Reviews of Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $14.99
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Concept: 7/10

Halo 3: ODST introduces a new Special Forces Recon Soldier for the Halo Universe. The Orbital Drop Shock Trooper is a darker, ligher armored version of a Spartan with silent weapons. That's pretty much it.

Story: 9/10

The story is very well written, well told, and well acted by Firefly and BSG veterans. It is really entertaining and one of the best parts of the game. However, it is told through flashbacks and is somewhat difficult to understand your first time through. You might be confused at times, but in the end, it all makes sense.

Gameplay: 8/10

It's Halo 3, with a couple new guns and a slight improvement to the health system. Your character sounds 'in pain' when your health is low, reminding you to stay behind cover. There's also a night vision visor that you can toggle on and off. Unfortunately, the game seems too dark if you don't have your night vision on, and if you use it in areas that are fairly well lit, you're almost blinded. In the end, the night vision seems extraneous. The game would have been better if the dark areas were just a bit brighter, but still cloaked in shadows.

Level Designs: 6/10

There is an open ended city area where you can explore and Convenant troops are being dropped in to battle. This is new to the Halo Universe and it works quite well. Most of the game takes place in New Mobasa, a futuristic African City that is being invaded by the Covenant. The look and feel of the city is pretty impressive, but overall, the levels feel redundant. Fight in corridors, defend an area... You know you've got problems when the Campaign is only 5 hours long, and the Missions feel repetitive.

Sound: 9/10

The music is foreboding and adds to the grim atmosphere while the effects bring the battles to life.

Replay Value: 7/10

You can start the campaign after lunch and finish it before dinner.

There is a Firefight Mode which is like Gears of War 2's Horde Mode, but ODST features an additional challenge where each wave of enemies has a special behavior like "Dodges Grenades." This mode is for friends and invites only. I understand that Bungie is trying to prevent the Leroy Jenkins of the world from ruining the fun, but it really sucks to not be able to play a pickup game.

There are 3 new Multiplayer Maps for Halo 3, too.

Maturity The game is rated M because the Halo series is rated M, even though the action is pretty tame.

Overall: 7/10

Buy this game if you're a Halo Collector, you've got a bunch of buddies that still play Halo 3 and will use the Maps and Firefight Mode.

Rent this game if you just want to play the Campaign. It's only 5-6 hours long.

I'd recommend waiting for the price to drop before buying ODST because if you spend $60, you're going to feel ripped off.

$35 for this game feels about right.

NOTE: Amazon and a bunch of other stores are selling ODST for under $40 now!

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I've read a few reviews here, and I think that, although there are some valid points, people are treating ODST as something that it was never meant to be.

So, what is ODST? It's an expansion. Expensive? Yes, but one has to realize that in reality, it's several expansions built into one, a `collectors pack' for Halo 3 fans. (After all, it's named Halo 3: ODST, not just Halo: ODST)

So, before I break the game down, let's examine what ODST really is.

1. Campaign (Short, yes...Fun? Very.)

2. Fire Fight (One could say a different campaign. After all, a single match with good people can be hours long, and that's one match.)

3. All the maps (A $20+ value, considering there's two map packs worth 1600 Microsoft points, not to mention the three new ones.)

4. Halo: Reach Beta (Remember lockdown, with it's Halo 3 Beta? Yeah...)

Okay, first things first. The Campaign:

This is fun. It's far more tactical than any Halo game before it, and allows for so many new opportunities. Once in Heroic, you find yourself planning assaults, sneaking, factoring in how many grenades you have. Ammo is so sparse that you're constantly forced to re-adapt and pick up new weapons, rather than keeping with the same two weapons (As was much the case with the first three halo's). The characters are new, which again, is interesting. The Visor?...Man, probably my favorite addition. It's so cool to able to switch around views, to get tactical or go all out. Wonderful. Not to mention the addition of engineers, which do nothing but add to the depth of game play and emphasize strategy.

Fire Fight:

Let's be honest. Mention Gears 2? You hear about horde. Mention Call of Duty WaW? Nazi zombies. Now halo has it's own, and it is beautiful. Fuller maps, with each offering their own advantages and disadvantages. The new call-sign features allow for quicker identification, and the new drop-off system (The enemies come in on Phantoms, rather than just spawning) allow, again, for strategy. Ammo shortages are common here, so know your weapons. The skulls always add a bit of flair and make each and every round a new experience. My only complaint? When I play with my Australian friends, the game is pretty laggy.

All the maps:

I wish I had known this going in. Woulda saved me twenty bucks. You know about new maps, right? The new three; awesome. A much called for remake of midship, an open map that will make for interesting swat, and a dock that features dingies and floating crates. Awesome, right?

Halo Reach: Beta trailer:

-Thisis Halo 4. This is the one that's going to blow people away. (For those who know the story, well done. Reach is actually...er, Halo -1? It's a prequel). This is the unsung hero of ODST, as I already can't wait. Remember people buying Crackdown ($60) for Halo 3 alone? This is much the same thing; only you also get the above mentioned features. No brainer, right?

So, overall? If I knew someone who only had 60 to spend, I'd point them in the direction of Oblivion or Fallout or the like. But, for someone who knows they're getting a huge expansion, and loves Halo? This is all but a must have. Just know what you're getting into; it's not a standalone, but it's still pretty awesome.

Best Deals for Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360

First off, that's pronounced Oh-Dee-Ess-Tee, fellow gamers. The game store clerks wish to punch you in the face when you attempt to say a game's acronym as an actual word. Trust me. Anyhow, "Halo 3: ODST" is a separate Haloverse story that strips itself of the series' iconic hero Master Chief. There are no super-powered Spartan cyborgs to pull humanity out of the fire in this one. Just you and your squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers standing between the hostile alien alliance known as The Covenant and the death of humanity. No pressure, though. The game was originally formulated as a mere add-on to Halo 3, but eventually grew to full-fledged game status. This has offended a lot of sniveling whiners who ran out and pre-ordered their copies based solely on the typical Halo hype and then sobbed themselves to sleep because they have no concept of story and ran through the game with 3 friends on Easy difficulty and found it too short on action for the money they spent. Real gamers will find that while the price tag may be a bit high if you already paid for all of the downloadable maps and don't gather your friends together regularly to partake in the phenomenally fun "Firefight" mode. But if you plan on enjoying this game to the fullest, you will not be disappointed.

As a single-player game, "ODST" runs a bit short and may be less bang for the buck then one might hope for. However, the manner in which the story is told is absolutely phenomenal. You begin your ill-fated mission hurling towards the Earth (which has just been invaded by Covenant forces) on a special-ops mission. But something goes wrong and your pods are separated and crash in different locations all over the Covenant-occupied African city of New Mombasa. You wake up as a trooper known only as as "the Rookie" many hours after hitting the ground in the dead of night. From there you search the city for clues about the whereabouts of your comrades. Each time you find a clue (such as a fractured helmet or bent sniper rifle) the game flashes back to a different member of the squad and you play out the scenario as that character and witness the events leading up to the object finding it's resting place where it will be discovered hours later by The Rookie. In addition, there is another side story littered throughout the city in the form of 30 audio files that chronicle the adventures of a young girl caught in the middle of the invasion. It's quite enthralling and I found myself looking forward to finding more pieces of that puzzle even more then the main story. "ODST" is a masterpiece of storytelling in that rite and it's why a lot of people won't enjoy it. They prefer to skip past the story segments and run around with their friends teabagging each other along the way. To really experience the game as it's meant to be played, you need to go it alone and absorb the atmosphere,loneliness and ambient noise of the ruined cityscape. Half of this game is enjoying the tension of relying on cover of darkness, using your excellent night-vision visor to it's utmost, hearing the amazing soundtrack, and exploring the city looking for audio files or finding the best ways to get the drop on roving patrols of enemies or the entrenched Covenant forces.

Same old Halo gameplay here. That is to say it's as good as first-person shooters get. But since you are not a Spartan, there are differences. First off, no shield. Your armor can take a few hits before your screen will turn red, indicating that you are fatigued and are taking damage to your health bar. To recover, you must stay out of combat for a time. It's not a lot different from past games, but you can't take quite as much punishment. You also no longer have gravity-defying jumps or one-hit kill melee capabilities, and no more dual-wielding. Don't go jumping off any cliffs either. Wipes your stamina right out. You also get one new Covenant race -whose mystery turns out to be central to the story-, a brand new weapon in the form of a silenced SMG which quickly became a favorite of mine, and the extremely welcome return of zoom capabilities on the pistol. I was hoping for more of a focus on stealth aspects, but Bungie couldn't help but make most of the levels typical shoot-em-ups. This definitely diminishes Master Chief's importance as I felt I kicked as much or more tail as an ODST compared to when I played the penultimate Spartan. But I sure as hell did have a great time doing it. There's also plenty of vehicular mayhem to enjoy. They could have easily recycled the epic score from previous games, but instead they crafted a new one that is as good as any they've done. And that says a lot considering every Halo score is among the greatest in gaming.

Okay, enough about single-player. Games like Gears of War 2 and Left 4 Dead gave us a new mode of gameplay where you are challenged to take on wave after wave of increasingly difficult enemy attacks and survive with a little help from your friends. Not to be outdone, Bungie has crafted their answer in Firefight mode, which can go on for hours at a time if you're good enough. If the campaign wasn't action-packed enough for you, get three buds together and get ready to be dropped in a very defensible position with a set number of lives (more can be gained) to endure endless waves of attack from every baddie in the game. Watch those snipers! The longer you survive, the more difficult the game makes it for you. It will start turning on "skulls" which make the game harder by decreasing ammo drops, empowering enemies, or otherwise making your life harder to keep. This mode is ODST's crown jewel, for sure. They've even added extra kinds of medals for you to earn based on your performance in battle. Firefight is unlimited fun and a FPS fan's co-op wet dream, plain and simple. If that still is not enough, the second disc of the set contains "the complete Halo 3 multi-player experience" which consists of every map ever made for the game and three brand new ones. 24 in all. That is a ton of maps and seeing as they run a few bucks apiece if you download them from Xbox Live that is a large value if you've been holding out. Even if you haven't bought Halo 3, you can join in the fun and madness of murdering complete strangers and then desecrating their corpse while they are forced to watch with all of the extra content using this bonus disc. If you are that guy, then this game is a steal. But I don't know that that guy exists.

Killer story: check. Awesome action: check. Multiplayer badness: check. New additions to the ever-growing Haloverse mythology: check. Incredible soundtrack: check. Yup; this is one fine game. Haters, keep on hating. Bungie gave the hardcore fans a treat with this. I'd have liked to see it priced about $20 cheaper, but I also want my very own Spartan armor and that ain't happening either. The fact is, I'm happy with this game in spite of it's brevity and the fact that I've already purchased most of the maps. If you've no interest in the story and mythology of Halo, I'd suggest you pass on this. The campaign is no challenge with 4 player co-op even on Legendary difficulty and there often are not enough enemies to go around so you will have to look for trouble to find it at times which will enrage many a fratboy. Firefight mode will still be a blast, but one can hardly be expected to shell out $60 for a single gameplay mode. And considering their is no matchmaking on that mode, you can only play it with people on your Friends List which is a pain. ODST isn't perfect, but it's obvious a whole lot of care went into it and it's a great experience all around. Plus, with a dream team cast featuring a Firefly reunion of Nathan Fillion, Alyn Tudyk, and Adam Baldwin plus Battlestar Galactica sex goddess Tricia Helfer and voiceover mainstay Nolan North -who has provided the voice for Deadpool and various other animated comic book characterswho the hell can really complain? It's more Halo, and that's never something to whine about.

4 1/2 stars, rounded up for a new wrinkle in the series.

Honest reviews on Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360

There are plenty of detailed reviews for this game here already. With that said, I won't breakdown the finer points of the game. I will say that this game is somewhat underrated and quite a gem amongst the other 4 Halo shooters. Those players that enjoy some story and a bit more strategy in their Halo experience will definitely enjoy ODST in my opinion.

I first saw the game in action a few days after release. Someone I know purchases games 1-2 days after they come out. I was not really impressed at the time and had lost interest in Halo since the second game. Didn't even want to play it. Fast forward some years; I enjoyed Halo:Reach. Finding ODST here on Amazon for $14 new -vs$20 used at Gamestop, I decided to give it another chance.

The first 30 minutes of the game were a bit awkward. Playing the campaign on heroic wasn't a problem. Playing and being acquainted with Reach was.

No sprinting

No radar

Can't sneak up on enemies for stealthy melee kills

Patrols?! And they are fairly frequent

Patrols can aggro

Jackels with beam rifles can be head-shot deadly

No shields.

I continued playing however and soon realized how much I was really enjoying such a change in pace.

1) It was critical to "choose" your fights. If you had to fight, you quickly analyzed the threat and prioritized targets.

2) If you do engage some enemies, don't linger in the area too long. Other nearby patrols could be rushing in after hearing the fire fight you just survived.

3) Finding cover and checking your map is a must almost every minute to get the latest intelligence on patrol movement in relation to your position.

4) As you travel through the city, you learn to take note of the environment so you can always engage the enemy on your terms. You also learn areas are never "clear" in ODST.

5) It seems ammunition is a bit scarce as compared to other games. You try to utilize specific weapons for specific enemies rather than just pouring it on and wasting ammo.

6) The visor is a nice feature and the fact that you need to keep it on 80% of the time helps remind you how human your character is.

Gameplay, plot and the story are a unique aspect in ODST. While playing an elite Spartan super soldier is enjoyable, it is refreshing to have another take on the battle against the Covenant.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360

A side-story taking place in the Halo universe, "ODST" puts you in the role of the titular Orbital Drop Ship Trooper a regular marine compared to the Master Chief, the series' normal protagonist. Using the basic gameplay and graphics of Halo 3, ODST is neat and different in some ways and disappointingly samey in others.

ODST follows a squad of drop troopers primarily through the eyes of Rookie, a silent protagonist. Rookie proceeds through the abandoned, dead city of New Mombasa looking for records of his teammates, who he was separated from. Finding these records allows you to play a segment as another trooper Buck, the leader, Mickey, the tech specialist, Dutch, the tough guy, or Romeo, the sniper.

Rookie's segments are really freeform and open you explore the city, going through apartments and back alleys and occasionally running into random patrols of Covenant soldiers. The city's AI, the Supervisor, will occasionally try to get your attention by hijacking various city systems signs will change to point you in the right direction, phones will start ringing, ticket machines will start spewing tickets, crosswalks and traffic lights will change, and so on. These directions will lead you to audio diaries clues to a side-story or weapon/ammo caches. All in all, it makes for a really great feel almost to the level of Silent Hill and it's backed up by some of the best music in the series.

The action stages are pretty good, too, but far more traditional. There is some openness in the levels, but for the most part they're similar to normal Halo 3. This is where the main promise of ODST the fact that you're playing as a normal soldier kind of falls flat. You can basically do everything that the Master Chief can do, including but not limited to flipping over cars and punching through tanks. Your health works slightly differently, but it still basically equates to "if you get hit, go duck behind cover until you recover". You can get away with running up to Brutes and punching them in the face until they die. All in all, you basically demonstrate the same level of "super-soldier" that the actual super soldiers have, as opposed to having to rely on your wits and your guns to overcome your weakness.

In addition to the campaign mode, ODST also offers a four-person co-op mode called "Firefight". In this mode, the human players attempt to hold out as long as they can against waves of Covenant troops. Like Gears of War 2's Horde mode, this can be a blast with the right people. To add a bit of difficulty into the mix, each wave of Covenant has a special effect attached to them the ability to dodge grenades, or being more resistant to plasma, and so on. This ensures that the endless waves of Covenant continue to be challenging for as long as you play.

The graphics are similar to Halo 3's, but the urban environment is much more well-designed than those in Halo 3. A lot of care went into designing the city and the various signs and objects scattered around it, and the end result feels pretty natural. The sound is really good, too. The most obvious change, sound-wise, is that an injured ODST will pant and groan realistically instead of offering a single grunt like the Master Chief does. This makes it feel a lot more immersive, and is almost worth the fact that for game reasons you can heal up really easily and dying's not really that big of a deal.

On the whole, I understand why ODST didn't take a more realistic approach, but that doesn't mean it's not disappointing. As a game, ODST is good, but with some eye-rolling flaws that could've been turned into something more meaningful than "another Halo game".

8/10.

Discount Zapper: One Wicked Cricket!

Customer Ratings:

I had high hopes for Zapper. I was a frogger fan, and zapper promised to raise the frogger fun to a new level. Unfortunately, that wasn't quite true.

Available for most platforms, Zapper is a cricket that can only hop in four directions, just like frogger. You practice your timing to hop around enemies, work through mazes and grab special items.

It's sort of cute at first. The graphics are nice, and the cut scenes are funny. And yes, it's frogger like, with the timing of your hops and the simple gameplay. While frogger just wanted to "get to the other side", Zapper is out to save his baby brother, who was stolen by Maggie, the Magpie Queen.

But I'm sorry to say that it gets wearying pretty quickly. Just like frogger, when you get hit you die but were frogger was a single board to restart, zapper has long, drawn out mazes. You can checkpoint along the way, but it can still be frustrating. It comes down to memorizing the paths of the monsters and executing the matching sequence.

And while frogger was about a frog getting to his destination, and the 'blind world' not even noticing him and squashing him in its own race to get somewhere, Zapper loses some of that as well. Frogger was about the struggle you put out to get through a world that goes on with or without you. The logs weren't hostile, the cars weren't aiming for you. They were just doing what they were doing and you had to understand that and work with them. Dodging traffic is something we can all understand and relate to. But the travails of Zapper just didn't strike me in the same fashion.

Perhaps good for kids, or for people who do enjoy avoidance-games

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We bought this game for our 4-year old thinking it would be a fun game for mom, dad and kidlet to play together. It's visually interesting with cute sounds, but that's about it. Game handling isn't at all intuitive, and movements are jerky. You make a jump and are constantly hitting the wrong button. At first I chalked it up to my lack of motor skills (HA!), but we put even the most experienced gamer behind the controls, and he threw his hands up in frustration. We felt less like morons when our friend's 8-year old son came over and said, "You got ZAPPER? Haahhaaahaa! This game bites!"

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This is a wonderful, fun game. Not as boring or as hard as Frogger. It is great for kids, my 4 year old loves it, and I enjoy playing it too.

Tritton TRIAX-180 AX 180 Stereo Gaming Headset for Xbox 360 Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $69.99
Sale Price: $49.99
Today's Bonus: 29% Off

I did this video review to help anyone out there with the same issues I had.

Hopefully this will help gain the insight you'll need to make a decision.

Please leave feedback, did I miss anything?

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I purchased this AX180 on January 17, 2010. In spite of my headphones being handled with care and never abused in any manner whatsoever, they broke apart on the left side where the earphone connects to the headband. The earphone now dangles from the headband by one wire and are completely unfixable and totally unuseable.

The sound was very good from them and the mic also worked very well. It really is a very good sounding headset. Unfortunately, as with other reviewers of these, I've come to find out that they really are a cheaply constructed waste of money.

The way the earphone is connected to the headband is very poorly designed and constructed. If yours hasn't come apart yet, they are ready to at any moment.

We'll see how Tritton customer service handles this. Even if Tritton replaces them, which I'm sure they will, I give these a DO NOT BUY recommendation.

UPDATED:

I called Tritton Technologies and spoke to a very nice person in their customer service dept.. They were very friendly and didn't hesitate to offer a replacement. They gave me an RMA number and I will be sending these back(at my expense which will probably be about five bucks) and I will be getting them replaced. Other than me having to pay out of my pocket to send these back to them, the Tritton customer service handled it the way all companies should.

With that said, I still give this headset a one star rating for poor construction quality and I will give the company customer service a four star rating for their no questions asked approach to dealing with me. I would have given their customer service a five star rating if they paid for postage to send the broken headset to them.

Overall, the headset still gets a DO NOT BUY from me because I know they will easily break and are worth no amount of money. Sadly, I'm certain that the new replacements Tritton sends to me will also break very quickly. I know nothing about the other Tritton models and if the ax180 is any indication of how their other models are made, I don't want to.

UPDATED PART 2:

I receied my new headset from Tritton after about a two week wait from the day I mailed the broken ones to them.

They work great just like the other ones did. I'm hoping that by me changing the way I put them on and take them off they will last longer and prevent the ear cup from breaking. Instead of pulling directly on the left and right ear cups to put them on and take them off my head, which is how most people put on these headphones, I have changed to pulling on the headband part of the headphones only and I try not to exert any pulling pressure on the ear cups as I put them on and off.

UPDATED PART 3:

As of 7/2/2010, the ax180 microphone has now quit functioning on the headset. I called Tritton and they asked me to plug the mic into my computer to see if I could record something with it in order to see if the mic itself is working or not. The mic functioned fine when used on my PC, so there must be a wiring probelm in the headset causing the mic not to work while attached to the headset.

They gave me another RMA # and I have sent it back.....at my cost. We'll see what happens.

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I bought these to use with the PS3. The hookup isn't completely obvious if you want to hook it up to just the PS3 and not through the TV (you need the Multi-AV out cable that came with the PS3, even if you use HDMI). But once I figured out the cabling and configured the PS3 to use the Multi-AV out for sound and HDMI for video it worked great. The stereo sound is good enough to pick up general directions. And I'm hearing sound effects in the game that I didn't know existed. Its easy to get immersed in the game play that way. So in effect these headphones add value to my $60 games.

The headset fits comfortably even over my large melon. After a few hours of gaming, though, my jaw starts to feel fatigued from the pressure. But the comfort over the ears is perfect.

The mic seems to be working fine as other people on line can hear me. Having it detachable is a nice convenience as these could double as standalone headphones.

The volume/mic controller is well laid out. The mic mute switch is the biggest button on the controller so finding it in the dark is not a problem.

The only CON I have is when no game audio is playing there is a slight buzzing. From what I understand that is a grounding issue with the PS3, not the headphones. But during the gameplay I can't hear it even when I try to. I haven't tried the headphones on anything besides the PS3 so I can't confirm this.

The cabling isn't too bad. The headphone cable is 12' long which is about where you should be for a 42-50" HDTV anyway.

I'd recommend these to anyone wanting to pipe all game play audio and have chat capabilities.

UPDATE (8/30/10):

After a few months of using the headphones I'm still satisfied with the sound/mic but as others have had problems with the construction, so have I. There is enough pressure on the ear pads that over time the thin plastic that holds the length adjustments of the headphones to the headband broke. I was lucky enough to have the pieces just fold off instead of break so I was able to McGyver them back into a functioning form with some bits of metal and duct tape. I'm not pleased with the fact they broke within the year but I don't want to send them back at my cost. I'll just bear with the cosmetic issue of tape and metal on the headphones. I'm lucky enough to have a head tall enough to allow the extra bulk of having tape wound around the area of the breakage but if I needed to push the headphones closer to the head rest I'd be out of luck. I'd bring the rating down to a 3 star due to the obvious construction issues.

Honest reviews on Tritton TRIAX-180 AX 180 Stereo Gaming Headset for Xbox 360

Had this headset since Christmas of 09'. Comfort, sound and price were all outstanding. My headset hasn't fallen apart on me yet. (knocks on wood) I hear everything in COD MW2.

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I have had the headsets for a little over a week now and so far, they have been great. I use these nearly 5 hours a night and unplug/store them after each use. The sound quality is great for me, I am by no means an audiophile and for the price the audio quality is beyond what I expected. The mic has received good reviews from players on the other end of my Ventrillo conversations, far better than the previous set of Plantronics I had. I have primarily used them connected to a Mac with limited to use on my Xbox 360. I have yet to try them out on the PS3.

So far the construction quality seems solid. Again at the time of this writing I've only logged around 40 hours of use with these. If anything changes, I will update my review.

Update to this review: I've now had this headset for a few months and I absolutely love them. They are used once or twice a week for several hours a session across multiple devices. I have traveled several times with these headsets as well for LAN parties. The headsets have held up quite well and show no signs of wear. The ear fit is perfect and for the price they do exactly what I want them to.

*** Update: A year and a half later and I have experienced NO durability issues with these headsets. I still use them regularly. If you take care of them and don't abuse your hardware they should last.

Discount $100,000 Pyramid - PC

Customer Ratings:

I was thrilled with this game! The graphics are terrific and look just like the show, and the animated celebrites that give you the clues are adorable. Die-hard fans of the $25,000/$100,000 Pyramid will thoroughly enjoy this game, which has to be the most outstanding PC-adaptation of a game show ever made.

However, I found the following weaknesses. Many of these are incredibly minor, but hardcore $100,000 Pyramid fans will appreciate reading them...

1. Others have said this, but it bears repeating: no Dick Clark? What the... C'mon, guys, you can't have the $100,000 Pyramid without Dick Clark! 2. Again, to repeat some of the above reviews: what's with the theme music? If I can find the REAL theme music and somehow replace it, I will. The music they have is *blech*. 3. In the real show, when you get to the winner's circle, you first try for $10,000. Then, if/when you make it a second time, you try for $25,000. Then, the fastest winners are brought back for a tournament to win $100,000. With this game, it's $5,000 then $10,000, then $25,000, then $50,000 then $100,000 (or something like that). Blech. Stay true to the original game show, guys. 4. Clues that the animated celebrites give in the bonus round are often illegal. For example, one time when I played, the subject was "Things that are refrigerated." The celebrity said, "Milk, so it doesn't spoil." On the television show that would be "buzzed." You can only list items; you can't elaborate or get descriptive like that. This happens way too often. 5. On the television show, after each round, whether in the preliminary game or the bonus round, Dick Clark will usually reveal what the real answers were, often times suggesting good clues. Nothing like that happens in this game, and the user is often frustrated by not knowing what he was previously trying to guess. 6. Annoying music plays during the actual game play. Totally unnecessary. During the preliminary rounds there should be no sounds at all except for the "ding" when you get the answer, and during the bonus round, there should be nothing but the "chirps" of the time clock. 7. This is really nit-picky, but the view that you look at during the bonus round is awkward. It looks like you're seeing the winner's circle from the back row of the studio. I'd rather see the same view you see on TV; mainly, a side view of both players, with a cutaway of the current subject block from the board appearing on the bottom in the center. 8. In both the preliminary rounds and the bonus round, the animated celebrities always say little things like, "Impressive!" and "Nice going!" after you type in the right answer. That never happened on TV, and it is a waste of time, not to mention annoying.

To be fair, here are some things that I considered to be pleasant surprises...

1. After you quit each game, there are hilarious little television commercials that play during the closing credits ("Some departing contestants will receive..."). Cute! 2. The game has "7-11" and "Mystery 7" categories, with very authentic-looking logos. Great! 3. The opening sequence has a view of the stage that looks incredibly true to the television show. They even super-impose the words, "The $100,000 Pyramid" over the bonus round playing board, just like in the opening of the television show.

Not hearing Dick Clark say, "Here is your first subject...GO!" and not having the original theme music is disappointing, but all in all, a terrific game, and I look forward to more Sierra versions of classic game shows.

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Graphics Excellent graphics! The set of the classic game is perfectly recreated with actual fonts that were used on the trilons (aka "flippy boxes"), and the boxes flip just like on the actual show. The characters (civilian players and celebrity players) are nicely animated, but some of their winning animations look overzealous. No Dick Clark in this one, so if you're expecting everything from the classic show, then you'll be slightly disappointed. Score (out of 5) 4.5

Sound Voices are crisp and clear, and the music is nice, however the classic $100,000 Pyramid theme is not on here. It was replaced with a livelier, jazzier rendition of the theme. I actually prefer the classic 2 themes (the original theme used from the beginning of the $10000 Pyramid to the end of the $50000 Pyramid, and the updated theme used from the beginning of The New $25000 Pyramid to the end of the $100000 Pyramid). You even have the Winner's Circle timer sound ("doot doot doot") which sounds during the last 10 seconds on both the Winner's Circle and in the main game. The only thing missing is the classic "cuckoo" sound for an illegal clue and Dick Clark, especially his classic "So long" sign-off. Score 4.5

Control You use the mouse to choose which civilian character you want, which celebrity partner you want, and which box you want to play. You use the keyboard to type in your name and your answers. You also use the keyboard's TAB key if you want to pass on a subject in either the main game or the Winner's Circle(unlike the actual show, you can come back to passed subjects in the main game). Score 5

Playability You can play one person vs the computer, 2 players against each other, and an option called Party Play (4 players with 2 players on a team). This would make an excellent party game. Score 5

Overall Not having Dick Clark in this game hurts a little because he is the best-known host of the Pyramid show since its inception in 1973 (Bill Cullen did a good job hosting the syndicated weekly $25,000 Pyramid from 1974 to 1979, and John Davidson hosted a slightly updated version of the $100,000 Pyramid from 1991 to 1992). However other than that, this game is a near-exact version of the classic show that is one of my most favorite of all time (other favorites being Match Game [I hope to see the PC version of Match Game soon], Password [I'd love to see a PC version of either Password Plus or Super Password], and The Price Is Right [which has yet to have a good computer/videogame version...a lackluster version appeared on the PC and Commodore 64 in 1990, and a NES version was developed around the same time but never released]). Overall Score 4

Best Deals for $100,000 Pyramid - PC

For a lot of game shows that have came out for the computer, they've always seemed to have a little bit of a blind-slighted feel to most gamers. They always seem to fall just a dash flat for a full-feeling of being in the actual video game. Still, most of them are still willing to find that out one day at a time. With several revamped versions of game shows on P.C. like Jeopardy, Wheel Of Fortune, and other game shows, there is one that actually tries to stand out a little bit, Pyramid. With the success of Pyramid being revived with Donny Osmond, has been an unbelieveable exciting game, but the P.C. game still needs a little fine tuning.

The $100,000 Pyramid for the P.C. was released before Donny Osmond came on with the revival of Pyramid. The game features three different versions of Pyramid, Single Play, where you have to get a certain amount of points to get to the Winners' Circle, Double Play, where two people actually play the same way like it is on the game show. Still, it does fall a little bit, without proper speakers. The third version takes the cake however. The party play version, gives a little more of an interactive version that you play with other people, like you're actually on the Pyramid. For that one, you really need to see that, and play it with more than one version. If you get this game, get it for this version of gameplay only.

Still, it would be nice to see Pyramid updated with a newer version, based on the recent revival. I just really hope that happens soon. Still, you're better off playing the version from the television, whether Dick Clark, Bill Cullen, or Donny Osmond is the host. The $100,000 Pyramid is just a fraction of the fun it was suppose to be. Try getting this one used.

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One of TV's classic game shows, The PYRAMID is BACK!

Over the years game show fans played various "Pyramid" home games from different manufacturers like the original $10,000 Pyramid box game from Milton Bradley to the current box edition. There was even a PC edition (in DOS format). Now you can play "Pyramid" in several different ways (solo, 2 player & party mode) with this great new CD ROM edition! This game is a must for all PYRAMID fans and anyone who likes word games. And, just in time for the new television edition of $100,000 Pyramid (with Donny Osmond) coming back FALL 2002!

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The game is fun but frustrating because the "celebrities" give the same clues over and over again. Which makes it impossible to get the correct answer and prevents you from advancing int he game. I have also run in to the same questions early on in the game.

Xbox 360 S 4GB with Kinect Nike+ Bundle Review

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List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $249.99
Today's Bonus: 17% Off

Be aware that this bundle comes with only composite video, so you'll need to invest in either an HDMI or component cables to get high-definition output. The Kinect also doesn't come with a clip, so if you don't have anything to put it on except the television itself, you'll need a clip-on stand.

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I have already lost five pounds and I have been doing this since last Friday. It will have you sore but it is well worth it. I do the cardio portion of it once I get home from work. It is only 20-30 minutes but it makes you feel like you've done hours at the gym. Good luck and hopefully this helps.

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I am a 45 year old woman who is out of shape I bought this because i did not want to join a gym. The workouts are tough but worth it. It comes with a controller, something that is missing in description. The kinect is great and really motivates you after seeing your outline or as i call it my blob on screen. After doing my assessment and picking number of days to workout an exercise program was designed for me. I made it through my first week. My husband who runs half marathons tried it out and he felt the burn. He was sceptical about my purchasing it. This is helping both of us getting our workouts in during frigid winter weather.

Honest reviews on Xbox 360 S 4GB with Kinect Nike+ Bundle

I got the Xbox Kinect on the suggestion of a friend as a way to improve my reaction time and coordination. The Nike+ bundle was a nice bonus. I have worked out regularly with it since I got it. It isn't perfect on tracking my movement, but for the most part, it is a good alternative for working out on my own schedule. Very convenient to run down to the family room whenever I have a few minutes.

I am a 53 year old woman, so maybe not the target market for Xbox. My adult sons were very surprised when I got it. But it is useful for my needs and I have recommended it to friends.

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Just so you know, it DOES contain a remote control, which I thought was unclear in the description. Great bargain.

Review of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1

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The original Sonic series has always been considered to be Sega's best. During the 2000s, the series had nothing but a big line of clunkers and game collections, with a few exceptions (Sonic Unleashed, Colors, Adventure series, and the handheld games, to name a few). Then, instead of re-releasing the old Sonics again, Sega finally decided to make Sonic 4, a game that was meant to take the series back to its roots? Did it succeed? I'd say so.

Sonic 4 may happen to rehash of Sonic 1 & 2 elements, but the level design, leaderboards, music, homing attack and graphics are all-new (At least, to the original series). The basic gameplay holds up pretty well, and there are some really cool gimmicks added into this installment, such as running across a path of cards, riding in a mine cart, having to beat the special stages under time limits (and no jumping during the Special Stages), etc.

Of course, there have to be some flaws. First off, since this was built from ground-up, the physics are off and somewhat floaty. Another thing is that it was really easy compared to the previous Sonics. You won't have a hard time being able to collect 100 (or even 200) rings. Lastly, although this is minor, it could have been more fitting for Sega to use the classic design of Sonic for the game.

Those flaws aren't to say that the game is bad. The game itself is just as fun as its predecessors. In fact, while it does contain 4 zones compared to the other Sonics' 6+, certain levels themselves are pretty long. I timed it, and the game is actually just as lengthy as the old Sonics, if not longer. It could be a bit steep for a purchase, but it is totally worth it.

Overall, people can say it's a rehash, but in my perspective shown above, in which I think about what's beyond that, it's a new fun Sonic game. Just be sure to have the Steam service installed on your computer. Does it have a lot of flaws? Yeah, but they are pretty tolerable.

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I remember my brother and I playing the old Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic and Knuckles on the old Sega Genesis. Then, when my brother out grew it, me and my best friend would spend hours in front of the television playing it. I grew up and I didn't hear or see much about Sonic for a long time. Then I managed to find Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles for download here on Amazon. I was so psyched! Then, one day my cousin asked me, "Have you seen Sonic 4?" I was so excited that Sega had finally made a new Sonic game. My cousin allowed me to play it on his tablet, and I was hooked from the start! So I downloaded it for my computer.

At first, I couldn't get Steam to work, but another cousin of mine, who knows computers even better than me, got it working and it's played great ever since! I like how Sonic has the new look, sort of like how he looked on the cartoon Sonic X. You also fight Dr. Eggman, who I always called Robotnik (they're actually the same person). I love how they incorporated many of the classic things like the spiral tracks in mid-air and the loops, but mixed it with a 3-D look and a few new things as well. One of my favorite features is you can go back and play the same levels over and over again and amass like 30 extra lives before playing the more challenging levels! It'll definitely be a game I play over and over again. I can't wait for Episode II!

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When I bought the game, I was thinking that this would be a pretty cool title. Well, to me, it's average. The hub world is okay, but the idea of choosing any world in any order you want to play doesn't feel right to me. I wish getting the Chaos Emeralds were slightly easier. Now the stages themselves aren't really that hard, it's the fact that if you fail the level (hitting the red "!" circles or running out of time), you can't just instantly go replay. But that doesn't bother me too much. The physics are alright however. Anyhow, if you love Sonic and want a good time killer, then go ahead and pick this up. (Especially if you want Episode Metal in Sonic 4: Episode 2)

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Pros:

-Return to form

-Interesting environments

-Levels flow nicely

Cons:

-Terrible console models (hopefully you can find some decent mods)

-Physics are a little strange

-Levels are a little to familiar

-Hubworld takes away from the flow

Overall:

Sonic 4 Episode 1 is a good game, but it does little in the way of innovation. The use of Wii models on a PC port comes off as lazy, and the controls still need some tweaking. The game is fun enough to warrant it's price tag, but at the same time, it feels a little too familiar. Strangely, Sonic Generations seems to come off a lot fresher, despite being a nostalgia based game. I have high hopes for sonic 4 episode 2, as it seems to be distancing itself from both nostalgia, graphics, and controls of this game (Look up the trailer, seriously). I'd buy generations instead, but if you don't have the money or hardware for it, this game is fairly good in its own right.

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This game gets a lot of hate for what it did wrong, and while there are a lot of issues with it, it's not a bad game. It just isn't worthy of being called Sonic 4. The graphics look quite nice; they're cell shaded and the environments look really good. There's a new homing attack feature. And it runs on a fairly strong computer with no issues.

Only issues is the physics, which suck. A lot. But overall, it's a pretty solid game. Lets just hope that Episode 2 is better.

Sony PS3 Street Fighter IV FightStick Review

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The stick used for this is trash. The first day I received this, the stick was already faulty because the stick was not able to register a few motions. It turns out the stick is actually a Sanwa knockoff and it shows by its poor quality. I was forced to replace the stick with a Sanwa one, which was something I was already planning on doing. The buttons on the fightstick is mostly good, except after using it for over a month, my roundhouse button has started to act up. It will mostly register the action, but once in a while, it will not. Like the stick, I will be replacing the buttons with Sanwa parts really soon.

Other than those two problems, the fightstick itself is fine. It is small and portable and it feels nice using it. The layout of the buttons is great and the spacing between the stick and buttons is great too. The fightstick is also very easy to mod so you can easily swap out the stick, buttons or the artwork without any problem.

My recommendation is if you have the money for the TE fightstick, then go for it. If not, then this is a decent alternative with a few problems.

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I've been playing with the SE fightstick for about a month now, with at least one hour of use every day. Thankfully I didn't have the loose washer issue (first thing I did was listen very carefully as I moved the stick around -I thought it would be okay if I didn't hear any scraping/scratching noises, as I assumed the later units should not have such a big problem).

This is my first stick, so I'm no expert on them, and as such I think this is a great stick. Buttons are sensitive, the stick works well (once you get used to the square gate), and it's a nice weight so that I can set it on a chair or on my lap unsecured and it won't move too much, or at all.

After a month of use I'm beginning to suspect that some of the buttons will begin sticking, but I was aware this might happen as they're not Sanwa parts. If it becomes big enough of a problem I'll order replacement parts and swap buttons, which seems easy enough to do. After I do that I don't think I'll have any further reasons to complain.

All in all, this is a bit more expensive than I would expect for an arcade stick (by $15-$20) that doesn't have premium arcade parts and seems designed as a starting point for modification. All indications point to a product out-of-the-box that has a limited life before it starts having issues (though online discussion is going to be biased towards those who have problems). With that being said, I'm not unhappy with my purchase at all, and neither are the dopamine receptors in my brain every time I get my hands on this thing. (Now if only I could find some opponents online with whom I match up well...)

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This is the second stick I've got, but both of the ones I own I received in January, so I can't help but compare the SF4 stick to the PS3 Fighting Stick 3. The differences between the two are pretty drastic the Hori stick was a really good first choice for me because it has stock parts that are decent for first-timers and really got me into playing fighting games again, but because it requires soldering and dremels to properly mod, and because its case is just too small to easily fit Sanwa's JLF and Seimitsu's LS sticks, I didn't feel comfortable opening it up.

I got the SF4 stick and immediately fell in love with the case the pictures online don't do it justice. Maybe it's because I was playing with the FS3 for so long and its sticker was starting to bubble and it is lightweight and thin, but the SF4 stick has good weight to it and the art, aside from looking good, really feels like it's protected well from oil and grime from your hands. However, even though I only just ordered it last week, THE WASHER PROBLEM DOES STILL EXIST. While MadCatz may have fixed the problem in sticks just produced, there's no guarantee that your fight stick won't be one that was on the shelf for months with a faulty washer.

Luckily it's a great stick for modding. I just completed my first ever mod tonight using a Sanwa JLF and OBSN-30 buttons. Unlike the FS3, which has a huge PCB with the buttons directly soldered to it, the buttons in the SF4 stick have quick disconnects and are easily accessed as soon as you open the stick. It's a quick change for the buttons and if you use the proper JLF stick, even quicker there. You almost have to do this you don't want to be in a position where your joystick is scratching its PCB every time you move, and even if you plan on replacing the stick eventually the washer does impede movements in certain directions every now and then. Sure, you can open the stick up and glue it down, but if you're going to do that and void the warranty, you may as well just put a quality part in there instead. The stock buttons get mushy pretty quickly, too, but aren't as vital as the stick when it comes to exchanging parts.

If you've never modded before and want a user-friendly stick to start, go with this one! Art templates are found all over online and with all the colors that OBSN-30 and Seimitsu's PN buttons come in, you can really make it your own. Don't be duped into thinking that you need to pay more than retail price anymore, or even duped into believing you need to pay equal to retail price. Amazon's price for the stick fluctuates every day keep an eye on it and jump when you get the chance.

Honest reviews on Sony PS3 Street Fighter IV FightStick

It's a great product (especially the second generation), helps your game a lot, its well built and pretty solid (it's support even the beating of a one year old lol). Just a little warning to all the gamepad sf4 players. It takes a little time to get used to it, don't espect to just take it out of the box and start making ultras right away, it takes a little practice.

I gave it four stars just because of the 4 way gate. An 8 way gate will be much better especially for d df f projectiles (ryu,sagat,ken,....)

Its very easy to open and replace parts or mod it.

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I received this stick in the beginning of September. It's extremely tedious to play street fighter on a controller, so I decided a fightstick was in order. When I first bought it I was blown away, the box and packaging was great and the fightstick seemed great, and I felt I got a steal.

After using it for a few months I can say a few things about it.

Bad

Buttons and stick are made by madcatz (read: garbage.) The stick on mine no longer registers the up-right diagonal with any consistency, and the medium punch and hard punch buttons will sometimes not respond

White balltop and buttons make any dust or residue very visible

Too small, your wrists don't rest comfortably on the surface, because there isn't enough surface space, even for the smallest of people.

Very light. This might seem like a good thing, but when you're playing on your lap or table it slides all over the place and messes with your inputs.

Cheap case material.

Feels really cheap after playing with a good fightstick.

No headset port.

Good

Cheap!

Easily better than a controller.

Easy to mod with superior sanwa parts.

Long cable is extremely convenient.

Probably the best stick in this price range.

I can say that this is definitely a step up from a controller, and probably a good idea if you are unsure if you are going to like a fightstick or stick to fighting games. But if you are even slightly sure, just get a tournament edition, it has original sanwa parts and much higher build construction.

If you're thinking of buying it and then modding it later, think hard. While you may be able to mod it with better parts, you can't really fix the small case and light weight. It would probably be smarter to just start off with a better product, like the tournament edition.

Overall, it's OK for beginners, but there are hugely better choices out there, you just need to pay a bit more.

Discount Blue Chrome Full Housing Shell Case Cover for Xbox 360 Wireless

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makes my controller lose signal every 5 min or so it also dont wanna stay together that well but then again i love it its slip proof no matter how long you play and but all in all i like the thing very much and i dont wanna get rid of it may be buying from this seller soon

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Review of Whiplash

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First of all, this is a completeley original game. Don't be fooled by it's dark and deranged outer shell, because Whiplash is a fun and inovative platforming/action game. The story goes like this. There is a evil, huge mega corporation that use animals to test new human products. It just so happens that Spanxs the weasel,( who was experimented on with electricity, ) and Redford the rabbit ( who was experimented on with beauty products, ) are chained together and are about to become fused together for the rest of thier lives. Yet they escape the grap of the scientists, and must elude capture at all costs, as well as free all of the other test animals. The only catch? They're chained together.

It does sound wierd, but it is completley addictive and fun. You use Redford, who is indestructable because of a hairspray test that gave him an impeneterable shield, as a whip and can give him many funny and useful powerups. These include on that inflates, another that lets him electrify gaurds and other enimies, plus at least a dozen more. Or you can simply whip him about. The graphics, while not the best, are very unique and have a griddy/saturday morning cartoon look about them-not bad at all, and they stay at a very constant framerate. The sound is great, with a mix of bizzare sound effects and catchy music. The game is however not as long as it could have been, roughly about ten to fifteen hours depending on how good you are at it, but nevertheless, it is still well worth the forty dollars. I recommend Whiplash to everyone, so don't miss this clever and original game when it comes out the seventh!

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This game is sooo good. Right up there with Spyro! Very funny especially the bunny Redmond who is your sarcastic weapon. Problems started for me when I started to collect the security cards. The blue balls in the ceiling are supposed to drop so you can swing up and they never did. I started over, and this time, in "waste", the second lock to the incerator wouldn't open even after i pushed the button. I started over again and when it happened again, i kept hiting the button and finally the incinerator opened. Finally, I got to tha part where you race to turn off the alarms. There are 3. I forgot where the third one was and din't reach it in time. It started me over with one to go, but no matter how many times I pushed it, it didn't work. Then, times runs out and life over. That's when I got angry. I see that this happened to someoen else, one other person in the reviews. I had been wondering if my game was defective. I am going to e-mail the company. I REALLY love this game and I am sad that I can't finish it without glitches.

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This game is so bizarre! I got it because I liked the cover, but I have to say it's the funniest game I've played in a long time... The writing and story are great, the gameplay is addictive and fun, the object of the game is to break stuff and bring down the man! I wish I could give half points, because it looks like the game could have used some polish, but it's still really fun and well worth forty bucks.

Honest reviews on Whiplash

The first half-hour of "Whiplash" ushers the player into a seemingly new and exciting world of mischief and madness as Spanx the weasel feverishly flails the vociferous Redmond the rabbit in every which way during their escape from the animal testing labs of Genron. Sadly, the same senseless button-mashing is all it takes to progress through an otherwise bland, repetitive game.

Following the introduction of Spanx and Redmond, the player is unleashed upon the Genron staff and laboratories and is encouraged to destroy all that lay in their path. While the promise of the systematic destruction of an oppressive, animal testing corporation sounds like a lot of fun, the game becomes extremely repetitious as each "new" level changes very little from the last.

In addition to lacking gameplay, the graphics and sound leave a lot to be desired. Jagged polygons and flat backgrounds fill each level as the same sound effects are continually repeated as the Genron facilities are obliterated. Granted, Redmond's various comments about the mistreat of animals and his pending reports to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (P.E.T.A) do offer a nice change of pace as the garrulous rabbit is swung into various pieces of equipment and gaggles of employees.

In short, "Whiplash" is the ideal game for someone looking forward to countless hours of random button-mashing with little strategy. If you are looking for a game with more substance, "Whiplash" is probably not the best choice.

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I'm not much for platform games, but Whiplash definitely grabbed my attention. Most games try to be funny, but fall flat. This game is extremely rare in the humor department and had me laughing over and over again! Although the game can be quite difficult in some areas, but then again, it is definitely keeping the spirt of 'run jump and die' style games, and you will be doing A LOT of that in the later levels. Thankfully, there are plenty of free lives to find and you have ample oppertunities to get through an area before you run out of all your lives.

The artwork is definitely on the 'cartoony' side of things which is why I didn't give this game 5 stars. It's very colorful, but the textures are a little flat, but the level design makes up for a lot of that. Plus being able to destroy practically everything you see is tons of fun, and a great way to vent some anger!

This is definitely a game for anyone of any age who likes a good challenging platform game. Although younger folks might not understand some of the humorous banter, I'm sure they will get a chuckle out of all the other stuff they can catch and the weasel is just too darn funny even tho he never says a word!

Cheap NCAA March Madness 2005 - Xbox

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List Price: $29.99
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I love college basketball, and I was exited to see another March Madness game. This year March Madness seriously takes after it's NBA Live brother, it feels very similar to NBA live with the college atmosphere to boot. Cheerleaders, fight songs, chants... But although I felt like I was playing NBA live to a point, with the announcing of Dick Vitale, some college plays to pick and a little different control setup, it does feel fresh enough to warrant a purchase, especially if you love college basketball. The players faces and likeness are pretty accurate and decent looking overall, not exact mind you, and although because of college rules, you can't use college names, but thankfully you can put them in yourself and the announcers will call their names out when you do which adds to the authenticity. Some nice create a player features are fun and college bookstore lets you buy accessories, including headbands, jerseys, socks, arm and wristbands and tons of Nike Shoes. They added old school teams with classic players --which is really nice, but they still don't have their names, so you don't have a clue who these players are. This game also offers a new mode called "college classics" you can relive classic b'ball games from the past, it's somewhat reminiscent of their NCAA Football game, only this time it's basketball. Can you change history?

All in all, I liked this game, if you're familiar with NBA live at all, you should be able to get into this game quite easily. The computer is very challenging especially when you play on a harder difficulty and play a tougher team. Highly recommended. If you want to save money though and you like Sega's game, check out ESPN College Basketball, both games are great but Sega's game is only $19.99.

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I was expecting a lot more out of this game. Even after writing to EA Sports, informing them what they needed to do to make this game better, the game still lacks what it could be, or should I say what their competitor does just right?

March Madness 2005 has somewhat improved from 2004, but it still has ways to go (time for a new game engine, don't you think?). First of all, I like the new play-calling screens, that can easily be opened and operated; and I like the new time out feature as well. The Pontiac classic game challenge is very fun, too! The front menu screens are much better and readable, and the Dynasty mode is better than last year's with a neat calendar and PDA system.

But overall, the game has got to be a major disappointment for die-hard basketball fans. One thing this year is that the game player cannot export their draft classes into NBA Live. The game play is comparable to NBA Live 2005, with has better spacing, rebounding, and tip-ins. The player models are better as well, but not a significant change from MM 2004. As far as comparing this to ESPN'S College sim, which sells for just $20, there is no comparison. ESPN has much better game play and a more intuitive player-editing system than EA's. But if there is one complaint I have this year for both NBA Live and March Madness, it is the awful camera views. When you are playing a game you are either too far away or too close. And for some reason, the game does not recognize your previous setting of camera views, so you have to go back and change it. If EA would stop trying to add so much as the kitchen sink to a game and instead try to really improve the basics, it would really shine.

Until then, ESPN'S game is the way to go this season!

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Right after the tournament this year I was desperate for a college basketball game. I got this one and was not disappointed but wasn't blown away either. The coaching mode leaves much to be desired. How about letting us start off as an assistant for crying out loud!! But the recruiting is okay and the gameplay is pretty good. On the hardest level on a good team's floor you can lose and will always have a hard time for example at Cameron indoor arena.

If you want a college basketball game then it's a good buy but if you're just looking for a good game in general then there are certainly better ones out there.

Honest reviews on NCAA March Madness 2005 - Xbox

ncaa march madness was a great game, who cares if you dont know who the players are you can pull off upsets in the collage classics mode and win the tornament in the dynasty mode. It is a great basketball game to play with your friends and it is very entertaining by yourself

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For the same reason when you buy an NCAA jersey, it doesn't have a name on the back...

The NCAA can't directly market a single player. Yes, the networks can, ala ESPN showing a little JJ Reddick picture before a Duke/UNC game. Or CBS showing Marvin Williams taking an alley-oop from Raymond Felton for the Final Four.

However, they can't pay these athletes so they can't directly market them. That's one reason why it's damn near impossible to see a college star marketing anything that isn't the NCAA and academics.

It's why Andrew Bogut or Reggie Bush can't do Wheaties commercials.

It's also the reason anyone on a 2K5 of EA Sports college sporting game-over has either graduated or in the NBA from the next year. (I know NCAA 2K has rights with the Heisman winner. As EA once did. Last year's Naismith winner, Jamar Nelson of St. Joe's, is absent from either of this year's games that feature Okafor (EA) and Childress (2K5) on their respective covers).

However, if Emeka Okafor had stayed in school, it's very likely Ben Gordon (or another NBA-player, ala Tony Allen, would've been on the cover.

Imagine the same scenario with TJ Ford replacing Carmelo Anthony on 2004.

Most know this...but many others don't. So that is your answer. It's not to be lame or lazy, it's simply the fact that NCAA can only use player numbers and their likeness (within reason of course) during their games. I imagine any potential recruits are forgotten as well for same laws/reasons.

It seems dumb, but that's the NCAA for you.

Making billions for universities, networks, and themselves...and not letting the players have anything at all.

Buy Disney Sing It: Pop Hits - Nintendo Wii (Game Only)

Customer Ratings:

I believe that a music game is only as good as its songs. In "Pop Hits" you get 30. That's not very many for a karaoke game. I was able to find the song list. Most of them are Disney Channel-esque. I hope this helps!

Colbie Caillat "Realize"

Colbie Caillat "Bubbly"

Coldplay "Violet Hill"

Demi Lovato "Get Back"

Demi Lovato "La La Land"

Demi Lovato "Don't Forget"

Duffy "Warwick Avenue"

Duffy "Mercy"

Hannah Montana "Let's Get Crazy"

Hannah Montana "Let's Do This"

Jem "It's Amazing"

Jesse McCartney "It's Over"

Jesse McCartney "How Do You Sleep?"

Jonas Brothers "Hold On"

Jonas Brothers "SOS"

Jonas Brothers "When You Look Me In The Eyes"

Jonas Brothers "Love Bug"

Jonas Brothers "Burnin' Up"

Love & Theft "Don't Wake Me"

Miley Cyrus "7 Things"

Miley Cyrus "Fly on the Wall"

Miley Cyrus "The Climb"

Miley Cyrus "Hoedown Throwdown"

Mitchel Musso "The In Crowd"

Mitchel Musso feat. Tiffany Thornton "Let It Go"

One Republic "Apologize"

Steve Rushton "Emergency"

Taylor Swift "I'm Only Me When I'm With You"

Taylor Swift "Change"

Vanessa Hudgens "Sneakernight"

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My husband and I bought this game for our 7 y/o daughter who loves to sing along with the radio. She really likes Taylor Swift and I thought this would be a perfect game for her. She likes it enough, but I can tell she is a little disappointed that it only has two of Taylor Swift's songs and those two she doesn't even know since they are rather new ones. I wish they would have more songs that you hear quite often. Instead of having songs that you hear every day on the radio, she is left singing the songs she does know over and over again. I mean who (especially a little girl) wants to sing songs that they haven't even heard before? Over all, it is an okay game which she will play every so often.

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My daughter loves the Jonas Brothers, and wanted this version of Sing It for her birthday, because they were on it. She absolutely loves this game. Not just the Jonas songs, but the entire game... She is constantly filling our home with the sound of her singing. Which makes us all love this game. I would certainly recommend it over the others she has. The songs are done by the true artists and not some studio singers from another country. Definitely prefer this Disney version...

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I did not give it a high rating because this came without the microphone. The ones you buy in the store come packaged with it, on amazon you have to buy it seperately. Since I cannot find the micorphone seperaately in a store, I will have to order online.

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Everything was as I expected. Has been played extensively by myself and my daughter with no problems. Thank you so much.

Discount eForCity 6 FT / 1.8 M Premium High Speed HDMI Cable M/M Flat 1080p

Customer Ratings:

I recently purchased this HDMI cord. I use it with an Xbox 360 and am very impressed. I have just bought two (2) more to replace some of my existing HDMIs.

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This is a nice cable for the money. I read online that it's not necessary to spend anymore than 10 bucks on an HDMI cable, so I went with this one because of its looks. It hasn't given me any trouble at all. If I ever need another HDMI cable, I'll most likely get another one of these. My only dislike about this cable is its flat design. It just makes it less bendable. It's not a big enough problem to rate it any less than 5 stars or to not purchase it again, though.

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I have used this item numerous times and it has worked well each and every time. Is what I expected it to be.

Mario Party 8 Review

Customer Ratings:

My 6-year-old daughter wanted this game and saved her allowance and birthday money to buy it. She and I have had the best time playing this. I am not an avid gamer so it is just the right speed for she and I. There are some games that are so funny that she is laughing so hard while playing. She asks me all day long if I will play MP8 with her. My 11-year-old will butt in and play with us as well.

We've only had it about a week and have opened up about 98% of the mini games but are still having a blast with it.

I've seen some complaints about the computer always rolling 10s and getting the good prizes and squares but I have not noticed this. I find the game play to be pretty competitive. We have beat the computer characters many times and there have been times where it is neck in neck and pretty exciting right to the very end.

I've even played this by myself while the kids were at school one day! Loads of fun.

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Ever since Mario Party debuted on the Nintendo 64, we've been receiving a new game in the series on a yearly basis. The last few Mario Party games have all been tiring. Almost rehashes. However, with the Wii, Mario Party has a chance to be a lot of fun again thanks to the Wii-Remote. Unfortunately, it isn't all its cracked up to be. The Wii-Remote controls work, but they feel like a last minute tack on, and ultimately some of the mini-games just aren't all that fun. Finally, there are other video games chock full of mini-games that make much better use of the Wii-Remote than Mario Party 8.

The formula for Mario Party really hasn't changed at all over the years. You and your friends (or the computer) will roll the die, move around the board at the end of each round of rolls you'll be thrown into a mini-game.

The mini-games are pretty short. Most of them being around 30 seconds long. Some of them are quite fun and make good use of the wii remote, such as the game where you have to shake up a soda can, or wipe off the chomp. However, there are not a lot of these kinds of mini-games. Most other mini-games don't make as big of an impression with the wii-remote, as most of them consist of you holding the wii remote like a basic gamepad and then tilting it left or right. Take for example, the game where you race on water skis. You don't actually do anything outside of tilting the wii remote left and right to jump ramps. It is in moments like these where the wii remote controls just feel tacked on. And unfortunately, this comes up in quite a few mini games. There are also a lot of mini games that simply have you tilting the Wii-Remote forward and backward. Again, the controls feel tacked on in instances like this.

The biggest slap in the face, however, is that there are a myriad of mini-games that don't use the wii-remotes motion sensor controls at all and you'll hold it like a gamepad, and play with it like it's a gamepad using the D-Pad to move your character and all. It's also to no credit that these games aren't really all that fun.

To the game's credit, though, when they do make good use of the wii-remote and its motion sensor controls, they really do a bang up job. Such as the mini-game where everyone shoots at the screen while one person dodges. It's just unfortunate that there aren't a lot of mini-games that do so, and instead make you either play the traditional way or just simply tilt the wii remote. There are some fun games here, but the game is populated by more games that really aren't a lot of fun.

As usual, Mario Party games are no fun by yourself. They need to be played with friends and family. Like previous installments, multi-player can be a lot of fun--provided you get a good mini-game. Some of the games are free-for-all but there are also some games where you'll be by yourself against three players, or working together with one other player. Mostly, though, they're free for alls, and playing with a friend is nice just so that you can see who's better. Multi-player has always been a strong aspect of Mario Party and it's no different in number 8. However, much like previous installments, the game is entirely left up to chance. One moment you're in first place, and after the very next roll you're in last. It's annoying sometimes because you really don't have any control. It's all a game based on luck. This is both a good and bad thing. Good because it makes the outcome unpredictable, and once more anyone can play this without any prior experience. It's bad, however, because for some who like to add a little strategy to their gaming, you just can't do it here.

Perhaps the biggest problem facing Mario Party 8 is that it doesn't really present a whole lot of new stuff that wasn't in Mario Party 7. With the game making use of the Wii-Remote, one would expect the experience to be quite different. Instead it's more of the same thing. Especially because there are other games on the Wii that are filled with mini-games that make far better use of the remote (Rayman Raving Rabbids comes to mind). In Mario Party 8 the wii remote controls either feel tacked on or you don't really use them. It's also hard to get past the fact that the mini-games aren't very inventive because of this. Certainly water-skiing is fun, but when you're just tilting left and right throughout the whole thing? You might as well have just put this on the Gamecube and let me tilt the analog stick left and right.

Graphically, it's no surprise that Mario Party 8 isn't the best looking game out there. Mario Party games usually aren't. At least it runs smoothly. There's no slow down or frame rate issues. It really doesn't look any different than any of the Mario Party games on the Gamecube however, and those who have a widescreen television will be disappointed to know that the game won't take up the whole screen, and instead will give you a boarder. Luckily, graphics don't make the game. Mario Party doesn't look bad, it just looks dated.

Mario Party 8 had so much potential. If they'd done more intuitive things with the Wii Remote, this may have been worth a buy. There are other mini-game collections out there that utilize the wii remote much better than this. There will be plenty of gamers out there that will be able to get past the big flaws and just have fun with it, but if you're one who's been playing Mario Party since the beginning, you can't help but admit a change is in order. Unfortunately Mario Party 8 doesn't do much for you.

Pros:

+When the Wii Controls are good, the games are actually quite fun

+Simplistic gameplay; anyone could pick this up and play it with no problems

+There are over 60 mini-games to play

Cons:

-There are far too many mini-games where the wii controls feel tacked on, and these games are pretty boring to play

-There are far too many mini-games that don't make use of the motion sensor controls at all

-There are not a lot of very inventive mini-games

-In short, the game doesn't do much to stand out above previous Mario Party installments. You'd think with the Wii Remote, Mario Party 8 would be something new to experience, but instead it ends up not being that much of a step higher than Mario Party 7

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This past year, the Nintendo Wii has really delivered in making a promise of delivering gameplay that is fun and addictive as the game system delivered. That has been the case with great games that really showed it like Excite Truck and the dramatic The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess. With all that said about great games, mini-game excitement has also delivered too with the return of the Mario Party series. It has been almost 2 years since the franchise had its last game on the Nintendo Gamecube, and worked like a charm by being innovative and fun for all ages. Now, it has finally made its way onto the Wii, but is it worth the wait.

Mario Party 8 for the Nintendo Wii is a wild and addictive game that brings out a simplicity for gamers young and old alike, as you unlock and play over 70 minigames that are easy and fun to play. There are also a few new additions here too, as you can also unlock players including Blooper, the sea squid from the Super Mario Brothers games, and Hammer Brothers, which recently returned in a great set of guest cameos in Super Mario Strikers and Mario Superstar Baseball. The graphics are delightful but the gameplay is definitely what brings the game to its success, as you use the Wii remote to play in games like waving a magic wand and using an energy ball to strike Bowser in a one on one showdown, punching a statue to smitherines with a boxing glove, or using it you are shaking a soda can and creating a gusher in one of the duel minigames. You can also use your Mii characters that you've created from games like Wii Sports and have them play in the Star Carnival and play games like ping pong. The graphics are delightful and the sound carries well throughout each of the boards, but the gameplay really does deliver for new Wii owners as well as die hard Mario fans alike.

All in all, Mario Party 8 is a delightful game that welcomes the party franchise Wii owners well. I loved what the series brought out for so many years, and I know that this edition does a great job as well. Considering there are so many great games coming out for the Nintendo Wii like Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree, this one is definitely a wonderful addition to your Wii library.

Graphics: B+

Sound: B

Control: B+

Fun & Enjoyment: B+ for solo players; Afor Multiplayer Action

Overall: B+

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This is the first Wii game we've gotten that really engaged our 4-year-old boy. Ultimately up to now he could care less about our other Wii titles such as Cars, Carnival Games, and Playground Games.

Our boy loves that he can play a lot of this out of the box. He can choose his character and move him around the board. Because the game leverages the Wii controller quite well he can get into the mini-games. The best feature is that you can practice each mini-game as much as you want, which is good because some of them take a few tries. The variety of games alone satisfies our short attention span family quite well. There is a train map that just hooked him big-time, so if you have a boy between the ages of 3-8 it will likely hook your boy too.

The professional reviewers have to be taken with a grain of salt. The comic-book-guy reviewers with lame beards and questionable hygiene are not going to like a game that a 4-year-old does. One reviewer noted that much of the game is left to chance instead of skill. This is actually a big plus for parents with small kids. I am hyper-competitive so it's not my first instinct to let the kid (or Wookie) win. But with this game my little boy came in second place on his own, so between the game itself and the adjustable difficulty levels, my kid can kick my butt at a much younger age, which keeps me in check!

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Nintendo has done a great job with the Wii. The only problem is that most of the games for it only allow one to two players at any given time, so Nintendo comes out with MARIO PARTY 8! this game is a 4 out of 5 stars in one player mode, but when you get three or four people playing, it ROCKS!!!! this is a SPECTACULAR game to play with your friends. It will entertain you and your guests for hours! The Wii remote is the key to this games great multiplayer action. you can enjoy different kinds of gameplay like 1 on 3, 2 on 2, or every man for himself. each type of gameplay has games that are unique it. Like one of the 1 on 3 games is, one person shoots snowballs at the other three, and another is the three trying to stop the one from making it it the top of a tower. So, in summery, THIS IS AN AWESOME GAME TO PLAY WITH FRIENDS!!!!!!!