Cheap eForCity Shell Compatible with Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless

Customer Ratings:

The actual Shell is of very good quality and is almost identical to the look and feel of an official Xbox controller, the D-pad and abxy buttons are also of very good quality, the joysticks seem a little cheaper and the triggers, back/start, and rb lb seem to be made of a cheaper plastic. Tolerances are a little bit different from an official controller so be wary of trying to mix and match parts, when I tried to use the bumper assembly from my official controller it didn't quite fit right, also the start and back buttons are a little different. Everything else seems to work together, I used this to fix a broken black controller, the red front mated perfectly to the black back, and the buttons seem to switch out fine, the red trigger seems to be a little more hollow inside giving the spring more room and making the trigger fell "lighter". The home button it comes with seems sort of lame, but the official one fit in just fine with a little push.

All in all I'm completely satisfied with my purchase and will be using kits like this in the future to repair/customize my controllers.

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The case looks and feels great, it dosnt quiet fit on properly the first time but with a few adjustments it feels and looks great.

The thumbsticks, like others have said are horrible, do not buy this if youre only looking for thumbstick replacements

The D-pad is perfect and feels exactly the same as the orignal

The A,B,X,Y buttons arnt quiet the same quality as the original but they look pretty dam close.

The triggers are good but I prefer the original

I did have one problem, Mine did not come with a synch button so I had to use the one from my original controller

You can use the same guide button unfortunately you cannot use the same plastic ring that surrounds it. you have to use the one that came with it

overall its a decent product and im happy with my purchase

and yes to confirm what others say, it does you different (included) screws

pro:nice looking case

cons: bad thumbsticks, no synch button, not very good triggers

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i was not happy at all it didn't fit together the buttons didn't work i wouldn't recommend this to anyone at all

Honest reviews on eForCity Shell Compatible with Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless

I had no problems with this kit at all, and was easily able to turn one of my plain white controllers into a nice red one for my son. The project took about 30 minutes and the pieces fit perfectly and I had no problems whatsoever.

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Does NOT fit together correctly at all. Dpad doesn't work at all. Buttons are to small for the holes and move around. Left trigger was broken and couldn't be used, although it wouldn't work correctly if it wasn't broken. Screws that were included are not the correct screws. PIECE OF JUNK bottom line.

Cheap Brunswick Pro Bowling (Requires Kinect) - Xbox 360

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $21.99
Today's Bonus: 27% Off

I waited several months in anticipation for this games release. I had the Wii version which was really bad, but Crave promised this one would be better. Let me say it is NOT. If anything, it is worse than the Wii version. Let me explain why.

1. The Kinect controls are absolutely terrible. It is not the Kinect sensor at fault here. It is the code written to use the Kinect sensor that is bad. The controls are truly unstable. It is very difficult to lock the cursor on any control. The cursor moves away from the target without any hand movement at all.

2. There are very few options. You have to tell the game which hand the bowler will use, every time you start up a new game. If you check the bowler profile, it knows which hand the bowler uses, but still Crave makes you select which hand the bowler will use.

There should be an option to skip the NPC player / players. The way it is now, you have to select each and every time the NPC bowls whether to skip his play display. I should be able to tell the game up front which NPCs I don't want to watch bowl.

There should be a saved setup that determines which bowlers are NPC bowlers. The way it is now you have to set that at the beginning of each new play session.

3. The Wii version told you each time your bowler increased his stats. The Kinect version does not tell you anything. Each time I check the bowlers stats they are unchanged, so it appears they do not even change, which means you are doomed to bowl the same lousy way every time you bowl.

3. The targeting is just terrible. It does not seem to matter where you aim, the ball is going to roll where it will. It often will go to one side or the other, sometimes directly at the 4 pin or the 6 pin.

4. Lastly, this game is not fun. You would think the Crave devs would understand, if a game is not fun, people will not buy it.

The xbox 360 provides a method for publishers to patch their code. I certainly hope Crave reads these reviews and will attempt to fix their game. Until that happens I would recommend not buying this game. I think you will be disappointed as was I.

I will wait and see if they do patch the game to make it better. If that happens I will change this review.

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Being a former PBA member and Information technology specialist, I've played just about every computer bowling game ever devised. Some didn't even attempt to capture the essence of bowling and were just arcade games, while others tried to be realistic but failed miserably. The best bowling game in my opinion before this review was Brunswick Pro Bowling for the PC. The pin action was very realistic and there were changing oil patterns and a few balls to choose from. Then came the Kinect where you are the controller along with Kinect Sports that YES!! included bowling. I was stoked and bought it immediately. It was fun, but once again the game attempted to appeal to the masses and was more an arcade thing than a bowling simulation. It required the player to perform strange body motions to hook the ball and there were no lane conditions or ball choices; very disappointing.

Then I saw that the Brunswick Pro Bowling franchise had created a game for the Kinect. I was immediately excited and started reading reviews, and was again disappointed. Every review I read hated the game and rated it as almost unplayable. Since it was available so reasonably, I decided to purchase a copy anyway. I am so glad I did. This bowling simulation, and I do mean simulation, is probably the closest thing to actually going bowling without visiting the local alley. Five different alleys are included with very different oil patterns. True to bowling, the oil patterns vary slightly between lanes at each house. This means that you still have to adjust your shot between games even if you have figured out the pattern. There are a huge amount of ball choices and each ball does something different as far as skid, roll, and hook attributes. There are realistic leagues, tournaments, and one on one matches. The sound effects are very realistic as well as the pin action. Like I said, a person would actually have to go bowling to beat this experience, and it wouldn't be by much.

Now the down sides. If you are looking to have a quick bit of fun without any learning investment, this is not your game. Go buy Kinect Sports and play their bowling game for that. I can see why so many people have given this game a bad rating. Even I, as excited as I was and being a former professional, became a little frustrated at first trying to learn the body movements and figure out the game's control strategies. However, the more I played it, the more I came to appreciate how accurate the game really is to actual bowling. I also learned that the game is harder at first until a player invests enough time in leagues and tournaments to earn money and buy items. This was very frustrating at first, but at the same time was the real beauty of the game. It keeps you coming back for more to buy shoes, balls, hats, and wrist guards that improve your bowler's and thus your ability to hook the ball, be accurate, and throw as hard as you want.

Next, to make the game this accurate and sensitive to your body movements, they had to push the Kinect device to it's limits of sensitivity. This has a cost. Annoying things happen if you are not careful about all your body movements while anywhere near the Kinect's veiwing area. Make sure other players and pets stay away from the sensor limits of the Kinect as well or you will find yourself aiming and throwing suddenly without warning even though you did nothing. Ambient light must also be controlled. If the room is too dark or too bright the game may not function at all. If you have enough space in your room, steps can be taken just like in real bowling. This is my favorite way to play and really enhances the perception of actually bowling. However, when swinging through to throw the ball and create hook, the player must finish in a relatively small zone in relation to the Kinect sensor to get the best results. Once again, this was frustrating at first until I realized this also made one be accurate with where they started, the length and speed of the steps, and the timing of the follow through and hook motion. All these things actually enhance the bowling experience once mastered.

My last complaints are about the computer bowlers. If you are by yourself and want to bowl league or team tournaments, you can choose to have the CPU control the other players which is great. However you have to skip every single other player each frame to get to your turn. This means you will be standing still with your arm rigidly outstretched for over a minute between each frame to skip seven other computer players on the average league. This gets old in a hurry and there is no setting to change it. Finally, my last complaint is that all the computer bowlers throw straight balls down the middle with no hook at all. Every now and then a computer player will throw a hook at a spare, but 99% of the time it is just a sliding ball straight down the middle with no hook or roll. This is true all the way from beginner CPU players to the pros. In my opinion this really misses a chance to make the game even more realistic. It's fun to watch others try to figure out the lane conditions and sometimes watching helps you to figure out where to play on the lane and what ball to use. This aspect is totally absent since the CPU throws the same shot every time with the only difference being how many strikes it gives itself.

In conclusion, if you love actual bowling, would like to experience something very close without going bowling, or are just an avid computer sports fan, this game is for you. You will have to invest some hours in learning the movements and acquiring gear just like in real life and will then be rewarded with satisfaction and a bowling experience that will be increasingly realistic. There is also the opportunity to have friends over and bowl realistic leagues that could span several weeks.

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I bought this game and had issues with the screen shaking all over the place and very slow movement, I then went and read the reviews that were on this site and found that installing this game onto the hard drive eliminated all of the issues that I was having, in fact this game is very precise in the detailed way that you can control the speed, rotation and movement of your ball during approach and release. I was amazed in just how accurate this game is and would recommend it to everyone who is into precise bowling games.

Honest reviews on Brunswick Pro Bowling (Requires Kinect) - Xbox 360

I have been playing this game and have none of the issues that people have been saying they have. I have to wonder if they are tying to play from the disc and not instaling the game to the Hard Drive. I have solved almost all of my play issues with other games by installing them. Now for the review, I felt like I was really bowling. I was surprised at how much the sounds and the Kinect enhanced the experience.

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Is it for you or not? I really enjoy this game and so does my family. I played it four hours straight the first day I got it. I am currently playing in career mode which is a lot of fun. The bowling simulation is realistic and entertaining. I really do not understand the low ratings given by the other reviewers. It may be wise to rent first because of the other low reviews, but this has become a family favorite in my house.

Review of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 - PlayStation 2

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I am in the army in Japan right now and I have played DBZ Budokai 3 and let me tell you, it's awsome. It hasa similar story mode to the Budokai 1 and the same graphics as Budokai 2 and it also has some extra modes that i have no idea what they are because the're in Japanese but they are prety cool and there is one mode where you can make your own melee or ki attack in which you can choose the color of the beam which character knows it how strong it is and all sorts of stuff and the characters include Goku,Vegeta,Kid Gohan,Teen Gohan,Adult Gohan,Kid trunks,Teen Trunks,Adult Trunks,Kid Goten,Teen Goten,Vegeto,Gogeta,Gotenks,Picollo,Krillin,Tien,Yamcha,Videl,Hurcule,Great Saiyaman,Supreme Kai,Raditz,Nappa,everyone in the ginyu force,all forms of frieza,DR, Gero, Android 16,17,18,19, al forms of cell,cell junior,Garlic junior, salt,pepper,mustard,ketchup,all forms of buu,baby,and more that i forgot their names. But overall this game is the best DBZ game to ever come out so far so get this game!

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Of all the Dragon Ball Z fighting games the Budokai series has always been easily the best. With simple responsive controls and fast paced action, and of course the crazy energy attacks, this stands above the first two as the best of the lot.

The story mode is vastly improved over last years title in that it not only follows the story, but allows you to develop your character (limited to the main Z hero's not villians or hidden) and unlock all sorts of hidden goodies as well as the natural progression of attacks and skills. The difficulty in story mode of course fluctuates and some times forces you to take time to strengthen your character (at randomly placed Battle Zones which range from Saibamen to Meta Cooler). Also at certain points in story mode (usually the second + time through with a certain character) you can sometimes branch away from the saga and do a movie battle of sorts (after you beat Frieza the first time but before Goku goes Super Sayin you can face off against Cooler instead). However this leads to complaint #1. During the key story moments instead of a cool cutscene we get this almost story book form instead that is really uncool.

The controls are identical with a few new improvements. The first is in order to make the action faster you can teleport behind your foe and hit but only if he attacks you first (a counter basically) as well go into hyper mode (all energy at once) which then allows you to unleash your most devastating attacks, which leads me to complaint #2. When doing the ultimate attacks it's either fastly speeding bar which is fairly inaccurate when you click to max it out or a 3 stage attack which increases the odds of you foe succeeding using the X O /\ or []. Most of the time despite being cool and powerful it's more of a pain to unleash than it should be.

Graphically it looks like last years model so if you liked the cell shading great if not tough.

The Voiceovers are great as expected, I found no problems with any of the voices while playing. However the Music is complaint #3. The music is Atari custome midi with little (and I mean very little) to none of the great american tracks that most fans who watch the series state side (not the imported Japanese) get to listen too. So at moments like when Goku first goes Super Sayin 3 it would be great to hear that track from that moment in the series playing. Or any big Vegeta fight have his theme going on.

Despite some of the shortcomings this is truely is a great game worth playing. It easlily destroys the past games and overall is worth picking up. I still say that this is what a 3D streetfighter should be like (or maybe more like the Recent Mortal Kombats it's hard to say).

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Over the years, Akira Toriyama and the crew have been trying to please the fans. Atari and Dimps worked together to create Dragonball Z Budokai. The story was alright and while it was out for the Playstation 2, they were going to make a Gamecube version with better graphics. Next in the Budokai series came Dragonball Z Budokai 2. New characters, new moves, and a new kind of story mode. As we all know, the story mode for Dragonball Z Budokai 2 really sucked because it was like you were playing a board game rather than a fighting game. The only cool aspect about it was Vegito. Sadly, Budokai 2 lost the ability to destroy the arena like in the original Dragonball Z Budokai. But that was from the past to the present. Here we are, up to speed on the future as every Dragonball Z gamer counts down to what every DBZ gamer wants to see in a DBZ fighting game for the PS2. Presenting, Dragonball Z Budokai 3! This will assure you that maybe all hope wasn't lost after Budokai 2. You get to fly whenever you want, teleport counter behind foes, transform to SSJ4/Super Saiyan 4 & use a new technique called Dragon Rush which lets you give major damage to an enemy while enjoying the cinematics of the movie-style fighting sequence which is definitely made with possible counter-attacks. Furthermore, let's say if one guy plays as SSJ4 Goku and the other plays as SSJ4 Vegeta. If both players launch a regular beam such as 10X Kamehameha and Final Shine Attack, the beams will push against each other until one of them dominates the other with the analog stick making it just like the cartoon with a nice touch of cel-shaded graphics. And for those of you wondering, yes Broly is included along with DBGT, other DBZ movie and Budokai and Budokai 2 characters. Fans, this is definitely a game worth it's cash. Don't waste your time just reading this over and over again. One time should tell you that this is a must-buy DBZ game so get it as soon as you can because sales are gonna go out fast!

Honest reviews on Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 - PlayStation 2

To start with, the graphics of the game will remain cel-shaded as in budokai2. This game will contain more than 40 playable characters including all the characters in budokai 1+2 plus Broly(normal form,ss1,Ultra ss), Baby, Cooler(and Meta-Cooler), all the three forms of cell and Frieza and Buu, also Gogeta (ss1,2,4), Vegeta(ss1,2,4), Gogu(ss1,2,3,4) and many others.

Also, there will be a mode called Dragon road in which you can customise your character`s attack, defence and other...

The story mode will be available.

Also, the aura of the characters has dramatically improved and the characters can use teleportation. That is, characters can be teleported behind their enemy avoiding his attack. The teleportation can also be used in the world tournament to avoid getting out of the arena.

I am not sure that freeflight would be available.

This game is going to be great and i would buy it as soon as it comes out!!!!

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Three's the charm in this case. I haven't yet played this game, but I have learned that they brought back story mode, however I have no idea what sagas it covers. I think Dragon World is still there but it is no longer a main mode. Of course there still is duel mode which features improved new attacks, much better aura,improved gameplay, and more characters than ever. Such as: Goku,Kid Gohan, Teen Gohan,Adult Gohan,Great Saiyaman,Goten,Teen Goten,Vegeta,Young Trunks,Teen Trunks,Tein,Yamcha,Chosue,Piccolo,Krillian,Raditz,Nappa,Dodoria,Zarbon, Guldo,Recoome,Burter,Jeice,Captain Ginyu,Freeza,King Cold,Dr.Gero,Andriod 16,17,18,19,Cell Jr.s,Cell,Saibamen,Pikkon,Videl,Hercule,Dabura,Majin Buu,Evil Buu,Super Buu,Kid Buu,Broly,Cooler,Bardock,King Vegeta,Garlic Jr.,all the Spice Boys,and some GT characters.

Tournament mode has been tweaked, and other modes have been added.Babidi's Spaceship has been eliminated.In one of the new modes you can customise your characters energy,stregth,speed,and so on. So far Budokai 3 looks to be 5 times more complete than the first two combined. I will write a new preview when I find more significant information.

Cheap Hdmi Cable and Adapter for Xbox 360

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The cable that came with my xbox would block the hdmi port when plugged in, so I couldn't plug both an hdmi cable and digital audio in at the same time (my receiver doesn't have hdmi). However, it is a fairly easy process to remove the plastiic casing around the cable with the digital audio and then both will fit and it works like a charm.

Just take a flat edge screwdriver to the crease in the side of the casing, give it a light tap with a hammer if necessary, and the plastic casing will pop off. Once this is done, both cables fit without a problem. You may want to wrap with electrical tape once the casing is removed.

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I purchased this HDMI AV dongle because it was half the price of the official MS dongle but works exactly the same. Why would you want to use this? Well basically it allows you to use a separate HDMI cable for HD video but still able to output analog or digital audio to a separate amp or speaker system without requiring special HDMI audio equipment. Without this dongle you'd have to get audio straight from the HDMI cable which requires one of the newer amps or TVs that can receive HDMI audio.

My LCD doesn't have component inputs so my only choices were HDMI or VGA. I didn't want to go VGA because the video quality is inferior to HDMI so I went for this HDMI AV dongle. The digital HD video quality through HDMI is amazing and for only half the price of the Microsoft dongle. The dongle and included HDMI cable all have gold plated connectors too so the quality is pretty good. I would recommend this HDMI AV dongle/cable to anyone who wants to get clean digital HD video through a simple single HDMI connection.

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If you have a surround sound system and want the best quality for a fraction of the cost get this dongle! This also comes with an HDMI cable which I already have enough of but even for the price of what this is I would pay for it just for the dongle! I was so tempted to go out and buy the Microsoft bundle because I wanted my sound ASAP as I was using a headphone jack to audio to my surround sound system. Note that you will need this if you want the best in digital audio as the connection that comes with the Xbox 360 blocks the HDMI port so you can't use both HDMI and optical/analog outputs at the same time... With this dongle you can! 5 out of 5 stars... Gotta run! I hear footsteps behind me in Call of Duty:MW2 due to this great buy!

Honest reviews on Hdmi Cable and Adapter for Xbox 360

I'd recently been in the market for an good HDMI cable for my Xbox360 / HDTV, as component cables are a bit dated now... and I also needed an optical adapter for my new surround headset. I saw them both in a cheap bundle, and decided to take a chance. I'm solidly satisfied with the purchase. The products arrived the next day, neatly packaged, and exactly as the picture shows them. The HDMI works like it should, and is of very sturdy materials. The optical adapter is quite light, and feels kind of cheap and plasticky, but nonetheless does what it should. I'd suggest this product (both) to anyone who needs or wants them. It's worth it!

*NOTE*

1. The component adapter that comes standard on Xbox360's are bigger than this optical adapter, obstructing the HDMI port right next to it, thus making use of an HDMI cable impossible with the old adapter. This adapter is much skinner, and slides in perfectly next to the HDMI.

2. The old Xbox360 adapter sent audio (red / white cables) straight to the television. This adapter has no cords included. With this adapter, separate double-ended cables are needed for the audio. I thankfully found some that came with my new HDTV that I used until I switched over to an optical connection with my headset. You can find them very easily here on Amazon.com, or an electronics store for less than 10 USD or so.

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These work flawlessly at a fracion of the price of the official cables. I've never had a problem. If you're wondering whether or not you should shell out the money for the official cables because you're unsure about getting something different....wonder no longer. These are fantastic. I highly recommend them and you can't beat the price. Sometimes the old adage "you get what you pay for" doesn't apply...

EDIT:

I purchased mine from the seller Ultra Spec for around $10.

IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 - PC Review

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $8.80
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I've been a pilot for over 40 years and have flown everything from '20s biplanes to Navy carrier jets...and this sim is awesome.

Note: it is on DVD not CD as stated here. And it is NOT a game. There is a significant learning curve involved to successfully fly these aircraft in full-on realistic mode. It does have 'simple' modes that make it possible for anyone to fly, but don't think of this as an arcade game in any sense.

Trust me, if you can fly these birds in full realism mode, with a little time flying under the supervision of an instructor you can fly the real thing. Here there are fewer cues (just sight and sound), but in real aircraft you also have so-called proprioceptive sensations too (the seat of your pants, for one), among others.

Buy it, you'll like it! The graphics are gorgeous, the scenarios are amazing. You won't find modern airliners, but you'll find most of the WW2 machines (Russian, German, Japanese, British and American).

A flight over the cliffs of dover at sunset in a Spitfire may bring tears to your eyes...it did me.

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Out of the box to playing within 20 minutes. Very simple install into my 64-bit Vista Ultimate PC. Works great with my old MS Force feedback II joystick. No bugs or problems I can find.

The game is just beautiful. The physics are awesome and the whole experience is just as advertised. Seldom do I enjoy a game as much as I love this one. Situational awareness in a sim can be difficult sometimes. Not so much with this one. Compared to CFS3, this is miles ahead in quality of experience. This game is a time machine. Every time I start it, I find myself losing hours immersed in the game.

Simulations are challenging. This isn't something for the impatient type. Joystick is a must.

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for some one like my self who actually has flown ww2 planes. il 2 1946 does it again . it is similar to the previous games . however i own just about every flight sim out there and have fould that il 2 il2 sturmovic , and pacific fighters are about the best. it may sound silly but when you sit in this cockpit and look around its very similar to the real planes a lot of other flight sims offer a lot and do not deliver . il series is anout the best you can get i recommend this . christian j nielsen

Honest reviews on IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946 - PC

First, my qualifications: I've got about 3000 hours of real airplane flight time, and I've wasted roughly 10,000 hours of my life playing PC-based flight sims, starting with MS Flight Simulator 1.0 on a green-screen Apple IIe, and playing pretty much everything worth flying between there and Falcon 4.0 on my current multi-GHz Dell. I've played extensively online with several different sims, and aviation has been one of my lifelong passions. For whatever it's worth, folks, I'm an expert on this subject.

I had put off buying IL-2 Sturmovik for years, mainly because I couldn't see myself getting that interested in flying a Russian attack airplane. But the online accolades just kept piling up, and so I started doing some reading a few months ago and discovered that this game has over 250 flyable aircraft. What the h&*l, I thought, and I ordered IL-2 1946 two weeks ago.

This sim is very deceptive. When you finish installing it and the start menu appears, you immediately think you've been had. Lord knows, I've installed enough bad sims over the years to know what crap looks and sounds like, and IL-2 1946 sure gave me the first impression that I was going to want my money back. The main menu looks like something out of a learning game for kids, and the music sounds like something from "Wallace and Grommit." I clicked straight into "Quick Mission Builder" which looks like it has been taken directly from "Jane's WWII Fighters" and put a single P-51D in the air with no enemies and no ground fire. I wanted to start with simple, exploratory aerobatics, and I also have lots of flight time in the TriSynergy P-51D "The Flying Undertaker," which is a great FSX add-on, and I wanted to compare this P-51D with something I already knew was great.

At first, I wasn't that impressed. The cockpit looks beautiful and accurate, but it isn't mouse-clickable. You have to do everything with keyboard commands. The flight characteristics seemed to be a little off for instance, after diving to 450 mph, pulling out and chopping the throttle, the airplane seems to hold on to its speed for a long, long time. I was prepared to discover that this sim really wasn't going to be very satisfying.

But then I started dogfighting, and the sheer craftsmanship of this simulation soon became apparent. The enemy AI, like all flight AI, can be slightly repetitive, but they are still very good. The game does seem to be slightly biased in favor of the German fighters, but you can still blow FW-190's out of the sky in your Mustang if you are a savvy, experienced fighter pilot and know what you're doing.

And here is the real praise for this game. At some point, you forget on some level that you're playing a sim, and you begin to get sucked completely and fully into the illusion. The only thing missing is blood-sucking G's, and the blackout feature is very convincing and realistic.

The airplanes are not locked onto invisible rails the way arcade game airplanes are. They are machines held loosely in realistic airflow, with three axes of control and with a realistic "feel" and "heft" to them that is indescribable, but that you recognize if you are a real pilot. If there is one thing IL-2 will teach you, it's to be SMOOOOOOTH. Yanking the joystick around and whacking it up against the stops like a seven year old playing Pac Man will just have your plane snap rolling and falling out of the sky in a flat spin.

And that brings up an important point. If you have zero or minimal flight experience, you are going to find this game to be very frustrating on its "realistic" setting. To be an ace in IL-2 1946, you are going to become an expert in smooth energy management and planned maneuvers in realistic fighters that require a lot of experience to get deep them into the enemy's six o'clock.

On the other hand, if you are an old PC ace from the golden age of PC-based flight sims, you are going to regret that you've waited this long to buy IL-2 1946. Quite simply, it's the best WWII era flight sim ever made, bar none.

Is it perfect? No. Your wingman, for example, is as dumb as they are in every PC flight sim ever made, and today I watched a Bf-109 roar up on my tail while my wingman, who was flying along in echelon right formation behind me, simply ignored him and kept holding formation. (Maybe I needed to give him a "cover me" command or something, but shouldn't that be automatic?) I still haven't figured out how to zoom the map in and out, and the German planes seem to have slightly more horsepower than they should. I didn't realize that a Bf-109 could simply climb slowly away from a P-51D at 20,000 feet, but that just means that you need to be planning ahead to have an altitude advantage and the ability to dive on him.

But the thing to understand is this: all the craftsmanship, beauty, accuracy and (of course) flaming pieces of Zero that you want in a WWII flight sim are here in spades, and all beautifully crafted beyond anything I've ever experienced before. You won't be disappointed.

BTW for those who don't think that the .50 caliber machine guns on the American planes are powerful enough, I disagree. I've watched a lot of WWII era gun-camera footage, and you really have to hold the trigger down and spray tracer right into most German fighters to get a kill. The Zeros are a little easier to light up, since they have no armor, but .50s don't have near the punch that cannon do and that's just the way it was. Get into kill position, pull your sight into lead, and hold the trigger down. If you do it right, his wing will come off or his motor will burst into flames, just like in the movies. Tally ho!

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If you know IL-2 from the previous versions of this great WWII flight Sim, then you probably are going to get "1946" either for the new aircraft, to stay with the latest version on line, or just to have it all in one easy to install DVD.

If you don't know IL-2, then this is the version to have. If you have an interest in WWII aircraft, combat flight Sims or just want a good single player/LAN/On line flight game, then "1946" is probably the best choice around. All the previous IL-2 games are in here, plus some new content.

IL-2 has been around a while, and the developer will soon release a new WWII Battle of Britain Sim with some state of the art improvements. So why should you get "1946" when it's at the end of it's development life?

Well, because it's still a fantastic game, it covers all the theaters of WWII, there is a ton of user made content to be had, and your PC doesn't need to be bleeding edge to run it, but if you have enough graphics power to turn up the eye candy to the max it is almost a work of art in motion. The game is deep enough to delight the enthusiast, and yet is still accessible for the casual gamer to enjoy.

Installation of all the versions and patches for IL-2 used to be a daunting task, but 1946 makes it a snap. Sadly, there is no printed manual included, but there are .pdf versions of a manual and aircraft guide. There are lots of resources on line, most of them fan made, to help the novice pilot.

If you have "1946" and a joystick with twist rudder control and a throttle like the Saitek PS33 Aviator Joystick you have all you need to enjoy what will likely be the benchmark in WWII combat flight Sims for years to come. A joystick is almost mandatory. You can play "1946" with only a keyboad and mouse much like a dog can walk on it's hind legs, more as a stunt than a practical matter. If you become an enthusiast, there are more advanced controllers you can delve in to, but they aren'r really needed, but the joystick certainly is.

"1946" is a great game, a great simulation, and the ticket to a vast on line community of IL-2 content and fan support. I'm the merest duffer when it comes to mastering IL-2, and have yet to play the game on line after years of off line play, but I still enjoy it immensely, and recommend it fully.

"1946" might represent both the pinnacle and the sunset of a classic game, but it will be continue to provide great gaming for many years to come. Climb in and enjoy the ride.

Review of Two Worlds 2: Game of Year: Pirates of the Flying Fortress Edition

Customer Ratings:

its an ok fantasy adventure game and for 10 bucks well worth it for game and expansion. BE WARNED, it is almost 20 gb download and DOES NOT activate on steam or origin and the process of just installing the game was a real pain for me fyi, my comp is fairly new custom made windows 7. If i had bought this thing near or at full price i would of just asked for a refund.

K so after downloading the 20 gb file, i noticed they split the languages into different FULL GAMES, 2 gb files each. Thats 2 gb for 7 or so dif languages, dont games usually have a more compact way of doing that? Anyways, after the fairly big sized download installing was kinda a bitch. First after downloading and trying to install, it said an error occurred involving the expansions pack not being copied over. I then deleted the file that the download was being installed to and tried again by installing directly in the same file. that way worked. sort of.

HERE IS HOW TO DOWNLOAD IT (worked for me atleast):

-start download from amazon, Remember where you choose to download it b/c u need to find it later!

-go to the file called something like two worlds 2 game of the year pirates of the flying fortress edition, i DID NOT click the install that the amazon downloader said to do b/c i think that could of been one of the many things that messed up my previous attempts

-once in the file click the .exe file with the corresponding language, for english click the one ending in ENG.exe

-I let it install to the default setting which is the same file where it downloaded

-i restarted my comp here

-then go to the newly created two worlds II goty setup file (in the same file where you selected to where to set the download)

-go to install then common then double click twoworlds2.exe

BE SURE to unplug an xbox 360 controller if you have one! this messes up the keyboard layout.

I noticed some glitches after doing certain steps, to fix them i always restarted. If something isn't working always restart instead of re downloading the whole 20 gb AGAIN.

Make sure you have update graphics card drivers aswell.

Also the code for the expansion pack is in the downloaded file ending in flying fortress edition keys.html

I hope this works for you! This is what i did after lookig around the internet. Now time to finally play the damn game!

editu can register the game online and they send u an email saying thanks and give u an ingame code that unlocks something, guess what the freaking code was invalid, just another great example of a good game getting messed up in retarded ways

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UPDATE It all works now 9/28/2012

Thanks to Dennis the Amazon support guy noted below, it all works fine. I was able to move into the rest of the game. Here are some additional comments.

There is a lot of questing available and a large area to discover. I have read some comments about many worlds not being available except to online players, but I have not experienced any of this yet. If I find out otherwise I will update.

I have seen some crashing of late. The fix seems to be to save the game then reload it so I would guess there is some kind of save game corruption. For example, I was in one of the Tombs and some dead dudes attacked (what else do you find in tombs), and every time I tried to attack the game would crash. So on one of the loads, I ran out of the tomb, then saved, then reloaded and went back. All was fine. I have experienced this issue multiple times and as I recall each time I did the same save/load to get around it. At first I thought it was a DX10 issue so I started the DX9 version of the game but after a short time same thing happened.

Things get easier in many ways when you start spending your skill points to update your skills and improving weapons etc. For example, I am a fighter and now have certain skills maxed and my weapon upgraded pretty well. Now many foes die in one blow, some two, a few three. This is much easier than when I had to be careful to fight them one at a time in the beginning. Pay attention and when the going gets tough update the necessary skill or spend the ability points or improve items etc.

Overall this is as good a game as most I have played. The interface still feels a bit clumsy but overall, very fun. I am upping to four stars now that I can really play it and work the more advanced features.

UPDATE Awesome Amazon Support 9/27/2012

Still no fix for the game yet, but I used the call me now support button from my Amazon digital software library page. My phone rang almost instantly, I got 10 seconds of music, and then a young gentleman answered, said hello, I am so-and-so... how can I help you (at least he sounded young). This guy was polite, and easy to talk to. He could not fix my problem yet but..., he could see the history of my account, read all my emails on the problem in question which I could tell because he was able to quote what I said in my emails, and he could see other history on the problem. Seems the issue is common to all who downloaded this game version, and suspects it is because the game version is bundled with an expansion pack (one reason why I bought it), so there might be an additional key required for the expansion. It was a guess on his part but a good one and shows he has some brains. I wish all the software support people I talk too at work could be as good as this guy. He is going to call me back tomorrow with an update. Now that is service.

OK, so this says nothing about the game itself, but WOW!, to actually have a phone number to call and get a real person I can talk about my specific issue, in just minutes, who actually understands the problem and its history etc. etc. and who has what appears to be state of the art problem management software at his disposal... now that is worth an extra star to me.

Well done Amazon. With support like this, I will be buying more games from you. I will post again soon as there is a change.

Hail Flavius!

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Could be a good game but gameplay has been stopped till they figure out activation. Here is my summary so far:

Like

* the introductory play is pretty good. It is clearly a "learning" demo when you start and you get a chance to try out the three basic character types. It is reasonably well done.

Dont' like:

* interface takes a lot of getting used to. This is not your DIABLO style interface. As such there is a lot of re-learning to do. I just do not understand the need to deveat from the standard interface these days. I understand the desire to offer a better experience by offering more control but doing so has a learning curve most of us don't want, so it should be optional. For example Inventory should be opened via "I" key like every other game. Not this game. How about "C" for character development? Not this game. And so on.

* game is prone to causing nausea. This has to do both with the way the screen looks overall, and some stupid idea that whenever the character turns, the screen is "tilted" slightly. Someone may have thought this offered a more realistic sensation but all it does it make me want to toss my cookies. Takes a lot of getting used to and really limits game play to less than one hour at a time (that sucks for any game).

* game manual. The one I got from the amazon download is in german (wonder if this is a clue to the activation issues). Needed to get the english manual from a third party download. Additionally so far this manual is hard to follow. I had to read pretty far in before I found the introductory info I was looking for to start playing (like where is the stupid button to open my inventory and character screens?).

REAL PROBLEMS

* but the biggest problem appears to be activiation issues. Activation seems way too complex and buggy. AMAZON itself is apparently to blame for some of it because the activation keys they are handing out are apparently bad and you have to contact them to get a good one. This is my problem apparently. Once you get so far through the game, you are asked for your key. There are in fact two keys: the amazon key you use for online registration, and the vendor key the maker gives you when you register. Neither works when the game says "demo over, enter key to continue". So now I am in wait mode to see if Amazon can get its act together. Still I can't help but blame the maker of the game as well. They just seem to slough off the issue as "someone else's mistake, don't bother us" even though the problem seems to affect more than just the amazon download. Apparently it has also been reported via Steam and other sources.

* not sure if gameplay is limited for single player. In researching the above issue I have seen comments that make me cringe like "you can only get to explore a small portion of the map in single player. You have to do multiplayer to see the rest of map". Wonder if this means additional fees?

So for now, only two stars. I will update when and if I get a working key to continue but unless things get way better, this game is not destined for historical significance.

Hail Flavius!

Review of Shenmue

Customer Ratings:

I'm not an RPG fan. I'm not even an adventure game fan. I bought Shenmue completely over the pressure of my friends. I've owned the game for the past five days, and i've allready lost 30 hours of my life to it. Let's put it this way..It is very rare that a game does that to me. Extremely rare.

Shenmue's perfect in a lot of ways. It's storyline, avenging your father's death, may seem generic, but Shenmue manages to transform it into an epic and involving tale. Going through the game, interacting with it's enviroments and characters, it's all just the unique experince that *is* Shenmue.

The game's music is incredible, most of the time flawless. The graphics are unbeleivable and the level of detail is just scary. Once you finish the game, you will indeed be on the edge of your seat of the sequels to come, but I think Shenmue has been introduced to us, and in perfect form. I dont give the game five stars just on the hype. I give the game five stars because it's just that good.

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I have to hand it to Yu Suzuki and Sega. Their games may not be immediate classics, but they are clearly groundbreaking, and players will look back at them and say "wow, I can't believe this game was that inventive".

I've played Shenmue for only a few days, and I have to say it's one of the best games I've ever played. The quality and attention to graphic detail is stunning. Clearly, when you're looking at some characters' face it's hard to imagine that they are made up of polygons.

Twitch gamers will not be happy. If you're in for a quick, visceral fix you'll be disappointed. But if you like exploring, like seeing what's behind the corner or underneath that tricycle or even what's in someone's desktop drawer, you will be estatic.

Shenmue is just one of those games you can sit down and play. Play and play. Even without following the plotline to the tee, you can still do a million things.

If you have a Dreamcast buy Shenmue. If you don't have a Dreamcast, do yourself a favor and get one. This game, and many others (hint, hint, NFL2K1, hint) are definitely worth it.

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If you have a Dreamcast and don't buy this game you are missing an amazing experience. To not have this in your library is like not having "Soul Caliber" or "Crazy Taxi." This game is really the best game I have ever played. Beautiful graphics are definitely here, as can be witnessed by the screen shots published in various magazines and posted on websites, but they are only the pretty colored paper wrapping this fanatastic gift from Yu Suzuki.

This game is what so many others out there are not, fun and entertaining. In this title it doesn't feel like you are playing a game, but living a life. I started to think of it like the movie "The Truman Show" after a while. Believe it or not you become so immersed in Ryo Hazuki's life that when you do see something that disrupts the illusion, you feel a mild shock. Walking up closely to characters who were eating at a burger stand and seeing that they really were not eating their food, but simply moving it close to their faces was one such slap in the face for me.

One of the key factors involved in making this illusion of reality float is that no single challenge seems out of place, neither too difficult nor too easy. I enjoy a decent challenge like any other gamer out there, but I also think that this can definately detract from the fun. The difficulty of this game reminded me a lot of "Metal Gear Solid" or "The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time." It isn't a cake walk, but it certainly isn't Rocket Science. The real emphasis here is the story, and what a story it is.

You begin the game on the day that Ryo Hazuki's father is murdered by a mysterious man dressed in elaborate silken robes. From this point on your focus is to discover the man's identity, find out why he killed Ryo's father, and deal out justice. But Ryo doesn't own even one rocket launcher, let alone a pistol to aid his cause. Heck the guy doesn't own a car, so he either has to walk or ride the bus to get anywhere. He progresses through the game by talking to people to gain information (by the way I am so glad they did not subtitle this game; the voice acting is really really good, something rarely found in a game of this sort) and when talking doesn't work, he employs his skills in martial arts. There is a real fighting engine in this game, not just some slopped together mess. It of course is like Virtua Fighter (Yu Suzuki you know) and it plays very nicely.

The Quick Timer Events (these are like the original Dragon's Lair back in the olden days) that were talked about so much are fun to participate in and do not dominate the gameplay at all. They actually are interactive FMV sequences. Any game of this sort will have FMVs to carry the story along, this one is no different except that in some of them you get a chance to participate. Again these sequences do not dominate the game, they are scattered throughout, but they in no way make this game anything near the Simon Says type of affair that some outlets were speculating before release. This is a game that may only take you four days of constant play to finish, so if quantity is what you crave you may be disappointed. Yet, there are so many cool things to do besides solve the mystery you could easily play one game for a month at least. From collecting all the little toys in various vending machines, playing arcade classic "Hang On" or an addicting darts game to gambling away your allowence at the slot machines (my personal favorite) there is plenty to keep you occupied besides the main quest. But, as far as quantity versus quality goes I will say this: I can easily finish "Metal Gear Solid" in about four hours and I can Whup "Resident Evil:Code Veronica" in about two days, yet I love both of these games and count them as timeless classics and always will.

The coolest part of all is that this is only Chapter One. What will Ryo do next? Whatever it is, I hope he does it soon. I can't wait to see where Yu Suzuki takes this amazing tale in the future!

Honest reviews on Shenmue

There are some one-star reviews of this game. There are many more fourand five-star reviews, mainly because the kind of person you need to be to rate Shenmue 1 star doesn't often have the attention span necessary to write an entire Amazon review.

This is where a lot of people are going wrong reviewing this game. They spend a few hours cluelessly wandering around, not using the Notebook which *tells you* what you're looking for now, not going to the fortune teller in Dobuita who *gives you clues*, not using their own mental processes to *think* about what Ryo should be doing, and on the basis of this conclude that it sucks. Not true. Usually the next piece of information can be found in a matter of minutes, letting you ever closer to the action sequences Virtua Fighter style fights with up to 70 enemies (Shenmue was originally planned as a Virtua Fighter RPG), QTE reaction tests, movie cutscenes that can be amazingly realistic at times, minigames like forklift and motorcycle riding, arcade games (play Space Harrier all over again!), etc. Even mundane things like going shopping, feeding a pet cat, using vending machines. There's enough to do.

Now: the voice acting. The voice acting ranges from fantstic (Ryo, Nozomi, Chen Gui Zhang) to terrible (some passersby, children). Note that most of the important voices are great. It's almost a formula: the less plot-important a character, the worse their voice. Desperate loser Goro is a real overactor. But then in RL desperate losers *do* overact to impress.

Why four stars? I'd like 4 1/2. But it is rather too easy (can't "Game Over" at all). It's also relatively short. But what is there is absolutely beautiful. The final disc in particular made my jaw hit the ground on more than one occasion. My final "day" of game time left a mark. Just like the final scenes episode of the final episode of your favourite TV show, you could tell: "This is it. This is ending, and soon." It's beautiful.

If you read this far, congratulations! You have the attention span Shenmue would like you to have. Go buy. Now.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Shenmue

Yet another game that shows the talent that Sega has over Sony. PS2 has no games like this, rather rehashes of yester-generation games. AM2's Shenmue represents another new change in 3-D gaming, just like the change The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time had over previous adventure games. It also shows that Sega is just as creative in making new kinds of games as Nintendo.

Shenmue is the brainchild of Yu Suzuki, who has created the most expensive game ever and a new type of gameplay he calls FREE. Of course, it follows a storyline, but the world of Shenmue is to explore the city of Yokosuka to get to where you want and when you need to. It's a complete living world. It has days and nights and the city is complete with your everyday usual stuff. Not since Super Mario 64 have I played a game that gives a new experience.

The reason why I gave this game four stars is because the game is not one game, it's only the beginning, therefore once you beat it, you'll have to wait (and wonder) what's going to be in Chapter 2. Also, the game is too realistic here and there; for example, to call someone you'll have to individually press the digits on the phone pad, and as for the day and night feaure, the time is always consistant. You can't skip to the next day when you want to.

Though with these flaws, there is no way Shenmue can be overlooked. It's a new type of game, and the majority of gamers won't care about its flaws too much because of all the possible things to do (when Super Mario 64 debuted, no one cared about its flaws like the annoying camera control, because, as stated, it was a new type of game and experience). Get a copy and enjoy.

Cheap Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV FightPad - Blanka

Customer Ratings:

Special controllers are almost necessary for playing SFIV with any degree of skill. This is the poor man's alternative to a fight stick, but it is certainly a great piece of hardware. The buttons are laid out well and the pad just feels great.

After about a week or two of vigorous use however my right bumper stopped being as "clicky" as it used to be, but still functions great a month in.

This also works for whatever else you might need for 2d fighters/old school games. Works in Windows and I use it quite frequently in the Gametap service to play all kinds of old classic arcade games.

Definitely a great buy.

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The two previous reviews have nothing to do with the product, so I felt a real review was in order. For those who own Street Fighter IV, these controllers are a must have. The directional joystick is much easier to use than the standard xbox 360 joystick. The real kicker for me is that they moved the RB and RT buttons to the front of the controller for the traditional street fighter layout. While it is a bummer that they are not wireless (damn you microsoft!), the 9' of cable was plenty for me to sit back on my couch and play comfortable without fear of pulling the controller out of the system. It's not impossible to use an original controller, but it much more fun and it's easier to use these. They feel very durable in my hands. If this review is not as indepth as you would like, take a look on bestbuy.com for example and read the reviews there. I do feel sorry for the people that have been put off by sellers on this website, but please use the feedback system to lodge your complaints.

Best Deals for Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV FightPad - Blanka

After reading the mixed reviews for this controller, mostly leaning towards negative. I decided to go for it anyway. I grew up playing fighting games with a D-Pad not a joystick or an analog stick. Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn D-Pad's to be exact. But the Official Xbox 360 Controller D-Pad is horrible in comparison to those. So I needed something to replace it. Basically just about any other 3rd party D-Pad for the 360 is going to be better. Thats how bad the official 360 controllers D-Pad is. So yes this controller has a nice D-Pad. When I want to go forward or back. It does it and nothing else. Up or down. It does that as I wanted. up & forward or up & backward. Also does it, no problem. Special Movies...much easier. I can't say its the greatest D-Pad in the world. But it is more then good enough to make an old school Genesis/Saturn player like me happy. The button layout is also nice for old school fans. Having the buttons laid out similiar to a Genesis/Saturn Controller or Arcade button layout. It works great. The buttons are slightly more springy which is good for fighting games. All the buttons and controls worked perfect for me. No delay, improper or unresponsive controls. I didn't have to mash them to make them respond nor did I lightly tap them and they responded too quickly. It felt just right in response. Comparable to an Official 360 Controller. This is also a great controller for any game that is on live arcade that you may be used to playing on a D-Pad. Sonic The Hedgehog games for instance. It works nicely. The pad gives turbo which is a cheat basically but it works nicely for people who enjoy that sort of thing and isn't hard to use. The pad has a switch on the lower back that lets you change the D-Pad to the Left 360 Analog Stick Control or Right 360 Analog Stick Control. This is a limited feature but it makes a few newer 360 games playable that might otherwise not be, if you want to use this controller for such games. But overall this controller is for fighting games and old school games. The overall layout of the controller felt very nice in my hands. The Street Fighter IV photo (Blanka in my case) looks very nice. The controller had a light rubberized grip on the back. Felt very comfortable in my hands. People with large hands, small hands or anything in between, shouldn't have a problem with it.

But there is a few things one should know about this controller and understand first. Most games that use a 6 button layout such of Street Fighter II HD, Garou Mark Of The Wolves, Samurai Showdown II, etc. Will not automatically work with the controller. You'll need to manually map out the buttons. Usually by accessing the games settings screen. It's very easy to do and once you do it. Your playing the game like it should be played. No bumpers needed. Just a D-Pad and 6 buttons. Nice and simple. Street Fighter IV of course does worth perfectly with the controller from the start. It was afterall made for that game specifically. But most games which require six buttons will need to be manually set. The other issue is the controller does not feel very durable. After a few days of use, it still works fine for me. But it feels rather hollow. The build quality is certainly not that of an Official Xbox 360 Controller which feels strong in comparison.

The final two things I should mention are not the controller makers fault, but something you should rememeber, it's not wireless and it doesn't have rumble. So keep that in mind. I got over both of those issues very quickly when I felt the nostalgia of playing games like I used to when I was younger. The old Genesis style controllers. I got that feeling back right away. The official 360 controller doesn't give off that feel for older games.

And so I say, do not hesitate if your looking for a great controller for retro games, It works great, it looks great. It does exactly what I hoped it would do and more.

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV FightPad - Blanka

This controller is good. Feels light and a bit chincy when u 1st pik it up. had it a few months all the buttons still funtion. theres really not much of a choice when it comes to fight pads i find. only arcadesticks.

I once had a six button sega genesis controller when SS2 first released...similiar but smaller than a sega saturn controller. Ideally, the six botton genesis contoller for my 360 would be great. At the moment this controller is the next best thing...

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Xbox 360 Street Fighter IV FightPad - Blanka

I preordered this on the 10th of Feb and received it on the 25th. Not too sure what the deal is with the others, why they haven't gotten theirs.

Needless to say, this controller is fantastic. The moves for SFIV are easy to pull off. Button layout is just like the old Saturn controller. It beats having to hit the triggers for the High Punch/Kick. The turbo feature is great too for other games.

Buy Midway Arcade Treasures - Xbox

Customer Ratings:

Really, $20 for 20 old style arcade games. Are you kidding me?! The purchase price is worth Gauntlet, Marble Madness and Spy Hunter alone. This set of arcade classics includes every popular game from Midway you can imagine, including the insanely popular Defender and Joust.

I grinned from ear to ear when I popped this in the Xbox and told my son that I used to pay .25 to play these games. He just kind of chuckled and looked at me all strange.

Marble Madness was and still is my all time favorite arcade game and it is true to form in this port to the Xbox. Actually every game I've played on it is true to the old school arcades.

For $20 you can't go wrong with this purchase. That is only $1 a game! You will be playing it for hours and hours.

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If you like playing classic games on your Xbox, then you definitely need the Xgaming X-Arcade joystick (ASIN B00008ELB0 or B00006I5ZX), preferably the 2-player version. I tried playing Joust, and the standard Xbox "S" controller was really holding me back. These 80's games depend on "button smashing", and that's something the Xbox controller doesn't handle well.

Best Deals for Midway Arcade Treasures - Xbox

All 24 games have configurable settings such as number of lives, difficulty, continues and game-specific options. There are also game-controller settings in case you are not comfortable with the button location defaults. Many games include design notes, pictures, trivia, videos, and a brief history.

Although the games operate and sound exactly as the originals, playability is not quite the same, which is not Xbox fault of course, it's simply a reality check for those of you who imagine themselves standing in a game cabinet dropping quarters and pushin buttons in a frenzy. The original Xbox game controllers will never emulate the original cabinet feel. It takes a while to get used to playing games such as Defender and Toobin', even with customizable buttons. The feel of Robotron 2084 is similar (use of two analog sticks) but the size of the Xbox controller sticks makes it difficult to handle as well, especially when you are playing for a high score.

The arcade games are online enabled, you can post your scores on Xbox Live provided you are subscribed to the service. This feature will be available until December 2004.

There are currently free PC arcade emulators on the Internet such as M.A.M.E., but there is a gray area of legality about downloading emulated arcade roms (game files), plus the difficulty in finding them makes this Xbox collection a welcome and safe alternative.

Honest reviews on Midway Arcade Treasures - Xbox

This is actually the 2nd time that I've puchased this game. I LOVE THE GAME, don't get me wrong, but the XBOX 360 states that it can play regular XBOX games, and IT CAN'T!!! I'm so sad, that I have my Klax right in my house and I CAN'T USE IT!!! If you DO have an XBOX regular, and you're around my age (30), this is a game that will bring you to complete nostalgia! It has Rampage, Klax, Root Beer Tapper, just all the old fun that you haven't seen since your childhood!

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So disappointed to discover this game and all it's retro treasures are not functioning for the XBOX 360 and there is no backwards compatible update to make it so. This information is not made clear in the description, so buyer beware!

Reviews of Xbox 360 AMPX Amplified Gaming Headset

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $19.99
Today's Bonus: 33% Off

The quality of this headset is not what I expected. First of all, when the mute/volume control box isn't positioned just right, there is an annoying buzzing sound. This wasn't a huge deal since I have read other reviews for headsets, and it seems to be a pretty common problem in some of them. The biggest deal is that the mic tends to cut in and out when I'm talking to someone. It doesn't do it all the time, but it does it enough to aggravate me and the people trying to talk to me. My guess is that before long, this headset will just stop working. On a brighter note, when the mic isn't malfunctioning, the sound is really clear.

Oh, and I bought two of these. The buzzing problem is in both of them, but only one of them seems to have the mic function issue so far.

UPDATE: I was right. One of the headsets really did stop working (It hasn't worked for quite some time now). The cord extending from the part that hooks into the controller must be poorly made because the wires are showing. I don't just swing it around by that cord either, so it must have just pulled away from normal use of plugging the headset into the game controller. The other headset still works okay, but there is still the buzzing noise when the volume control box isn't placed just so. Maybe I just got a bad couple of headsets? Either way, next time I will probably just buy a basic Microsoft headset, or I will get a decently expensive headset in hopes that it will work better than these ones have.

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Cheap and about to break, yeah it's 30 bucks but I would have rather saved my money and gotten something better, they could have made the plastic less flimsy and the bass is muffered when volume is up, there is a hissing sound when game is loading and the cheap ear cups get hot. It would be awesome if someone can make a good quality cheap headphone that doesn't cost more than a game.

Best Deals for Xbox 360 AMPX Amplified Gaming Headset

Pros:

EXCELLENT sound quality

DEEP bass response

HIGH quality mic

VERY comfortable

GREAT durability

Cons:

VERY short cords (approx. 6ft)

REQUIRES left & right tv audio out ports

AMPLIFIER controls not properly placed (Dead weight)

*** ALL in ALL, this is an EXCELLENT headset and will satisfy anyone! Ive personally been using thier products sinse the original Play Station and Xbox system hit the market. This is another success they bring to gamers. ***

Thank You " MadCatz® ".

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 AMPX Amplified Gaming Headset

This AMPX headset was the second headset that I bought for my 12-year old son. The headset microphone stopped working after a week and my son just stopped using it and is now using a basic microsoft headset. I did not have the option to return it as he did not tell me about the fact that it stopped working.

I have read some of the other reviews and come to the conclusion that the product does not meet expectations. It is hard to purchase something expecting it to work as intended and then it only works for one week!!!

I am not the user but I can tell you that I have purchased headsets for $10 and have worked very well. So, it is not all about price. There are decent products that do not cost a whole lot. I guess you just cannot help feeling swindled by a product that should work longer than a week.

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I decided to buy this headset when my pair of turtle beaches broke. This headset was meant to be just a stop-gap to get me by until I could afford to pick up another quality headset. I saw a lot of negative reviews, but for 30 bucks I thought I would give them a try. I've had them for about a month now and I must say that it's not a terrible headset.

Pros-

It's a stereo headset, so you can hear all of the game action directly through the headset.

The mic works great. My friends online can hear me clearly.

Game sound is pretty good. Mic volume is pretty good.

Two different adjustable volume buttons, one for game volume, one for chat volume. Also a mic mute/unmute button.

Did I mention it's only 30 bucks?

Has a 1 year warranty.

Cons-

I read some reviews about a buzzing sound that was a problem with a lot of these headsets. Not a huge issue with my headset, but it does happen from time to time. Kind of a random problem. A majority of the times there is no buzzing, but every now and then I will pick up a faint buzzing sound from the headset. Really only noticeable during quiet moments while playing.

Headset feels a bit flimsy. You are going to have to be careful with it. Make sure not to keep it laying around. I don't think it would survive someone accidentally stepping on it.

Sound could be better. I am used to a high end pair of turtle beaches. I can definitely tell a difference in sound quality between this headset and my pair of turtle beaches that broke. Speakers are 40mm. So, not anything amazing. But definitely not bad for 30 dollars.

Overall I would recommend this product if you are not a hardcore gamer, or if you are looking for something cheap just to get you by till you can afford something better.

Cheap Under Defeat: Deluxe Edition - Playstation 3

Customer Ratings:

As a fan of all things shooters and Dreamcast, I was pretty excited to get my hands on Under Defeat HD. I originally had this ordered from a competitor's website, then I pre-ordered on Amazon for the heck of it, which I'm glad I did since it's now an Amazon.com exclusive, so if you want it, don't hesitate, buy it ASAP.

First and foremost, it must be said how beautiful this game looks with its glossy HD makeover. Everything is crisp and has much more detail than the Dreamcast version. For the most part, it all runs buttery smooth, too. I've seen some complaints about "slowdown" on the Playstation Blog and some other places, however these people must not know that slowdown is a feature in shooters like this and not a technical issue. This is a vertical shooter and the gameplay feels as good as ever. Yes, compared to other shooters this has a different feel, however it doesn't take long to acclimate to.

Also, I feel it needs to be said that $29.99 for a retail shooter is an absolute steal. I've heard complaints that these need to be $10-$15 Xbox Live Arcade/Playstation Store downloads, but I just disagree. As a fan of old school games, specifically shooters, I like getting something physical, not having a game sitting on a hard drive with no guarantees. I like the peace of mind that I can play this 15 years down the road, which is important for classic games like this that have timeless qualities. For $29.99 you're getting the game, physical soundtrack w/ digital art book, all DLC and patches from the other region versions, and a brand new in-game chopper. In addition, unlike most games these days, you're getting a color manual included. The import price for this game on NCSX is $83.90, so its $29.99 price is nearly 1/3 of that of the import version. In other words, this price is awesome.

Under Defeat HD is a game that deserves your support. It's inexpensive, packed with goodness, and it's just a quality shooter, as well as being the first retail shooter to hit North American PS3's. Buy it.

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Back in 2006, developer G.rev released Under Defeat on the Dreamcast in Japan. Obviously this was well past the point where Dreamcast games were getting regular releases in North America, so the game stayed off shore at the time. I managed import the game and spent a lot of time with it. And now with this release, it's finally available for everyone.

The PS3 version is, as the name implies, a high-definition remake. The arcade mode is very similar to the Dreamcast version. There are a few minor changes here and there, so a purist may want to stick to the Dreamcast version, however it's close enough for most players. Also included is the New Order version that includes a modified play field suitable for widescreen displays. You can also choose to play with dual analog controls, optimized for modern controllers, or stick with the original arcade rotation scheme. So we get the best of both worlds: A reasonable approximation of the original game and controls, and a revamped version to take full advantage of modern setups.

Under Defeat is a shmup. You fly a helicopter, shoot stuff, grab powerups, and avoid bullets. The field of play is an overhead slightly angled view, similar to Raystorm.

The 'twist' to Under Defeat is that your helicoptor can rotate slightly to shoot at different angles. There are also two planes of play, with air targets and ground targets. Your helicoptor normally fires forward, however when a ground target comes into range your angle of fire changes to lock-on to them instead. Powerups consist of small pods that fire along side you, with missles, chainguns, etc. These are activated by pausing your fire to charge them up; thus you often have better firepower by not shooting all the time. Planning which powerups to use and when to activate them adds an additional layer of strategy, and is often more critical than it appears at first glance. This also lets you target multiple enemies at the same time, or concentrate fire on more sturdy enemies.

The level design is where Under Defeat truly shines. From assaulting enemy bases, to battling fleets of ships, to assisting allied tanks on the battlefield, everything is placed well and makes sense. Often when allies are on the screen, you can choose to attack enemies firing at you, or assist those allies against enemies that are targeting them so they can continue fighting. It's really slick design that helps the game feel more like a battlefield.

Boss fights are huge and intimidating, with multiple parts to destroy. This gives a lot of flexibility in how you want to approach them: You can concentrate fire and go straight for the kill, or pick them apart piece by piece.

Under Defeat is a difficult game. Don't let modern "bullet-hell" shmups fool you, more bullets does not always mean harder. I've gotten single credit clears on several modern and old arcade shmups, however this one gives me trouble from time to time. Still, the learning curve is very much worth it as each level just gets better than the last.

It's not every day a shmup gets a disc-based release on PS3, and this is one of the better ones on any console. With added features to take advantage of HD displays and modern controllers, and an original version for the arcade experinece, you really can't go wrong. And at the retail price, it's a steal compared to what the Dreamcast version goes for.

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Under Defeat is a great shoot that original came out on the Dreamcast a couple of years ago. Now, this great shooter has new modes, an exclusive chopper, and HD graphics. I played this game on the Dreamcast, it suffered from on screen lag time. Now on the PS3 the HD graphics are beautiful (you must have a HDTV to truly appreciate it). The gameplay is very solid and hard at times (I have not tried the easy mode but will not cause I am true gamer). Once you have completed a level you can go back in practice mode to master that level. I have been playing for about 2 weeks now and I am very satisfied with this game. If you are a fan of the classic overhead shooter Under Defeat is a game you must have in your library. For $32.00 you can't go wrong with that.

Honest reviews on Under Defeat: Deluxe Edition - Playstation 3

Under Defeat is an interesting story. It started out as one the final releases for the Dreamcast in the midlate 2000s, in which the system was already dead everywhere else outside Japan. The fact that not only did G Rev rereleased it modern consoles, with Rising Star Games releasing it in the U.S., this really makes it a gem for the current generation. One can only hope if RS Games will release more in the U.S., after all, they did help release King of Fighters 13 in Europe!

Here's to every shmup gamer across the globe!

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If you are a fan of the Toaplan military shooters of the late 80's/early 90's, get this game. It hits the right notes. Excellent soundtrack(s), new features not in the original DC version such as dual stick mode and redone HD graphics, and and accessible challenge set this shmup apart. Don't expect Cave bullet curtains. Don't expect Ikaruga's level of design. Under defeat is just pure old school arcade fun,

Buy Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions - Sony PSP

Customer Ratings:

Final Fantasy Tactics was without a doubt one of the greatest Playstation games out there. Starting off as a cult classic it became a big success when it was released later as a Greatest Hits package. Ten years later and Final Fantasy Tactics is still one of the best Final Fantasy games ever made.

Of all the Final Fantasy games, Tactics has arguably the best story out there. It's full of emotion, political intrigue, fantastic characters and it's very deep. If this is your first trump through Final Fantasy Tactics, prepare to be dazzled. It's still one of the most absorbing in the series. To the point where you'll be sad to leave when the whole thing is over. The game is also backed up by a fantastic new translation that out does the original and makes the world of Ivalice come alive. The translation alone may actually warrant Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions worth a buy even for those who played through the original game.

It's the gameplay that makes Final Fantasy Tactics a treat, though. Thanks to the job system, customization is nearly endless. Before each battle you can assign jobs to your characters. Each job has specific traits about them and can greatly affect how you perform in battle. Mages have devastating magic abilities while Knights are strong physical attackers. They also bring their own unique abilities to the table. Because there are so many job classes to choose from, there's a lot of experimentation you can do. As you master abilities you'll also be able to mix and match. You could have a Squire casting white magic, for example provided you've learned some of the white magic abilities.

As battles progress you gain experience. You pretty much gain experience after each and every turn, which is nice. Not only do you gain experience but you also gain job points to help you master the abilities in your job class. It's pretty simple stuff and you'll be surprised at just how fast you can learn abilities here.

Final Fantasy Tactics provides its own challenges, though. Not all your enemies are taken down easily, and if you don't take advantage of the opportunities to improve your characters abilities you'll be overwhelmed before you know it. When they say Final Fantasy Tactics, they're not kidding. Sometimes little simple mishaps in your strategy can cost you a battle. Not only that, but even doing things such as casting spells you must be careful with because if any of your characters are in range, they'll be struck by that spell. You also have to be quick about reviving characters otherwise you lose them forever. If your first plunge into Final Fantasy Tactics was with the GBA version released in 2003 you'll be in for a rude awakening.

There is also a multiplayer thrown in there. You can work with a friend or battle friends. First there are melee battles where you can battle up against friends and then there's the Rendezvous Battles where you'll team up with a friend. These let you get some rare and hard to find items that are otherwise unable to be obtained.

While Final Fantasy Tactics is a great game, it certainly doesn't do as much in the technical department as it does in the gameplay. The game itself doesn't really look any different from the game released ten years ago. There's little, if any, enhancement to the graphics at all. For the pleasure of story, however, there are some pretty cool cutscenes thrown in that are incredible looking. These cutscenes are truly artistic and in depth. While those cutscenes are beautiful, it's a shame Square-Enix did little to update the games other visuals. Despite the cool cutscenes, though, there are some slow down issues in battle.

Music wise, though, Final Fantasy Tactics easily has some of the best music in the series. It's still memorable to hear and can still give many video game soundtracks a run for their money. While the voice acting isn't as good as other video games, they add a lot of depth to the cutscenes.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few differences outside of the translation to Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions. New characters such as Balthier appear. There are new missions exclusive to the PSP version as well as the multiplayer aspect of the game. While there aren't a huge assortment of new items and abilities, you'll find War of the Lions takes a much longer time to master than the original.

Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions is a great re-release of a great classic. While it's still a good game a bit more could've been done to update it. The technical issues will probably annoy some fans, but for the most part you're getting a good game. Even if you have the original, this one is worth a look.

Pros:

+A fantastic storyline

+Beautiful soundtrack

+New job classes

+Good cutscenes

+Addictive gameplay

+Tons of customization

+The New Translation is far better than the original, making even the experience of the story completely different for those who went through before. This alone makes the game worth a purchase for those who already went through it and enjoyed it once before

Cons:

-Will be difficult for newcomers

-Some technical issues with the graphics and sound

-Not much of a graphical update at all, it looks just like the original Playstation version

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This review was written by my son, James Shea

A remake of the hit game for the PS1, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions updates many of the little pieces of the original game in addition to carrying the game over to the Playstation Portable platform. It has been 10 years since the original's release; now the update brings it to a new generation.

As a refresher for those unfamiliar with the original game, Final Fantasy Tactics is a turn-based tactical game using many of the abilities and classes made familiar in the Final Fantasy series of games. The story takes place in the kingdom of Ivalice, where civil war has erupted following a great war against foreign enemies and the death of the old king. The main character, Ramza, must navigate these mazes of treachery and deceit to discover the true secret of the ancient prophecies that govern the kingdom.

The English translation to the original was notoriously bad, with such lines as "I got a good feeling!" and "Bracelet" used instead of "Breath" (as in, a Dragon's breath). The main thing done by the remake was the rewriting/retranslating of almost the entire script to be much more period-appropriate. For the most part this is a good thing, matching the epic, elegant scale of the story, though certain fan-favorite lines were lost ("Don't blame us! Blame yourself or God!" and "Surrender, or die in obscurity!" being two of those). Many names were also changed; besides the re-familiarization of characters (for fans who got used to the old names), the only other problem is the abundance of "th" sounds to replace "s" sounds ("Algus" becomes "Argath", like how "Aeris" from Final Fantasy 7 became "Aerith" in later games).

In certain scenes, illustrated cinematics were used to replace the game-engine cutscenes or CG cutscenes used in the old versions. These cinematics have a distinct art style and coloring scheme and are very well done. These scenes also have voice acting, which is done with English accents similar to much of Final Fantasy XII. Several new scenes are also inserted to either add backstory to the game or to establish a new character. On that note, two new characters from other Final Fantasy games are recruitable through the story (much like Cloud from FF7 was and still is): Balthier from FFXII and Luso from the upcoming FFT Advance 2. Two new classes are also obtainable for regular (IE non-unique) characters. Onion Knight is gained by gaining levels in the two basic classes (chemist and squire) while, on the other end, Dark Knight is gained by gaining a high level of classes in many specialized classes.

The War of the Lions also adds a multiplayer mode, accessible through ad-hoc wireless (the PSPs must be within range of each other; no online mode is available). Through this, two players can either fight head-to-head or work cooperatively on unique missions. Characters do not die permanently in this mode, but there are treasures that can be gained from it, including some unique equipment. While it isn't as developed as it could be, its addition is certainly welcomed.

Graphically, the game is the same. While the older sprites might seem dated, the smaller screen means that they seem more artistic than pixelated. The only troubling spot is major slowdown when spells are cast or abilities are used; this problem is recurring and noticeable, but such is only to be expected with the transition between systems.

Final Fantasy Tactics is still acclaimed as one of the best games of all time. With this remake, there were a lot of worries that the original formula would be watered down. Fortunately, this is definitely not the case; the additions are almost entirely good, and make for a much more serious, solid experience. This game has done a great service in many ways to this classic game, despite occasional troubles.

Rating: 9/10.

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Final Fantasy Tactics has long been my favorite videogame EVER. Nothing, I feel, has ever matched the original PS1 version of the game. Unfortunately, that still statement still stands.

I've always wanted a portable version of Final Fantasy Tactics, and when I heard it was coming to PSP I went and bought a PSP JUST FOR THIS GAME. I figured that with the fixed translation, new movies, and new content it would be pretty much the only game I would need for awhile.

Well, after sitting down and playing for hours, here is what I have to say:

Pros:

The new animations are beautiful! And the voice acting is very well-done. So, big plus there.

The new content is fun, and helpful (for understanding the plot)

Multiplayer mode looks like it might be fun unfortunately no one I know (and no one in the entire area as far as I know) has a PSP and Final Fantasy Tactics ... so I can't play it.

The load time is almost nonexistent.

Rewritten and well-translated dialogue! Yay! The translation is not perfect, I've noticed several grammatical and spelling errors in the dialogue, but its a big improvement from the last translation. I'm bit annoyed that its not perfect, though. Last time I could chalk it up to the horrible translation, but this time I really did expect perfection. Oh well. The big plus is that the plot is much easier to understand now.

Cons:

Sound: It sounds like several sound effects were cut. I got especially annoyed at the first fight, when some of the dark knight's sword skill sound effects were cut. I don't know why this is. If you've never played the game you probably won't notice/care (though you might wonder at the strange silence for parts of moves ...). If you have played the game you'll be annoyed.

Multiplayer: If you don't have anyone to play with, there is no way to get any of that extra content. I don't know why they couldn't have made the multiplayer missions an option to do all alone sure they'd be hard, but still ... Very annoying that an entire section of the game is locked to you if you have no one to play with. Of course, you can disregard this if you actually have a friend, with the game, who is willing to spend time doing the multiplayer content with you.

Graphics: The PS1 version has absolutely beautiful graphics; not a single pixel on the screen was was wasted. The grahics are still good in the PSP version, but in stretching out the game to 16x9 for the screen, everything looks somewhat ... fuzzy. This was actually a big letdown for me, because the original graphics on the PS1 still look great. It just didn't make the transition smoothly. But, this is a minor issue. If you haven't seen the original, you'll think this is a pretty beautiful game.

Dialogue: Again, some grammar and spelling mistakes. Nothing big, but I really wish they'd been fixed.

ANIMATION SLOW DOWNS. This was big. For almost EVERY special attack in the game, especially more

elaborate ones, there is noticeable disconnect between the sound and the animation. The problem is that the video lags so far behind the sound, sometimes the sound will finish playing almost before the animation has started ... this also considerably slows down battles, as the framerate drops so much. The PSP has powerful hardware in it, I have no idea why there is this problem. Especially because emulated versions don't have this issue. I thought that I would get used to it, but it just got more and more annoying, especially as I got stronger and stronger magic. This is the primary reason I gave the game 3 stars. It is not only incredibly annoying, it also considerably slows the gameplay down. UGH.

Conclusion:

If you've never played the game, do yourself a favor and go try it out. If the lag problem isn't too annoying for you you're in for an amazing game. The plot is sophisticated, and the gameplay is deep. Few games can really compare in those two aspects. And, if you're a big fan of the game, you owe it to yourself to buy it. The new content and new movies are great, and you can't get those on an emulator. That said ... the technical issues introduced in the translation from PS to PSP really knock this game down ... especially the graphics lag. I don't know what Square was thinking releasing the game before they had the problem fixed (I really don't understand why it would even be a problem, the PSP hardware is supposedly more powerful than the PS1 hardware ...).

I really wish I could give this game 5 stars, I really do. In my opinion, the graphics issues alone knocks it down a star, and the combination of everything else knocks another star off. I gave it 4 stars for fun because only the graphics issue really affects how fun the game is to play. Its still a great game, and if the graphics issue was gone I'd say it was a must buy. As is ... :(

*edit*

Its been a few months now, and I've progressed quite a bit in the game. I have well over 100 hours of playtime (no idea how many, exactly, the playtime clock maxed out long ago) and have played through every class and seen almost every ability in the game. Some additional thoughts:

* No multiplayer is still a bummer I want some of those items, but there is no way for me to get them ...

* In my opinion (and feel free to disagree) graphics slowdown is still an issue. I purposely avoid white magic and use items instead, for example, to avoid some of the bigger offenders and speed up battle. If you read the comments for this review you'll see people who agree and disagree with my assessment.

* I'm continually impressed by the cutscenes, voice acting, and redone script.

* I still feel that the game isn't as crisp as the original PS version.

All of this said, this is still one of my favorite games out there (as evidenced by the fact that I still play it) ... but I do stand by my rating. This game is, in my opinion, hampered by technical problems which is sad. But ... it is a lot of fun!

Honest reviews on Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions - Sony PSP

Final Fantasy Tactics for the original PlayStation was one of my favorite games of all time, so I was looking forward to playing this game.

Only being two hours into the game, I have not reached any of the new content, and I have not tried the multiplayer yet, so I cannot comment on those aspects of the game.

The reanimated cut scenes are gorgeous. However, not all cutscenes were animated, and only being in chapter one, I've only seen one, which is when Ovelia is abducted by Delita. The other scenes so far have been with the in-game sprites. The voice acting is a nice touch to the animated scenes. The new translations give the speech in the game a similar feel to FFXII, which works considering the setting. Gameplay works exactly as it did in the original, which is part of the reason I love the game. If you are not into grinding levels, this game won't be for you. On tip though, the glitch in the original that allows for quick mastering of certain job classes is gone. Looks like he have to be honest men and women from now on. No big deal though.

The two big issues I have with the game are technical in nature. The game expierences slow down any time there is a special effect of sorts curing battles. This occurs during spell animations, mainly, but I've experienced it even using things like "Throw Stone" and items, and even during monster attacks. The sound effects during the battles and the cut scenes that use sprites leave a lot to be desired as well. The sound of wind blowing is particularly horrific.

One more thing to note is just that you may have to get used to new names of abilities. It's nothing big, but every one in a while I check to make sure that it's the same ability it used to be. No big deal.

The game still looks great. Some may find it a little dated, but I think because it's on the PSP, it's not that big of a deal. The music is still excellent, although it doesn't sound re-mixed or re-arranged to me, which would have been a nice touch

Overall, it's a good game that improves on the original, but I would have been willing to wait longer to have some of the technical issues ironed out.

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Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions is a remake of the original Final Fantasy Tactics for the PS1. The original was perhaps the most popular turn-based tactical RPG ever made, and this newest version remains true to the original.

Not much, in terms of plot, has changed in the remake. The new translation is far better than the often laughable Engrish of the original, and some names have been changed to make the game fit better into the more fleshed out Ivalice of Final Fantasy XII. This doesn't change the story, but makes it easier to understand and far more enjoyable to witness.

Graphically, the game is a bit of a mixed bag. The original PS1 graphics remain, and they haven't aged very well. Characters and monsters are depicted by the now familiar Square-Enix superdeformed sprites. The maps are pseudo-3D. They can be rotated so the player can see around obstacles, but they're not exactly stunning to behold. On the flipside, the new cutscenes are absolutely gorgeous. They're fully animated, and very fluid, but retain an almost parchment-like quality to them. The style mimics the official art very closely, and helps to bridge the gap between the art and the sprites.

The audio, again, is a mixed bag. Some of the music is beautiful, but there are a few annoying tunes thrown in, which quickly becomes a problem as the track repeats itself for the nth time while you're grinding for experience and job points. The sound effects are pretty standard. The voice acting, on the other hand, is superb. It's a shame that its limited to just the cutscenes.

The gameplay is familiar to those experienced with the genre. Battles are fought on a square map. Obstacles buildings, trees, lava...it all depends on where the battle is taking place and monsters litter these battlegrounds. You control a squad of up to 5 characters. Each combatant both the characters you control and the enemy NPCs gets a turn, which allows them to move and/or perform an action. Most battles simply consist of defeating all enemies on the map or one particular enemy without getting the main character killed in the process.

The tactical side of the game largely comes from which jobs your characters have mastered. Jobs are essentially character classes. You have the standards: warrior, healer, wizard, etc. There are other, more esoteric jobs, like mathematician and dancer. Every defeated enemy gives that character job points, which allows you to purchase an ability from a job, which grants that character permanent access to that ability. So, you can have a warrior capable of casting offensive magic if you purchase the right abilities. Access to jobs is predicated on which jobs that character already has access to, and what levels they have obtained with those jobs. The more useful or powerful the job you want to give your character, the more levels in pre-existing jobs they need. So, expect lots of grinding for both experience and job points, especially early on in the game.

The last aspect of the gameplay I must mention is the steep learning curve. This game is not new player friendly. You'll die A LOT in this game, especially in the early stages. What's worse is that you'll die from creatures that are typically cannon fodder in other Square-Enix games. Trust me when I say that you'll learn to fear Chocobos. The game becomes much easier if you grind for abilities early on, but the beginning portion is hellish, especially during a first playthrough.

All in all, The War of the Lions is a great remake. It's difficult, and parts of it haven't aged well, but it's definitely more than the sum of its parts. This version, given its portability and well-written (properly translated?) story, is perfect for those who missed it the first time.