. The other part I despise is the challenges. You think some of the challenges on the RDR are repetitive, mindless and don't fit well within the world? These are about the same. Sure, one can argue that the challenges help you and fit in the world by granting you more ammo and weapons, but really, it just feels like something added to be able to put the "20-30 hours more content!" bullet point on the box. If you ignore the challenges and only do the quests, you're probably looking at about 10-15 hours total, max, for UN.

Legends and Killers Packadds areas to the multiplayer map, characters and the tomahawk weapon. The tomahawk adds challenges to the single player game, but nothing more for single player. My comment above on the challenges not really adding much stands for this content. IMO this one isn't worth $10 on its own.

Liars and Cheats PackAdds new multiplayer mode (stronghold) where you defend a place or attack it on teams/posses, horse races in multiplayer, multiplayer Liars Dice and Poker (no Blackjack loving here), more characters, new map locations in multiplayer (plus hunting grounds) and the Explosive Rifle weapon (along with corresponding multiplayer and single player challenges; My comment above on the challenges not really adding much stands for this content.) Of all of the multiplayer focused DLC, this is the best of the set IMO given how much it adds.

Over all UN is a fun game that continues in the spirit of RDR. I'm just not sure it's worth the price of standalone admission given how much you miss out on having not played RDR.

Why 4 stars? The single player and multiplayer games are FUN. Even without playing RDR you can have fun w/ either, though I believe having played RDR gives you a better appreciation of the UN game, which is why I gave it only 4 stars instead of 5. As far as buying UN on its own, it really only makes sense if you meet any of the criteria outlined above. If you own RDR and have the drive space for DLC, buy the UN collection pack and get all of this without needing to wait for the disc. For those that own RDR, this is probably a 3 star release.

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After finishing Red Dead Redemption main game I wanted more, so I decided to pick a copy of this game at another retailer. This is another full story, related with the original story, but completely different, like in a parallel universe to call it that way. Uncle has become infected with this zombie plague and infected John Marston's wife and kid, so John decides to tie them (wife and kid and not kill them), and leave them locked at home until he finds a cure.

John needs to travel the same RDR world but infested with zombies and help survivors on each town and clear them out, while learning what is causing this plague and how to erradicate it. There is a main story, side quests and more stranger missions. This expansion is tougher than the original RDR because:

1. You cannot fast travel unless you have cleared a town and as long as it remains on a "SAFE" status.

2. Zombies can only be killed with headshots or by burning them with fire. You have very limited ammo, and there are no stores. Dead Eye is very very important on this expansion to survive, to make accurate shots.

3. Unlike RDR where enemies try to shoot you but they protect themselves to not be killed, zombies do not care about getting killed, so all will jump at you. Need to have a horse to move faster than then

4. Survivors really help you to kill them, if you help them. If you shoot at any of the survivors, they will also try to kill you.

5. Great new weapons like the torch and tomahawk

6. Great new horses (4 apocalypse ones), War horse (surrounded by fire) is awesome, because you can burn whatever you touch with it

7. Single player is a whole brand new story (8 to 10 hours to beat). That is the lenght of many other top games available and this is just an expansion.

8. Include all multiplayer maps

9. You can play without the need of having the original RDR disc.

10. Extremely fun and scary at the same time.

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I am very poor at video games and buy very few, but this one looked so interesting, I could not pass it up.

I was definitely not disappointed.

This game keeps me entertained for hours, it never freezes and it has very few glitches.

When this game is on sale for $19.99 or less, it is an absolute steal, in my opinion.

Honest reviews on Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare - Xbox 360

First, let me state that I LOVED Red Dead Redemption. I played that game to death until unlocking the 100% completion achievement. After that, there's literally nothing to do but take in the beautiful landscape. You could TRY the multiplayer, but let's face it, most people online are morons and would rather be self-satisfying jerks than play a game the way it was intended. Having said that, I found out about the Undead Nightmare DLC only after I sold my copy of the game. I don't remember how I stumbled upon this, but the Undead Nightmare stand-alone game came along and I had to have it. No, you do not need the original game disc to play this. It's basically Red Dead Redemption with a shorter list of story-based missions, and it's about ZOMBIES! Yes, the "zombies" thing might start to be getting old to some, what with the Treyarch Crud-of-Doody title's zombie modes, and the Left 4 Dead & Dead Rising franchises, but taking into account the RDR proper game mechanics, and you've got yourself one "hell" of a good time (sorry, I really didn't have to, but I did anyway).

The game eases you into how to deal with this new style of enemy by first only pitting you against a few at a time. You start to feel confident that this game is going to be a push-over, that is until you start running into more and more of them. Next thing you know, you're out of ammo and you're scrambling to get out of there as soon as possible. I had to rethink how to play the game, and strategize how to combat a large group of enemies more than when they were human! RDR: Undead Nightmare single-player campaign reminds me more about what I liked in the first place about RDR, instead of feeling like more of the same which usually happens with add-on packages.

A great little bonus is full access to everything the online multiplayer has to offer, plus the specific DLC game modes that were originally sold separately. Perfect for me, seeing as I had beaten the single-player of RDR like a dead horse, but had barely scratched the surface of the multiplayer. For those that don't already own, or have beaten and traded/sold their copy of RDR, this is WELL worth the money.

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Its a really fun game. It's like lead 4 dead combined with Grand theft auto into one amazing game. The campaign is really fun, especially with zombies everywhere and you can play multiplayer with other people who don't even have undead nightmare.

Review of Microsoft (X-Box) Xbox LIVE

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Hi,

I started out as a beta tester. I was concerned about the connection quality, since I live in Alaska. We have lower than recommended broadband upload speeds (128K), plus I share the connection through a router/switch. Anyway, all of my online games (NBA 2K3, NFL 2K3, Mech Assult, Moto GP, and NFL Fever 2003) play great online. People are amazed they are playing someone from Alaska. Human opponents add a truly new dimenson to the games. The unpredictably and challenge that a human opponent offers is great, plus the ability of talking to them is even better. I've learned all types of great gaming tips this way. The XBox Live system allows you to keep your team rosters up to date, download extra levels, characters, and equipment depending upon the game. The startup is very easy and I have never had to use any tech support to start playing games online. I'm concerned that the people who give the poor reviews are diehard PS2 lovers. XBox Live is really what sets apart the XBox from the PS2 and the Gamecube. Sure the other systems have online capability, but at added cost and without a standardized connection process and security. I hope this helps and my apologizies for the long review.

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I would like to address the issues that Parents might have heard concerning this product.

XBOX live allows game players to use their XBOX to play with other games all around the world. We have spent countless hours enjoying our system, and I would like to put to rest any fear you may have concerning this product.

In order to set up the system, you must enter a credit card. This card number may be used to purchase additional levels to a game, or better cars and equipment. However, there is a parental control option which will prevent children from purchasing anything without your permission.

Since the headset allows kids to speak with their game playing buddies, it also allows them to mask their voice, so they don't sound the same. Example: a younger child can mask his voice to sound like a grown man or a cartoon character.

So far, most of the people I have encountered have been cordial and great fun. However, if I encounter a player that rubs me the wrong way for some reason, I just mute him, and can no longer hear anything he/she says.

Any players that I enjoy playing with, I just add to my friends list. The more I play, the more friends I find, and the games become more enjoyable. Now when I play a game, I can choose from people I already know that I enjoy.

One of my favorite parts is being able to enjoy the game as a guest of my son, while he is playing. It allows up some great together time.

As a conscientious parent, please let me say that I have found the XBOX to be an enjoyable extension to the XBOX gaming machine.

Best Deals for Microsoft (X-Box) Xbox LIVE

So far it looks like Microsoft has done a very good job with XBox Live. The starter kit gets you a disc that updates your XBox with Live capability and includes a couple of demo games. Frankly, the demo games aren't very exciting. I recommend picking up a new game (such as Unreal Championship or Mech Assault) when you purchase the starter kit. The kit also includes a headset for talking with other players (more on this later). Finally, your [money] gets you all this and a one year subscription to the service. After this, there is a monthly fee. Conveniently (ok, very annoyingly), when you go through the setup process, you enter your credt card information and accept an agreement that will auto-bill your credit card once the initial year passes. I would have preferred to have the option to automatically terminate the service, but why give the consumer what they might want? :)

Once you get setup, fire up your favorite XBox Live enabled game and enjoy a relatively lag-free online gaming experience. I've primarily played Unreal Championship and have had no major lag issues and always had a great time playing. Talking to other players really adds a new dimension to gaming. People aren't too chatty just yet, but I've had generally good experiences talking to other gamers online. Interestingly, even though you can opt to mask your voice, most people don't.

One final note. The XBox Live site doesn't advise using a wireless network (technically, they aren't supported). I've been using a wireless network exclusively and have had no problems, even while running Unreal servers hosting 5 or 6 players.

So, if you want to take your XBox gaming to the next level, sign up for broadband service, grab the starter kit and enjoy!

Honest reviews on Microsoft (X-Box) Xbox LIVE

Well I owned my Xbox for a couple of months before I bought Live and it has increased my enjoyment of the system a lot. While Xbox has great graphics and is very fast, the choice of games can be a bit lacking. The real advantage of Xbox has proven to be the Live service.

The setup is easy and the price is right ...with the disc and headset. I have experienced very few problems with the service. There is the occasional lag, but that is to be expected with online gaming.

If there is a warning to be given, it has to do with interacting with others online. Anyone who has ever played online computer games or even used a chat room knows that the anonymity of the internet allows people to act however they wish. And certain people tend to act like jerks. The majority of the people you'll deal with will be polite and friendly, but then there's others. Those who'll drop out of a game as soon as they start to lose and some will harass other players just for fun.

This doesn't come close to ruining the service, but it's something to be kept in mind.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Microsoft (X-Box) Xbox LIVE

After reading some of the reviews of Xbox Live (like the guy who thinks the Xbox has a modem it's an ethernet adapter and the guy who is mad because he can't connect at HIS college, even though all he has to do is spoof a registered computer's MAC address) I felt it necessary to chime in.

Xbox live works nearly perfectly. I have MechAssault, Splinter Cell, and various other Live games, and it's of incredible value. MechAssault is VERY fun online, although don't use the headset if you're easily offended. There are a lot of stupid kids on Live!, so their language reflects their maturity.

At any rate, I have a connection (shared T1) that maxes out at around 120k/s. This is typically slower than most cable and DSL connections, but I've experienced no lag whatsoever.

The voice communications is really great, and is probably the aspect of Live! that makes it stand out among the competition. That, and the fact that all Live! games are hosted on Microsoft's servers, and will therefore be uniform in their speed and security. (Unlike PS2 or Gamecube, which will be painful to play because of lag, or, even worse, cheaters.)

If you have an Xbox... GET XBOX LIVE. 50 bucks for a year is pretty darn cheap, especially since you get the headset with your starter kit.

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Premier Edition - PC Reviews

Customer Ratings:

Here are the facts:

Electronic Arts Says:

"Authorization limits

... you are limited to five authorizations. So what's an authorization? The first time you actually run the game on a machine, we will authorize that machine. If you reach the authorization limit, the game will not run on a new machine. If you make major changes to the computer (switching out multiple pieces of hardware, install a new OS, etc.) you might need to reauthorize the machine."

What they don't mention here is that a "major change" to your computer can be quite a bit less than changing out multiple pieces of hardware. In fact, changing a keyboard, mouse, or joystick or any number of USB devices could be regarded as a "major change". Upgrading drivers for you sound or video card might be a major change. The rules are not defined and you will not know for sure what may or may not use up an authorization.

So if you use up all of your Authorizations? Electronic Arts says:

"Just give us a call...

If you had a run of bad luck, some hardware failures, a botched OS install, your notebook was stolen, you spilled a coke on your keyboard you get the idea and all five of your authorizations have been used up, just give us a call. We'll work with you and provide as many additional authorizations as are appropriate."

What they fail to mention here is that calling Electronic Arts for technical support is not free. You will be charged 2.50/minute plus any toll charges.

Now consider the idea that you have bought 5 Electronic Arts games over time and one by one they all run out of authorizations. When the authorizations start running out, do you honestly want to call EA every time you make a hardware change to ask them to allow you to play a game you already paid for? What a hassle!

Please don't buy this game; don't support this kind of DRM scheme. I don't know if this scheme is to prevent used-game resales or if they really believe it makes a dent in piracy. It doesn't matter why, they are going too far and punishing the honest consumer, so it's time to punish their sales.

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Regardless of the game's true rating in terms of fun, thrill, excitement I have to recommend one star and suggest you not purchase it, but find an alternative. At the end of the day, however, you know the type of gamer you are and whether the DRM scheme will interfere with you or not.

This is an excerpt of a letter that I have sent to EA regarding RA3. This is my view and while to late to stop this purchase, I will be aware the next time.

Letter to EA regarding Red Alert 3 (RA3):

*****************************************

This past week I took my son to purchase Red Alert 3 for my son. It was nostalgic since I was a big C&C and RA2 fan so many years ago. In fact, I still have the CDs and would reinstall and play them every once in a while. His interest in RA3 came from my RA2 discs, which he's played a few times.

He installed RA3 on his sister's laptop, since his 5 year old Dell doesn't meet the minimum requirements. He's getting a new laptop this Christmas, he's quite happy. His first concern: I only have 4 installs left of RA3. Excuse me? He informed me of the 5 installs per game before requiring additional activations.

Some folks never learn. Or they do it the hard way.

I understand the difficulties of piracy. I am a software developer. But you should take a moment and learn from those that came before you. What will your game fans have to work through when they've installed the game on their numerous reformatted machines and find out that the the game can no longer be installed? Gamers tend to be the ones that constantly restore or reinstall fresh machines to keep the machine in optimal running conditions; removing demos, games no longer played, mods and a handful of other 'wares that end up on a machine after a year. What about when the game is no longer supported by EA, albeit the gaming community has a huge following and wants to continue playing it, but the activation servers are offline?

Am I just renting this game from you? Since I must ask for permission after five installs to install a sixth time it sure seems like it. This would be akin to calling Warner Brothers to allow me watch Batman Return past 10 viewings.

Best Deals for Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Premier Edition - PC

The game is good as expected since I am a fan of this series. And so I am very bias at the same time. The securom is really the culprit in killing the fun for me. The start-up of the game is VERY SLOW. I have a very fast computer with the latest hardware but I guess that's how the securom works. Its a thrill killer. And it conflicts with my firewall too. Such a HASSLE! I feel sorry for the guys who made this when it got packed with this Securom. I haven't bought another game with Securom after this. It's not worth the hassle. It used to be fun when you play this kind of games especially if you BOUGHT it! Now it feels like their meddling in my computer's system as well. Somehow, it feels wrong.

Honest reviews on Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Premier Edition - PC

Okay, DRM is bad and all, and this public marketing campaign needs to keep up-it's the ONLY thing getting these companies to reconsider using it. However, this is more about the game..

Gameplay: 1/5. The controls and interface, along with the rock-paper-scissors units are well suited to casual console gamers. The general powers were overpowered and the economy in the game was the only thing keeping these games from lasting more than 5 minutes.

The building on water, while supposed to add a new aspect to gameplay, is a nuisance combined with overall inefficacy of defense buildings and poor economy. In other words, the only viable gameplay types are rushing and land grabbing.

Storyline: 2/5. The story is mostly recycled from red alert 1 and 2, with some slight creativity but mostly stereotypical asian empire/dynasty team using stereotypical japanese giant robots. Most of it was literally pulled off of red alert 1 and 2.

Graphics: 2/5. The graphics were bright, cartoony, and obnoxious. Red alert, while it had humor, was never obnoxious like this. It's unfortunate at best, and for me it actually caused eyestrain even with gamma and contrast tweaks. Boo.

Multiplayer: 1/5. The co-op campaign is for online play only, no LAN play supported. Why? It's apparently an attempt to curb piracy, but some dedicated hackers are making it work. Normal online matches are all rush games with no strategy.

Music: 3/5. I feel this is worth mentioning because they managed to convince frank klepacki to come back and compose for red alert 3. Unfortunately it looks like they really heavily interfered with his creative process, and much of the music feels forced or obnoxious, such as the title music. Hell march 3 was a complete and utter disappointment, it was 2 with new instruments.

Overall: 1/5, +1 star of franchise loyalty, 2/5.

Unfortunately this game is lacking in everything that a game bearing the 'command and conquer' name should have. It's catering towards console gamers, balanced to simplistic 'rock paper scissors' players, and advertised as a strategy game.

The graphics are annoying, the music is annoying, the characters are always presented in a 'look at their chest!' way, and the storyline is lacking.

If it weren't bad enough that this game was ridiculously easy on 'normal' settings, the co-op campaign with a friend doesn't work over LAN, meaning no hamachi if EA's servers don't co-operate with you.

And lastly this game uses DRM that restricts your ability to resale it. That's right, you cannot sell your used copy of this game. When you register your CD-key to your account, it's yours for 5 installs, then you get to call EA. I hope you've heard this enough times.

Buyer be warned, bargain bin material.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Premier Edition - PC

I really miss Westwood, and I loved loved loved Red Alert 2! So Red Alert 3 had some big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, the latest game doesn't quite live up to those expectations for a lot of different reasons.

Firstly, the DRM I bought this game about a year after it was first released. When I tried to deauthorize the game, the server could not be connected to. So there's a very real danger that people could buy this game and are unable to authenticate it because EA have screwed up their servers.

Secondly, rather than being a direct sequel, EA's new storyline completely erases the events of the first two games. I think they could've easily introduced the Empire of the Rising Sun without erasing Westwood's original storyline. Part of Westwood's charm was their utilizing Einstein as the B-Grade Mad Scientist. It's almost as though by erasing Einstein, EA are symbolically removing any spontaneity or fun from the game. As a result, I think Red Alert 3 takes itself a bit too seriously. There's none of the nudge nudge wink wink from both the actors and developers that made Red Alert 2 so much fun. The only actor who really gets it is JK Simmons, who plays the US President.

The game design doesn't seem to encourage the kind of insane tactics that made RA2 so special. I wouldn't dream of capturing a Soviet and Allied construction yard and wasting money on building rows and rows of Prism and Tesla towers (ahem). Or packing Tesla troopers into IFV's and using them to electrocute an entire base. Or producing packs of dogs just to kill an entire squad of Russian Conscripts...only to be run over by Soviet tanks. Ah! The memories!

And that is this game's biggest problem Westwood and its legacy cast a long shadow. EA developing Red Alert 3 is akin to a Cover Band playing the Beatles greatest hits. The sound and fury might be there but the charisma, charm and insane daring of the original is missing. If EA really wanted to do us a favour, they'd create a REAL time machine, go back in time and stop themselves from disbanding Westwood. Can you imagine Red Alert 3 or C&C 4 produced by the REAL Westwood? Now that'd be games worth playing!

Discount Nintendo Wii U Console 8GB Basic Set - White

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List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $289.95
Today's Bonus: 3% Off

There are a lot of places you can learn about the Wii U. So in the beginning of my review I'm going to talk about whether you want the regular or the deluxe. And I'm here to tell you: maybe you don't have to buy the deluxe.

I've checked it out and here is the deal.

The Deluxe gives you:

1) 24 GB more memory than a basic. Of course, you can add a cheap USB drive and duplicate this.

2) A cradle for charging, but, the battery on my video remote isn't lasting long so I usually have the video remote plugged directly into the wall (because you can't play when its in the cradle!). So the cradle is not worth any extra money.

3) NintendoLand, which you can buy separately. Nintendoland is a suite of mini games. Nintendoland does a good job of introducing you to everything the Wii U can do. If you love minigames, maybe you should buy the deluxe. If you just want dedicated titles like "ZombiU" or "Pikmin 3" then you might choose the basic Wii. After 2 weeks my daughter wants us to buy another game, because none of the mini games in Nintendo Land are very deep, and some are about as good as a $1 game you'd buy in an app store. (race game, balloon game, yoshi game: I'm talking to you)

4) The Deluxe also gives you 10% back on all digital purchases, for each $50 you spend. So to get $5 back, you have to spend $50. Most people I know prefer to buy hard copies of their game so they can resell or trade them. But if you like to buy software online then you would want to get the deluxe.

You would want to consider the basic Wii U if:

1) You don't like minigames (aka Nintendoland)

2) You only buy hard copies of games.

Otherwise, consider the deluxe.

In regards to the memory: A 32GB memory stick will run you about $15-25, in fact, you wouldn't even know this one was there: SanDisk Cruzer Fit CZ33 32GB USB Flash Drive (SDCZ33-032G-B35). And you get to keep that USB drive even if you get rid of your Wii U.

You will see in the comments that someone claims the SanDisk won't work on the wii, but, I'm using one right now. What can I say? One test is worth 1,000 expert opinions... Installing the SanDisk was easy. In my case, I inserted it when the Wii U was off. Then I turned the Wii U on and it said "There is a new USB drive... do you want to format it and yes it?" I hit the button that said "yes" and it was set up just like that!

I'm a positive person in general, so I will be happy with my 32GB, but, if you are considering the 8GB, take heed.

If you are on the fence about the wii U, here is my main review:

I remember that Nintendo came under a lot of criticism for not having an HD version of the Wii. HD was around when the first Wii came out, and a lot of people were a bit skeptical that they stuck to the lower resolution. As HD became common, Nintendo told fans that they had to do something "more" than just come out with an HD version of the Wii.

Well, thats just what Nintendo did. The Wii U is more than "just Wii HD". But Nintendo hasn't changed the Wii experience very much. You still use Wii remotes every time you play. The Wii U is not "completely different" like the Wii was when it came out. The Wii U is the Wii's younger, smarter brother. And if you liked the Wii, you'll like the Wii U.

The 3 main features of the Wii U are:

1) Its HD, which brings it (finally) up to speed with the Xbox and Playstation ... and everything else out there.

2) The Wii U has a single video controller. The video controller opens up new game experiences. Whoever is playing on the video controller sees something different than the other players. For generations people have wanted multiplayer games that didn't use a "split TV screen", and the Wii U gives you that in one console. This is a really big deal. The video controller is also a touchscreen which you use to flick something at the screen, or move things on screen. The new video controller allows for new control options ... just like the "Wii balance board" allowed Nintendo to sell yoga and ski games.

3) Videos, videos, videos. Netflix, youtube, TiVo, amazon instant video. It will keep track of the TV shows you want to watch, and when they will be on. You'll also be able to use the Wii U as a social outlet to chat about TV shows and movies. Nintendo calls this Wii TVii, and it would be a revolution in TV watching... if only all the features were available now. So you can use the Wii U as a control for all your Video experiences with your TV. The video controller will act like "PIP Picture in Picture in the palm of your hand". I use the Wii U with Amazon Video to watch movies for free, and the Wii remote lets me see information about the movie on IMDB WHILE the movie is playing. For sports, you'll be able to watch instant replays on the small screen... while the rest of your buddies continue to watch the big game on the main screen. So its going to be a remote controller on steroids. To be honest, this is going to be a really big big deal but since not all the features roll until "later" I can't give the WIi U a star for it yet. Maybe it will change your life, maybe not. Time will tell.

And that concludes the main appeal of the Wii U. We finally get HD, the video controller adds a new dimension to the usual Wii gaming, and it also serves as a "TV command center".

FAQ:::Some people have asked me about the Wii U, and the short answers are:

1) No, you don't have to own a Wii to have a Wii U.

2) You can only use ONE video controller with your Wii U. All other players use the old Wii remote.

3) 5 people can play at once, making it even more of a "game party" console than before.

4) You can't play DVDs or Blu Ray discs. Blue Ray is Sony Playstation territory, as you probably know.

5) You can surf the internet on it (why would you want to? I don't know)

6) Should I get the deluxe? Probably. You get 32gb of memory, which will become more important the longer you have the console, and the more you do with it. You get the Nintendo Land game. You get the cradle for charging the video gamepad. And until 2014 they will give you a store credit of 10% every time you make a purchase of digital content (games). If you buy digital content regularly, you might "earn back" the extra $50 you pay for the deluxe Wii U. (I tried this yesterday, read below for more info on the credit)

The Wii U has a host of "lesser" features:

1) A person can play the Wii U without having the TV on. Expect a smack on your head if you want to play ZombiU while your wife watches a movie.

2) Its backwards compatible with all older Wii games (but maybe not dance pads!), which is nice if you bought Zelda Skyward Sword this summer.

3) Just as with the old Wii, you can download games from the Nintendo store. If you buy online content for your iPhone, Xbox, or PS3, you know that this is a big deal. I used to buy songs for guitar hero to add to the songs that came in the box. If you buy this DELUXE version, you get a 10% credit back for all online purchases, see more about this credit in "The Bad" below.

4) The Wii U video controller is like a universal remote. You can turn on your TV and change the volume from the gamepad which is a convenience.

5) Most of the old Wii hardware is compatible too, which is nice, EXCEPT that round "gamecube style" connector is not present on the Wii U. Games that use a mat like "outdoor challenge" and "Dance Dance Revolution" become history in your house.

6) There is a big, easy to find "download again" button for all digital content, so if your Wii U got fried by a power surge you wouldn't lose your purchases. That's always nice.

The bad:

1) The menus aren't intuitive. There are two menus... the Wii U menu and the Home menu. The Home menu is found by pressing the Home button. Note that now that downloads are automatic, the unintuitive menus aren't so bad. But they still seem redundant.

2) Transferring data from the Wii to the Wii U should be easier. In particular I didn't like that when I imported my Miis, I had to do a separate step on the Wii U before I could actually use them in the games. The day I got it the patch took way too long to download and install, and after I transferred my data from my Wii I felt like I had spent 2 hours on the whole thing. But, since then, there has been no problem.

3) Freezing. I did have a problem with NintendoLand locking up, but, that went away after one day. This will be something they fix and becomes a thing of the past. I wouldn't sweat it.

4) Long updates. I feel that the time that it takes to download stuff and install it has improved over time.

5) Installing downloaded content. I wrote a long rant about how annoying this was, but as of the most recent update you can buy items in the store and they download and install automatically, as they should.

Ok now that I'm done complaining...

Your decision matrix:

1) If you still like playing on your Wii, and you have the money to spend, buy a Wii U and sell your Wii. You'll enjoy it.

2) If you are considering between an Xbox+Kinect and a Wii U, I think its a tough call. I really like the "second screen" gaming, it really opens up a lot of possibilities. But most of the wii U stuff looks really juvenile. The kid down the street told me he still wanted an Xbox because the Xbox has games for teenagers. I said "whatev."

3) As a side note, every kid who has seen and played our Wii U in the last two weeks has put this as the top item on the Christmas list. Its the "next big thing" for them and you can be sure that the little things that I complain about in this review won't matter to them. Not at all.

Games: Nintendo now has decent amount of digital content to buy online. I paid .35 for "kirby's great adventure" or something like that. Its a grainy looking old game, but it was only thirty five cents. Nintendo has started offering games at the $2, $5, and $8 price points as well. I'm VERY pleased to see this, because I want to be able to log into the shop and grab a game for cheap when I want to.

I rate this item 3 stars out of 5 because three stars means "it's ok". Nintendo has made a lot of improvements in 6 months, and while they have fixed most of the problems with the system, I find myself reluctant to raise the review to 4 stars until some more exclusive games are released. Pikmin 3 has been delayed until August, for example.

The Wii U is getting better. I think it may turn into my favorite console of all time, if they can just get some good exclusive games out, and improve the use of the video controller in those games. I really don't want another game where the video controller shows a map. Gimmie a break.

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Plenty of people have given lengthy reviews on everything you want to know about the Wii U, so I won't rehash the basics here. I'll just share my initial reactions after unboxing my Wii U Basic last night.

The box for the Wii U contains an owners manual and "Quick Start" guides in English, French, and Spanish. There's also a card advertising Club Nintendo; you'll get a hefty 160 points for linking your Wii U to your Club Nintendo account, which is more than halfway to Gold Status (you'll get a calendar or some other crappy gift if you hit 300 points in a year). Nintendo giveth and taketh away; unlike previous systems there's no warranty extension for registering a Wii U with Club Nintendo.

You'll get an AC adapter for the Wii U console, as well as a charger for the GamePad. You'll also get an HDMI cable to attach to a TV (if you prefer to use your old component (YPbPr) cable or composite (RCA) cables from your Wii, you can do that as well). Finally, you get a new Wii sensor, but no Wii remotes. The Wii sensor is the same as on the Wii, so if you it set up for your Wii already, you can just swap your old one out and swap this one in (you can save the sensor in the box in case you need a replacement or you want to resell it).

The Wii U itself is sleeker than the Wii, with rounded corners and a slightly longer body. It's still much, much lighter and more compact than either the Xbox or the PS3. The unit has four USB ports and an SD card slot. A lot of people are decrying the fact that 8GB won't hold a lot, but you can effectively expand the memory by using USB jump drives, SD cards, or even USB hard drives that you probably already have for your camera or PC. From that sense, I didn't see the memory size as as much as a downside as others.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the GamePad, but my first impressions were very good. It's comfortable to hold, and the joysticks and buttons are easily accessible by your thumbs. I was impressed by the crystal clear picture quality, and the surprisingly loud and clear sound coming out of the two stereo speakers. There's a little slider on the back of the unit where you can adjust the volume, and there's a headphone jack. Something I missed at first was the stylus at the top of the unit that pops in and out of it like on a DS. While you can use either your finger or the stylus for most touchscreen interaction, the stylus does keep the screen free of fingerprints, plus it gives better precision on certain games.

There's also a camera and a microphone built in--a clever differentiating move considering that Xbox and PS3 cameras are usually on the other side of the room. It'll be interesting to see what applications developers come up with for these. Nintendo has already released a small handful of cool applications that make use of the camera such as Video Chat and the ability to make a Mii from your real face (similar to the 3DS). One of the most anticipated features of the GamePad will be the ability to use it as a TV remote. RIght now you can turn your TV on and off, but in the future the TVii app (which will be a free download in December) promises to let you control your TV from your GamePad; if this means the end of confusing, esoteric universal remote controls, I'll welcome it.

Setting up the hardware was pretty simple, just plug in the AC adapter to the console, plug in your HDMI cable to the TV, and plug in either your existing or your new Wii sensor.

I wish I could say the software setup was as simple. Let's put it this way: I started the process at about midnight, thinking it'd take about 5 minutes. I ended up going to bed at 3 AM. It's not a terribly complex process (you actually get your first taste of "two screen action" as you use the GamePad to make your choices, while detailed instructions can be read on the TV), but it does drag on and has a few awkward moments. But it's critical to make sure the process completes without interruption; some people are reporting their units are getting bricked if they power down in the middle of the update.

You start out by syncing the GamePad to the console, which is simply a matter of pressing the red "sync" button on front of the console and the same kind of button on the back of the GamePad. Once you do this, you'll be able to control the console from the GamePad (including turning it on and off).

You start by setting the time and date, which was disappointing to me; it's the 21st century, and there's no reason they couldn't have put the Wi-Fi setup up front so the system could pull this from the Internet. You then confirm the resolution of your TV, which read a glorious 1080i. You can configure your GamePad to turn your TV on and off (I decided to hold off until TVii becomes available), and then as with the Wii you designate the position of your sensor bar. You, of course, have to accept the obligatory legal stuff, and then you get to the Wi-Fi setup.

Wi-Fi setup was a snap. The system found my Wi-Fi network right away, and unlike other devices I could walk my GamePad over to my router and key in the WEP key without running back and forth or using up Post-It notes. You do all your typing on the GamePad; the digital keyboard was a little small for my fingers, but I made do.

The next step is when the system asks you to connect to the Internet and check for updates. It took, I kid you not, a full hour for it to download the latest update and install it. So if you're giving the Wii U as a gift, you might want to open the box and set it up for your recipients first if you plan to play it with them.

The next step is setting up your user accounts. I found this part very, very confusing, but I figured it out. Basically, you have to create your personal account on your console first, including creating a new Mii with a nickname and month and date of birth. Once you're done with that, you'll have the option of linking that account to what's called a "Nintendo Network ID", which is a completely separate process where you set up a username, full date of birth, and e-mail address, and you have to confirm the account via e-mail. The Nintendo Network ID is optional and not required to play most games, but to get the most out of the online experience, as well as be able to download apps and make purchases, you'll need to sign up for it.

Now the burning question I had, which I couldn't find an answer to easily, is how can I get my Mii from my old Wii? After all, I spent a long, long time getting him perfect and I've grown quite attached to him (I tried to re-create him on the Wii U but it didn't quite look the same, and when I tried to create a Mii from my photo, it was a cool process but a little too lifelike for my taste :P). The good news is that it's possible to grab your Mii's from your old Wii, but the bad news is that it's a pretty convoluted process. You basically have to go to the "Wii menu", go to the Wii Shop Channel, download a Channel called "System Transfer", and follow some pretty complicated steps to transfer your old system data to a SD card (512K or greater) with both consoles attached to the Internet. I ended up doing this a few days later and it took yet another hour, which I wasn't thrilled with.

Which brings me to the second thing I found a little off, which was the fact that there's a "Wii U menu" and a "Wii menu". My guess is that they're trying to relegate all the gaming related stuff to the "Wii menu" and start positioning the "Wii U menu" as more of a general entertainment console (there are already pre-installed icons for NetFlix, Amazon Video, YouTube, and Hulu Plus). But I wasn't thrilled at having to deal with two menus and figuring out what goes where. Surprising, as Nintendo has usually been pretty good at user interface design.

One other annoyance is that there are times that the system will appear to hang for many seconds, even minutes at a time, particularly when going from Channels or games back to the Wii U menu. At first I thought it was something I was doing, but many others appear to be experiencing the same thing. Hopefully Nintendo is working on a fix, as this behavior can get really annoying really fast.

Since this review is on the console and not the games (which I'll post reviews for separately), I'm basing my review on my impressions of the hardware, the software, and the setup process. The hardware easily gets 5 out of 5 stars from me; you can see right away that the GamePad was an impressive feat of engineering, although there is a part of me that is disappointed that they didn't see fit to improve their motion controls (the MotionPlus is evidently the most advanced they'll take the Wiimotes for a while). My initial thoughts with the two-screen approach is that it's going to take some getting used to (I found myself fixated on the GamePad for most of the setup process and ignoring the TV), but they've proven with the DS that it can enhance gameplay.

The setup process and the user interface, on the other hand, could have been improved. Not to say that features are missing, but the interface is just a little confusing for my tastes, and since I work with user experience for a living, I think I have a higher tolerance than most. The good news is that since these flaws are in software and not in hardware, they're certainly things that Nintendo can improve over time.

A lot of people might be wondering whether to get the Basic unit, or to splurge and get the Deluxe unit for an extra $50. With the Deluxe unit, you get more built-in memory, the Nintendo Land game, and a charging stand for the GamePad. As I mentioned, you can easily expand the Wii U Basic with USB drives or SD cards at very low cost to meet or exceed 32GB, so that's not a huge deal. A lot of people are saying that New Super Mario Bros U is by far a better "showcase" game for the Wii U than Nintendo Land is, so I don't think missing that is a huge deal breaker either (especially considering that in a few months the secondary market will likely be flooded with used copies of Nintendo Land). And finally, a charging stand is a nice thing to have, but certainly not necessary. So at the end of the day for me, it came down to color: did I prefer white or black?

To sum up, I'll give the system in itself a solid four stars--it didn't give me the knock-my-socks-off experience that unboxing the original Wii gave me, but I see a ton of potential if game developers can truly use the new features that the GamePad (combined with other peripherals like the Balance Board and Wiimotes) offer. I will definitely be a fan.

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Okay, first a little background, and then I'll get to the review: I'm not a Nintendo fan. Yes, I'm in my 40s, and I owned a Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System in the 80s and 90s. I enjoyed both quite a lot, but then, didn't everybody? Nintendo really had it going back then.

When they introduced the N64, however, I was nonplussed. Mostly, I was ticked that they stuck with cartridges in an era when CDs were king. This choice limited what they could do with the N64, and I still cringe when I think about how much more awesome games like Mario 64, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and WWF No Mercy would have been if they had a little more room for data on a CD. Still, I did enjoy those few games, and a couple others got my attention. Ultimately, though, the N64 was a flop for me. I was unimpressed with the game lineup.

When Nintendo threw the GameCube at the public, I held off. It seemed like it was "too little, too late" and for the most part, I was right. The games didn't impress me all that much. The forced jump to 3D for Metroid didn't make me happy. The lack of third party titles was glaring. The choice to use proprietary discs made me wonder what could have been if they'd used DVDs instead, like the PS2 and Dreamcast. Eventually I picked one up, used, and played with it for a while, but ultimately sold it because there were no games I wanted to play.

And then, finally, the Wii arrived and I totally skipped it. I wasn't into the gimmick, and I was really not interested in another standard definition console after shelling out the big bucks for an HDTV when they were first out, and still quite expensive. As the years went by, a few games piqued my curiosity, but I still never jumped at the Wii.

In-between all this, I enjoyed the original Game Boy, the Gameboy Advance, and even the Virtual Boy. I messed around with the DS, but didn't keep it, and didn't transition to the DSi or 3DS.

So basically, I bailed on Nintendo in the late 90s because I felt that they were losing touch with what I wanted as a gamer. They always seemed late to the party with new technology, or if they were first with something, it was kind of gimmicky and I just didn't see the appeal. When they announced the Wii U, I said pretty much the same thing: "A gimmick controller, and they're release all the same games again. I really don't want to play another Mario, Zelda, or Metroid title."

Boy, was I wrong!

I got a Wii U because I happened to be in the right place at the right time, and figured that if I could decide later whether to keep it, or sell it. Eventually, being the gadget freak I am, I had to hook it up and give it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised.

THE SETUP

The first pleasant surprise was that the box contained some nice things. This was just the Basic Set-The white one-And it was still packed with an HDMI cord, a nice, low-profile Wii sensor bar, and of course the GamePad and console along with all the necessary cords. It's packaged smartly, with everything neatly wrapped and in its place. It reminded me a bit of a 1990s Apple product in this regard-Simple, elegant packaging with everything you'll need to get started. The HDMI cable was almost like a little apology from Nintendo for making us wait for an HD console.

There are two AC adapters with the Wii U. One is for the console, and the other is for charging the GamePad. The Deluxe Set comes with a charging cradle, too, but in the Basic Set the charging cable is plenty to keep you gaming, and if you want the cradle I'm sure there will be tons of them on the market soon (aside from the first-party version that's already out there, I mean.)

Once everything was connected, I powered on and was taken through a very simple start-up procedure which included a system update after establishing an Internet connection. On the screen (despite what some "journalists" might have told you) is a message telling you not to remove the power supply while the system updates. Even if you do, though, the system is dummy-proof. You'll get a black screen while it finishes the update (in a "recovery" mode) and then it will apply the update and come back to the Wii U menu. If you see the black screen (if you're stupid enough to unplug the device while it's doing a system update, that is) then don't panic. Your console is not "bricked"-It's just fixing your mistake.

For most of us, this will not be a big problem.

After the update (1GB, not 5GB as some people are reporting) the system is ready to go. You're encouraged to make a Mii, which is pretty easy and done on the GamePad, and then you're let free in the Wii U menu to start playing. You'll be greeted by a screen full of Mii characters, all popping up little messages and drawings. Oh, yes... you can send drawings done on the GamePad's touch screen as messages in the Miiverse. Kinda nifty.

THE ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE

As I have the Basic Set, I do not have NintendoLand. It sounds cool, but I'll wait for that one. Instead, being a big fan of zombies, I picked up ZombiU. I also picked up Super Mario Bros U because I was told it's fantastic. Without getting into game reviews here, I'll just say that I'm very pleased with both games-Especially with the integration of the GamePad's touch screen into regular gameplay. It's very cool. Nintendo has lots of practice doing this sort of thing, too, with the Nintendo DS systems.

Rather than talking about individual games here, I'll talk about the other things that impressed me about the Wii U. Namely, the Web Browser, Netflix, and TV Remote functions.

WEB BROWSER

The Wii U has one of the best TV Web browsing interfaces ever. Via the GamePad, you can surf the web seamlessly. You have a keyboard on the touchscreen for when you need it. You have the ability to smoothly zoom web pages in and out and pan them left and right via the analog sticks, as well as handling basic up/down scrolling the same way. You can save bookmarks, open multiple tabs, and do anything on the Web that doesn't require Flash. Apple fans will feel at home, and really, anybody still reliant on Flash these days (as opposed to HTML 5) is just dragging their heels.

The Web Browser interface of the Wii U simply shines. I've used Web TV, MSN TV, PS3, Dreamcast, and a variety of other methods to access the Web on my television (including an HTPC with a standard web browser), and by far the Wii U outstrips them all in ease of use. Some have a bonus mark due to Flash compatibility, but the Wii U's GamePad interface makes up for that omission in a big way. I didn't expect to use the Wii U as a web browsing device, but now I could see skipping the HTPC or PS3, and going straight to the Wii U if I need to get online on the TV.

And here's the kicker: You can also access the Web on the GamePad screen itself. You don't need to rely on the TV at all. If you want to walk away (to within about 25 feet of the console, anyway), the GamePad will act like a tablet and let you get online via the wireless connection with the console. Very cool.

NETFLIX

Again, the Wii U beats the pants off other devices. I have a PS3, HTPC, Sony Set-top "Smart TV" box, and have used several other Netflix devices (Roku, WDTV, Xbox 360, etc.) and I'm here to tell you that the Wii U's Netflix integration is beautifully done. You can scroll through titles on the GamePad, control movie functions on the GamePad, and even have the video transferred to display on the GamePad so you can watch as if it's a tablet. When watching a movie on the TV screen, the GamePad provides information about the film you're watching (cover art, title, length, summary, scrubber/time bar, controls, etc.) -It's the best way to watch Netflix, hands down. The only negative-one I hope will be fixed in a future update-is that the GamePad screen does not shut off after a while, so you're burning a couple hours of battery if you watch a movie with it unplugged, even if it's displaying the movie on the TV. I suspect this was an oversight, and that future versions will offer a "turn off GamePad screen" option due to popular demand. Right now you can turn off the GamePad screen, but when you tap a button to bring back your movie, the GamePad screen wakes up.

Still, this is the best Netflix device out there. I stand by that. I'm not the only one saying it, either. Go ahead and look it up. I'll wait. . .

See? Pretty cool, huh?

TV REMOTE FUNCTIONS

Right now, this is very basic, but it's just so easy to use! You pick your TV's manufacturer from a list, and test the settings until it works. For my Zenith TV, it worked on the second try. Once you do this, hitting the "TV" button on the GamePad turns it into a TV remote. You can change channels, adjust volume, and change inputs (to switch between Wii U and TV shows, I'd suppose!) all from the GamePad screen. No more juggling two remotes to jump between console and TV!

Here's a tip: The "A" button on the GamePad works as the "Enter" button for the TV Remote functions.

In the future this mode will be made even more useful with Nintendo's TVii service. We won't know what's up with that until December, but Nintendo seems pretty stoked about it.

OTHER THINGS

[*] The Stylus: It's cool that they have a nice little stylus built into the GamePad, much like on the DS.

[*] Rearranged Buttons: It takes some getting used to, but the four buttons on the right side don't respond in American style, with the bottom button as "Yes/Enter" and the right button as "No/Back". Instead, they're Japanese/European style, with the right button (A) being "Yes/Enter" and the bottom button being "No/Back". At first this seems an odd choice for a market that Nintendo themselves spoiled with the rearranged American-style buttons, but it becomes obvious that they made the choice because they put their right analog stick ABOVE the buttons, instead of below or to the side of them. This means that when you reach down from the analog stick, it's easier to hit the right button than it is to hit the bottom button. Just bear in mind that you may need to get used to a change if you come from any other American console.

[*] Wii Remote: The system does not come with a Wii Remote. You need to pick one up separately. Until you have one, you can't enter the Wii Menu or play multiplayer (local) games on Wii U. Luckily, the Wii Remote is ubiquitous these days, and you can find them dirt cheap if you shop around. Once I acquired mine, I was pleased to see how easily it synced and then worked to control the Wii U's cursor in Wii U and Wii modes. I was also very pleased with the way it worked for Super Mario Bros U as an old-school NES-style controller.

[*] Nintendo's Store: The online store is frankly a little sparse right now. There's no Wii U Virtual Console at the moment, though if you go into the Wii Menu and enter the Wii shop, you'll find the Wii Virtual Console games are still available and seem to be perfectly capable of functioning on the Wii U, in Wii mode. This leads me to address the way they handle backwards compatibility... This is not like the PS3 or Xbox 360. When you inserted a legacy title into those consoles, they'd just start the game in an emulation mode. With the Wii U, you have to actually enter the Wii Menu to find the Wii games. In effect, you're switching the Wii U to Wii mode and then loading games from that mode. When in this mode, it's just a Wii, without Wii U functions. I found this to be a strange choice, and no doubt it will curtail the use of the GamePad's advanced functions for any Virtual Console titles bought from the Wii mode. Sadly, when in Wii mode, the Wii U will not do anything fancy with the GamePad. That is saved only for Wii U games and software.

[*] Storage Questions: A lot of you are saying "Why did you get the white console? The black one has more storage capacity!" and my answer is pretty simple: Because Nintendo intends for us to use external storage with the Wii U. Hooking up an external 500GB hard drive was no problem for me, and now it sits quietly in my entertainment center with the Wii U as its eternal partner, doing its thing. Why bother spending extra and getting the fingerprint-prone black version when I could have a nifty white Wii U and end up with approximately the same amount of storage space? The 32GB will be burned through quickly enough, and I suspect Deluxe Set owners will be connecting hard drives to their Wii U shortly after they buy the console. If you're worried about storage, you're fretting over nothing. Unlike Microsoft, Nintendo was kind to console owners and let us use our own hard drive to upgrade without needing a special caddy or partition. Just connect the drive, and let the Wii U format it. Voila, you're done.

[*] Disc Playback: This is my biggest gripe. Nintendo decided, once again, to use proprietary discs. What this means is that the Wii U can't play DVDs or Blu-ray Discs. While this doesn't affect me personally (I have a PS3, after all), I suspect there will be people out there who only justify having one gaming console, and it would be really nice to integrate disc playback so that the number of HDMI ports taken by hardware isn't continually expanding. I don't dock Nintendo any stars for this decision, but I do think it was a cheap choice.

[*] GamePad Concerns: The GamePad is a great controller. It's not as heavy as you'd think, and it's not what I'd consider bulky, though it is big and unusual. As a controller, I like it. However, as a tablet it suffers. The GamePad is limited by range and line-of-sight with the Wii U console. If you put a wall between the GamePad and the Wii U, the signal is in danger of dropping past about ten feet. That's unfortunate, because being able to wander all around the house with the GamePad to play SMBU or watch Netflix would be very handy. As it stands, unless you have your Wii U in a wall-less zone, your mileage (or footage, rather) may vary. The other concern is battery power. The GamePad lasts about four hours, give or take, depending on what power-saving settings you choose. Remember to dock/plug in the GamePad whenever you're done using it! Hopefully, better batteries come along in later years.

[*] Fun Factor: When it comes down to it, Nintendo knows how to make a console fun. Little touches like Miiverse really add to the experience. The fact that the console comes with a camera, motion detector, touch screen, and discrete wireless speakers is a testament to Nintendo's understanding of small things adding up. Some tiny omissions, such as the lack of a TOSlink/optical audio port (meaning you MUST be able to pass-through surround from your TV or have a surround receiver that handles HDMI if you want surround sound), are a detriment to this fun factor, but ultimately Nintendo hits most of the right highs and avoids the lows that drag a console down.

FINAL VERDICT

I am a former Nintendo owner who never quite became a "fan", per se, of the Nintendo brand. You could even say that I was disgruntled by the time the N64 launched. The Wii U turned that around. I may not be a "fan" yet, but I do like the hardware and the software that goes with it. So far. If third party developers continue to show up, and if Nintendo continues to do cool stuff with the GamePad and services like TVii, Amazon Video on Demand, and Hulu Plus, then the Wii U will be a must-have console for a family of gamers. Not just for the kids. Not just for grandma and grandpa. Not just for mom and dad. Not just for hardcore gamers. It will be the console for everybody in the family, no matter how seriously or flippantly they take video gaming. Even when viewed as just a Web browsing console with Smart TV functions, the Wii U is a winner.

So as it stands at the moment, Nintendo managed to turn this nay-sayer into a yeah-sayer. We'll see if they can maintain this level of happiness with future updates, software releases, and other goodies. For now, the Wii U remains in my entertainment center, and I'm certain it will get much use.

Honest reviews on Nintendo Wii U Console 8GB Basic Set - White

Much more appropriate for my 5 year old than an Xbox which is all about how much blood and guts they can fit in.

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This is by far one of the best platforms I have ever owned. We have had original Wii and Xbox but the new Wii U has got to have the best realistic looking graphics I have seen so far with any game platform I have had. The price is compatable with Xbox and Playstation. Graphics are by far better that Xbox and playstation at least from my point of view. Wii U positives are:

1 Plays all of Wii U and Wii games so if your Wii platform is breaking this would be best bet so you do not have to get Xbox or playstation and get all new games again

2. more advanced Graphics, very realistic looking

3. Affordable games

Cons:

1. Has limited games being so new, but you can play all your old Wii games on it. The wii discs work just as good as wii u discs

I am really happy with my Wii U system. My old Wii has had trouble for about a year now and its time to get rid of it. I am very happy I get to keep and play all my wii original games on a new Wii U platform. I definately recommend this if you have an old wii platform.

Buy Fight Night Round 3 - Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:

I've browsed the previous reviews, and agree with most that's been said. This *is* the best of the series. The graphics are ridiculously good. The control is terrific. For once, you really have a feel for how the fight is going, rather than relying upon health and stamina bars that just (in this reviewer's opinion) take away from the realism -although they are an option. On the hardest difficulty, the game is absolutely a challenge, at least once your career really gets underway. You will be knocked down, you may even lose some fights, this wasn't necessarily the case in previous versions. Creating faces on character generation is much smoother and more intuitive now. The sound is fantastic. The ring girl's breasts actually jiggle when they strut around the ring between rounds.

Everything is great, really, it's a terrific addition to your XB360 library. Online is fun, there are ranked and nonmatches, it's fast and easy to get a fight, another outstanding aspect to the game that will dramatically increase its longevity.

Great! So we got all that aside, I can talk about the commercials.

I've never seen a more over-the-top case of commercialism in the game. Is this a complaint? Yes and no. I mean, watch basically any boxing match, there are going to be ads on the ring canvas, on the ropes, in the arena, even on the shorts of some of the boxers. So there's just some realism here. Does it go overboard though? Yes, I'm absolutely prepared to say it does. Before some fights, you'll be 'treated' to a 360 degree view of a new Dodge truck while the announcer tells you about it. That doesn't seem too bad, right? Okay, later, Burger King's "The King" will escort another fighter into the ring and dance around before the fight. No, that doesn't get your goat either? How about after that fight, when "The King" actually becomes one of your available trainers? That's right, you too can be trained by, and have in your corner, a creepy guy with a giant plastic grinning mask.

Look, I'm not one of those types that goes off the deep-end about stuff like this -but EA, are you listening? If you're going to throw it in our faces like this, while lining your already deep pockets with the ad revenue that you get from these placements, how about giving us a break on the cost of the game? We're paying for it, the advertisers are paying for it, wouldn't it seem fair to throw the consumers you're force feeding ad content a bone? Here's the thing, it doesn't have to be a big bone, and it gives us less reason to feel as used and abused as many of us are when the suspension of disbelief within a game/simulation like this is *shattered* by having to train with "The King". In fact, then we can cheer the gross commercialism, because we got something out of it too, a few bucks saved.

Terrific game. Worth buying, not just renting. 5 stars for the game, 1 off for taking advantage of me as a fan and customer. I should really ding it harder for that, but the game is too fun to let something sort of sleazy take away from it.

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If you're into boxing, definitely take a look at Fight Night Round 3 for the XBox 360. The realism in the boxer models is rather impressive.

We know that the XBox 360 has great graphics, but looking at the characters in many other games, you might think that human beings were made out of plastic. When you see the characters here, they look *real*. Their skin has pores and imperfections.

On to the game. You get to customize your character both physically and skill-wise. You can make a small, quick hispanic, or a large, bulky, strong-punching dark skinned fighter. You can alter the hair style, tattoos, and much more. As you earn money, you can also buy new trainers and customize your skills further.

Your main career path is a mix of training and choosing contracts to fight. In training mode it's a series of standard button-pushing games that in some cases are just reflexes, but in other cases are actual combo practicing that serve you well in the ring. The training increases specific skills, so you can further customize your character by deciding how to train.

In the fight, it is of course you against a given character. There are varying levels of difficulty and we found that they did a good job of providing fun gameplay for different types of players. The beginner levels were good although sometimes challenging for a person who had never played this sort of game before. The higher levels of difficulty meant you really had to focus on what you were doing and land the combos to win.

Your character has a variety of fighting styles to choose from, and you can buy more including taunts. You can even play as historic characters if you want, including staging fantastic fight pair-ups that would have been fascinating to watch in real life, if we had a time machine to get people into the same ring.

The in-fight graphics were pretty slick. If you hit someone in the head, a spurt of blood came out of their mouth. Characters had definite personalities some were arrogant, some were hesitant as they entered the ring. When a really solid punch was landed, time "slowed down" a bit as adrenaline kicked in. Most people in real danger situations know how this happens.

There were a few down sides here. One, the training mini-games can get a bit repetitive. I would have liked to see more variety. You can skip them if you want, just accepting a "medium" level of skill increase. Also, you choose a "nickname" that the announcers refer to you by during the game. This is a neat idea, but it gets to be a bit much when they use it all the time.

Also, the commercialism in this game is just WAY over the top. There are Burger King displays all over creation. There are promotional items left and right. I realize that sports TV can be like that sometime but you watch the TV show for free. They are paying their fees with that advertising. With Fight Night, I've already shelled out a lot of money to play the game. I didn't spend all that money to watch a multi-hour long commercial for Burger King. It certainly didn't make me want to go out and eat Burger King food if anything it made me pretty annoyed with them, and unlikely to visit them in the future.

So in general, I thought the game was great, but that the "environment" you have to play in was really annoying. I would almost pay extra money for some sort of a cheat code / hack to replace all of those ads with blank space. Maybe they'll let me download that from XBox Live in the near future.

Best Deals for Fight Night Round 3 - Xbox 360

If you've played the previous 2 incarnations of Fight Night (formerly known as Knockout Kings), you know what to expect: solid analog stick boxing, with great graphics and a lively soundtrack. So what's new in 2006?

The GOOD: The graphics are amazing. One of the first games to truly look next-gen in terms of its realism. The lighting is gorgeous, and the whole presentation is top notch. Even on a non-HD television, this game shines. The controls are as tight as ever, and the haymaker is less prevalent, which is a good fix from last season's gameplay. The game is rewarding in terms of strategy, because you will NOT be able to get very far without some basic strategy (ie: learn to block and dodge, and conserve energy).

The BAD: The menu interface is a disaster. One of the worst I have seen in 20+ years of gaming: it's cluttered, counter-intuitive, and the button presses sometimes register late. There is no rankings list, just a vague "popularity meter". More stats would be nice. The soundtrack is repetitive and not all that great. The unlockable items, while cool, are buried within the depths of the aforementioned interface, which makes it actively unfun to customize your fighter.

The UGLY: While the boxer models are very realistic, the ring girls are a bit alien-looking, and feel like a cheesy afterthought.

Overall, this game is great fun. If you want a semi-deep sports game which rewards patience and practice, pick this up!

Honest reviews on Fight Night Round 3 - Xbox 360

I come home from a long day at work and I enjoy just being able to just beat up on some computer generated character. I haven't tried the online mode yet and fighting with other people on the net, but I am waiting for my Gold Subscription card to come in so that I can challenge some guys on the net. I don't have a HD tv yet, so I can't see the true graphics of this thing, but so far it is great even on a regular TV. Some of the mini games to train are a little hoaky, but the game play outweighs that. And I don't mind that some of your oppenents throw the same punches over and over again, makes it a little easier to beat em. But even then, some of em are pretty tough cuz they are fast and can take a lot of punches.

Overall... great game and can't wait for the next one.

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As far as the mechanics of boxing, as a former fighter I can tell you that this game has me thinking like I was back in the ring.

I'm watching for facial reactions to my body shots, I'm watching for rythem and changing my style from round to round in order to out smart the opponent.

It's a game that think might (even in small way) help the sport itself.

I can really see where the other reviewers are coming from reguarding the advertisements, but I the Burger King guy didn't bother me... it made me laugh. So I can't take points away for advertising considering you can skip it all by just pressing the "A" button. Except for the fact that when I'm replaying a fight from the 1940's I don't think I should see a burger king or dodge logo in the back... in black and white.

So the graphics are indeed a true next-gen standard as far as the fighters are concerned.

There are even things to make the games realistic in career mode. Like the fact that wou have to work even hard to simply keep your attributes from falling quickly... I felt like a true 40 year old trying to prove himself to the young up and comers that I was indeed the greatest.

Here is my wishlist for the next game.

1. I would like to change the entry music and such like previous games. (though I can hook up my ipod and play anything I want.. it would still be nice)

2. I think it would be cool if I could wear a robe while entering the ring. I love that part of a real fight as the tension builds up and the fighters show each other how hard they really prepared to battle.

3. The Ability to save some of my fights... there were battles that I wish I could watch again. Race fans get this, why can't boxing fans?

4. More real boxers. I understand not letting fight Ali in carreer mode, but I'd still ike to fight some real fighters. This is probably expensive, but out of around 65 fights I'd like to beat more than just Roy Jones Jr. 3 times.

5. Let me come out of retirement. If I retire, but keep getting updated news about a punk who is calling me out, I'd love to be able to train up my guy again and kick his .

6. Show my fighter age. I think it would be cool if some of his hair started to grey out, or if I kept some scars from past fights... imagine having Fight Night Carreer mode having a hint of Fable!!!!

In conclusion I want to mention rivalry mode. This has the potentional to really make the game matter to some people. My rivals and I went back and forth, but one in particular.

I'm not obsessed, but I do find this game to be the best boxing experience I have had ... without the headache of taking one to many.