Reviews of White Silicone Protector Skin Case Cover for Xbox 360 Game

Customer Ratings:

It is an excellent fitting silicone protector. Nothing slips while playing. It improves my grip on the controller which seems to help my gaming. However, it is not a solid white skin, but a translucent white. I wanted solid white to cover my blue controller because it was cheaper than buying a new white controller.

The seller was willing to make the return but I didn't think it was worth the trouble. I have not found anyone who carries a solid white skin. I like it enough to keep as it enhances any Xbox 360 controller's beauty. Similar to a cell phone cover, it protects the 360 controller from sweat, dirt and minor drops.

One very minor complaint. I wish the skin filled the spot between the triggers and front buttons. Sometimes I feel loose skin near the trigger. Filling that space would fix the form fitting. I usually enjoy the black and chrome style of home electronics. But Xbox white is my delight. {:-D

Addendum: Since writing this review I obtained the identical black skin. It is much smoother to the touch and not grippy like the white one. But that black matte finish really makes the controller sexy. It's like touching Batman's cowl as I play Arham Asylum.

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the kids love it, just gives it a different look. easy to clean. no complaints to the quality of the product

Best Deals for White Silicone Protector Skin Case Cover for Xbox 360 Game

THIS SILICONE PROTECTIVE SKIN FITS WELL IN THE XBOX 360 CONTROLLER, AND GIVES IT AN EXCELLENT PROTECTION FOR MOST EXTERNAL AGENTS WHICH COULD DAMAGE THE CONTROLLER

Honest reviews on White Silicone Protector Skin Case Cover for Xbox 360 Game

Very good skin & fits well with no issue putting it on the controller! Only negative for me was that I wished it was a little more thicker! But the kids likes it!

Borderlands - Xbox 360 Reviews

Customer Ratings:

Borderlands has so far proved to be an immensely enjoyable game delivering in many ways where Gearbox promised. I feel it will be equally appealing to fans of shooters and dungeon crawlers alike.

You start the game going through a little story intro and a bit of a bus ride. Shortly after a bit of introduction you'll be asked to select one of the characters and exit the bus to start your adventures. The game doesn't come right out and tell you these are your "classes" but for the interests of the RPG elements of the game that's what they are. Your choices are basically between stealth/special weapons, sniper, support/healing, and tank/melee. There unfortunately isn't a vast amount of customization in their looks available but you can alter a 3 color scheme for their outfit and customize your name almost immediately after stepping off the bus.

From here you do a short and sweet tutorial which throws you right in to the action relatively quickly. The controls are tight and will be very familiar to fans of popular FPS games such as Halo, Resistance, Gears, Unreal, and many others. You have the ability to jump, duck, melee, shoot, toss grenades, and eventually use a class specific special ability such as placing turrets. Aside from the general control of your character menus are easy to navigate for all of your weapons, the map is easy to read, and the HUD is simple and informative.

Following the tutorial you progress the game from doing various quests. These quests can be found on mission boards, from NPCs, and occasionally from random stuff lying around. The quests themselves so far haven't been anything particularly noteworthy in the grand scheme of RPGs. It's still a lot of "kill XYZ" "collect a fistful of whozawhatits" or "go talk to random NPC" but they have streamlined them enough to where the don't feel forced but rather serve as more of a beacon of where you should realistically be taking your character and scoring some nice exp and loot while you're at it. Quest objectives can also be tracked and objectives are clearly marked on your compass.

Outside of questing there are a decent number of monsters to kill. I still don't really have much of an idea as to what dictates when an enemy will respawn but it seems if you wander around enough you will likely run in to something to kill. It's typically not a mindless slaughter either, I would highly recommend trying fighting tactically much like you would in a shooter. Until you out-gear or out-level your opponent you will find that the game can actually be quite challenging at times and reward clever use of your equipment and abilities. The game did a great job of encouraging this too by making your enemies respond to grenades logically, implementing cover well, and of course rewarding you with devastating critical with our beloved' HEAD SHOT!

Sizable amounts of experience can also be earned through completing various challenges which are like in game achievements, some of which are actually tied to achievements/trophies. It's mostly killing various things with various weapons but early on it's a great source of experience and you can track your progress on them.

Starting at level 5 you will start to acquire skill points every level. These are used to boost various abilities of your character via a talent/skill tree. There aren't a lot of choices and you can get quite a few of them with the number of points you wind up with but most of them are fundamentally decent options allowing for some individual diversity in how you build your character without having to over-think it. Aside from that each level your character will get a generic health, defense, and attack boost.

The weapons are pretty cool but I will state that some of the "87 Gazillion" claims were perhaps a bit exaggerated. While it is true that many of the weapons can do quite a bit of unique things, the vast majority of the weapons and gear you will find are going to be slight variations of each other much like any other similar dungeon crawler such as Sacred, Titan Quest, or Diablo. Perhaps later in the game the unique generation of weapons becomes more apparent but I could so far fairly compare this to the way the weapons were in Hellgate: London. As for the size of the actual database and possible combination of weapons, I'm sure their claims are accurate but I can only comment from a practical standpoint of what I've seen. In addition to weapons you also get shields which can do various things such as regen health or do elemental bursts when depleted and grenade modifications which allow your grenades to do all kinds of things such as teleport, stick to things, and bounce.

Looting is probably one of my few mild gripes with this game. You can't simply auto-loot everything in your proximity. What the game has you doing is finding in item, hitting the loot button, and then holding it to pick up other relatively close items. It's not game breaking annoying but the range on it isn't very great and holding the loot button to pick up a weapon will auto-equip it which is something that can be frustrating at times.

The graphics will most likely be a love/hate thing for most players as they are highly stylized. I personally love them and think they're quite well done but there are certainly realism junkies out there that won't care for the cartoon approach at all. I will say that only decent videos of this game should be used to judge the graphics, still screenshots don't do this game any justice at all. Graphics aside the environments are very interesting, the characters are well done albeit a bit generic, enemies are pretty decent (Tremors anybody?), and the animations are high quality.

Multiplayer can be done with 2 player split screen couch co-op and online with up to four players I believe. I haven't gone online yet but the split screen was easy enough. Rather than scaling all of the menus down in split screen they opted to leave them full size and movable so that text wouldn't get smushed together which I thought was a pretty clever move. What this means is both players don't have to squint to read everything thing, simply centralize it in their field of view. Also as you do quests objectives/turn-ins will be shared meaning you don't spend your time waiting for everyone to catch up all the time. In multiplayer you can also duel each other which I haven't tried yet.

Vehicles haven't really been much more than a way to get around for me yet. They can be customized in color and weapon outfit but my brother and I both agreed that they weren't a very good way of killing anything aside from running them over which seemed to always been an automatic kill. For a giant vehicle mounted weapon they seem completely inferior to even the worst weapon you could collect at that relative level. The controls are very similar (identical?) to that of a Warthog in Halo. They'll probably take some getting used to for new players but they're relatively easy once you've figured them out. I personally find them to be a bit floaty and awkward but at the moment I don't see myself needing clutch control out of the vehicles for combat so they are passable.

The story regards something involving finding a long lost vault of alien technology. While I'm sure it's interesting I honestly haven't paid much attention to it aside from parts of the story which I couldn't avoid. This sort of game doesn't really bank on the story for me.

That's basically it. Quest, kill, loot, level, and become the destructive juggernaut that Pandora always needed while searching for the vault.

Pros:

Great implementation of shooter mechanics

Lots of fun loot

Good multiplayer

Straight forward and simple RPG elements

Graphics

Cons:

Graphics

Wonky loot controls

Maybe a little cliché at times

I love this game and would highly recommend it.

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So I got my copy of Borderlands last night and played up to level 11. Here are my impressions one day in.

-The game is beautiful. I personally love the cartoony style of the graphics. Extremely detailed and even the barren wasteland is nice to look at. The characters while not customizable are all highly detailed as well and look great. You can change the name and colors, that's about it.

-Controls are excellent. Feels like COD4 with a few changes. Any FPS player can pick it up and play very easily. The one vehicle I've seen so far controls exactly like a warthog from halo.

-Guns, guns, guns. Only a few hours in and I've seen so many kinds of guns I can't count them. One of the best parts of the game is that you'll never know what will drop out of the next enemy. Could be that acid rocket shotgun you've been waiting for! The pure crazines of the weapons is awesome.

-Story. What story? Your looking for a vault full of alien technology. That's it so far. If your looking for deep story, this is not the game for you. Try Fallout 3. On that note, this game is nothing like Fallout. Other than the fact that both games are set in a wasteland like place in the future there is no comparison. It's more like COD4/Halo meets Diablo/Baldurs Gate.

-Co-op. Tried the co-op last night and it was the best online experiance I've ever had. I sent my friend an invite and he joined my game with his levleed up character. No lobby, no re-loading, he just appeared in my game, we played for a few hours and when he left I was back to single player. All seamless. Amazing. Can't wait to try it with four players.

-In the couple of hours I played it I was glued to the XBOX360. If I didn't have to work today I would have played all night. Now that's a sign of a good game. Well spent 60.00. I'm sure I'll more than get my monies worth on this one for a long time to come. With four characters that you'll not likely max out on the first play through this game has some legs to stand on. Enjoy.

Best Deals for Borderlands - Xbox 360

I wish I could give this game three and a half stars but I can't. I also wish that I could climb aboard the "this game is amazing" train but I can't do that either. To be clear: this is a fun game and if you enjoy copious loot and you're FPS/RPG hybrid genre fan I'd recommend this game, even at retail price. On the other hand if you find yourself leaning more one way or the other in terms of either a solid FPS or a real PRG then there are safer bets coming down the line for your $60. It's a good game but it just didn't live up to the hype more for decisions that the design team seemed to have made than for any failing in execution.

With that said everything that Gearbox set out to do it looks like they accomplished. The game looks great, the mechanics are solid, the audio is good and the art direction is absolutely fantastic. I'm also happy to say that with the exception of some very questionable decisions regarding pop up windows in split-screen play there are no bugs or obvious quality control oversights. This game is highly polished, a treasure to look at and smooth to play. Technically speaking this is quality software. From here on out if it seems I'm ragging on this game a little hard it's because there are already a ton of 5 star reviews on here so it's easy to find emphasis on the better aspects of the game if one desires.

The problem with Borderlands is that it doesn't really do any single thing really well. It's not a solid combat FPS and the RPG elements are so insignificant they're essentially just a mildly customizable scaling system. The vehicles also appear more an afterthought than anything. There aren't enough options to really customize your character and leveling decisions are more tactical considerations than broad gameplay choices. There's just no role play in the role play. There are also exactly zero interesting or functionally interactive NPCs, the towns are simply a series of empty buildings and vending machines where you conduct business transactions. The few NPCs that do exist are immobile "come here and get you next quest" cut-outs. Borderlands is a dead world alright, just not in a good way. This is very disappointing and retro in an age of complex NPC AI and living, breathing worlds. There appears to have been a design decision along that way that "more is better". I'd generally agree but here that ends up being a "tons of guns" gimmick that only leads to you simply hauling "tons of guns" back to vending machines to sell, only looking at their price tag. The other thing this leads to is a long series of uninspired missions that are largely "go here, collect item/kill boss, return". With little or no depth to the missions they quickly start to feel less like a series of epic quests and more like a list of errands.

The FPS combat element is only adequate. Again, the feel is retro. The level deign is very dated with transition points between maps which are largely a series of canyons or other linear pathways interrupted by bizarrely unpleasant loading screens. Often at the end of the canyon is a load point which takes you into a building. Guess where that widget you have to find is? Yep, at the back the building in the big room with the boss. At least you won't get lost, there's generally only one way in or out. In the day of open, persistent outside worlds this is pretty unacceptable for a top shelf game(paging Bethesda). The enemies along the way have sufficient by undeniably rudimentary AI. The number of animations is limited and the group tactics non-existent so instead of fighting groups of enemies that work together and utilize cover and flank you instead you just fight multiple independent enemies simultaneously that strafe back and forth and advance or retreat depending on their health. It's rather uninspired and the game uses a leveling system for enemies that radically alters the game's formula for dealing and being dealt damage. This is used to prevent you from "playing ahead" by having enemies that are almost impossible to defeat without leveling. Having all your FPS skills be thrown out the window because you can only do 10 damage per shot instead of 50 and you take 50 instead of 10 because the game wants you to be a lvl 20 and you're "only" a 17 is frustrating. Die hard FPS traditionalists will also be very unhappy with the HALO like shields and the checkpoint save system. Oh, and your little robot helpers are a blatant rip off of Grrr from Invader Zim.

Still, with all my complaints this is a solid game. It's fun and can draw you in. On top of that there is more than enough unique gaming hours in it to justify a purchase instead of a rental. Bottom line: FPS fans would be better served waiting for Modern Warfare 2 and RPG and RPG hybrid fans should wait for Dragon Age but it's still a safe bet if you have time and money to burn.

Pros:

*Very polished, had no bugs. Quality coding.

*Beautiful art direction and smooth, engaging graphics.

*Simple, fun controls.

*Very large world, plenty of unique game play hours for your buck.

*Achieves "just one more quest" syndrome at times.

*Easy learning curve.

Subjective qualities and food for thought:

*Very light on RPG elements, this isn't Deus Ex or Fallout 3.

*Not a run and gun shoot 'em blood and guts ride.

*Not a lot of variety in the loot just guns/shields/mods.

*Tons of guns. More likely to be sold to a vending machine than shot at anyone though.

*Check point save system.

*Shields.

Cons:

*Irritating inventory.

*Simple AI.

*No interesting NPCs, no interactive world.

*Little true character customization.

*Vehicles end up as mere transportation.

*Dated level design.

*Unreasonable level scaling system that takes away from the FPS element.

*Boring story.

*Slow to start.

Honest reviews on Borderlands - Xbox 360

Borderlands is a perfect hybrid of Halo and Diablo. The shooting feels satisfying, the loot drops are spaced out perfectly, the world is gorgeous, and 4 player co-op works great. It's the type of game that keeps you saying to yourself "just one more quest" until it's turned into the wee hours of the morning. Good times!

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Borderlands is a game most of you have heard of, if you haven't, then you're hearing of it now. It is a Role-Playing Game/First Person Shooter developed by Gearbox. With that in mind, most of you will think "Oh, it's just a Fallout 3 clone." Well don't, it's far from it. If you need a game to compare Borderlands to, it would be best to think one of Blizzard Entertainment's massively successful games: Diablo II, or World Of Warcraft.

Graphics:

If anyone has been following this game for any length of time, you know that about halfway through development that Gearbox made a dramatic change in style from a grimdark realistic look to the now, cel shaded-esque "Concept Art Style". Typically you loose a lot of detail in cel shading, but with Gearbox's method you maintain the style, while keeping tiny details like a wrinkle on cloth. The graphics are very suiting of the game, but there are hitches here and there. Water effects are nonexistent, and on-character shadows tend to be fragmented. With previous few I cannot say for certain if they are a product of the Unreal Engine or not, however, the ridiculous texture pops are. You would think that people would either find a work around or license a better engine. Oh well, I guess it can't be helped.

Audio:

The sound fits the game unbelievably well. Walking unknowingly past a skag nest, only to hear one running at you from behind is at intense at it gets. Guns sound different to the point that really fell them for what the are. Be it an assault rifle that sounds like an anti-aircraft gun or an SMG that sounds like you could kill ten people without them even noticing, it's really amazing how many different sounds they have. The background music is a bit western and use a lot of plucking in strings to give it that authentic feel. Needless to say, if you enjoyed the music of Firefly, you will feel right at home here.

Gameplay:

This is where Borderlands truly shines. The game consists of either single player, or up to four player co-op in Borderlands' nice open world. You have buggies that come in various colors and in either a rocket launcher or chain gun variant where one player drives and the other guns. Borderlands has a quest system set in place to where you find a quest giver, fulfill the requirements, and return for the reward, not too different than you standard RPG. Quests come in the "go here, kill that", "go here, find this", and "go here, find this, and kill something with it". If you have ever in your life played an instance on World Of Warcraft you know exactly what to expect from "dungeons" on here. You go into an area, fight your way through many a "peon" and several sub-bosses to make it to the final boss. And when I say sub-bosses and bosses, I mean exactly that. Be prepared to have yourself killed SEVERAL times in the process of fighting through the instance as well as burning through most of your ammo supply. Dying consistes of two stages. 1) You are knocked to the ground and can either kill someone while downed to get up, or wait for a teammate to pick you up. 2) if neither of the previous happen you will respawn at the last checkpoint marker you passed, aptly named "New-U", You'll come back with no real penalty other then a loss of money. You really feel the need to work together, and I'd say doing so is more important than Left 4 Dead. On to one of the most touted aspects of the game. Guns. As has been said, this game has guns, guns, and MORE guns. You will literally never find the the same gun twice. Even if you find a gun that has the same sight, the same barrel and same name, they will not have the same stats. The amount of variety in the game truly does match that of Diablo and World Of Warcraft.

As an obvious statement, no game is perfect. And Borderlands is no exception. You will come across bugs here and there such as getting stuck between a ramp and a rock. The only way to get free, being dying. The occasional graphic glitch during respawn, or shadow not lining up correctly. But in all honesty, you will be enjoying the game too much to care.

Graphics: 8.2/10

Audio: 8.9/10

Gameplay: 9.7/10

Overall: 9.2/10

Buy Samurai Warriors 2: Empires - PlayStation 2

Customer Ratings:

KOEI is back with yet another Dynasty/Samurai Warrior hackenslash game. This genre is now infamous for its simplistic run around aimlessly killing dumb soldiers until you reach a slightly more difficult to defeat general. The franchise hasn't changed much over the past few years. This is both good and bad. From year to year we are subjected to sequels which are more along the lines of touch up packages. A few added characters, a few added features, and just barely updated graphics. However, recently with there new "Empires" series they seem to be hoping to add an element of strategy to a franchise that as of late has been becoming quite stale.

The game has 2 modes of play. The usual "free" mode which is essentially the pickup and play mode where you select a section of the map then pick your generals and lieutenants (up to 3 of each) then go to battle. Then there's "empire" mode where you become a Japanese feudal lord. You are assigned a fief and from here it is your job to expand your territory. The fun part is that how you do it is up to you. You can use force, diplomacy or trickery as you build your army recruiting new generals, lieutenants, and boosting your number of troops.

During battle you can order your soldiers to protect a base, attack individual bases or generals, and defend another general or even yourself. The best part about this game is that your generals now level up with you and are no longer the sissy's whining for help that they were in the other games. On one occasion my round ended while I was off fighting a rival general my troops had already captured the main camp. Keep in mind that your opponents are no longer slouches either. You'll have to work a little to defeat them as the strength of the characters and AI has been revamped slightly. Formations are used in a rock paper scissors fashion. When they are employed they give you a stat boost however the army using the stronger formation is the only one to receive it.

The game does a good job making you feel like you are in charge of a powerful army. You can trade with China or Western nations; tax the people, train your generals and lieutenants, there are so many options as far as what you can do it would take forever to name them all.

So in summing up this game, SW2 Empires is still an upgrade package. Don't be fooled. It does however improve vastly with a strategy element and AI. So here's a comparison list so that you can make the decision

PROS:

essentially still running off of the Dynasty warriors engine

create a character feature

added strategy element

slightly tougher AI, your army now fights for themselves

CONS:

essentially still running off of the Dynasty warriors engine

not much variety in the battlefield maps

slightly tougher AI, you may have a little difficulty fighting your opponents in the beginning

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When I first played this game, it was over four years ago at an old friend's house. He was really into the samurai genre of games, and he introduced me to this exciting world with this game. Some of you might think it's not a proper introduction, for there are better samurai games out there, but none like this one.

Samurai Warriors 2: Empires is an expansion of the original SW2 game. The gameplay has been changed, with the major addition of the strategic element. You take your pick of famous historical events (such as the Battle of Kawanakajima and the Honnoji Incident)and choose your warrior and clan. The element of button-smashing your way through hordes of enemies is ever present, with few objectives along the way that help you turn the tide of war. Another new feature is the New Officer Mode, in which you can create a character of your own. Additional artwork and movies are unlockable with every progression of the game, which comes to be satisfactory.

Few things I would complain about this game is the lack of diversity and choices in the New Officer creator. One other thing I feel obligated to tell you (and basically warn you about!) is the horrendous voice work. Lame one-liners that will have you laughing at first then flinching in annoyance, to the point you learn to ignore and live with them.

I also feel this game could've been a bit more than it wanted, but for a new concept, it was done exceptionally well. The strategic a la Risk concept give it a good feel, as you impliment all sorts of cunning strategies to develope your clan. Your characters (both player created and in-game stock) level up at a good rate, unlocking more special moves and weapons. If you're into the button-smashing, thousands of enemies on the screen games, this is one worth giving a good look.If you can get over the few things that could've made this game a true gem of its time, SW2 Empires will keep you entertained for hours to come.

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I'm a big fan of the Dynasty Warriors series ever since my cousins introduced me to Romance of the 3 Kingdoms on nintendo and Dynasty Warriors 2. I love strategy games as well as some basic hack and slash games myself. Samurai Warriors actually was the first of the series to actually add some strategy to its basic hack and slash (Dynasty Warriors had pretty much none). Then they came out with the Empires series. I love this game. I love the fact that battles have to be fought with battle bases rather than just defeat the leader. I also love the fact that I can play with any of the minor Generals as well as create my own. I like the History lesson involved in this game. The game itself is still a basic hack and slash but with better elements such as setting up ambushes, winning over other generals in battle, taking particular bases that have certain effects working for you, formations during battle that give you either a advantage or disadvantage depending on which formation you and your oppenent has, better computer allies, and tougher opponents. Those who get bored with hack and slash elements could miss some of the finer points in this game when it comes to strategy. I look forward to more of the series with new characters and even more strategy while keeping the graphics up to date.. The graphics portion of this game is slightly better than those before but overal it hasn't changed. The sound and voice overs have gotten better(I havent heard Okuni's yet, Her last voice over was horrible!!). This game is great! I think it just keeps getting better. I recomend buying this game to fans of the 3 kingdoms series and Dynasty series as well as someone who wants to try a new game where the every battle isn't predetermined because of its replayability. This is a great game for a time burner as well as trying to achieve total conquest.

This is the best game in the series so far. Lets see what they add next.

Honest reviews on Samurai Warriors 2: Empires - PlayStation 2

skips a bit in opening intro but able to start and game plays perfect. Not bad for a used game.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Samurai Warriors 2: Empires - PlayStation 2

I like the strategy involved in this installment. Also enjoy the customization. But after a while it can get monotonous. I prefer Warriors Orochi over the "Empires" games. If you're a strategy person, who likes 3rd person hack & slash however, then it's a good game for you!!

Best Mega Man X Collection - PlayStation 2 Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $13.21
Today's Bonus: 34% Off

In 1993, Capcom began to cult classic series, Mega Man X. Now after thirteen years, the first six games (from the Super Nintendo and Playstation) have finally received a re-release. It's what longtime fans of the series have been waiting for, but it isn't nearly as worthwhile as the original Mega Man Anniversary Collection.

To put it simple, Mega Man X takes place in the future, after the original Mega Man series. A group of robots calling themselves the Mavericks are waging war with the humans. They are lead by an evil reploid named Sigma. Meanwhile a rebel group--a group of robots calling themselves the Maverick Hunters--are on a quest to save humanity. And if you couldn't guess, it's Mega Man X leading this group.

You won't find any members of the original Mega Man series here, except well... Mega Man. The Mega Man X series shows a Mega Man that has more edge to him. The series also shows a more mature and grown up storyline.

Each of the Mega Man X games plays virtually the same. You control Mega Man X, created by Dr. Light years ago. Unlike the original, X can climb walls and cling to them. Like the original, however, you select a stage, go to it, and make your way to the boss and defeat it. Upon defeating a boss, you'll gain its special abilities. It's simple gameplay, but it works out just as well as it did in the original series.

Another highlight was how they introduced a key character. Zero. Zero isn't playable throughout the first half of the series, but in the later half he becomes a key player. He plays a very important role in the story.

In this collection, however, the games have been basically emulated. The emulation is perfect. Even the original passwords from the Super Nintendo versions will work. The soundtracks are unchanged, and they look almost exactly the same. There are a few differences. The original dialogue that was edited for the SNES releases has been restored (such as cusswords), and there's actually a bit of animated blood. Also, the slow down that plauged the cartridges has been fixed. Each game runs at good speed.

The only game that suffers horrible treatment is Mega Man X3. CAPCOM, for whatever reason, ported the PC version of the game, and the PC version wasn't all that great. The soundtrack sounds horrible, and I began to wonder why they skipped out on giving us the far superior Super Nintendo Version.

In addition, there's also a kart racing game called Mega Man Battle and Chase. It's a fun game, but the excitement of it drowns pretty fast. However, outside of that, there aren't nearly as many extras as there could be. For one, there are art galleries and that's about the only thing outside Mega Man Battle and Chase that's really worthwhile. I would've really liked to see some interviews and background on the series. The good news, though, the Gamecube and Playstation 2 versions are exactly the same. Both of them have the same unlockable extras, and if the controls bum you out, you can change them with no problems.

The other problem with the game is that like the original Mega Man Anniversary Collection, you're also getting games that were bad to begin with. The first four Mega Man X games are solid, but X5 and X6 weren't that much to get excited about in the first place(perhaps because by then the original developers of the series left). X5 and X6 also suffered some heavy criticisms by several fans. Still, six games for the price of thirty dollars isn't all that bad. And if you really didn't like them, you don't have to play them.

However, for what it's worth, it's nice to see this collection. There aren't as many extras as I had hoped for, but you do, for the most part, get some classics games. It's better than looking for the original SNES counterparts, and the look and feel of the games is still the same. It's great nostalgia for any fan of the Mega Man X series.

The Good

+Six games, for only thirty dollars

+Excellent Emulations-even the original passwords still work

+The look and feel is the same, meaning it's great nostalgia

+A seventh game is included Mega Man Battle and Chase

The Bad

-Later games in the series aren't nearly as good

-There just aren't nearly as many extras as there could've been

-They gave us the PC version of Mega Man X3. The audio is no where near as good on the PC version.

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This has the best Megaman X games out there, I'm a big fan of X1,X2,X4 and X5, the menus/features aren't great and are lacking but it's the games that are important. All of the games work just as well as the originals and I feel they work best on the PS2 controller over the other consoles. All of the games are untouched letting the experience be as it was when they came out. It even has the PSOne version of X3 with better quality music, which is a big bonus since X3 is incredibly rare and expensive alone.

This has every game in the series up to X6, the quality of the games are mostly high though that's mostly up to personal taste. I honestly didn't care for X3 or X6 but the rest of the games are top-notch platforming with some of the best soundtracks in the genre.

There are some forgettable extras, a few bits of concept art, music, nothing you can't find online. Honestly the reason to get this is strictly the games which are 100% worth it.

The one big gripe I have with this collection is if you play it on PS2 through an component, it will NOT work, the games will not display though the menus will. I'm not sure why this is since I've played Sonic Mega Collection on the same set up and I've had no problems.

The collection does work on compatible PS3's via HDMI there's very slight controller delay which can be hard to take in a 2D platformer. However this can vary as I understand between monitors & set ups.

However with that problem it's still a solid collection as a lot of these games are hard to get and they are emulated really really well.

Best Deals for Mega Man X Collection - PlayStation 2

Back in the late 80's/early 90's, there were few names in gaming as beloved and hardcore as Mega Man. Time after time, Mega Man's games on the NES proved to be masterworks in hardcore gaming, and that classic series continued to stay on the NES even after the Super Nintendo was released. Then, in 1993/1994, Capcom introduced to the world a new kind of Mega Man to grace the more powerful system, and the gaming world would once again never be the same. Much like the classic Mega Man series, the X series would continue producing awesome hardcore gaming experiences for years to come (although it's definitely not as consistently excellent as the classic series, unfortunately). In traditional Capcom fashion, they produced a ton of X games, and now they've rereleased the first six onto a disc for your gaming pleasure, and what a pleasure it is.

The X series, from its very inception, was meant to advance the Mega Man name into a more hardcore direction, and it most definitely succeeded. Of course, the main gameplay retains the classic Mega Man formula. You go after 8 bosses with their own unique stage, you take on a final fortress series of levels, you gain new abilities and weapons from your vanquished foes, it's all about tight platforming and running and gunning, and so on and so worth. However, it's not just classic Mega Man with an "X" at the end of the title. New moves, health upgrades, and Light capsules that hold armor upgrades for X are attributes first introduced in Mega Man X, and quickly became series' mainstay elements. In later X titles, you could play the game as Zero, who utilized a totally different style of play with his melee-centric Z-saber focus and a "Weapon Get" system that totally differs from X's and is very unique. I love playing as both characters. They're both about as good as it gets when it comes to 2-D action platforming.

I love the story behind the Mega Man X series and this paragraph will be somewhat of a tangent about it. Much like the gameplay, the story took the Mega Man name into more mature, complex themes that resonate with gamers of all ages. It takes place 100 years after the events of the classic Mega Man games, and features a new cast of characters, villains, and a very different type of conflict. The story in this series often explores themes of betrayal, loyalty to your brethren, the philosophical implications of freewill in machines, and war itself. It's all quite awesome. The main character is X (the new Mega Man), and he has a whole cast of great support characters, including his greatest comrade and close friend Zero, who also becomes playable in later X titles in this collection. It's all great. I love the charming and fun aspects of the classic series, but the X series just appeals to me more from a narrative perspective. Each game has a fairly different story too. No "Wily was behind Cossack/fakeProtoMan/Mr.X the whole time!!!" stories, and I quite like that. Sigma may be the main villain in each X game, but X4 is a great example of moral complexity and ambiguity that makes the overall plot quite compelling. The whole notion that the absolute evil you face, Sigma, was once the greatest hero in the world, and that Zero, one of the most awesome heroes, was once evil and Dr. Wily's last and greatest creation, is just fantastic. X1, X4, and X5 are personal highlights, for me, when it comes to the plot. Great stuff.

The quality of the collection itself is quite awesome. The controls have always been very tight, and thankfully this collection really does work well on the PS2 and Gamecube both. I personally prefer the PS2 controller's d-pad, shoulder buttons, and overall button arrangement, but both are great to play (I personally own both versions). There aren't nearly as many extras on this one as the classic Mega Man Anniversary Collection, but there are some such as unlockable artwork, as well as a PSX Mario/Crash Bandicoot Kart racing clone with Mega Man, which is quite a lot of zany fun. All-in-all, a stellar job at compiling it all together, and of course, the core X titles are what make this collection a must-own.

If you fancy yourself a classic gamer who loves action titles, then it really doesn't get much better than Mega Man X. Sure, there are some weaker entries in the series (I personally am not fond of 3, and 6 is downright atrocious, in my opinion), but overall, the Mega Man X collection is a fantastic package of multiple gaming masterpieces that must be played. I really cannot recommend it enough. Any hardcore gamer will love this series. So buy it, go to war against the Mavericks who would rob the world of peace, and put an end to Sigma's evil, twisted ambitions!

Honest reviews on Mega Man X Collection - PlayStation 2

I've been waiting for this since the first Mega Man Collection came out. The anniversary collection they released with the original Mega Man games was fun, but I think every gamer who had played through all the old ones had some problem with it. Capcom figured out what exactly it did wrong, and really drove this one home.

One of the reasons this really shines as being just like it was on the original systems is because the controller designs line up naturally. The Super Nintendo and Playstation both have 4 "action buttons" if you will, so executing button combinations works out exactly the same on the Playstation 2 as they did on the SNES.

As for the actual games, they're exactly like they were on the old systems. Some people might be disappointed, but I was happy to see that there were no alterations in the graphics. Some people were wishing for more extras, but for me, the only thing I really wanted was all of the old X titles in one package (since the older games are hard to come by these days). Capcom did that.

I'd recommend this to anyone who really liked any of the X titles--as a general rule, the series started great and as new games came out, they got worse and worse. I think straying from side-scrolling was a bad choice, but that's the direction that graphics went. Sometimes the best games are the ones with minimal graphics, an obvious goal and a little bit of inventiveness. I think over time that inventiveness became really hard to come by.

Old Mega Man fans will not be disappointed. This collection is ahead of the anniversary collection that came out about 2 years ago by leaps and bounds.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Mega Man X Collection - PlayStation 2

A short while after releasing the solid Mega Man Anniversary Collection, Capcom wisely heeds the call of its fans for the re-release of the blue bomber's older, tougher, future self in Mega Man X Collection. Bringing another heaping portion of the finest 2D platforming around in six yummy courses, it even throws in a racing game and some extra goodies for dessert.

The X series debuted in the early 90's on the SNES with a darker, more mature feel designed to expand on the tried and true formula of the original NES titles. The main difference lies in the progressive, overarching plot dealing with human/reploid (fancy word for robot) conflict and some very grown-up ideas about this self-proclaimed 'race' of androids seeking freedom and realizing their dream of a robotopia. That's pretty intense for a side-scroller.

As far as gameplay evolution, the X games focus on collecting various ability upgrades and health extensions in addition to the old "kill the bosses and get their special powers" mechanic of the classic Mega Man. New actions like charge shots, dashing and hovering add a deeper set of variables to the equation and really flesh out the experience. Gone are Cut-Man and Dust-Man, as the baddies in X get wacky animal-based monikers like Spark Mandrill, Morph Moth and my personal favorite, Duff McWhalen.

Mega Man X through X6 are included in this fairly robust package, covering three SNES and three PSOne titles released over an eight-year period, and each game adds variation and depth to the experience. X3 introduces the mysterious, androgynous, light-sabering Zero as a partially playable character (think Proto-Man with a ponytail), and X4 tops that by giving Zero his own playable storyline. Things start to take a turn for the worse in X5 and X6, however, where the heavy plotlines and vast amount of upgrades start to buckle under their own weight. Ultimately, the bells and whistles of the PS titles hasten the slow decline from the series' original greatness by adding a bit too much drama and cheesy gameplay tactics.

All the games share the same sweet, distinctive art style of cartoonish robo-animals and colorful, interactive levels. The emulation is rock solid, and unlike the Mega Man Anniversary Collection, you can now configure your controller however you see fit. There's no noticeable difference between the PS2 and Gamecube versions, although the PS2's controller is better suited for hours upon hours of holding that charge shot while trying to dash-jump off walls.

Barring a strange audio loop plaguing the SNES games, the sound is spot-on, too. Nice, catchy tunes carry you through the whole shebang. The sound effects are faithful as well, although the PS titles tie annoying 'Yeah!' and 'Hah!' sound effects to every jump and attack, and I guarantee your ears will ring with the sound of a held charge shot after a few hours.

Password support is still in working order for X, X2 and X3, so feel free to skip to the end, but you're also able to simply save your progress to a memory card like the PS games. The incentive to bust through the first three titles lies in the fact that once completed, you'll unlock Mega Man Battle and Chase, which is a Mario Kart-esque racer that was only released in Japan. It's nice to see such a rarity, but why they buried it beneath three other games is mystifying. As you plow through the other games, you'll also unlock various art galleries and soundtracks to fawn over, if you're the type.

And it's hard not to be at this price thirty bucks for seven games ain't too shabby, even if a few of them aren't terrific. While the Mega Man Anniversary Collection contained more meat, there's simply a ton of robots to blast, dozens of armor capsules to grab, and really no good reason not to let ol' Blue back in your life once again.

Buy Dragon Age: Origins - Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:

So I purchased the Xbox 360 version of Dragon Age: Origins yesterday and have spent WAY too many hours in Ferelden when I should be doing far more constructive things.

Is it too much of a stretch to think that someone who names their blog after semi-mystical airships might enjoy a roleplaying game or two?

The game is not perfect. The graphics are decidedly sub-par, audio glitches occur far too frequently, and on a regular basis I notice tiny white specs, which are the "seams" showing between some images that display environmental graphics. Screen tearing, I think it's called. The latter wouldn't be so bad, if I didn't also have to look for a similarly white-ish graphic that indicates a chest or box or crate or body requires ransacking for the requisite reward. I'm always rotating the camera back for a quick second to be sure I'm not missing out on some loot.

But so what?

The game is deep, the voice-acting well done over all, and this may be the best WRITTEN roleplaying game of the current generation, even if the story itself seems safely (perhaps too safely) rooted in standard RPG conventions. Not even Mass Effect has dialogue options that are as "realistic" and rewarding to hear as what can be found in Dragon Age.

But, just to meet my "geek" and "nerd" quota for the day, I read some reviews. I've never seen so many one-star "reviews" based on just one or two aspects of what is otherwise a fantastic game -one-star bashing based on (you guessed it) the graphics or the heavy (oh so time-consuming) dialogue.

My take is that this phenomenon exposes a fundamental shortcoming of this particular generation of games -there simply aren't enough good RPGs that elevate story and dialogue as THE fundamental pillar of the game's success.

In just one short decade, gamers have forgotten how story-heavy games like Baldur's Gate, Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, KOTOR, and other RPGS really were.

In just one short decade, everything is about graphics.

What a tragedy.

Gaming has gone from a hobby filled with gaming enthusiasts with imagination and open-mindedness (in terms of what can be considered a successful kind of game), to a hobby filled with mindless addicts seeking the nearest, the quickest possible thumb-twitch to get their needed dose of adrenaline.

And the internet is such a "perfect" forum for them to express their distaste. Twitchers with short attention spans "write" quick, twitch-like reviews that say GRAPHICS SUCK and FAIL and give one star reviews, as if that's all that matters in a game.

Hardly.

Rather than pay attention to either the mostly positive or mostly negative reviews, rather than pay attention to the polarization that can occur in the review sections of buy-sites, be sure to check out Metacritic or GameStats or other sites that organize and collate reviews from ACTUAL CRITICS.

There's a concept.

Dragon Age is a fantastic game. Deep characterization and playing fundamentals/strategy (on higher difficulty levels), lots of looting and blood and gore, romance with a pretty guy or girl, long-term support from Bioware (hopefully) as evidenced by the downloadable content available on the day of release, and huge "bang for your buck."

Even at 60 dollars retail, that averages to at the very least a dollar an hour in terms of value, for anyone who completes the game. And this isn't 60 dollars of sandbox. Dragon Age doesn't appear to be as much of a "sandbox" game as Morrowind or Oblivion. While great games themselves, they left some players feeling a little left out in the cold, wandering around without enough of story-driven momentum to sustain interest. One can only loot so many caves, kill so many monsters, close so many gates, that don't have significant impact on finishing the game.

And did I say dragons, arch demons, and dark fantasy elements?

Anyone who enjoys RPGs should buy this game. Now.

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I am astounded at the backlash against the game, mostly due to the graphics. So it's not incredible detailed and brilliant as people want, so what? KOTOR wasn't exactly top-notch in graphics either but it didn't matter. It was the story and gameplay that counted and that's the same here. From what I've seen, the PC version isn't massively different, a bit sharper but not by that much.

What counts is the story and gameplay and man, BioWare have outdone themselves on this. The brilliance is how it overturns the classic cliches of fantasy adventures. Elves aren't superior beings but divided, the city elves second-class citizens in slums while wood elves are wild and considered myth. Dwarves aren't drinking comic relief but hold to ideas of honor while in truth holding to an ultra-rigid class system that keeps the commoners down. And magic is considered something to be feared rather than used. Twists like that give the entire genere a nice kick.

As for complaints about how it starts slow, that's tradition for BioWare. Hell, it took KOTOR four or five hours on one planet before things got kicking and same with Jade Empire and Mass Effect. After you get through the origins and to the main story, things take off huge and the game is amazing to play. Each origin is fantastic to see and leads to different experiences and the combat is good too. I admit the PC may have an edge with the birds-eye view thing but this is still a great way to make it work.

So ignore those hung up too much on how it doesn't look utter perfection. If you want a game with PLENTY of replaybility, epic story, great characters, good combat and a rewarding play experience, this is it. Bravo to all involved creating it, you've made a true classic.

Best Deals for Dragon Age: Origins - Xbox 360

The PS3 version is 17.3% better than the 360 version for 4.2 reasons.

The 360 version is 13.7% better than the PS3 version for 2.4 reasons.

Which version is better for you will be determined by your saving throw.

NO SPOILERS

I picked up both versions. I have two identical TVs, one bedroom, one den, both 50" 1080p Panasonic G10s. For this review I put them side by side in the den, PS3 hooked up to one, 360 to the other, and choose the same origin story. I played the PS3, my wife played the 360, we both took the day off of work, a "Bioware Holiday."

BIOWARE

The Bioware RPG is one of my favorite video game genres. KOTOR 1 is still my favorite story. I played through Mass Effect 7 times. If you like Bioware, you will like Dragon Age.

KOTOR 2 GRAPHICS

Bioware didn't make KOTOR 2. Until now. Dragon Age's graphics in general look like a last generation game, upconverted to HD. And why should they not? This game was 5 years in the making. Personally, if I could wave a magic wigglestick, I would magically wish the graphics into the year 2069, to play in my PS9 in my flying car. Unfortunately, I live in a condo that doesn't allow wigglesticking. So the choice is (A) Play the Bioware game. (B) Don't play the Bioware game. (C) Eat a cup cake. No one plays Bioware games for the graphics. You play for the CYOA storytelling.

6 COMPLETE CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE NOVELS

Dragon Age is 10 Novels long. With 6 unique hero journeys. That can be twisted good or naughty. Warrior. Magic. Thief. Hybrid-Hybrid. Bioware is the only developer on the planet that makes this kind of beautiful uniqueness. This kind of awesomeness only comes around once every few years. Is this flavor of awesomeness perfect? No. Is amateur pornography perfect? No. Sometimes the pacing is off, or the dialogue excessive, but it gets the job done. The job is to experience a genuine human story--even if you're a lesbian elf. Dragon Age is fantastic video game storytelling. And better written than most fantasy novels.

BLOOD SPLATTER OR POTPOURRI?

I'm going to give Bioware the benefit of the doubt and believe that after battles my characters are splattered with blood and not potpourri. It's hard to tell visually, but I don't think they would censor themselves because this game is, like, totally Mature.

GAY SEX NO NUDITY

My wife likes lesbian threesomes. In books. In movies. In video games. In our kids' crayon drawings. She had never played a Bioware game before, but she likes role playing, and I told her Dragon Age has lesbian threesomes. Now, like with most video games, the depiction of sex isn't much more sophisticated visually than taking two barbie dolls and slapping them together. And there's no nudity. Because Bioware understands the genuine human condition--that people make the special love with their cloths on-even if you're a bi-sexual dwarf. So if you like realisticly-sized breasts well-covered with beige felt bikinis, then you, my friend, are in for a PG-13 flavored treat.

CASUAL VS HARDCORE

My wife played on easy, I played on normal. If you're an uber-genius, like me, who enjoys micromanagement, obscure RPG tactics, and general strategery... Then prepare to spend a lot of time, with the game paused, in clunky interface menus, because that's how real men play. That's how my grandpappy played his Bioware games, and his grandpappy before him, back when Bioware wasn't even Canadian, when they were still French, and the TVs had 11" screens and were powered by fire--usually dry hickory. So if you want that kind of authentic gaming experiece, you can have it. But if you just want to enjoy the story, crank that menu to easy, slump back in the couch, and unbuckle your pants for a good time.

PS3 VS 360

Like with all games, it's a choice between graphics vs framerate. The PS3 has slightly better textures, color saturation, contrast level, resolution. The 360 is less pretty but smoother. The PS3 is the supermodel with arthritis. The 360 is a Ukrainian gymnast. You get to choose who you want to take to bed. But since all you're going to do in bed is talk... It's not such a big deal. Unless you put two 50" plasmas right next to each other, you're not going to see the difference. I'm going to keep the PS3 version (because I like the controller better) and give my 360 copy to my favorite charity FVGFBO that provides fantastic video games for blind orphans.

BUY IT, PLAY IT, LOVE IT

* UPDATE

I have played 115 hours, beaten the game twice, tried three of the six origin stories, watched every sex scene, won every topless hottie boss battle, and found "teh secret nipplz." Personally, I feel this is the best Bioware game to date, the best written video game of all time, and a genuine evolution of the Bioware formula. For those of you fleeing in terror from Adult Content, know that, like in real life, bi-sexual dwarf sex is awkward, optional, and over in less than a minute. You can get through the whole game without "going hairy."

Honest reviews on Dragon Age: Origins - Xbox 360

I am giving this game 5 stars; incredible story, engaging game play and tactics, great voice acting,and characters you grow to care about not withstanding, what sets this game apart, what sets most Bioware games apart, most notably Mass Effect and now Dragon Age, is its approach to morality.

The difference between Dragon Age and other notable RPG's is subtle; I invite you to think back to previous offering in this genre.

JRPG's such as Final Fantasy series, Tales of Vesperia or even the classic Chronotrigger lacked any real morality decisions, or "Role Playing". The story plays out for you, whether you want it to or not. Almost like content in between cut-scenes. Moving from there, you have games with morality choices that are gaged on a meter with a clear line between good and bad: Bioware's KOTOR is an excellent example. However, with the coming of Mass Effect, and now Dragon Age, Role Playing has evolved to a more natural level.

No longer forced to chose between good and evil, it has become possible with these games to actually Role Play a complex character, and in no other game has this been more possible then in Dragon Age. The dialog choices are almost agonizing. My character is anything but black and white. Decisions are not without consequences, whether it be the changing opinion of party members, or the uncovered quests, or even missed opportunities (for example, I killed some one who could have been a party member, I did not know it until I spoke to a friend who played the game differently) Often, the consequences can be brutal; knives in the back cold blooded brutal. This is a true Role Playing Game, that begins to approach a level of engagement never seen before. When I make choices, I do not think,"is this a good, or bad action". I think, "how would "I" handle tis situation?"

You are never forced down a path, or forced to join a faction. This game allows one to play in the truly grey area of human nature. For this reason, I give this it 5 stars.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dragon Age: Origins - Xbox 360

Note: This review is primarily but not entirely based off of a complete play through as a Human Blood Mage on the Hard difficulty. On a 10 scale system I would rate this a 9 of 10 (4.5/5).

Bioware's new offering is a role playing tour de force but at the same time is also the premier presentation of that development studio's technical handicap.

Dragon Age: Origins is a solid RPG for the 360 that more than justifies the investment of a retail purchase for the RPG genre fan. The game provides a rich single player experience with a cohesive and engaging storyline in J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring and George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones tradition within approximately 60 hours of unique playtime. Working out at more or less a (US) dollar an hour price this is an unbeatable deal for the RPG fan but maybe not be so for the non-genre fan. Those that place a premier value on cutting edge graphical presentation, action packed style or an expansive, durable and free multi-player experience will probably find Dragon Age to be tiresome, boring or limited in scope, respectively. BioWare has (barring the yet seen release of the new Star Wars RPG) played to death their current engine's style. The engine used in Dragon Age is BioWare's Eclipse. Those familiar with the Odyssey and then Aurora engines used in their previous titles such as Knights of the Old Republic will be familiar with the format. Unfortunately the bar has already been raised technically with Bethesda's Fallout series and narratively by BioWare's own Mass Effect series.

Dragon Age's most immediately apparent shortcoming is its obviously lacking graphical presentation. While, as an RPG fan, I can say that the graphics were never a point of overt disruption to the actual experience of playing the game they were often a source of disappointment for an otherwise superb experience. The textures were painfully off in that materials that should have had a shine were dull and those that should have carried a flat color were heavily reflective. It is unpleasant to see men running around in boringly uniform and oddly shiny leathers while knights were entombed within heavy, dull plate metal. Many of the textures of the equipable items were reminiscent of PlayStation II or original XBox textures, robbing the player of the aesthetic pleasure of customizing their character's equipment. This issue was aggravated by plainly awful terrain textures. The ground, sky, roofs, floors and hillsides are best left ignored, to pay too much attention only detracts from the immersion into the game.

With the most obvious visual shortcomings of BioWare's engine put aside the remaining faults are non-technical. The format that the designers chose to relay the story to the player is an audio presentation navigated by an in-engine dialogue tree. This goes a long way of keeping the player immersed in the game by never removing them, graphically speaking, from the game but after a long period of time serves to lend a tired quality. The first third of my game was played with rapt attention to the dialogue and in-engine cut scenes. The remaining majority of the the game I turned on the subtitles and skipped through it as fast as I could read. By hour 30 or so the I felt as though I were trapped in a nightmare realm of a B grade "choose your own adventure" audio book. While the actual voice over work is excellent the stiff animations and limited graphical variety offered to the player greatly detracts from the ability of the game's characters to relay the otherwise impressively written storyline. The fact that the array of options in the dialogue tree falls short of BioWare's previous Mass Effect title only rubs raw during the initial stages of play. By the end I found myself inclined to forgo conversation entirely and simply simply skip ahead, desperate for more action and less stiff, unstimulating talk.

Regardless I feel obliged to point out these failings not because they break the game but because this is a tremendous fountain of entertainment that more than justifies its retail price but still carries significant blemishes. If you were to play Dragon Age everyday for four hours straight it would take you about two weeks to get through a complete single player campaign. There are six unique starting stories to choose from, each with its own flavor of play through (but without uniquely different experiences). This is not an exercise in filler but instead a meticulously designed story that received an obvious level of care from the design team. A certain system of tolerance is required by the older gamer who is already very well experienced with the traditional concepts of Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons style story telling but the subtle attention to detail will reward most players. The last major fault with the game is the bizarre decision by the design team to attach a "skin" of gore to any character recently engaged in melee combat. It is very hard to take a character seriously when they calmly discuss Fereldian politics while looking like they just fell into a tank of tomatoes and suffered an epileptic fit. Note that this can be turned off.

The gameplay mechanics are solid with the only exceptions being that the combat is not as easily paused and therefor tactical as in prior BioWare titles and the difficulty level is wildly varied. At times the player will find themselves cutting though vast swaths of disposable enemies and moving through the story with little true opposition until they are presented with a seemingly impossible task or boss battle. These startling interrupts to the flow of play at times can require the ejection from the level to the world map in order to purchase more potions so one could "potion spam" their way out of that stage of play. This is a recurring theme that is barely justified by the fact that the game allows for on the fly difficulty adjustments.

Bottomline: This game is not a rental, it has enough gameplay hours to not simply justify a purchase but actually demand it. RPG fans will not have a complete library without this game but those who find extensive dialogue and substandard graphics to be tiresome should look elsewhere. If you want immediate action, consistent stimulation and endless hours of free online play for your gaming dollar then you are better served by pursuing on Modern Warfare 2. On the other hand if you desire an immersive, paced story and extensive narrative then Dragon Age is a great deal.

Major Pros:

*Immersive and structured storyline

*Full array of classes and skills

*Personal feel to character development

*"Just one more quest" gameplay

*Fulfilling moral decisions

*Branching story

*Excellent voice overs

*Non-linear world map

Subjective qualities and food for thought:

*Not an action game

*Zero free online play but pay-per-play downloadable quests

*J.R.R. Tolkien-esque storyline and Steve Jackson-esque aesthetic

*Demanding narrative

Major Cons:

*Simply awful terrain textures and equipment skins

*Stiff character animations

*Dated engine

*Overwhelming codex/inventory management system

*Often frustrating, ambiguous dialogue tree

*Silly gore effects

Buy Hitman Collection - Codename 47, Silent Assassin, and Contracts

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List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $7.90
Today's Bonus: 74% Off

It arrived on time. Multiple games in the single pack. It's cheap. Thank you so much for game set. I am looking forward to buy such game collections in future.

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Reviews of Call Of Duty: Roads To Victory - Sony PSP

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List Price: $39.99
Sale Price: $36.88
Today's Bonus: 8% Off

Call of Duty: Roads to Victory didn't get the love in reviews when it came out but I bought this game because of the past games in this series. Roads to Victory translates pretty well on the PSP and is a lot of fun to play. The game does provide a decent challange in two campaigns. American and British and it does get hard in some palces where you will do a couple times over.

The graphics are better then what we saw in Medal of Honor: Heroes and is so much clearer and easier to see where everything is. As for the gameplay, it pretty much keeps the formula from the console versions which is what makes the game work. The sound is okay not great but it is on the PSP after all and it does what it can to be as authentic as possible.

The replay value is great because you can unlock medals as we as other cool stuff depending on how well you did on each mission. The only thing I got to unlock was a wallpaper that I use on my PSP.

All in all, Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is a fun and engaging game that will bring you enjoyment for hours and will make the time fly like that.

I hope this is the first of many Call of Duty games for the PSP.

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This is one of the first games that I have played on PSP that actually looks like the "real" version on other systems. Very good graphics and sound. The only draw back is the aiming is to easy and it makes you feel like your are cheating. Overall, It is still a great game!

Best Deals for Call Of Duty: Roads To Victory - Sony PSP

First of all I better say i'm pretty new to PSP, and i'm not USED to playing first person shooters on console systems. So if you are used to that you may have better success with the game. Personally i'm a big fan of the series so when it came out for PSP I jumped for it. But frankly, I fought with the controls a lot more then I fought with the germans. If your used to FPS on PC I wouldn't advise getting this for PSP. It'll only be a headache.

Other then that graphics are pretty decent.

Sound effects, aren't as rich as the PC games, but I suppose that's to be expected.

Storyline wasn't particularly spectacular either and it's very linear and scripted.

I guess I was expecting better. But hey if you love the series and you enjoy FPS on PSP I'd go for it.

Honest reviews on Call Of Duty: Roads To Victory - Sony PSP

I'm a fan of the old style Call of Duty games, before they went into the future. (Besides 4 of course) And this is one of my favorites, not because it tells a great story, or because the graphics are amazing, but the amount of fun you have. People give it crap for the controls, and I slightly agree... They're not as bad as you might think. The multiplayer isn't anything to write home about but it's sufficient. It's few game modes (including team death match and capture the flag) offer a pretty fun experience, but you can't play online online. So even though you won't be playing with someone in Denmark, you can still have a decent amount of fun with some friends. All in all it's a great PSP game and I highly recommend it.

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My son enjoys this game and plays it when he's interested. Recently, he prefers games relating to the Medieval period.

Discount Playseat Evolution Gaming Seat

Customer Ratings:

Racing games need a wheel, and wheels need to be fixed to something steady. I missed playing racing games because the standard controllers just do not fit the bill. The good news is that the seat is allowing me to rediscover racing games.

Despite being 6ft3 200+ lbs the seat is comfortable; I can even slide my 6 year old in, and play with him steering and me on the pedals. Both the pedals and steering wheel attachments are adjustable with its max range out of the comfortable reach of my legs. If anything, they should make it work for smaller folks like my 6 year old, who cannot reach the pedals. He is 4ft, I expect you need to be at least 4ft6. The seat folds, but think twice if you want it to pack away discreetly in a tight corner; in this regard the manufacturer's photos are accurate. The only thing that I would really add are channels to enable the wires to be discreetly routed; with just 3 cables for the wheel, it still looks like a mess of spaghetti. The steering wheel attachment could be a bit stiffer, but I do not notice this when playing. They also include loads of Velcro and ties to keep things attached. Bottom line, if you like racing games, and want to treat yourself, this seat will fit the bill.

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I use this with my XBox 360 wheel for both Forza 2 and PGR3. You'll never go back to using a stupid desk or fold-up table like I did after using a chair like this.

I have hard tiled floor, no carpeting, no padding. If I pay attention during transition periods between game play, the stem is a little wobbly but when I'm deep into racing and throwing my body every which way, I don't notice the wobble. I suppose if I want super solid stem, I could have paid for a $1000+ unit from a competitor. Not me! I'd rather save it for my next "necessity" ... three-panel set-up for my Forza 2! Bottom line -GREAT value ... unless you have alot of free time to make your own rig.

One more thing, the mounting bracket sucks if you have a Microsoft XBox 360 Wheel. That's because the metal mounting panel is too small for this wheel. If you don't have any wood panel scraps in your garage, you'll need to make a trip to the local hardware store ... cut yourself a 8" by 18" panel from half-inch thick particle wood board, drill a couple of holes for bolting onto the pre-drilled holes in the metal mounting panel and then use some plastic cable ties to strap in the wheel to your wood board in addition to using the flimsy mounting clamp on the bottom of the 360 wheel. Shouldn't take more than half an hour to do even if you're sub-par at carpentry skills ... I'm a geek software programmer and it was a breeze for me (but then, I was highly motivated to get the set up done so I could start racing ASAP Forza 2 in style).

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Edit (Feb 8, 2008):

I ended up getting a Logitech G25 wheel + 6-spead shifter so that I could practice manual shifting on "GTR 2: Realism Redefined" using my new gaming PC on the same LCD TV that I use for my XBox 360. Turned out that attaching the G25 wheel to the Evo mount panel was MUCH simpler than attaching the XBox 360 wheel.

The Evo has pre-drilled holes that line up with the bottom of your G25 wheel platform and your G25 pedal platform, though you will have to offset the Evo pedal panel mount quite a bit to the left (from the perspective of a sitting position) to where it's strange looking but not impractical from a functional standpoint.

If you have a G25, look into buying the additional Playseat Evo attachment for the G25 shifter. I don't think Amazon sells it ... I ended up getting that attachment from MaxWho.com.

I never drove with manual transmission in real life so I can't tell you how legit the Playseat + G25 shifter arrangement is. But a friend of mine who track races and is into the street culture scene tried it out and said it was pretty close to reality. He ended up "testing" my set up for hours ... I had to kick him out because it was getting to be past my bed time!

Best Deals for Playseat Evolution Gaming Seat

I bought my Playseats Evolution Gaming Seat back in 2007 around the time that Forza 2 came out for the Xbox 360. I also purchased the Microsoft Xbox 360 wireless racing wheel. I also own a PlayStation 3 and a Logitech Driving Force Pro wheel that I have used with the seat.

I can't recommend this seat for the following reasons:

1. The included "seat" that gets mounted to the whole thing is very cheap and not even close to a real car seat. It comes "folded up" and you basically unfold the back section. Because of this, there is a metal rod that runs across right where my backbone hits the chair. Since this is a "cheap" chair, it does not have very good lumbar support and after a few races my back really begins to feel the metal rod.

2. The steering wheel mount is designed to pivot up and down, but it is very hard to get the bolt tight enough to keep it from pivoting up and down when you're actually using the seat. Occasionally you'll have to yank up on your wheel to pull this mount back into position.

3. Wheel support & Nickle and Diming. The Xbox 360 racing wheel I purchased with the seat didn't mount well and I had to hack together a solution using some foam material (craft store) and particle board. Eventually I made it work. Since I bought my seat, I see that Playseats has introduced a 360 wheel mount solution (for extra money) as well as seat rail sliders, stick shift holders, etc. For $300 all of this stuff should be included. Especially with how low quality the seat actually is.

The Xbox 360 pedals work fine w/ the pedal mount if you jam them back under the lip which causes some scuffing and wear to the pedals. The Logitech Driving Force Pro wheel works well with the steering wheel mount but there is no reasonable way to attach the pedals. I don't believe zip-ties and velcro are an acceptable mounting solution (though PLENTY are included).

4. This may come down to personal taste, but, the between the legs design results in a very flimsy, unstable feel to the whole thing.

As some other reviewers have mentioned, I also wondered if I received a "used" product. My box was very badly damaged (but everything inside was okay).

If you can pick this up for $150-200 and are willing to put some work into it (replacing/fixing the seat rod issue, welding the steering wheel mount so it doesn't pivot, etc) then it might be a decent value.

Honest reviews on Playseat Evolution Gaming Seat

Bought two of these seats to race my 10 year old son with his old PS2 and new XBox 360 games. Both racing wheels fit nicely and seats adjust fine for me 6'3" and my son 5'. Changing steering wheels is tedious because of the wires but the seats are incredibly great. I still can't drive a virtual car as well as my son but using a steering wheel I can at least compete. Has been great father son time indoors now that its 20 degrees outside. Buying two seats seemed expensive till my wife reminded me of the cost of the XBox originally. Solid construction and they fold and dissasemble partially for storage in a closet. they get an A+ in my book.

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I am a 40+ year old female who loves racing games, Gran Turismo being my all time favorite.

I use to use a Logitech Force Feedback steering wheel mounted to a small table while sitting in a dining room chair. UGH! That set up actually caused a lot of discomfort and fatigue when playing for any real length of time. My braking foot needed to hover in a very uncomfortable position and my legs just ached. Try as I may it was very difficult to mount/place everything at just the right distance and angle for any long term fun.

When the Evolution Seat went on sale for $239 thru Amazon with free shipping I couldn't resist.

Quality and comfort are both excellent and of course it makes racing even more "simulator like" than before.

The bottom of the chair (it's metal frame) is smooth and slides easily and damage free across my living room carpet, which is fairly important as it's a little too heavy to lift and move single handed. If you needed to store it you do have the option of folding the seats back down after removing the pins. You can also remove the steering and foot mounts from the center crossbar to shorten. Luckily I have just the spot for it as I do not think I would care to make such an effort.

Next is comfort...no complaints here! You can adjust the foot pedals and the steering wheel to just the right distance meaning no more foot fatigue or discomfort in my arms from overly bent elbows. The chair itself is extremely comfortable and I am 6' tall and actually eat. :)

I can easily sit for 2 or more hours and never feel the least bit uncomfortable. The seats comfort is equal to that of my Honda and exceeds that of my Ford.

If you really enjoy using a wheel with racing games then this is certain to enhance your enjoyment and realism. If you rarely play racing games with much enthusiasm then this will probably end up collecting dust and taking up valuable floor space, which leads me to measurements.

MEASUREMENTS

From the seats floor frame to the end of the pedal mounting plate is roughly 50" (this is adjustable for your height). The chairs height from floor to top (headrest) is 40" (this is stationary though the seated can fold forward). The top of the seats cushion is approximately 12" off of the ground, which places this at an ideal seating height to view my LCD TV which is placed on a TV stand. At it's widest point it is about 20".

MOUNTED A BUTTKICKER

For a little more fun I added the Buttkicker gamer to the chair. In order to mount it I made a metal X frame from 2" wide, 1/8" thick flat steel which I sandwich and bolted in between the seat and it's floor frame. In the center of that X frame I welded a 3/4" OD steel pipe with a threaded end. I of course used the pipe for the Buttkicker's mount. I also installed a metal cap to the threaded end of the pipe to keep the Buttkicker from vibrating down and off of the pipe. This is a convenient way to mount the Buttkicker and it distributes the vibrations well WITHOUT any changes or alterations to the chair or Buttkicker themselves. Now there is force feedback in both the steering wheel and the chair itself.

You get the idea I kinda like this stuff ah? :)

**** UPDATE 3 1/2 YEARS LATER ****

Oh yeah, I'm still driving my little heart out. The biggest issue I have with the Playseat is where the steering wheel support post is mounted (right between your ankles). Be aware that they now offer a Playseat Limited Edition Gran Turismo® 5 Revolution Gaming Seat where the post comes from beneath the seat, I would assume this would be a favorable change though I am upgrading to a rig that has no center post.

After moving up to the Logitech G27 (with clutch) and then to the Thrustmaster t500 I found the bar to be a real pain! If you are a heal/toe driver then this creates a problem. My ankles feel bruised after a long session using the clutch. I've hard mounted my pedals to avoid movement and must unbolt and move them depending on what I'm driving... have the post between the gas and brake for left foot braking (Rally, F1) have the post between the brake and clutch for right foot braking (using clutch).

My other gripe has been the non-adjustable pedal plate. When my foot is off pedal my foot is pulled back in an extreme angle. This creates some shin splint like pain after long races. I eventually got the MIG machine out and bent the pedal plate to a far more comfortable angle and tacked that in place.

Review of Rage - Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $19.99
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I need to pipe in as I felt the reviews from the gaming press have been a little unfair. As with most people, I was waiting patiently for the reviews to start pouring in before I made the ultimate choice to buy the game but I'm very happy I pulled the trigger and bought it, cause this game rocks. I was literally at Game Stop, Rage anarchy edition in one hand, Dark souls in the other, conflicted, because most of the reviews I read for RAGE pretty much were a rinse and repeat of "Amazing graphics, gameplay sucks and the story is fatally flawed"...however I went with my gut and happy I did, because these reviews were either too harsh or simply just not true.

Honestly, the only reason why I gave the game 4 stars instead of 5 is that the game does give a gratuitous amount of hints at a deeper story without ever actually realizing it, like they dangle the carrot right out in front of you, always just out of reach...it leaves you with the who/what/when/where/why never actually realizing its full potential. That IMO, is a legitimate grievance to ID, "Hey guys, if you're going to do something, do it." With Doom, the simple story arch merely served to set the tone, this they can get a way with since the game was ultimately about some fool opening up the gates of hell and you're there to stop it, return to castle wolfenstein played exactly the same way, which is fine. However, the world of RAGE is deeper and nuanced, with a lot more things going on...was it an EPIC fail, HELL NO! They have so much to work with on future iterations to make this another long standing gem of an IP hopefully. But, if they nail down that one gripe, this game can easily go from very good to excellent!!

If you can get past that one caveat, this game certainly has everything else, the graphics and game play are all top notch and this game sports some of the best character animations I have EVER seen...i thought uncharted 2 and red dead redemption had the best animations and they're still awesome, but RAGE took it a step further...you cant help to be amazed at what youre looking at, every NPC has their own personality and unique facial expressions and the frame rate is impeccable.

Also Ive seen a lot of comparisons to Borderlands and Fallout3, I love both of those games for very different reasons. If you look at RAGE from a birds eye view, its more like Borderlands in terms of story, in that, there is one, its there, albeit vague and never fully realized and really just ends up being second to the actual game play. But, did that totally detract from Borderlands being a great game? Its 2 years old and I'm still grinding away at it with my friends because it was just plain fun to play...RAGE is also just plain fun to play.

So, at the end of the day, its all about what you want to play right? Do you want something youre not going to put much thought into, but want all the FPS awesomeness and great graphics? If so, RAGE is for you and you will have fun!

The AI is challenging, there are shades of Aliens 2 (or just ALIENS lol) where you'll be scavenging around a derelict hospital or subway station, you'll see mutants scurrying around, you know youre not alone and then mutants will start appearing out of nowhere, climbing on ledges, swing off rafters, busting down through drop ceilings, they'll be running around, jumping off pillars, dodging your bullets...theyre hard to target, the gun play is frantic and its difficult to predict where theyre going to come from next. It does get creepy at times, and like Doom, you can be confident in the fact you're going to get ambushed...often. It should also be noted that the human AI is considerably easier to predict since theyre more likely to duck and cover though they have more tactical advantages, they'll talk to each other and if your not careful, they will try to surround and flank you. Of course, a well placed turret will help you in these types of situations :)

But on the flip side, if story is your thing over game play and you want something thats going to have a deep intriguing experience like Fallout, this game isnt for you, because youre probably going to get annoyed at the gaps the game leaves in the story.

**I also want to note I did give this game a 5 star FUN rating, because with the exception of the deeper story, ID's bread and butter is and always has been FPS plain and simple, and the game plays out exactly what I've come to expect from ID over the years. The story is no after thought and its obvious ID is trying to do something new and branch out and start developing games with deeper more satisfying story archs. i really hope they nail that one down eventually, but they've never let me down in the fun department. From Doom 1 to Doom with the Simpsons mod to RTCW to RAGE, their games and tech get better with time!

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First, my message to every-day gamers who play games for fun and don't critique games based on company pedigree or comparison to better games... Rage is a gorgeous game and quite a bit of fun. The weapons look and feel good (always helpful for an FPS) and the three varieties of enemies (bandits, mutants, Authority) keep things interesting most of the time.

However, Rage is also very linear and God only knows what happened during the development cycle to result in the terrible final level and embarrassingly bad ending. It's painfully obvious that the game was cut short and/or truncated quite a bit to either meet a deadline or because Id's publisher wouldn't let them ship more than three DVDs in the XBOX version of the game package.

From a pure price perspective, Rage is worth $30 $40 in my mind. If I could go back in time I'd wait for it to drop down from its $60 price point (or rent it).

Now, on to a more detailed critique from the perspective of someone who has played every Id game starting with DOOM shareware (though I'm more of a casual family-man gamer now)...

Rage has a few major issues, but I'll focus on three:

One, of course, is the terrible final level and ending. Like I said... it's obvious that Id cut down on the amount of content per area as you get further into the game. The first wasteland around Wellspring is quite large and interesting, with sewers, mailboxes, Mutant TV, etc. all to explore. The second wasteland around Subway town is smaller and less interesting. And then it seems as if there's going to be a third area (or third act, if you want to call it that) which never occurs. Instead, you get one final level that's so bland and linear that I actually feel embarrassed for the designers at Id that I imagine put a lot of heart into this game's design.

The second problem with Rage is that it can't decide what type of game it is and it does not succeed particularly well in any specific type of game-play. Was I playing an action game with racing elements? And RPG with action elements? Borderlands and Fallout 3 already did post-apoc action-RPG, and they both did it better. Id needs to get their pure, hardcore action-game mojo back, plain and simple, before branching out to other areas.

Third issue... I hate to sound like a consolized gamer, but why no auto-saving check-points? PC games have quick-save, which would be fine for Rage if I were playing it on PC. You can't publicly state that the consoles are your primary market and then not include auto-save... no one with half a brain likes punching out to the main menu repeatedly to save their game.

All in all, I feel like I bought an unfinished product. Also, this game had to beat out Red Faction: Armageddon to win my `biggest letdown of 2011' award.

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....but I really like this game.

Graphically, Rage is the best looking game on Xbox360 to date. The "id Tech 5" engine is truly impressive and even the HD videos on the Internet cannot do it justice. To truly appreciate the graphical beauty of this game you must play or watch it in real life not on the Internet.

The lighting alone in this game is spectacular. I've heard people mention things like pop ups and screen tearing, but to be honest I haven't seen anything like that and I've played through multiple times now. From the very beginning I was looking around stunned at what I was seeing and that there could be this much of a graphics leap on a console that was released six years ago. The id 5 engine has definitely pushed the graphics envelope up a notch and proved the 360 has hardly reached its graphical limit. Gamers should be excited about this because as soon as they start selling the code for this engine to other developers it's going to make the beginning of this gaming generation and end of this generation look like night and day.

Fighting and driving in a wasteland has never been so fun. Transition to and from vehicles and from area to area is seamless. Combat is fun and fast and urges you react to your aggressors immediately by whatever lethal means possible. In the beginning you can obtain different weapons from main/side quests and later on buy them at the store. They are upgradable and you can make them better assuming you have the cash. There are also a bunch of things automated and non-automated that you can craft to help you in the wastelandOf these my favorite is the sentry bot. There is nothing as satisfying as switching weapons on the fly to deal out death in a dozen different ways and looting everything you can get your hands on.

Driving is tight and precise and honestly far more fun than I thought I would ever have driving in an FPS. It's very satisfying ripping across the wasteland from town to town blowing up bandits along the way. Outfitting your buggy with weapons is as much fun as outfitting yourself. There are missiles, mini guns, and all types of toys to drop all over the place to screw up anybody who's trying to screw you while you're cruising along.

As far as the story is concerned it does its job well and is furthered by interaction with other characters whether by talking to them directly or overhearing their conversions. They have done an admirable job of placing interesting, if not very deeply developed, characters throughout the game that are believable and sympathetic in their views and their causes. The story is solid, easy to follow, and makes sense. It doesn't drag you along kicking and screaming or forcing plot advancement before you're ready (especially if you're a side mission type of player). It is up to the player whether or not they want to unravel some of the story or all of it. However, make no mistake... this game is a shooter first and foremost. Anyone going in looking for a role playing game or a 1000 page novel or a movie is looking in the wrong place.

Overall Rage is not just an ok FPS or a good FPS. It's great and definitely worth picking up if you like great games.

Honest reviews on Rage - Xbox 360

Id has always delivered the best FPS's in terms of graphics and action. Their team has skillfully squeezed consoles to the limit, offering breathtaking environments at smooth frame rates. Doom and Quake are perfect examples of Id's masterful creation of atmospheric worlds that almost threaten to overwhelm the characters themselves. Look at those textures! I mean, LOOK AT THEM!

But, there's one other, significant area Id still needs to work on, and if they did, they would own the gaming industry. I'm talking about depth and emotion and story. Id does not deliver much of any of these critical areas.

Rage has the looks of a supermodel and the brains to go with it. Rage has a non-existent story. It's mostly a collection of "Would you please get 'X' for me? Then I'll give you 'Y' in return" moments. You're always getting some object for someone. They give you an object in return. Characters look real but you develop no connection with them. They're gorgeous paper cut-outs. Rage has some depth to it. You can upgrade your guy's weapons, engineer items and choose different ammo, but that's where it ends. Fallout stomps Rage in this matter. You have to remember that this is a free wheelin' FPS and not an epic experience like Fallout. As for story, haven't found one yet, but I am keeping my eyes open.

Id needs to take the next step. Rage could've been the game of the year if they'd focused on story and depth, but maybe they don't care about that stuff.

I don't recommend you buy this unless you're just looking for a reason to kill stuff and run errands while gawking at the scenery. Wait for the price to drop.

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Okay first off the critics are wrong about this game, I've been playing FPS for a LONG time. Some of the reviews this game is getting aren't fair. It's being prejudged because of Fallout 3 and Borderlands, although there are some similarities, first off the game starts going at a fast pace, not slow and lengthy to get to the action like Fallout 3 and more realistic looking and the missions/characters are more engaging than Borderlands. Also, keep in mind that this game was in production when Fallout 3 and Borderlands came out, so don't dwell on the similarities, this game needs to be judged in it's own right. Not to mention the variety of different types of bandits, mutants, monsters and the Authority. I played the game for a solid 10 hours yesterday and I can say thus far it makes my top 5 list of Best Games Ever Made. Since when do we judge games so harshly, I look at the basic factors, is the game fun to play, entertaining, engaging, visuals, audio, etc. First off the GameSpot review is retarded they docked it points because it doesn't Auto-Save a whole lot or often enough, you have to Pause the game and save it. I might be alone here, but I hate games that make me wait until the next Auto-Save or the next Save Point. This bothers me, I like saving the game when I want to and not having to get somewhere to do it.

The attention to detail in this game is absolutely amazing, yes in the Dead City some of the messed up desks and rubble look graphically messed up but there is so much going on in this game graphically I wouldn't dock it for that. ID spent a lot of time working on this and it shows, the landscape and entire world is amazing. When your doing missions it doesn't feel like meaningless errands you feel engaged in the game, the variety of missions keep it interesting, a LOT better than the missions in Borderlands or Dead Island where after a while you get frustrated. Then after about 10 missions or so you go to a new town Wellspring and this town has a ton of missions and races for the car, and I find the added car races to be really fun and a good way to change it up, and missions that require you to drive through the wasteland are fun and engaging, you always run into bandits, etc driving through and it's always fun to fight them. For the first outpost you work on primarily fighting the bandits which can get boring but your not doing those missions for long, then you go to Wellspring and your thrown into Dead City to upgrade your health regeneration and you encounter the mutants and monsters (when I say monsters I mean the HUGE beasts). This changes the gameplay entirely these savages come from every direction and are harder to kill than the bandits. The monsters are fast, strong and challenging to kill, especially the massive one the size of a building literally. The inner city is almost terrifying with a claustrophobic/dark/helpless feel to it with mutants popping out of corners. Also, the enemies feel and act real, not fake and unbelievable. The bandits call for backup and talk to each other and you, they will flank you and they all act different, some duck for cover and have shootouts and others charge at you.

The mutants and monsters just surround you and charge from every direction. The people saying this game isn't like COD of course it's not all COD games are the same with different levels, that's all that changes, nothing new or innovative unless you think having a different machine gun makes the game great, you own one COD you own them all. Unless you enjoy mindless Deathmatchs with 12 year olds. This game is not supposed to be like COD and for that I am glad this game is entirely different and doesn't deserve that comparison. Also, the people saying that this is just ID's way to test there game engine, well if that's true then they did it right, this game has every aspect in it to put a game engine to the test. Just wait the new COD's will run on this engine to because they can't innovate there own engine, they have to borrow others. The shooting sequences and controls feel smooth and the enemies react to every bullet, shoot them in the foot they fall to the ground grabbing there foot and the Wingstick is a lot of fun to use on random enemies. The story takes a backseat in this game as your too busy with what your doing to worry about the story, in games like this I rarely care about the story. All in all I think this game should get a 10/10. Those of you waiting until the cost goes down are missing out, this game is definitely not a disappointment in any way.

ANARCHY BONUS EDITION:

For this pack I've noticed a lot of people complaining that there not getting the items. You have to redeem the two codes that come with the game, the Anarchy upgrades and the Sewer missions. Once you do this start the game on the first mission, when your given the handgun and on your way to fight the bandits, hold RB and check your weapons the Double Barrel shotgun is there, then you get a mission to go to the Outfitters to change out of your Ark suite you'll notice the armor there as the fourth selection.when you get to Wellspring and get a garage for your buggie, you'll notice in the garage an extra car the hot rod car (which I use for all my races).