James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace - Xbox 360 Review

Customer Ratings:

When I heard about this game I wasn't expecting much. All the games after Goldeneye have been decent but overall a disappointment. Well Goldeneye fans rejoice, this is hands down the best Bond game to come out since the N64 classic.

The single player is very cinematic and exciting retaining the old school feel with modern touches. I think new fans and old fans will be very happy.

As for the multiplayer, it is amazing! It isn't redefining the genre by any means but it is just plain fun and highly addictive. The cover system works perfect and I really like the credit system to upgrade your weapons. It uses the same engine as Call Of Duty 4 and since I played the hell out of that jumping into a Team Conflict match in Quantum Of Solace feels very natural.

Even though Gears Of War 2 will be coming out soon and I will be spending most of my time playing that I am still very glad I bought this. Its a refreshing change from the games that try to do too much. Overall, highly recommended.

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This game absolutely nailed the James Bond experience. This is a fun and exciting Bond title that has some truly engaging situations and pretty production values. Certainly worth considering if you are a Bond fan or just want a good shooter.

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My Pre-playing Expectations:

I must say that if Casino Royale hadn't been a phenomenal release, then expectations for this game would not have been as high. My expectations for the game were very high, especially after experiancing thrills from 3rd person shooters like Gears of War and Dead Space as well as 1st person shooters like Call of Duty 4 and Far Cry 2. Not only did I have games to compare this game to, but I had found out that the original makers of the Bond videogames, Electronic Arts, had sold the rights to the franchise to the better known Activision and Treyarch. For those of you that are not familiar with these two companies listed above, they were extremely successful in their latest release, Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare.

About QoS:

Qos starts off the story right after Bond tracks down Mr. White to his mansion at the end of the Casino Royale movie. I know what your thinking, and yes, the best action scene from the first movie is in the game:(Bond chases down the bomb-maker with scars on his face through a constuction site and eventually to the Mbatu Embassy). The cut-scenes are brilliant and epic which ultimately keeps the plot closely tied with the upcoming QoS movie.

Gameplay:

The most innovative feature in QoS is the ability to transition from the traditional Bond 1st person view to the 3rd person view while wall covering. The wall covering feature takes a bit of time to master because not all objects can be used for cover, unlike Gears of War. Those of you that have watch the movie have noticed that Daniel Craig as Bond is very physical, so Activision and Treyarch did not forget to add stunningly realistic melee combat. Players can now choose to beat levels with stealth or the traditional "I'm James Bond, so I will take out an entire army of heavily trained soldiers and henchmen" style. Brilliant weapons, great variation in difficultly modes, but the game lacks a key concept. Its understandable that James Bond never dies, but seriously, he should not have the ability to automatically regain lost health when in cover like the robotic spartan, master chief, who we have grown so familiar with. I feel that the developers wanted to take everything everyone liked out of halo and gears of war and mutate it into a Bond game rather than create a new and innovative gameplay; apart of the reason why I cut down a star on my rating. Also, unfortunately the traditional offline multiplayer is not an option anymore. But don't fret 007 fanatics, there are tons of reasons why this game will give you the trigger finger and award you a license to kill.

MY RATINGS: Comments:

Gameplay:8/10

Visual:9.9/10 *Absolutely stunning visuals, .1 off because, unrealistically there are explosive gas canisters at a library, which did make me laugh for a while. Daniel Craig looks great, and so do the guns and enviornments. The melee combat will leave you speechless...it looks like the real thing. I just wish the future James Bond games will move up to the 'Mature' rating by adding blood; now in days shooting games without blood is like a flamethower filled with water.

Sound:9.5/10 *Features Daniel Craig's voice, along with Judi Dench as M. I took of .5 because the explosions could have used some tuning.

Storyline:9/10 *Follows the next movie and some extra stuff, great cutscenes, and the unknown story will leave the players with a taste to find out what happens next.

Controls:7.5/10 *The hassel with aiming at the location first then wall covering caused me some deaths at key locations.

Multiplayer:8/10 *Where's the offline?!? Xbox live multiplayer is phenomenal and includes traditional heart stoppers like Golden Gun mode, and License to Kill mode.

Lasting Appeal:7/10 *Sure. Everyone needs to beat it in 00 agent difficulty mode, but there are no Bond moments anymore nor are there any incentives for completing levels and different objectives in different difficulty modes; specifically no awards or unlockables offered besides the rushed and corny upgrades to weapons that can only be used in xbox live.

OVERALL SCORE:8.5/10 *This score of course translates to 9/10 for 007 fanatics, like my self.

CONCLUSION:JAMES BOND FANS, GET YOUR FINGER ON THE MOUSE AND CLICK BUY NOW. To others: If you liked Call of Duty 4, you'll like this, and if your still unsure, I suggest you rent it first. Keep icing that trigger finger my fellow 007 fanatics, and good luck.

END OF REVIEW

Honest reviews on James Bond 007: Quantum of Solace - Xbox 360

This is the first 007 game from Activision, who took over the franchise from Electronic Arts. I have no idea why EA would sell those rights, especially when they made some very fine games, the best being Everything or Nothing from 2004. Quantum of Solace is actually an amalgamation of the plots to Casino Royal and QoS, the first 'new' Bond films with Daniel Craig, whose voice and likeness are used here. There isn't much to solve in the missions, you just have to shoot a lot of goons. It's actually far less complicated than the previous Bond game plots, less produced (EoN had a large cast, its own theme song, etc), and more linear.

It's a strange game, though...it's really a step backward from the EA games, though it still retains the general feel of the earlier entries like Agent Under Fire and Nightfire. The innovations that EA brought to Everything or Nothing are completely absent. That game's engine, which had you control a third-person Pierce Brosnan (more reminiscent of the GTA games, and an engine that EA would further develop with the excellent The Godfather), had things like 'Bond Vision', Q-gadgets, and a far, far better hand-to-hand combat element. QoS returns us to the first-person mode, so you just see the gun barrel. Granted, there is a cover mode, which has Daniel Craig suddenly slide behind a wall or a box, but it's hardly anything new (it does work well in firefights, though).

There isn't a gadget in sight, and though the new Bond films are moving toward grittier action and less gimmicky tech-toys, for a video game it'd have been nice to incorporate something whacky like the Q-Laser/Claw/Spider/whatever. Also, the hand-to-hand action on QoS is very strange...there are a few 'boss' moments where you have to fight someone, but the screen tells you the button to press...you just have to time it. Very easy, and not necessary. The guns are pretty good, but no upgrades in 1P mode, and there is less variety--will they ever match the video-controlled rocket launcher from Nightfire? The villain AI is similar to Nightfire...even their speech ("Target acquired!" "I'm moving in!", etc).

Furthermore, QoS has no driving missions at all--how can a Bond game not have his Aston Martin or BMW? There are no 'Bond Moment's...at least none that give you bonuses, a fun part of the EA games, and there are no upgrades like special weapons (more power, a Golden Gun, etc) drastically cutting the replay value on this game (there is a weapons upgrade on the online multiplayer mode). QoS is also a very short game...far too short. You can finish this with no problem on the third difficulty in a few hours. Even the fourth/hardest difficult level is pretty easy...the enemies are quicker and more accurate, but you just replay and replay. The game is very linear with only one way to attack a board, and not enough interaction with the backgrounds.

Despite these drawbacks...I still liked the game, maybe because I've enjoyed all of the previous Bond games on the PS2 and before. There is still some classic Bond-esque action---cartoonish shooting with no blood or gore. Funny enough, this is actually more reminiscent of the 2002 game Nightfire (for the PS2), which also had the third-person mode. But it's definitely a step backwards in terms of features and overall game play. Mystifying as to why EA would surrender this lucrative franchise--and don't believe any hype that it's the best Bond game since Goldeneye (every Bond game has been called the best game since Goldeneye by someone).

Recommended if you can find it at reduced price. This review is biased because I've waited for a new-gen system Bond game, so I'll take what I can get. It's far too short, there is only an online multiplayer mode (once again, the makers cheap out on local multiplayer in order to push the XBox Live business), and it's way too easy. I would still recommend Everything or Nothing as perhaps the best-ever Bond video game, and far more innovative than this effort. Let's hope Activision steps up next time, or perhaps tries something before the next Craig Bond film, ala EA's From Russia With Love retro-effort.

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It's no secret that most Bond games since GoldenEye 64 have been sub-par, with the exception of Nightfire which I loved.

Then comes Quantum of Solace. I absolutley love this game. I have had it for over two weeks now and there have only been about 2 days that I have not played it.

First off, the campaign mode. A very entertaining and very fun mode to play. The only draw back of it is that it is on the short side. Since it is very fun though, you can play on a lesser difficulty first, then go back and beat it again for the achievements/enjoyment of it. The game is set just after the events of Casino Royale. You first play through a couple levels from Quantum of Solace, and then go back and play through Casino Royale, then go back and finish off QoS. The game keeps you very interested with the fast paced, fun gameplay and the interesting cut scenes.

This game is a first person shooter with hints of a third person shooter. At first this was a negative for me as I am not a huge fan of TPS, but it is done in a fantastic way. There is a cover system that allows you to take cover behind pillers and boxes and walls and whatever else you can hide behind. This allows you to blind fire as well as peek out when the time is right to conserve your health and make perfect shots. This system is also in multiplayer. Also there are fight scenes that you are able to "control". I say that because there will be a whole fight scene, but you will only be allowed to hit about two buttons, the rest is done for you. This is a bit weak, but does not take away from the fun of the game.

The multiplayer is VERY fun and addictive. Treyarch developed this game with Activision, the same team that procduced Call of Duty 3 and Call of Duty: World at War, so you know the multiplayer is quality. The system is set up just like Call of Duty 4 and World at War, with the different weapon classes that allow you to build your own weapon pack. You can choose which main gun, side arm, grenade, weapon attachments, and perks you want.

There are many different modes in multiplayer. There is Team Conflict which is just teams of 4 or 6 that battle each other, deathmatch style. Golden Gun mode is where one person has a golden gun that shoots explosive bullets and everybody else is trying to kill him and each other to get the golden gun. There is territory control in which two teams battle to take over a certain territory and hold it for an amount of time. Classic mode is just how it sounds, classic. This feels a lot like GoldenEye 64 where you just start with a pistol and you have to find other weapons on the map, everybody for themselves. There are about 4 other modes that are fun as well. Great weapon, great perks, and a very good multiplayer experience.

Overall I would recommend this game to anyone who loves shooting games. The campaign is awesome, and the multiplayer is very addictive and adds much replay value to this game. This is one of my favorite Xbox 360 games!! Go get it now!!

Graphics9/10

Sound9/10

Replay Value10/10

Gameplay9/10

Multiplayer9/10

Fun10/10

Overall9.3/10

Buy XL4 Big Boy Xlerator Wheel Stand for Logitech Driving Force GT

Customer Ratings:

I'm a huge fan of driving and racing games, so as an early Christmas present, my wife bought a Logitech G27 for me. Great wheel, but when I tried to attach it to a fold out table it just flopped around and was too unstable. So I looked at wheel seats, but at $400, that was too much for me and then where to store it. After a little searching on Amazon, I found the Xlerator BigBoy wheel stand. ( because I'm quite a bit over weight ) with the G27 adaptor. It came with free shipping and arrived within a week. Assembly took less than an hour and I was up and driving NFS Shift in no time.

I really like the fact that this stand allows you to sit back in your couch or chair and is very adjustable. Most of the other stands I looked at really made you sit up over the wheel, which could not be comfortable for any long period of time. The stand with the G27 is a great combination, it's light enough to move around after use, but sturdy enough to keep everything in place even under heavy driver `input'. The pedals stay in place even when you heal toe or stamp on the brake. The finish stands up to my klutzy movements haven't marred it yet. You might find the need for a USB 2 extension if you are using this on the couch, but Amazon sells a 3 meter version for about $8.

Again, one of the great features about this stand is that it can easily be picked up and stored in the closet. When you pick it up for storage, the foot print is only as large as the pedals since the wheel / shifter bar rise up. It doesn't lock in place, but if you rest the upper end against a wall or other object it will stay in place.

Lastly, the pre and post sales support from Xlerator is wonderful. They are very response and helpful.

Overall, 5 stars for a excellent product and a great value.

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I purchased this for my husband to go along with his new Logitech Driving Force GT wheel. It arrived quickly, was packaged well, easy to assemble and very well made.

Getting in and out of the chair is easy since the wheel arm pivots up to lift out of the way. It fits comfortably on our couch or recliner and really enhances game play. The frame holds the wheel and pedals in place so you actually feel like you're driving, right from your own comfy couch.

We highly recommend this. Driving games wouldn't be as realistic without it. There is a smaller (regular) version available but hubby is a big guy so we appreciate the extra room of this stand.

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I reviewed this over at PS3Blog.net, since I purchased this to go with Gran Turismo 5 and the Logitech PlayStation 3 Driving Force GT Racing Wheel. Here is the bulk of my review from that site:

The outside legs that wrap around your lap are adjustable (all the adjustments are done with spring pins that you line up with the holes). Since I have a large lap, I had to extend the legs all the way, but it still sits comfortably. You can also adjust the length of the support beam (where the lap bar connects to it) to put the foot pedals either closer to you or further out. I like the design they have with this better than a lot of the wheel stands you get at retail stores and the like (since most of them have a support beam that goes between your legs; a less than ideal setup). The only drawback would be if you use a small chair, as the outside legs are best suited for wide chairs and couches (the Big Boy has a 22 inch spread for the lap legs).

With the main support beam going out and then over to the foot pedal base, your legs are free of obstruction, which makes the driving feel more comfortable. The foot pedal itself is a flat piece of metal that, surprisingly, really holds the pedal base in place quite well. While putting it together, I did lose my footing a little bit and stepped right on it (I weigh over 350lbs), and it morphed, but it was also easily bent back into shape (the metal is still sturdy, but I'm not surprised my weight bent it like that).

Keep in mind, the wheel stand was specifically designed for the Driving Force GT, but the manufacturer does have adapters to be able to use it on other wheels (including the G27 and the 360 wireless wheel). With that said, the stand allows you to pivot the main frame back so you can easily get in and out of your chair (the base and lap bars all have rubber feet, so it doesn't slide around and is pretty stable, even in a vertical position), and to make the steering wheel setup easier. Slide the wheel over the flat wheel base plate and lock it in place.

As far as the actual racing goes and how well it works, the simple answer would be amazingly well. For being one of the cheapest stands on the market, I think it's also one of the sturdiest. No matter how high you have the force feedback settings, and how hard you play, the wheel stand stays in place (it slipped on me once at the base, mainly because the carpet is so worn out that it carries little grip, so being able to find a little bit of traction like that was a plus in my book :lol: ).

Since it is easy to take apart and stand, storage is easily done, too. If you have enough room, you can have it rest in the vertical position in a corner, or you can take the steering wheel support/lap bars off and set those to the side to reduce space even more. Personally, I just either leave it in front of the TV, or move it into the corner of my room. The footprint is pretty small.

Even with my wide body and thick legs, the stand didn't get in the way, nor did it twist and turn while I used the wheel. It's surprising how sturdy this thing is based on how it looks (minimal parts, no flashiness). I think that alone (and being able to pivot the bars back to easily get in and out of your seating area) makes this one of the better, understated accessories out there (similar to PS3 RealTriggers, but this likely won't catch on as fast since it's aimed at a much smaller market).

Overall, though, for $120 ($99 if you get the regular sized one), this is quite a bargain if you're big into racing games and want a very sturdy, and affordable (compared to others), wheel stand.

Honest reviews on XL4 Big Boy Xlerator Wheel Stand for Logitech Driving Force GT

i have been playing GT5 for the last month or so and got tired of struggling with the standard PS3 controller and decided to get the Logitech DRIVING FORCE GT wheel since the G27 isn't fully supported in GT5 the wheel itself is awesome but after using a tray table for @ a week, i needed something more solid so i bought this stand

It came very well packaged and even though the box was kinda beat (thanks UPS) the stand itself was in great condition without a scratch on it

The stand went together very easy and mounting the wheel/pedals was extremely straight forward i was a little concerned about the wobble when the wheel was mounted in the UP position but once you have it "down" in your chair or sofa this thing DOESN'T MOVE ONE BIT

the "arm" the wheel mounts to flips up so if you are playing for a long time or an endurance race & need to snack, do a bathroom run or whatever you just pause the game & flip the wheel stand up

the only complaints i have (minor ones at that)are:

1 no real way to mount the pedals to the base the instruction manual recommends either drilling through base or velcro i went with double sided 3M mounting squares in 3 places & the pedals don't move one bit

2 no way to cable maintenance all the wiring the GT wheel has alot of wiring (i need to use a USB extension cable to get to my PS3)so i would recommend going to a home hardware store and invest a few $ in black cable ties and lay out exactly where u want everything, then put a few ties around the wires & the stand takes way from the sleek look but keeps the wires out of the way while you play

i am very happy with my purchase, very stable & comfortable while playing especially during the Endurance races, quality materials & styling, with this and a Logitech GT wheel its the only way to play GT5!

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU IN LIFE & RACING !

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I ordered this item, so I could sit back on my couch and play GT5 (preordered here in Amazon). The assembly was very easy. My old Driving Force Pro fits perfectly. The actual item is solid, functional, easy-to-store, and fits my needs.

POWER A FUS1ON Tournament Controller for PS3 Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $79.99
Sale Price: $67.99
Today's Bonus: 15% Off

I bought this controller because I highly prefer the 360's controller design, but currently only own a PS3. I read reviews for the 360 version and how many actually liked that version more than the official 360 controller, so I figured I should give it a shot. I am incredibly glad that I did. Don't be mistaken, this controller does have a couple of faults (which I will address later), but I can't express highly enough that they do not outweigh the benefits it provides, especially if you want a 360 controller design on the PS3. Many places on the internet you'll see reviews that mention the crazy high quality of the packaging, this is incredibly true. I've noticed since using this controller that I am playing first person games like Modern Warfare 3 with better precision and slightly superior end results as well.

The analog sticks on this controller are very nice, they have a wider base and end, but they also offer less resistance than either the 360 or PS3 controller. I think this adds to the precision your thumbs can aim with. I also enjoy the fact that it came with a separate pair of grips, I've used the rubber ones since I opened it. The only fault I feel that this controller has is the fact that it's wired (though the cable is incredibly long and durably braided). I think that being wired is actually a benefit as well though, because it feels more responsive than a Dualshock.

Now, onto the pleasant surprise of this controller, along with my PS3 I also own a gaming PC which I have hooked up most often to a 50 inch television. This controller is plug and play with Windows 8. As soon as you plug it in Windows finds the drivers for "Wired Tournament Controller for PS3". If you couple this with a key mapping program like Joy to Key or Xpadder, you can emulate keystrokes seamlessly. If you use a 360 controller emulator (like this tocaedit) you can even directly emulate a 360 controller in games which support it. In the end, I highly prefer this controller to any I have ever used, even though the price was steep. I just hope that the build quality is as good as it feels. Overall this is a fantastic product that I cannot suggest enough if you are willing to spend the money.

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I want to start off by saying I just can't stand the PS3 Dual Shock controller anymore. The reason being is that my thumbs are HUGE. When Im playing BF3 I constantly keep hitting the D pad and instead of shooting the person I like either throw an ammo crate at them or health pack or switch to rpg. And when im playing NHL 13 EASHL with my friends I hit the D pad as well, changing the plays which causes my firiends to yell at me lol. I am a huge fan of the xbox controller. The controller layout is better than any controller. That being said I wanted a new controller for my PS3 that has a similar layout to the xbox controller. I researched different ones making sure I read about dead zones and stumbled upon this one. Aside from the fancy design, this controller was a perfect match to the xbox controller. I don't mind it being a wired controller because I don't have to worry about charging the dam thing all the time. It has a pretty nice long cord that is threaded. I really like how it has LED lights in the thumb stick area that you can change colors. Theres like no deadzone. Only problem is that of course with most games, I don't know why they don't change this but you can't switch the L1/L2 and R1/R2. I really hope in the future every shooter game does this.

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Has a nice carry case. Thick braided wire. I've been using for 2 months now. It comes with 2 sets of handle grips, which I think it should just have the rubberized one. I wore a small hole in the center of the L stick (Fingernail), but it doesn't seem to get any bigger just worn in. Overall It's the best controller for non cheaters.

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I bought this on a recommendation from a pro gamer based on its durability and responsiveness. I've had it for over a month and love it!! I have a ps3 so it took a bit to get use to the xbox layout. Don't think i can use anything else now. Don't really care about the fancy lights but extra grips are definitely a super plus. Buttons and sticks are super sensitive. I'm really happy with this purchase.

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I had to use tennis tape to make the grips fatter, but, after that, this controller is perfect for me. It does nothing to increase your BO2 score. No mods here. The buttons are much more durable than the dualshock model and the actual triggers feel a lot better to me. Truthfully, you could buy the cheaper Power A controller that doesn't light up, and you'll have all of the benefits of this one. Still, I use it all the time, and love it.

Discount UFC Undisputed 2009 - Xbox 360

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $13.04
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Keeping in context that this is THQ's first attempt to make a UFC game and you have to admit they did an amazing job.

This was obviously a very hard game to make because it's based on real fighting technique's and has to be grounded in reality. They didn't have the liberties to do impossible moves with super hero like abilities to dish out and withstand punishment like in other games. It had to be as real as possible and that alone must have made for a challenge. Why it's so much more challenging than a wrestling or fighting game is also for the fact that you have to be able to have as much ability to attack and defend from the ground as you do on your feet. A handful of moves won't do it either as it'll get old and stale real fast. Considering they had no existing engine to work with like they're WWE games and had to build a new one from the ground up, it's all the more impressive.

I've been playing it all morning and so far I have to say it's alot of fun. The controls are good although they take a little getting used to but it won't be long before your dishing it out like a pro. The fighters all have their own unique move sets so they're not just different looking, they actually play different from one another. I love the variety of ko's and submissions and I went alot of matches before I saw any of the same finishes twice. I started by jumping right in to exhibition mode to just go at it and get a feel of it. Then I went to tutorial mode to learn the various technique's to play the game how it was meant because I could only go so far on my own. The games excitement ramped up alot after that as I found myself eager to apply the new strikes, takedowns and submissions I had just learned. It really started to look and feel alot more real when thinking and strategizing during matches. Other than those, there's a deep career mode where you get to build your own fighter from scratch, train him, and fight up through the ranks to become one of the elite. Also included is an online mode and classic fights mode where you get to recreate some of the best fights in recent UFC history where your rewarded with unlockable video montages of those fights. I thought the original pre-fight interviews they show you before the fights were a nice touch. I'm also very impressed with the 80+ roster of fighters from all 5 weight classes.

Graphically, it looks great. Most all the fighters look very close to the real ones and some are almost spot on. The only one who doesn't is Mark Coleman and the strange thing is that he instead looks EXACTLY like Frank Trigg. Dana White also looks a little too unlike himself but I was happy with all the others. Otherwise, there's a great attention to detail with the rings, muscles, sweat, cuts and clothing all looking pretty real.

The audio is really good. You'll here the same theme songs from the Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed and Fight Night. Also included are background music you'll hear played often at the events. It's all rock type and meant to get you pumped up for some fighting. The commentary is better than I've heard on any wrestling game. Mike and Joe don't repeat themselves nearly as much and actually have alot of informative things to say. They're also synched very well with the action going on in the ring. The crowd noises ramp up with the action or slow to a boo with inactivity and the smacks and thumps of combat are well represented.

It's not a perfect game though. It could be a little faster, ko's come a little too frequent and easy while submissions are pretty tough to pull off and the cpu doesn't attempt to ground you and try them very much. I'd like a little more blood effects from the fighters as in bleeding down they're faces, getting in they're eyes, and more on the body and shorts. Not to be gory but if you've watched alot of UFC you'll know it happens often enough. There are no ring entrances which also means none with customizable music which is what I would've like to see for my fighter in career mode. And why not have your created fighter start out on The Ultimate Fighter show for a chance to be the next Forrest Griffin? I'd also like to save my best matches, highlights and maybe have a tournament mode like the old UFC where you'd have to beat 3 or 4 guys in the same night. But that's all secondary. What matters is that the core game is intact and it was no doubt a very tough task but I believe they pulled it off.

I've been very excited about this game from it's announcement and early screens and video, till picking it up today and I have to say that I'm not disappointed at all and believe most fans of the UFC and video games won't be disappointed either. For the most part, it lives up to the hype. It's also light years beyond any other UFC game that's ever been made and one heck of a start to capturing the feel of the UFC and MMA in general. I give it 4 stars out of 5 for room for improvement next time but also a big recommendation for UFC fans.

Update: I've been playing the game alot over the past 4 days since I got it and am just continually blown away by how authentic it is. The fighters fight alot like their real life counterparts. Chuck Liddell backs away and counters, Anderson Silva constantly tries to get you in a muay tai clinch to punish you with knees and Brock Lesnar attempts to ground and pound you out, brilliant. There are also tons of reversals and escapes on the ground to make it a really fun and interesting part of fighting. I'm also really enjoying the commentary by Rogan and Goldberg, as they'll also recognize and talk about previous matches between fighters who had significant matches like Arlovski vs Silva, Liddell vs Ortiz and Silva vs Franklin, very cool. Congrats to THQ and Yukes, they really did their homework.

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UFC Branding: 10/10

This game is extremely faithful to the UFC franchise: the arenas, announcers, referees, commentators, Octagon girls, and of course the fighters and coaches are all there and look and sound very realistic. I thought the coaches mumbled too much and didn't really give good advice but at least you get the feeling of advice being given (moral support?).

Controls: 8/10

I wanted to be able to jump more and generally be more reckless. For example, I wanted to do flying kicks (the flashy kind real fighters never do unless they want to lose in the first few seconds). There are a lot of really cool moves like Superman punch and flying knee but these can only be activated contextually (you have to be a certain range from your opponent). I have never played a "wrestling" game before so I wasn't sure what to expect but the use of the right analog stick for a lot of grappling/wrestling moves seemed to do the trick. It is somewhat intuitive but I am still struggling with transitions (there are easy and hard transitions and the hard ones don't always seem to work). I would have really loved customizable controls but I did not see that option (probably because the practice/tutorial mode would be harder to script), but the defaults are fairly intuitive and get the job done. I don't like having to press the analog sticks inward (left inward to run, right inward to submit) The left bumper and trigger are height modifiers that convert strikes to high and low respectively. This also modifies grappling: high to clinch and low to do a takedown. Then, on the ground you can still modify for head shots or body shots. So, that much is intuitive. The right bumper and trigger are defensive height modifiers, though even if you block you'll still take some damage. I had to take off one point for the lack of jumping and fun controls and one point for the omission of customizable controls, otherwise they are reasonably comprehensive and intuitive.

Tutorial: 8/10

The tutorial is very long and takes a while to get through it all. I am happy it exists and had to go back and consult it a few times. I think there could be better integration of this with the training camps in Career mode but it's still decent.

Practice Mode: 10/10

This mode has everything: choose your fighter, opponent, and opponent's AI level. This lets you configure whether your opponent will be an inanimate punching bag, someone who will defend only (with many options here), or someone who will fight back (and you can set the difficulty level). If you or your opponent is knocked out or submitted, it's no big deal, the fighter positions reset quickly and you can resume practice. If there is one thing I would have liked, it would have been to have more options for where you fight (instead of just the gym).

Historic Fights: 2/10

I thought this was cool but it seemed to force me to play as one of the fighters and not just have the fights play out as they actually did (or have AI's fight it out and simulate what might have happened). I guess I just don't see how you couldn't do pretty much the same thing with Exhibition Mode.

Exhibition Mode: 10/10

This is the normal "versus" mode of the game. I had no problems with the options presented. Yes, you have to choose your weight class (an appropriate constraint), but you get to use custom fighters and toggle stats and fighters who have actually fought in more than one weight class are able to be selected in both (e.g. BJ Penn). I think you can even choose your arena and referee (but not the Octagon girls). Importantly, you can choose how many rounds it will be (which constrains the arena selection a bit): 2, 3 or 5.

Career Mode: 7/10

This mode is hard. First, the fights are hard. Second, the time management can be tricky. Basically, everything is done on a weekly basis and most physical actions take a certain amount of stamina away. So, you can't do Intense training twice in one week but you could do Intense and Moderate training and then have virtually no stamina left. There's nothing wrong with using up your stamina except that it might be bad if you have none on the week of your fight and you can only recover part of your stamina in one week so you need about two weeks to fully recharge. This is rough because you may only have 4 or 5 weeks to get ready for a fight so half your time is wasted to recharging. I loved the sparring and training camps options (and actually felt like the training camps helped me learn and improve) and you can even use points from sparring to boost specific stats (and they are very specific let me tell you) or you can focus on Strength, Speed and Cardio (if you prefer the macro level). There are also emails and interviews and making public appearances (e.g. at other fights) which all seem fine but maybe a bit of a time waster for people who just want to fight. Of course, this is career mode so what do you want? Oh, and if you really like detail, you can add sponsors and micro the logos on your trunks for reputation points. The nice thing about career mode is that it is VERY forgiving. If you screw up and lose a fight or two, you'll still be given opportunities to step back into the Octagon. Dana White and your manager/agent are very nice and bend over backwards to promote you and help you along.

Graphics: 9/10

I thought Dane White, Herb Dean, and a few fighters did not look right. However, the vast majority are convincing. I think the camera angles are great and have no complaints there (you don't even notice it). The movement of the fighters is very impressive and there is a lot of attention to detail to things like breathing and hunching over when low on energy. I love the ragdolling (though maybe it's too frequent and it seems knockouts frequently cause the opponent to lose his mouthguard). There is too much sweat and not enough blood, but the sweat doesn't detract that much. I loved how you can create a fighter and customize so much about his physical appearance (it is very thorough). I would have liked to see more options for hair color (for Chris Leben etc.) but that's about it.

Voice Acting: 10/10

Music: 2/10

I hate the default music (even though it is true to UFC style) and turned it off as soon as it got annoying. I would have liked to have seen an option to use custom songs for your fight entrance (which by the way is oddly absent in this otherwise very detailed and realistic game) and otherwise have a song library to play as background music. I think the commentators are spot on in terms of how they sound and what they say. I think there is a tendency for the commentators to overstate how crazy or epic every fight is, but otherwise they do a good job of stating the obvious. I don't know about the licensing and stuff but it would have been great if they could have had the fight entrance songs (e.g. when Quinton "Rampage" Jackson enters and Roy Jones Jr. "Can't be Touched" plays). Oh, and the game obviously doesn't know how to pronounce whatever jacked up name you give your custom fighter so it just uses a preset nickname (you can choose from a dozen or so) like "Headhunter" when doing announcements at the beginning and end of matches. I would have liked more nicknames to choose from (why not include actual fighter nicknames?) but it's not a big deal.

Miscellaneous:

There are some load time issues. I also think it gets a bit confusing when it's autosaving (do Exhibition matches count toward my Custom Fighter's Career Mode?) or you go to save redundantly. It's not a big problem and isn't terribly confusing just a bit weird (it shows all the steps it does in each part of the save process when it probably could have suppressed some of it).

I have yet to see Jens Pulver or Mark DellaGrotte (not sure they aren't there just haven't noticed them) and I'm sure a lot of MMA geeks will bemoan that there is no Fedor but this is explicitly UFC Undisputed and not a general MMA game. If you want to you could probably create him with the custom fighter options anyway which should be the default response to any qualms over missing fighters.

It is probably worth mentioning the fighting styles. In this game all fighters are classified into a striking style and a grappling style. There are three striking styles: Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai. Only kickboxers can do head kicks (as far as I can tell). Only Muay Thai can do special moves in the clinch (e.g. knee to the head). There are three grappling styles: BJJ, Wrestling, Judo. BJJ has the best transitioning and submissions. Wrestling and Judo let you do throws and slams and I think you have to be a wrestler to do certain throws (or have a guaranteed ability to do them). I'm not sure whether the style limitations are problematic but considering that fighters are normally encouraged to be well-rounded and learn everything (and how that's the whole point of MMA), it's weird that these limitations are built-in.

There are a lot of nice little touches in the game and if you're an UFC fan or at all into MMA this title will probably hold your interest. If you're looking for Street Fighter mechanics and the ability to do Hadoukens, you won't find it here. However, if you're looking for a level of realism never before seen in this genre of video game, this is it. I was skeptical that you could ever develop a control system to faithfully translate MMA into a video game format, but this game gives me hope. I do think it tends to emphasize the strategic rather than the visceral aspect of the sport but it is a video game after all (if you want something more visceral, then try the real thing I guess or get a button masher).

Best Deals for UFC Undisputed 2009 - Xbox 360

A great fighting game with deep controls and tons of replay. The online gameplay with created fighters and known UFC vets alike is fun and rewarding for anyone who put hours into their create-a-fighter.

Some folks have complained that leveling up your character through the training sessions were boring, menu nonsense, but I also really enjoy RPGs so I found this menu system intuitive and way faster than going through mindless mini-games over and over for hours on end (you're building a fighter's career that's years long!).

The fighting in the game is fluid and deep. Getting the controls down is made easy with the in game tutorial and a bit of time in the octagon. Once you're familiar with the controls getting in there and punching people in the face is tons of fun. The different Striking and Grappling techniques make interesting combinations possible that should please any fight fan. The animations and sound effects are very good. It's truly satisfying to drop a Superman punch on someone or deliver a truly spectacular head kick that rocks your opponent! Whether you're a fan of the UFC or just a casual gamer I think that this game will keep you playing for a ling time.

Honest reviews on UFC Undisputed 2009 - Xbox 360

The fighting is ok, but this game is packed with so many idiotic limitations I wonder if the developers were actively trying to frustrate gamers.

Problems with this game:

1. No open weight fights. Not only can you not have BJ Penn fight Brock Lesnar, you can't even have Georges St-Pierre fight Anderson Silva. This game is absolutely rigid in their restrictions on who can fight who. And disallowing certain fights is not even realistic a lot of these fights have actually happened. Penn fought Machida, Nog fought Henderson, etc. But not in this game.

Fight Night games allow for open weight bouts you could have Pacquiao vs. Tyson if you want and that's something that would NEVER happen in boxing. But EA realizes that its a video game and that it would be stupid to not allow all fighters to compete with each other. Meanwhile, UFC started as an open weight event and PRIDE was holding open weight tournaments relatively recently.

Looking at the back of the box you may be wowed by the idea of 80 fighters, but guess what? Each fighter can only face 15 other fighters so don't get too excited. And in career mode you will end up facing the same couple guys over and over. I played a welterweight career and literally fought GSP, Hughes, and Serra 6 or 7 times each.

And if you want to argue that those bouts would not actually happen in the real UFC, I say to you: you are wrong. GSP may very well go up in weight and fight Silva. But you cant do that in this game which is so ridiculous it is mind-boggling. If I want to have Florian vs. Cro Cop I should be able to! And if Florian gets murdered, so be it.

The lack of open weight cuts a huge element out of an already shallow game. It would be exciting to see if you could beat your friend while he is using Nogueira and you are Dan Henderson... oh wait, Nogueira and Henderson actually fought before, but they can't in this game. Yeah, that makes sense.

2. Can't use UFC fighters in career mode. This is especially awful because you will soon realize that the UFC fighters can only be used in the exhibition mode or online. This means that if you want use, say, Rampage Jackson against everyone in his division, you have to go through the menus and manually select each different fighter in exhibition mode. It's clunky and slow and gets old fast.

3. Career mode is WAY TOO SHORT. Look, it's THQ, so that's an iron-clad guarantee that the career mode will disappoint. I knew that going in, THQ is obsessed with ending your career just as it's getting started. They've done it on every wrestling game they've produced and they did it here. Except in the WWE games you get 50 matches. Here you get 35 and then you are forced to retire. The career mode lasts 7 years. That means if you make your created fighter 18, he is forced to retire when he is 25. That's blatantly stupid and has no relation to an actual UFC career. Why can't I just continue for 100 matches or more if I want? SO STUPID.

Fight Night Round 4 is going to have a career mode that's going to last at least 10 years from what I have seen, but then again, EA is making a sports game and not modelling their career mode on wrestling games.

Basically the whole single player game amounts to the career mode and thats it, so why not let it go on for a while? Why is THQ so obsessed with ending your career prematurely? Why not have it be open ended and just go on forever?

4. There are hardly any modes. There should have been a basic Arcade mode or something where you can pick a real fighter and fight in a bunch of fights. That may be a dumb idea but it's something... ANYTHING. The single player game is wretched, you get the career mode and that is it, then there is exhibition for fighting your friends, online, and... that's it. I won't even bother to review the completely worthless "classic" fight mode. They leave out tons of stuff, yet give you the classic fight feature which is a genuine, honest-to-goodness waste.

There should be a dozen different modes. Tournaments, Arcade, a career mode that simulates an actual career.

5. No title fights. That's right, outside of career mode you can't have any title fights. If you choose a 5 round fight, Mike Goldberg will call it a title fight, and he'll call the winner the new champion, but it doesn't mean anything. No one actually wins a belt. There are no title fights, if you want to win the belt you have to do it in the career and that means you can't win the belt with a default UFC fighter. Imagine a UFC game where you can't win the belt with a UFC fighter. You don't have to imagine, here it is. So much for running your own fed with your friends.

6. Create a fighter is pointless. You CAN'T create a great fighter off the bat, the basic CAF mode only allows for average fighters to be created (75 is the max rating). So you can not create Fedor or Couture or anyone good right away, which makes the basic CAF as unusable as the stupid classic fight mode.

What's the point? Who wants to sit around making bum fighters? No one.

That leaves you with the career mode which allows you to create a fighter and build up his stats. But you can't have this fighter have both special punches and kicks like many real fighters do, and there are other limitations: your created fighter will never be as good as a real fighter.

Apparently you are allowed to create up to 100 fighters, but the game only lets you choose from *TEN* different nicknames. So that pretty much ruins the idea of creating 100 fighters. Are you supposed to create guys with the same nicknames over and over? As far as I am concerned, you can only create 10 fighters because I have no interest in having 2 different guys with the same nickname. I should also mention that the nicknames are horrible and make your character less cool for having to use one of them.

There are dozens of decent nicknames on here that belong to the default fighters that would have been ok for gamers to use, they could have easily allowed that but they didn't. They gave you 10 of the nerdiest nicknames you could possibly imagine.

What should have been done is this: you should have been able to type your OWN nickname, whatever you want it to be. Then there should have been a list of names for the in-game announcers and commentators to call you during the fights, and if you did not choose one, they could just call you, "the fighter". This is basic technology that has been available since the birth of PS2 at least. Sports games have been calling me by my real name for years. That was something this Bush League game could not manage, so I guess I have to name myself "Big Nasty"... =/

10 nicknames! Why not just spit in gamers' faces?

...

Honestly, this is an ok game. You'll have a little fun with it. But it's so obviously rushed, barebones, and cheap that it gets old super fast. A game like this should be overflowing with modes and options. Everything I listed here should be in this game and more. There is no comparison with Undisputed and any serious sports game. UFC Undisputed is not a serious sports game. It's a more realistic wrestling game.

When Fight Night Round 4 comes out, everyone is going to realize what a class fightsport game looks like, and this game will look POOR in comparison. Count on that, and save your money if you are only going to buy one.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for UFC Undisputed 2009 - Xbox 360

UFC 2009 Undisputed is a very good game. THQ has put in everything to make a great MMA game they included every detail and put everything into the game.

One problem is that every Muy Thai fighter is the same, every Boxing figher is the same, and every Kickboxing fighter is the same. All the moves for each style is the same and also for the BJJ, Wrestling, and Judo fighters. That sometimes makes the game repetitive.

The career mode also gets repetitive after a while especially after you win the title because you fight the same four or five fighters all the time. I got very agitated that in career mode you are forced to retire after seven years.

But overall the game is very good and i believe is definetly worth 50 bucks.

Buy Madden NFL 2003

Customer Ratings:

Madden 2003 is the best football game out there in every aspect except possibly one; Graphics. Sega's NFL 2K3 takes that category, but not bu much. However, Madden takes everything else. Gameplay is tight, so when you press a button, it corresponds instantly. Realism is amazing. Players act and move like actual NFL players. The 'Ask Madden' feature is great, and it actually relates to the game. So if it's 3rd and 18, Madden will tell you to pass.



No one comes close to touching Madden in Game Modes. Mini-camp mode is very fun and addictive. Football 101 explains how to play the game, Create-a-Playbook is a great way to learn how to set up plays, and various other modes will keep you playing for hours on end.

Game sounds are realistic, and really help the game. The music is awesome. There are 11 songs, not just one, so you don't get one annoying song stuck in your head.

Overall, Madden is the best football game for any system right now in existence. There are so many ways to enjoy this game, so go buy it and try to find them all.

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Madden NFL 2003 is a definite improvement over last year's offering but a few minor flaws will keep the game from earning five stars.

I'll discuss what I don't like about the game first. There are three main problems: the music, the graphics, and your profile manager. For some reason EA has decided to drop standard menu music and use a host of tracks all straight from the latest beer comercials. Non-standard menu music is potentially a good thing, but a poor selection of songs is not. Don't get me wrong, not all of the music is terrible and you can skip over songs you don't like, but the feature is screaming out for the ability to play songs from the hard drive.

Graphically speaking, 2003 is sharper and clearer than 2002 with much better and more varied player animations. The crowd looks much better as well (before it was so bad it was distracting). Unfortunately though, the graphics engine is optimized to the lowest common denominator of the multiplatform world and doesn't take advantage of the immense power of the Xbox.

A final complaint is that in last year's edition of the game you could save your playbook choice to your profile. Now you can't and have to choose your playbooks before every game.

Of course, what makes that such a problem is the absolutely fantastic new playbook editing features. You can completely customize your playbooks for offense and defense, drawing from any of the playbooks in the game and you can create your own plays and even entirely new formations. Of course you can also edit any existing play or formation. I believe it is this feature and its astounding depth that will keep fans of franchise style simulation football playing this game until the 2004 edition is released. There is so much room for creativity on the offensive side of the ball that is just unbelievable. It is much harder to design a new defensive formation that really works well against the computer beyond the standard 4-3, 3-4, 46, Nickel, Dime, and Quarter formations, but trying to do so will teach you why those formations work and help you to design new plays for them. Overall, the editable playbooks will really reward you for understanding your team on its deepest levels. You will need to change it constantly as your team changes and you face different opponents with different styles. On offense, if you have a multi-dimensional talent like Marshall Faulk, you can design formations that exploit the mismatches he creates. On defense you can design plays that optimize the talents of your different players. So, for example, if you have a great coverage linebacker who tackles poorly and a fast, hard-hitting safety who covers poorly, you can design a few plays that allow them to switch responsibilites and catch an unwary offense off guard. Of course, where the editable playbooks will really shine is in head to head confrontation with a friend as the better prepared will have a huge advantage. I really can't say enough about how cool this feature is and how much it adds to the simulator experience.

Another new feature to the game is the Minicamp. There are 30 camps (although only about ten or so totally different drills) that try and teach basic football skills through drills and applied game situations. The feature is nice and finally provides a good way to learn how to play defense effectively.

The franchise mode is where a Madden fan will likely spend most of his or her time and it has been improved as well. You now get four preseason games that you can use to evaluate and even improve your players. So if you've got a hot new rookie you can actually make him a lot better if you're willing to risk injury by exposing him in all the games. The only annoying part of the preseason is that the computer will keep starters in for unrealistically long periods early in the preseason. Another new feature to the franchise mode is the Scouting Combine which goes a long way towards making the draft more of a game within the game. However, they still haven't quite gotten the true feel of a draft...you will basically never find sixth or seventh round gems. The talent is mostly gone by the end of the third round.

Finally, the gameplay in 2003 is much improved. It is fairly obvious the folks at EA listened to our complaints because the defenses are, overall, much tougher and smarter. You can no longer rush for 200 yards and throw for 400 yards on any difficulty in every game at will anymore. You have to work for your yards. Fifty yard field goals are not automatic. The end result of this is a much more realistic game of football, with more realistic scores, stats, 3rd down percentages, and so on. The audio commentary is definitely improved even though they recycled way to many lines from last year. Al Michaels is a nice change of pace and does a fine job in his debut here.

So, in the final analysis, if you liked last year's Madden, you're going to love this one.

Best Deals for Madden NFL 2003

Another year, another Madden. One really can't go wrong this year, as both Sega and EA sports have put out 2 great games. Here is my take on Madden:

PROS: Very deep gameplay, multiple modes (great new Mini-camp option lets you work on specific aspects of football), realistic football simulation. Graphics are quite good, although a good bit of clipping happens, especially during replays. Game sounds are pretty good, too. Overall, a lot of fun.

CONS: Computer can still pick you apart with the passing game. QB's are hard to sack, even with the best D-line you can have, and average receivers will routinely make spectacular grabs while triple covered by pro bowl defensive backs. CPU clock management is better, but the computer will still call a play and line up with only 2 seconds to go before the 2 mnts warning. The control is good, but a bit jerky and unrealistic when tackling. The voice commentary gets old FAST. The good folks at EASports recycled at least half of Madden's "unique" sayings from last year's game, which is ... cheesy.

Overall the positives outweigh the negatives, but I just wish someone could get pass coverage right for a change...

Honest reviews on Madden NFL 2003

NFL Fever has prettier graphics, but neither Fever nor Sega NFL 2k3 can beat Madden 2003 for its gameplay, options, and ability to control the abilities of both individual players and entire groups of players.

Graphics: The quarterbacks look a little malnourished compared to Fever and NFL 2k3; otherwise the graphics are excellent. In contrast, I was not as impressed with Sega's version of the game. In Madden, the crowds and the stadiums were drawn with more detail than Sega's game. The crowd really gets into the game and is very vocal.

Gameplay: The AI is superb. It adapts to your style of play including your tendency to throw to a particular receiver or use a certain play. In addition, the officials on the field actually spot the ball after each play. This makes the two minute drill much more fun and realistic. The guys holding the yard markers are an outstanding touch. They actually run out of the way or get knocked down when a ball carrier runs at or into them. In pass coverage, the secondary is very good at keeping receivers in front of them.

A huge plus is the ability to downgrade or upgrade a particular skill of the players such as passing accuracy, tackling, blocking, or running the ball. You use sliders on one of the menu screens without having to go through EVERY running back, quarterback, or receiver and change each player's attributes. By the way, you can do that too if you choose.

Playbook: The playbook is excellent and is tailored for each team. Customer playbooks and plays can also be made. Plays can be set in a predefined formation. Custom formations can also be made. Player routes can be precisely drawn on a gridsquare, and a variety of moves such as breaking in and out of a turn at a certain angle can be added.

Computer simulation of league games: The computer also accurately simulates all games that you choose not to play based on the player attributes that you assign each team. I don't see quarterbacks throwing 55 TD's in a season with only 4 int's or running backs averaging 8 yards a carry and over 2500 yards a season like I used to on Sega's game. By the way, in Sega's game, you can't alter all of the players' attributes. It also doesn't have as many choices for changing different skill sets as Madden does. If you can only buy one game or have time to play one, Madden is the one to get.

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PROS:

The mini-camp games are fun and addictive. They basically consist of passing, running, tackling and kicking skills. Depending on your performance during these drills, you will either earn a bronze, silver, or gold trophy. Earning a gold trophy will unlock certain cheats which makes the replay value of these games very high.

Better tackling animations including gang tackles.

Running plays are more challenging. On Madden 2002, I would always gain huge chunks of yards by running around my tackles and guards rather than going through the holes that are created at the line of scrimmage. Now, the linebackers are more smarter and intuitive and will more than likely stuff me for a no gain or loss unless I mix up the type of running plays.

Passing remains just as callenging as ever. Corner backs will stick to recievers like glue. I've also noticed that when controlling the defense, my defensive backs are more likely to snag an interception when the ball is thrown right to them. Gone are the days that a ball would bounce off my defender's helmet.

I liked the game presentations included at the beginning of a contest. Al Michaels and John Madden now give their thoughts as to key matchups and what both teams should be looking for to win.

CONS:

The player models are very cartoonish. Heads and hands are bigger in proportion the the body and the uniforms give the appearance that they are made of plastic due to the shiny reflections that are given off. I get the impression that the Xbox version is a direct port from the PS2 version. Players lack much detail and seem a little jagged and blurry.

The franchise mode is basically the same, with the exception of a combine mode that allows a gamer to assign 15 players he or she wants to scout. Once you have chosen these 15 players, more detailed information will be provided such as individual ratings and potential. Given NFL 2k3's total and awesome makeover of their "franchise" mode, Madden 2003 seemed a little underwhelming.

The real question to football fanatics that own an Xbox is which game to buy? Personally, I would have to go with Madden since they cater to the true football connosieur. The gameplay is tight and smooth. The presentation is exciting and awesome. Additions such as the mini-camp games make the game more addicting as it is. I didn't even mention the further addition of a playbook creator since I have yet to try it out. But the idea of having six recievers going downfield seems pretty inviting. NFL 2k3 is amost there. In my opinion, another year of seasoning for that franchise might just completely snatch the crown away from EA Sports.

Buy Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2

Customer Ratings:

Well, there certainly is alot to say about Sarge's Heroes. In comparison to all other army men games, this ranks as one of the top (then again, the other games weren't much competition). The graphics sparkle brilliantly using the advantage of the ps2 console. Each movement and environment is very realistic and clear. But, now comes the bad side. It's play control is somewhat, to be desired. In many points in the game, the controller is unresponsive. You push X to fire your weapon, nothing happens. However, this only happens every so often. Angles you look from can also be somewhat choppy, where you either look right or left, nothing in between. Also, the levels are extremely confusing! The objectives are so undescriptive, you have no clue what you are supposed to do (such as in the "Bridge" level.) The game, however is certainly not the easiest Army Men game! Huge tanks shoot one missile at you, and you're plastic shards. But even though it's moderately difficult in that perspective, it's really fun. Cinema scenes are great and so is the music. Overall, a good army men game worth buying.

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I almost didn't buy this game because of the generally poor reviews by professional critics and other reviewers. I just disagree. This is a really fun game! Some here have criticized the control system, but I find it just fine. This game wasn't meant to be Tomb Raider, but rather an entertaining strategy/3ps. I also enjoyed the storyline (yes I know folks this game is not realistic) which mixed war with romance. :-)

I recommend this game emphatically. This is the first one I've playerd, but I've ordered "Air Attack" from Amazon zshops which I highly anticipate.

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My dad and I really like to play this game. The graphics are excellent. You can also adjust the difficulty levels to make it as challenging for you as you like. Not to mention blowing up stuff is a great way to end a bad day! We still have a long way to go on it, but I look foreward to trying to outsmart my dad on the dual action. Have fun!

Honest reviews on Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2

This game is great! You can be any character you want( Any character on the shelf that is ) in two player. This game is fun!

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This game is awsome!!!! You have no idea how awsome this game is! It makes me fell like I'm a plastic army man!! Most of the levels take place in a toy store or a house! The first level is a dinner table! It makes me look like I'm on MY dinner table as a plastic army man!! I also like boot camp even though it's not like a real mission! I love the referagarater level! And I also love level 10! That level is not like some other levels, you try to save the BLUE nation! I also love multiplayer! I only hate how in two player you have to fight each other! Over all, a awsome game!! This is my first army men game TOO!!!!!!

Buy Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $28.18
Today's Bonus: 6% Off

I found this game to be more fun that any other RPG I've played. While the story doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat, it is interesting and takes many unforseen and amusing turns. The items system is the best thing about this game. It is based off of the use of alchemy, where you create items as Visse using components. Once you have unlocked an item by creating it once, you can make more of them wherever you are using elements which are found across the world. The result is that you are not afraid to use items, which makes the game far more enjoyable. At the same time, money is still important as you need it to buy recipies so you can create armor, accessories, and more expendable items. I suppose the item system makes the game less challenging, but I was too busy having fun to notice.

The battle system is innovative, and still remains simple. You can use a break attack, which delays the enemies turn and can allow you to do critical damage if you keep the enemy broken. You can use a charge attack which increases your skill bar, allowing your team to use powerful special attacks or healing magic. Or you can a skill or item. Simply breaking an enemy is not a path to victory, as bosses will not stay broken for long and will just bash you while you are doing small amounts of damage because you are not using skills. Against normal enemies, they show up in groups so it is rare you can keep them all broken unless they are so weak they die in one or two hits anyway. A combination of breaking, charging, and skills is required to effectively defeat enemies.

A large part of the game is spent playing as Viesse on Eden where there are no battles. However, even this part is surprisingly fun. As Viesse you go around Eden making pacts with Mana spirits to increase your alchemy abilities and to help the people who live there. Her part of the game is primarily character development as you learn about those who live on Eden and what Felt, the other main character, is up against.

The characters are an amusing group of rebels freeing a Kingdom that has been conquered by a foreign empire. The graphics are not amasing, but suit the world very well. The voiceovers add alot to that characters, giving them a great deal of personality. Between the item system and the skill bar systems, I never found myself worried that I'm running low on mana and items deep into the dungeon. Overall, I would describe this game as easy and convenient. It's the kind of game that doesn't challenge you too much, but also doesn't have any of those frustrating moments that usually accompany a more challenging title.

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I'm an RPG buff, through and through. I've been playing RPGs ever since Dragon Warrior I and I just love a certain style to my RPGs. I played Atelier Iris 1 and, while the game was enjoyable, it had flaws. It seems that those flaws, all of them, were fully addressed in part 2.

The positives:

if you're an SNES fan this game is right up your alley, as the games feel like they're fresh from that system, just with anime clips throughout.

The music is outstanding. It just gets better and better with time, like a fine wine.

The storyline is a little confusing at first, but as you progress through the game, you'll unravel quite the thread and everything will start to make sense.

Dialogue is hilarious at times. Especially with a certain other character who keeps messing up Felt's name, and even at one point calling him Klein (from Atelier Iris 1).

Felt can actually fight on his own, unlike Klein who was useful for only one thing alchemy. This got you killed, because Klein was the only one who could revive others with items. If he died, your battle was done. In this one, there are revival items that anyone can use, plus ones that Felt OR Viese can use. Much improved.

The bad:

Viese is horrible to use at first. All she does in the beginning of the game is make items for Felt to use during his quest in the opposite world. Though some of her storylines are interesting, it starts to get old. Fortunately, a plot twist will happen which will finally thrust her into the real gameplay, and that's when the game starts to get really interesting.

Either Felt is a pimp or something's wrong with the game direction. Viese seems to think of Felt like a brother who she's attracted to, as sick as that sounds. The other females in the story seem to be attracted to Felt but don't really show it, and Felt is just in the center kinda breezing through with no real bond to any of them.

The map was removed in exchange for a point-and-click interface. You tell them where to go and they go there, and new locations are opened as you progress through the story. I call this a negative because I like free roam, though I understand why they did it; it speeds up the game play significantly.

Do I recommend this game? Absolutely. The best part is that you don't need to have played part 1 to understand part 2, it just gives you a little bit of insight, but part 2 is light years ahead of part 1 in terms of gameplay and graphics.

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Game keeps you thinking all the time about every aspect. Always something to do and remember. Great for number crunchers and people who like long lasting RPGs. 60-70 hours game play when maxed out stats. Great game to come back to.

Honest reviews on Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny

Very enjoyable game.Make your own accesories and synthesize your weapons. Excellant story line.

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thou this game is cliche its game play more then makes up for it and there are still shocking twist

Reviews of X-box 360 Backpack By Planet 21

Customer Ratings:

I bought this backpack recently, and it suits my needs. It is big enough to carry 4 controllers, 360 console, all wires, and if you put your games in some sort of sleeve, it will fit. Overall the appearance is decent, although i did wish that they had an actual pocket for putting controllers, i had to place 3 in the outer most pocket, and 1 in the main pocket, which im sure is an improvisation.

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This backpack is a very well made convieniance. It holds the original xbox and the 360 (with a seprate paded case for the 360 consol) its made very durable, and holds controllers and games, along with the cords and gizmos you may need for excellent gameplay.

Best Deals for X-box 360 Backpack By Planet 21

El bolos es muy resistente y con muchos compartimientos, ademas se puede utilizar para otras cosas

Discount Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCIe - 4-channel Internal Cable TV Tuner Card

Customer Ratings:

I was an early adopter of HTPC technology. Windows Media Center and I go all the way back to the original version in Windows XP. Since then, Windows Media Center has matured nicely in Windows 7 and is finally ready for Prime Time. Even if you're not a techy, I strongly suggest looking at this technology, especially if you're fed up with the substandard DVRs the CableCo's charge too much buck for too little bang.

DVR v1.0 used an ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner. Since there are multiple people in my house, and the ATI tuner can handle only one channel at a time, the Ceton card was a welcome upgrade for DVR v2.0. The installation and configuration is straightforward and will take about 1 hour depending on your level of expertise. Here's a rough outline of the steps you'll need to follow.

1. Pickup a CableCard from your CableCo. (They may tell you a home visit is mandatory, violating an FCC directive. Read on below.)

2. Open up the PC and insert the Ceton InfiniTV card in an empty PCIx slot.

3. Insert the CableCard into the Ceton InfiniTV slot.

4. Visit the Ceton website to install the latest drivers and firmware.

5. Connect your coax cable and reboot.

6. Start Windows Media Center and follow the setup wizards. The first wizard certifies your PC as Cable Ready. The second establishes your channel lineup. Typical configuration time is about 30 minutes.

During your journey to build the perfect HTPC, there are three possible hurdles you may encounter, which are surmountable given some time, patience, and tenacity.

1. Faulty card

2. Poor signal strength

3. Reluctance from CableCo to support CableCard technology

I experienced two of these hurdles, which I'll share with you in the hopes it will bring you to a speedier resolution.

The first card I received from Ceton had a faulty OOB (Out of Band) tuner, which has been documented on several websites devoted to Windows HTPC enthusiasts. To make matters worse, when I initially explained the issue to their tech support department, they ignored my detailed analysis of the issue and sent a canned reply requesting that I jump though a bunch of time-consuming hoops that they would have realized were unnecessary had they actually read my email. After I became more assertive regarding the situation, they apologized, and overnighted a replacement card, which has been running without issue for a month. Since Ceton is a new company, I expect missteps such as these. In the end, they did the right thing and made me a happy customer. I can now record up to 4 programs simultaneously and stream those programs to any XBOX 360 in the house or any Windows 7 PC in the world. (Try doing that with the CableCo DVR!) The recorded programs look and sound great and so does live TV. The diagnostic software is useful and well organized.

As people here and elsewhere have pointed out, the CableCo's are very reluctant to support this technology, even though the FCC has directed them to. Since they will lose substantial income from your DVR rental cancellation, the sales staff will do everything in their power to talk you out of using a CableCard. Then the technician who visits your home will most likely not understand CableCard technology and know even less about Windows Media Center. In other words... they are going to make the whole process as frustrating as humanly possible and you're pretty much on your own. For example, Comcast/xFinity insisted that they had to send out a technician (even though the FCC rules say that they must allow customer self-installs). Once the technician arrived, he had no idea how to set anything up. And to add insult to injury, they wanted to charge me for the visit!

Bottom line is: Why am I paying for an untrained technician to make a home visit that according to the FCC shouldn't be necessary in the first place?

So if your CableCo tries to bully you into submission, ask to speak with a supervisor and refer the supervisor to the rules listed below:

* CableCARD fees have to be the same for everyone, no matter which package you have.

* If your cable company allows any self installs, they must allow CableCARD self-installs.

* Cable companies must support SDV for CableCARD users -this was implied before, now it is black and white.

* By default, all new deployments must be M-Cards (unless you actually request a S-Card).

* Cable companies can include an IP interface in set-top-boxes lieu of a 1394 port.

* One way HD boxes without CableCARDs are no longer forbidden and they don't require IP interfaces.

The irony of course is that DVRs will be obsolete in 5-10 years thanks to advances in on-demand services (Internet TV in Windows Media Center, Hulu, iTunes, Netflix, etc) combined with faster broadband and cellular data speeds. But for now, despite the hurdles I described, this is truly the best DVR option out there. Yes, it's a little pricey, but the money you save in DVR rental fees will pay for the card. If you can get past possible equipment failure and your CableCo's frustrating reluctance to support technology the FCC directed them to, it's all worth it in the end.

My HTPC Specs: goo.gl/dHBKr

I give the InfiniTV 4/5 since the first card was faulty and because the repair process wasn't as smooth as it could have been.

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The Ceton 4 tuner cablecard tuner is a marvelous piece of hardware that can solve a long standing problem of how to have High Defintion Cable TV throughout your home without paying $17 a month for each cable box for each screen in each room.

First a warning, your cable provider can really turn an install into a pain if they are imcompetent, not an unusual occurence.

I had no problem installing and getting my Ceton up and running within an hour of it being delivered. I had gone to my local Comcast store earlier in the day and picked up a cablecard. My Ceton was delivered around 2 PM. I had the tuner and cablecard paired up and activated by 3 PM, the big 82" in the living room was looking good.. Wasn't long before it was working in the bedroom on the plasma, then in my den on my work PC and finally the Notebook as well.

Comcast ufortunately managed to completely farkle my account setup details when I returned the original cablecard I had been using in my Tivo a few days later... The Tivo HD is a great device which the Ceton has sent to the showers by the way.

After returning my old cablecard to the Comcast store, the rep there had through total incompetence ended up disabling my cablecard in the Ceton at the house. Drove all the way home only to find that cable TV had stopped working properly. I had to to make another tirp back to the Comcast office again to straighten out the serial number issue. I had no idea what was going on but the phone techs at Comcast support were able to see her mistake but were not allowed/empowered to fix. So back I go to the Comcast store to argue with them for awhile before they would even consider they screwed up. Even after the billing mistake was correctd (wrong cablecard serial number, a typo by the rep supposedly, makes you wonder what is the point of using the bar code scanner to check them in and out). I drove back home thinking she had corrected the information but when I got home and reinstalled the cablecard it still would not work correctly.

This whole sequence of events was so suprising as everything had been fine just 30 mintues before I left the house yesterday to return the Tivo's old cablecard. Heck the Ceton had been running several days already. The tech I now spoke to assured me getting the serial numbers fixed on the account was all I needed to get my Ceton up and running again. I hate to beat a dead horse but the customer service rep that scanned the cards with a bar code scanner so it still eludes me how she could make a mistake on the serial numbers. The only thing I can figure is that it is Comcast I was dealing with after all.

Back home again and back on the phone again, the local Comcast tech support group could not fix the next issue, a duplicate Host ID problem, one that resulted from the mistake made on cablecard serial numbers in the Comcast store, a mistake supposedly fixed. I was about to lose it. My issue had to be escalated, the local office tried but they either did not know what they were doing or lacked the empowerment to make the necessary changes, they tried by gosh, they tried. Thank goodness I have a speakerphone.

Another team took over my case and resolved the problem the next day. Pure imcompetence on the part of the employee at the Comcast store led to all that touble, arghh! Anyway, after many phone calls, a lot of driving back and forth and a lot of standing in line at the Comcast Store I was nearly at my wits end. It is probably a good thing I am not writing a review of Comcast Customer Service as it would be scathing. There are two points I am making here, cable companies just don't seem to be able to do things right and when it comes to cablecards they are sort of deer in headlights and what is so simple in theory, can be a nighmare in practice. The Ceton is great! Good luck with that cable company of yours!

Anyway, assuming your cable company doesn't make your life completely miserable, the Ceton is a great solution, especially if you have the infrastructure to fully support it. It takes a good bit of equipment besides the PC it will reside in before the Ceton's 4 tuners are going to be taken full advantage of. Whole house video is what the Ceton really offers that is new. First you need a very good cable signal going to the Ceton otherwise the picture is going to pixelate and it will ramdomaly drop channels. Ceton provides tools for you to view your signal strenght and quality. I bought one of the Motorola Broadband Distribution Amps offered here on Amazon to bring my cable signal up to snuff. You can't run splitters willy nilly, and if you are doing it right the Ceton does the job of several boxes and you shouldn't need all those splitters reducing the signal to zero.

For reference, the same signal that made my Tivo happy was not sufficient for the Ceton with the latest firmware. Give the Ceton a top flight signal and it will lock to your cable provider's programming very well. Perhaps future firmware will allow the Ceton to work with weaker less clean signals, it really needs a good line, seriously! Tivo has had years to refine their firmware so it is not surpsing that what was good enough to make the Tivo happy is not good enough for the Ceton.

So now that you have gotten a cablecard paired up in the Ceton and solved your signal strength issues...

Okay, what do I mean by infrastructure?

Well 4 tuners is a lot, and unless you are recording every program on the dial you will probably want to share some of those tuners with either other Windows 7 PCs or with some Windows Media Extenders or maybe even a healthy mix of both. You will need to be going through HDMI to your displays big or small.

I used the Ceton Network Tuner Utility to reserve two tuners for my main HTPC, one for my main desktop pc and one for my main notebook. I also have an older HP Windows Media Extender plugged in for good measure. All of them are nicely playing any and all of the channels available though my Comcast service tier. I already had cat 5 ethernet running through my house . I also have a 1gb D-link router and plenty of 1gb switches. Gigabit (1000 mbps) is the only way to go if you are steaming lots of content around your network at the same time. That stuff is really cheap these days.

What does all this give me? I pretty much have HD cable TV in every room that matters with just a single cablecard running in the Ceton. No cable boxes, no eqipment rentals, in case you don't know the first cablecard is free. I hate paying the cable company to rent anything, I even own my cable mode, bought a Motorola right here on Amazon .. and who could ever justify putting HD Cable DVRs in every room?

With the Ceton it is not only possible to have HD Cable in every room,it is practical and if you have the infrastucture you can recoup the Ceton price in 2 years easily. I confess I had all the gear needed to make this work up and running for sometime as I had the local broadcast HD channels running into every room for a couple of years now. If it was not for Comcast, the Ceton install would have been a drop in, no muss, no fuss, cakewalk of an install for me.

Since we mentioned HD Cable boxes, let me also confess I can't stand them and that is why I have been using a Tivo HD for HD cable in my living room since 2007. The Windows Media Center Interface for DVR is much better than what is in any cable company box, better in a number of ways than even the Tivo and you can add more storage for recording whenever the fancy strikes you.

I have a very new Dell Notebook with the latest wireless technology from Intel in it. It is 802.11n but with triple streams, that means it delivers speeds up to 450mbs.. what that gives you is a notebook that handles HD Cable pretty darn well over wireless. I can be out on the patio watching HD cable TV without a network cord, if I ever get a router with the features to match the Intel Nic in the Dell,I could probably stream HD cable to more wireless devices, maybe even watch HD Cable TV streamed to my neighbor's house.

Your individual results using wireless are hard to predict, every house is different and wireless routers vary in quality immensely as do wireless nics. The newest latest Netgear top of the line router, has the hardware to fully support the speed you can get with triple steams, that new technology provides for uninterrupted rock solid HD streaming in most normal environments. But, in your house and with your existing equipment, succes in streaming HD can be stated this way, in some homes with the existing wireless gear, streaming HD works just fine, in others using even fairly new gear will only drive you crazy.

So again your mileage will vary and no promises when it comes to HD TV over wireless.

Wireless HD did not work in my house before the new Dell it worked but it needs to be close to perfect or it is really annoying. I have other notebooks with older nics, I won't even bother with them for HD wireless streaming. The Intel nic in my new Dell notebook is the latest and probably the best PC notebook wireless nic in existence today. It is only now that wirless routers are starting to catch up and support the full wireless speed and bandwith of this amazing Intel Nic. So wireless HD cable can definitely be done if you have the enviroment and your gear is good enough.

The Ceton is not cheap, but nothing else will allow me to watch HD cable in a Media Center Window in one corner of the PC's monitor I am using it to type this review on. This is happening while at the very same time my wfie is watching HD Cable in the master bedroom on the plasma. Not enough HD Cable, the HTPC is also playing a basketball game on the big set in the living room. Someone else could be watching another channel on the patio with the Dell notebook and if I had another Media Center extender (I will shortly) someone else could be sinulataneouwly watching TV in yet another bedroom all from a single Ceton InfiniTV 4 installed in my HTPC.

The Ceton is also coexisting nicely with my HD Homerun dual ATSC tuner grabbing free HDTV from the rooftop antenna. Actually the two tuners (Ceton and HD Homerun) complement each other and the integration is seamless in the Media Center Guide. If the same program is available via OTA I will always watch it from the rooftop antenna, the picture is frankly better. Now that is not due to some limitation of the Ceton. It is just because the cable companies compress the signal to run more channels over the wire, they sacrifice piture quality to do this. Theorectically, there could be six different HDTV shows in action at my houese at the same time using the Ceton and HD Homerun dual ATSC tuners I have on tap. I actually have another HD Homerun sitting on the table over here. I just don't need that many tuners going at the same time.

So if you have the PCs, have the network wiring in place, verified the cable signal strength and maybe even have some Media Center Extender(s) then you can do with the Ceton what has been a practical impossiblity until now, which is HD cable TV viewed throughout your house with just a free cablecard and no cableboxes, sure you still have a cable bill but no rentals and no sluggish hot piles of iron sitting on top of your TV to curse at. Bigger houses with more rooms and more TVs, just add more Cetons and more Win 7 PCs and or Win Media Center Extenders, one Windows Media Center PC supports a bunch of Media Cetner Extenders, I think the number is like 10 extenders for each Win 7 PC. Most people are using Xbox 360s as their Media Center Extenders, the new slim ones are nice and word is the price is going to drop shortly.

If you don't want to use the Ceton at full capacity, you could choose to use the Ceton to watch and record shows for only one TV/display. But to me that is like somebody commuting all by himself to work in a big yellow school bus.

Best Deals for Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCIe - 4-channel Internal Cable TV Tuner Card

I've had this tuner about 3 months now (wasn't on Amazon at that time), and I can say, it just works and it works well It's really what Cablecards should have done 7 years ago. Had some minor concerns about the Comcast cablecard installer, but the Ceton Diag tools even made the installation fairly painless. Running Win7 on an i3, homebuilt HTPC, and things are FINALLY the way MCE should have been years ago the card doesn't seem particularly problematic with incoming signals (I have mine sitting on a 7 way splitter but that includes an internal AMP) and my signal and SNR both look good Card is quick to tuner to other stations, and it even goes to sleep and resumes correctly (YEA!) There is a slight 30 sec pause on system resume while it seems to "sort of CC encryption stuff", but MCE displays the "spinning wheel" for a few seconds, and then your getting all the HD you want. I have this internal turner next to an analog PCI turner (Hauppage) as well as an HDHomeRun on the network Everything seems to co-exist nicely (although setting the guide up the 1st time took some effort). Finally, I was also waiting for the SD HDPrime, as I thought 4 tuners was overkill and pricy but in the end, I'm glad I have the 4th tuner and the extra $100 was worth it We now watch basically all the TV in the house on extenders, and between recording shows, we've had all 4 tuners busy several times Support has been good from Ceton (read the GB forums), and all it all, while pricey, this card is WELL WORTH IT, if you want HD in your W7MC box It's almost enough to make one forget about the pain of the OEM boxes with ATI tuners... Long awaited, and an excellent product!!

Honest reviews on Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCIe - 4-channel Internal Cable TV Tuner Card

I couldn't rate customer support because quite frankly I've never needed any customer support with this, and I've had it about 8 months. But everything else is definitely 5 stars. If you are in the market for a CableCARD tuner, this should be one of the products you consider. It might be expensive, but it's worth every penny....plus you get your money back anyway since you avoid renting a cable box or paying DVR fees. The monthly savings add up, and before you know it, this card is actually free.

Cost aside, I really enjoy not having to use the cable box the cable company has. With the InfiniTV4, I can record 4 HD cable channels at once...something my old cable box couldn't do. I can also add as much storage space as I want, so I don't have to worry about running out of space. And believe me, with 4 tuners, I am recording much more than I used to. I hardly ever watch live TV anymore. I just record everything and watch it when I want to.

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I built an HTPC four years ago. At the time, the only option to get HDTV in Windows Media Center was use an HDHomerun tuner. Yes, CableCard was available for HTPCs in 2007, but you had to purchase a system from an OEM manufacturer and it cost way too much money.

Fast forward to 2010. I was one of the first people to receive one of these cards. I must say, the only thing that hurt my experience was Comcast. Without question, this card is unbelievable! It is SIMPLE to install the card. Further, assuming you have a cable technician who has any experience, it is easy to set up in Windows Media Center.

Simply put, this card works. No, I do not get On Demand or Pay Per View (maybe if I call the cable co., but not via my remote). However, what I do get is a tuner that records 4 shows at one time without any problems.

Ceton's customer service is unparalleled. When I told them the trouble Comcast was causing, they contacted a Comcast engineer in New Jersey who fixed everything. All of this was done without question and without fail. They also have fast response times.

Yes, the card is not cheap. However, look at it as an investment. It's an investment in sanity as there are no more battles over what gets recorded. It's an investment in technology because my system can do things that a standard cable box could never accomplish.

I NEVER submit product reviews. Period. This product, however, is awesome.