Cars 2: The Video Game

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The plight of video game adaptations of movies is well chronicled, from ET back on the 2600 all the way to atrocities like Thor, Rise of the Silver Surfer and so on.

I'm very happy to say, Cars 2 isn't one of those games.

The game begins with something of a "mini short"...if you haven't seen the movie, obviously you should before playing the game or it won't make any sense! Anyway, it's really cool. Then you go into your "Chrome" training, and advance through several levels of being a secret agent. Some of the modes...

Attack: If you've played Blur, you're familiar with the "Demolition" events, where the goal was to earn as many points until time ran out. Same thing here: You get time for the cars that you blow up, and there are bronze/silver/gold trophies (not PSN ones, just the event) that give you points accordingly.

Race: Just like it sounds...most are 3 laps, some you use powerups on, some you don't. Safe to say there's a fair amount of rubber banding going on...in only 1 race did I win by more than a few seconds, and I'm a fairly seasoned racer (198th in the world out of 35,000 in Blur)

Hunter: You're battling drones in an arena like setting

Survival: How's this for fun: You have to continuously gather batteries to keep your shield up, if it drops, BOOM!

All in all, it's a surprising amount of variety for a kids themed game that will give adults a run for their money.

While Cars 2 has many of the "normal" driving options (i.e., drifting, boosts, etc.) it also adds in a layer of strategy with the Energy meter on your car. When it's full, you basically turn into a nitroing/shielding messenger of doom. But while you're trying to fill it all the way, you're likely going to get passed. So do you try to go for the home run or use your boost to stay out in front before that point? And the courses have shortcuts which usually have gas...which fills your energy faster. You can also drive backwards, on two wheels...in short pretty much whatever you've seen the Cars do in Cars 1 and 2 you can do on the race track.

Speaking of the tracks...they are nice and varied, as are the locals, and have multiple paths to get to the finish line on each.

So grips...yes there's a few...

As in Mario Kart, you're going to get nailed when you're out in front, and in one race in particular I got nailed 3 times in a row by the CPU and went from 1st to 6th.

Some of the graphics are what I call "rough around the edges". Play a game like Dirt 3 and/or GT5 and there's a huge difference.

And, one of the major reasons I gave this game 4 stars vs. 5: All the best racing games give you a sense of SPEED. It seems all too often in this game, even when you're boosting, that you're just not going that fast. Maybe it's because it's more geared towards kids...but I feel like I'm crawling during the races.

The bottom line:

If you've got kids that love Cars and can use the PS3 controls, this is a must purchase.

If you're a racing fan in general...if you can overlook the joking you might get, there IS an amazing amount of depth and strategy for what amounts to a "kids" racing game.

And obviously...if you're a "sim" guy yeah this isn't the game for you. Nothing realistic about gatling guns and jumping off the track through billboards. You won't see that in Gran Turismo. :)

In closing, a great job by the Avalanche developers and Pixar in creating a fun, 2011 racing game based on the Cars 2 movie.

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Okay I want to say I'm not much for Review but this game is Great. My 2 kids love it. 3 & 4yrs. old. They can play co-op 2 players and if I want I can jump in and my wife and play 4player campigan co-op at the same time and progress threw it. I can even do it online with friends. Or play competive. The cars it starts you off with is great cars. They give you a very big selection and give you lightning maqueen. This is a great game and cant stress it enough. You wont be disapointed for your kids or yourself or both. Not to mention the hole house hold family can join in if wanted. And progress at the same time. This game is Awesome. Just Awesome. Graphics are great too. for those that would like to know.

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There aren't a lot of PS3 games I enjoy playing with my 5-6 year old kids. Most games are either too simple/boring for me, or too complex/violent for the kids. This game is the exception. I have had a blast playing the different levels with my boys and, if you have a 3DTV, this is one of my favorite games to play in 3D. The added depth is great, the colors are vibrant and sharp, and there is zero ghosting or crosstalk.

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My 7 year old son had an interesting in purchasing this game so we picked it up. I had low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised as to how much fun it is. Think Mario Cart and Cars.

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We pre-ordered this game because our four-year-old is a huge Cars fan. It doesn't disappoint at all. The game play is fun with a good amount of variety for a racing game. There are races that are battle-themed and some that are just about speed. It uses the Mario Kart style "question-mark boxes" that give you items to use in the race (in some levels, not all). We haven't gone through too many of the courses yet, but they have all been beautiful. The colors really pop. It is international with locations like Tokyo and Italy, so nicely rendered you'll want to take a vacation there right away. Four-yearold finds it easy in some part and challenging in others. You get to choose which character you race with and each character has a lot of personality. For example, you'll hear Lightning say his classic "Kachow!" It's a must-buy for a Cars fan and much better than the other Cars games. Hope this helps!

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Assassin's Creed 2 Master Assassin Edition (Limited Edition) PS3

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The Master Assassin's edition of Assassin's Creed 2 is a good addition to a gaming collection. Given the price is high, it may turn many people away from buying it. I must say this: If you are a fan of Assassin's Creed and really have a knack for Special Edition games, get this. If not, it isn't an ideal purchase.

The tin that everything is included in is very nice, but bends and warps very easily. Included in the entire set is an art book, downloadable codes for exclusive areas in-game, an exclusive DVD detailing the making of the game (also including the Assassin's Creed 2 soundtrack on the DVD),a nice detailed figurine of Eziothe main Assassin in the game, a collector's tin, and the Assassin's Creed 2 game software.

Whilst the art book is nice, it isn't anything to write home about. It does have some nice concept art in it, but is pretty thin. Unless you are a fan, it isn't anything major. The DVD is somwhat mediocre, but does provide a nice insight into the world of Assassin's Creed and how the team created it. The included soundtrack from Assassin's Creed 2 (included ON the DVD, not seperate from it) is a beatiful addition. Music in this game sounds great and makes the collector's edition nice to have just to listen to the songs from the game. Ezio's figurine is beautifully detailed and looks great, and is resting on a circle base so it is able to be stood up. The exclusive in-game content is fun, but goes by extremely fast, so isn't extremely amazing and important. I recommend this "Master Assassin's Edition" only to fans of Assassin's Creed, or those who love Collector's Editions of games.

Pros:

-Included DVD has Assassin's Creed 2 soundtrack on it, which sounds beautiful.

-The Ezio figurine is extremely detailed and looks great.

-Game included is GREAT fun and will keep anybody busy for hours on end.

-Packaging looks nice and holds everything well.

-Fans will be glad to add this to their collection.

Cons:

-A little on the expensive side, not recommended unless you are a fan of Assassin's Creed or like Special Editions.

-The art book is short and somewhat mediocre, though it is nice to look at the concept art.

-Tin everything comes in is flimsy and warps easily.

-The DVD included isn't that great, other than the included soundtrack.

With me being a fan of Assassin's Creed, I suggest this to other fans of the series. I give it four and a half to five stars.

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Everything an Assassins's Creed fan could want in a collector's edition. Definitely a good buy if you have the money.

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Monster Madness: Grave Danger

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List Price: $39.99
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The reasons why I bought the game were because 4 people could play and that it was under $20.00. I thought it would be a monster killing, zombie bashing game that wouldn't take more than a couple of hours to finish.

Boy was I wrong.

It is in fact a monster killing, zombie bashing game. However, it took us (2 players) 8-9 hours of continuous play in order to finish it.

The story is akin to those of zombie movies: The evil undead arise and a rag-tag team of teenagers are amongst the few who can fight against them. As the game advances, other type of monsters appear. Aliens, werewolves, demons and B movies cannon fodder.

There are cutscenes between missions, which help the story advance and at least let you know why you're actually walking into the wolve's den.

Gameplay is simple. You choose a character and proceed to kick evil butt in isometric view. Each character has a "reccomended" melee weapon hidden in each scene. If you get on that isn't suited to your character, he/she complaints and attacks slower with it. You can also buy and upgrade other "home made" weapons, like nail guns, flame-throwers and CD Launchers. They use ammo though, and you'll have to buy that too with crystals left by monsters when they are destroyed.

There are scenes in which you can ride a tank, buggy or hovercraft. Some have some kind of weapon, like a cannon or a machine gun. Others will just be used for transportation.

There are also in-game achievements. For example, if you find the weapon for a character during a mission, you'll discover a new suit/disguise for that character.

One of the downsides of the game (from my POV) is that the main characters are practically immortal. What happens after losing 3 lives is that you drop some of the crystals used to upgrade weapons/buy ammo and start again exactly where you died (I think you can choose another character, but I could be wrong).

There's also a versus option, in which you can just whack other players. It's not Super Smash Bros, but it is rewarding being able to deal with a human opponent using a nail gun.

All in all, it's not a bad game for $20.00 or less.

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I tried the demo of this game, and fell in love with it. I bought it for a great price (10 dollars plus shipping). It has a fun, classic feel to the game play, and even though it may be more "kiddie-centric", it really has some gameplay value for older players (I'm 35!). On top of that, it has 4 player simultaneous mode! Too many games nowadays are lacking this type of feature. For parents, it's a great game to play with the kids. And it has plenty of upgradeable stuff and little tidbits to keep adults interested too (see if you can pick out all of the old monster movie cliches ;) ).

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This game reminds me of a game I used to have a few years ago I think it was called "Zombies Ate My Neighbors". I've only played the demo version, but I intend to buy the full game in a few days I liked it a lot. Its not very hard you just wander around and kill zombies that get progressively more imaginative and harder to kill. It's a good thing to play when you have some energy and don't want to think too much. Actually, it some respects, its one of the best games for ps3 I've seen in a while I'm really looking forward to getting it.

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My family has a great time playing this game together. The graphics and story line aren't so good but it's still very fun to hack and slash our way along. Good party game!

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I got to this game at a time I was looking for something I could play with my girlfriend, as she isn't fond of shooters. The demo alone was loads of fun, best of all, the loved it!

So I went for the full game. Colourful graphs, more funny home-grown weapons (which can be upgraded) and lots of action killing (?) the undead. It's a pretty straightforward game which was worth every penny when my girlfriend, who doesn't like gaming, asking 'so, are we playing Monster Madness today!?'.

Sadly, the game looses interest once you've finished it once, despite the side games (which are independent from the main one).

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Pro EX Controller for PS3

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List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $11.66
Today's Bonus: 42% Off

I was curious about this controller so I bought me one. Not that I have a problem with the Sony DS3 controller but wanted to check out what the whole fuzz about the XBOX360 buttons layout has a better feel. First thing you will notice it is huge making the thumbsticks feel tall. So the thumbstick throw from one end to the other (left to right/down to up etc.) feels long and slow. Not a bad thing just a different feel to it. The D-pad/X/O/TRIANGLE/SQUARE/L1/R1 has a tiny stiff feel to it but perform well with games where you are required to press a buttons repeatedly. L2 & R2 trigger design are comfortable with the pressure sensitive feeling somewhat twitchy. In other words not as smooth as the DS3. For example, In a racing game like GT5 it is a lot harder to maintain the accelerator at low rpms. To find out if this is a problem or not I loaded up GT5 (L2 braking/R2 acceleration). After setting lap times and switching controllers between dS3 & Power A, turns out both controllers set similar times. Just a different feel to it. The L3/R3 buttons do need to be push a little harder than the DS3. I did not find any deadzones in this controller as some say there is. The controller housing has a smooth grip feel to it. Games I tested with are GT5, GTA IV, GOW3, RDR, Dead Space 2, RE5, Skyrim, TR:Underworld, inFamous, Birds of Steel(works great with this game) and many more. All perform well but with one slight problem with the left thumbstick. It seems like it is registering as if the thumbstick is pressing to the right while the thumbstick is in neutral position. Only seen this happen in Uncharted 1 & 2. When the player character is hanging from a ledge. This does not really affect gameplay but it is there. I posted a video to show what I mean. All other games I tested does not have this problem. Will this controller replace my DS3? No, but I have not being able to put it down either. In conclusion it is a great controller with room for improvement. 4 out of 5 stars.

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Been using this controller for about a week now and so far its been functioning well, Its light even with the rumble but not too light like the sixaxis. The feel of the controller is smooth like matte or suede. The grips are a nice touch and help if you get sweaty palms and in those cases where that leads to dropping your controller; with the grips this most likely will never happen. I've been mostly playing FPS games with this controller and its been excellent it feels like your playing on xbox 360, the whole controller is mapped like the 360 controller down to the shoulder buttons which look and feel like the xbox controller.

The controller is good for fps games mostly as I tried playing fighting games (MKvsDC,SSF4 etc and it did'nt fair to good thanks to the d pad which is better then 360s but not by a lot.

The only small problem I have with this controller is that you can't turn on your ps3 with it by pressing the home button on the controller instead you'll have to manually do it. Which is not huge negative, you can just turn on your ps3 while your plugging in your controller. But that added convenience would of been nice but its a 3rd party controller so I understand some features would be missing like motion controls; which I didn't care one bit because the ps3's motion controls is a joke and most people forget that it even has that function

There is a wireless version but it costs a little more. All in all I'd recommend this to any ps3 owner whose looking for a great alternate ps3 controller, its the best one out in the market from my use with it.

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As people have already noted, the dead zone is huge. I totally agree with this statement. I see this as a huge problem for serious gamers or for even the casual FPS fan. I am not one of these people. I enjoy adventure, action and sports titles. So the dead zone, while still large and quite noticeable, doesn't have a drastic/negative effect for me. Overall I like how the controller is laid out, the comfort of the grips and mimicked XBox design. I used to get thumb fatigue when playing a couple straight hours of games. Not anymore.

Pros

Overall design and layout = great comfort

I chose the cord version due my concerns with the wireless lag. The cord is very long and provides plenty of range.

Cons

D-pad is quite horrible. In sports game it's used to adjust and call plays. It seems far too sensitive. You have to tap it ever so slightly or it'll scroll through all the menus and options. Quite annoying.

Dead zone while I noted it wasn't a big factor to me, it's still large and noticeable while I play. The controller stick just doesn't have the same response as the DS3 and will take an adjustment period.

Overall I think it's a great controller at the price. I have broken 2 of my old DS3 controllers and don't think they're worthy of spending $45-$55 for a new one, when I know it's going to break again and I have this controller as an option.

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This controller has completely transformed the way I play the PS3. The standard controllers are pretty lame since they're holdovers from the 1995 Playstation 1 !!!

The Pro Ex makes games where response time and precision a lot more fun to play. They feel a lot like 360 controllers and as a result I jump on the PS3 a lot more often for games that I have on both platforms. My kill ratio in MW3 has gone up considerably, I can now get a ratio of close to 2:1 on a regular basis. I used to get more like 1.1:1.

I am now a total believer in this controller.

I'm going to buy a couple of spares right now.

PS3 is now my go to platform. Now if Sony could only publish more 1080p games...

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Within a week, the analog sticks developed an issue where the controller would register the right stick as being UP when nothing is touching it. This is most apparent when playing FPS games where the reticle moves up on its own.

Good concept to create a PS3 controller for Xbox gamers, but the controller itself is a little bulky (size wise, not weight it actually is a very light controller) when compared to the xbox 360 and ps3 controllers and takes getting used to.

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Deus Ex Human Revolution

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List Price: $59.99
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The original Deus Ex(DX) hit the market back in 2000 and with its combination of a Cyberpunk atmosphere and fusion of RPG and FPS elements, became a hit title that eventually won game of the year amongst many other awards. The game was ahead of its time in a way, similar to how Blade Runner (the movie) was ahead of its time for back in the 1980's. With this new release, DX: HR, does the game fall into mediocrity or does DX continue to be a a beautiful melody of various gameplays in an immerse environment?.... A few technical details aside, I would say this game easily marks a new generation in the Deus Ex line and could just be one of the best SP based campaign game released in 2011.

GAMEPLAY

And a whole lot of it! This game is massive and the cyberpunk vision of the future is captured beautifully. DX:HR I feel, tends to be a blend of FPS meets Stealth meets Espionage meets Social. You play as Adam Jensen who is a security officer for an Augmentation company. After an attack leaves him so badly wounded he needs heavy body augmentation the game begins. Who plotted the attack? Why? Terrorism? Self-Sabotage? The conspiracy runs deep and it is your job to figure out it! At your disposal is a very immerse and game changing set of mechanics that shapes how you play the game, yet adapts to your play-style. Need to get to the 5th floor and hack a terminal.. no problem go in guns blazing...or maybe stealth past the guards taking them out one at a time... or maybe break in through a vent system...or combine all 3! Not only can you approach objectives and quests from various methods, but there often are quite a few options available to you. You don't always need to take that grate on the left. You could hack the janitor's closet and steal the keycard and just walk right in on the objective. Maybe there is a guard wandering who has a keycard also, or someone wrote it in an email message that you found when hacking terminals. The variety is just huge and never gets old! To top it all off you can upgrade Mr. Jensen to better suit your play-style

As you complete objectives, side quests, or basically do anything you gain XP. Shoot a mob you get XP, stealth him instead XP, Avoid combat all together get XP! Hacking amounts to bonus XP as hacking is more of a mini-game than a mandatory tool in this game, but I found it worth my time to hack. It was fun and provided some interesting bits of information that paid off in the long run. Anyhow, the XP you gain is used to level up Jensen, and as you level you gain the ability to further boost the level of mods you have. What is so beautiful about this the upgrades compliment your play-style. You are not forced to pick upgrades you do not want, however I rarely found that I picked something that felt like a waste. It is a solid system that gives you the freedom to play as you want for the most part.

GRAPHICS

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is not the flashiest of games. It isn't the latest and greatest game engine that might choke your PS3/360 or stress your video card until it explodes. The game still looks very good though. It captures a cyberpunk / blade runner style atmosphere very well and uses a darker color pallet which makes for a slightly darker vision of the future. Character animations can seem a little stiff or awkward at times, but do remember people are walking around with augmentations so the body movements might seem a bit unnatural for a reason. On the PS3 version the Frame-rate dropped from time to time, especially during one or two intense cut-scenes but it wasn't that bad. There was similar frame-rate issues on the 360 but occurring in different areas spots so the drop is probably relating to how the system is handling the engine itself. Graphically, the PS3 vs the 360 have differences but not enough to sway me to one or the other. It really depends on what you are looking at, at the time you are comparing. Sometimes PS3 looked better, sometimes 360. PS3 lighting was better in some spots, yet the 360 had better coloring in others.

In short... The Graphics, while not the best, are very good and despite the PS3 and 360 having some frame-rate issues, either system is a perfect option for this game; each boasting pros and cons over the other.

SOUND/STORY

The music for this game is awesome! The style of music chosen fits the environment and setting of the game perfectly, going well with the cyberpunk theme. It helps immerse you into the game which is a big plus. Voice acting however is a sub-par as often the same voice actor played multiple characters and didn't even change their voice. You may even find multiple characters who say the same line of text. I'm not surprised by this though as the original Deus Ex had some of the Worst-yet best! voice acting of any game I played. .... Storyline wise, while I honestly have not completed the game at this point (the game is LONG!), the storyline is great! Everything you do has influences on the game, and the storyline is very deep and balanced. It is full of plot twists and surprises that had me hooked.

REPLAY/LENGTH

While this game lacks multiplayer, you are getting your $'s worth here. The game easily has 25+hrs of gameplay, more like 30-40 hrs if you factor in side quests and taking your time to really immerse yourself. Not only does this game boast a huge amount of varied gameplay, but I could easily see myself picking it up and doing it all over again! The variety in gameplay is just that amazing. You stealthed your way into the building for Mission 6, replay it and try going Rambo. You might find new items or bits of information, or even slightly influence events of that mission. Deus Ex reminds me a little of Mass Effect in this sense. Every new gameplay can be filled with little bits and pieces you may of missed, or simply did not see in a previous playthrough; plus there are multiple endings to this game which only tempt you to try alternative paths and methods.

CONS

Normally I integrate my Con's into each section, but Deus-Ex is the kind of game that you need to see the entire picture. The game can clock it easily +25hrs and has such a wide variety of elements to it things were bound to go wrong in some spots. This comes in the form of frame-rate problems(see graphics), boss encounters, and AI problems. Frame-rate has been covered but Boss Encounters were a disappointment simply because there is only one real way to fight them. RAMBO style! If you specialized in hacking that won't help you during the fight. The illusion of choice is removed here and you are forced into a play style you might not enjoy. This isn't a major problem but for someone who didn't specialize in guns, since the game is forgiving, it feels like bosses were rushed in rather than fully thought out. AI problems well, it was to be expected. Sometimes enemies just become stupid and forget you are there or have such obvious pathing it makes you wonder how they were even hired to be guards. Despite their AI problems however they seem to have eagle eye vision when it comes to accuracy with guns (which makes for a good challenge!)

OVERALL ... 93% (9.3 / A)

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a product of its sums. Individually each part of the game, from the shooter, to the stealth to the social aspects 'could have' been done better. Instead each element was created specifically to balance the other and what you end up with is a game that has multiple play-styles, gameplay which caters to the needs of the player, immerse storyline and environment, and a wide variety of methods to tackle the problem; so much so alternative play-throughs are a must! DX: HR has technical issues, but when a single game can easily surpass 25-30hrs and contain such variety, a few problems might slip through the cracks or be inevitable.

In the end, we have a beautiful game that will keep you glued to your PC, 360 or PS3.

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I have been playing Dues Ex Human Revolution since yesterday and this may well be the Game of the Year for me. The gameplay feels so good and fresh. I love that you can completely avoid the enemies, sneak about and take-em down with awesome melee attacks or just assault them with weapons blazing. You don't have to play one way or a different way the whole game. You can play however the situation calls for to your taste. There is no penalty or special reward for doing something one way vs. another. It is all just good gameplay to achieve your goal / objective.

Every encounter, even the ones where I die and then replay has played very fresh. The AI is really very good (playing on Hard) in terms of being both fun and challenging.

As an example, these four dudes walking below and I shot one of them, the others started firing at me. I ducked behind cover and then migrated while out of their sight.

Two of them continued to burst fire on that position while the 3rd slowly moved to flank it. I had moved away from there and was just watching them. Once they realized I wasn't there anymore, they started fanning out and searching... then I took them out silently one at a time. It was great.

That is what I mean by the gameplay feels so good. It is rewarding without giving you an achievement / trophy to make you feel good.

Mix in all your augmentation possibilities and you get even more options on how you can handle different situations.

It almost feels like Rocksteady and original Deus Ex team got together and decided to put the best parts of original Deus Ex and Batman Arkham Asylum together for the gameplay and the best parts of Bioshock and Half-Life for how the story is presented and the rich feel to the characters. I am not saying they achieved on all these levels, but it feels like they reached for those standards.

This game doesn't give you choices like Mass Effect or others that overplay the whole good vs. evil action dialog choices. This game gives you choices more along the lines of Heavy Rain with the noted exception that you can get a game-over if you die but other than that in this game, the world goes on and unless you replay you won't necessarily know that things could turn out different if you had played different or had different success or failures. It just plays out naturally and you may think that is how it was supposed to play out which in terms of keeping things immersive, it was :)

I think this feature is very important to immersion in role playing games or really any game. Let the player make choices, but don't do it all through dialog trees where you indicate good or evil action. Actions can just be actions and still have distinct natural consequences (positive, neutral, or otherwise).

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I'm not big on FPS games. In fact, Morrowind, Oblivion and the newer Fallout games are about as close as I normally get to FPS. I couldn't resist this game, however. Being from Detroit kinda influenced that; I wanted to see how much of my hometown they incorporated. I have to say, some things are familiar (including bums digging in the trash cans!) They really encouraged exploration here, with shops and hidden passageways scattered about. The streets of Detroit are more accurate than I expected, and they also included some nice landmarks.

At any rate, I'm pretty much blown away by this game. I really dig the story! The game play is remarkably fluid, and I really love the graphics and the music. The voice acting, for the most part, is top notch. One thing that really draws me in is that combat isn't exactly forced on you. Sometimes it's easier to simply take out the thugs. Other times, moving a box and exposing a vent shaft will take you around them. When it does come to combat, it seems pretty well done. I'm terrible at FPS type games, but I seem to hold my own here (I am playing on "Tell Me A Story..." I admit, I'm lame in that sense!) Ultimately, this feels like a role playing game with a FPS twist. You're not going to get a lot of sandboxing here like you would in Fallout or Oblivion, as the world you're in feels a bit smaller. Don't get me wrong, there is some exploring to be done but not as much as the other titles mentioned.

The level-up system is also nice, and leaves a lot of room for customization. It seems like you really can't go wrong with whatever build you take. It also allows you to focus more on stealth, or combat too, if you so desire. Experience is given by completion of quest, as well as for kills and take-downs. Yes, you have plenty of quests available! Once you complete the first mission (after the introductory mission,) you'll be given several side quests, as well as "main quests" that push the story forward.

Another really nice feature: I've noticed no bugs! Granted, I try to get from point A to point B asap, and haven't seen everything I could. Over all, I highly recommend this title!

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My tastes in gaming run along the lines of Metal Gear Solid, Assassin's Creed, and Devil May cry. And I like games that offer flexibility in the way you play them, as well as a decent plot and likeable characters. To which Deus Ex: Human Revolution exceeds, and possibly sets the standard in those aspects.

The visuals leave a bit to be desired, but the color scheme and cyberpunk look and feel make up for it well. The game is literally a more modern rendition of the cybepunk story, one rife with the consequences technology produces on society and our lives, from fashion to medicine.

Honestly, if you find this game too difficult, it's because you aren't creative enough to find another way to complete what you need to do. And this game literally has something for everyone, sneaking, first person shooter, hacking, and wordplay all add up to an experience no other game this generation has produced.

Get it, play it, then play it again. You wont be disappointed, unless you simply can't comprehend what this truly great game has to offer you.

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I've got to say, this Deus Ex blew my mind. I had no good expectations going into this game with all the butchering of classic franchises nowadays. I was expecting a less than par game, but I was hooked about an hour in. Human Revolution is a worthy and true to the franchise entry. You can easily tell alot of love went into this game; with all the Easter egg references the developers drew inspiration from. While playing there are noticeable references to movies like RoboCop, and BladeRunner. This tells me the devs poured their hearts into developing this game. What stands out about this game is the fantastic augmentation system. There are a good amount of augmentations you can upgrade and the special abilities make the game incredibly fun. I don't want to go all "college thesis" on this review so I'll make my points brief below:

PROS:

+ Augmentations are great and add alot of strategy to gameplay.

+ You can play the game any way you want to (stealthy or run and gun etc)

+ The environments are HUGE (especially Hengshua)

+ Hacking is fun unlike other games

+ This game has great pacing, you'll be playing it for a long time and won't get sick of it.

+ LOOT (need I say more?)

CONS:

The graphics on characters look a bit bland, but it doesn't bother me too much.

The voice acting is inconsistent in believability (some characters are voiced perfect and others make you cringe)

Reloading after a game over is a long wait.

I don't typically ever go for a platinum trophy on any PS3 game period, but Deus Ex Human Revolution is so much fun that I feel its worth it going for a platinum trophy. I don't even know why I am typing this review on Amazon when I could be playing this contender for Game of the Year!

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Sengoku Musou 3 Z

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List Price: $83.99
Sale Price: $63.00
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

The game changed a lot since the previous titles, it felt weird with the game play but after awhile I got use to it and had fun. I would recommend this game to other people that plays this kind of games.

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Dual Shock Gamepad for PS3

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This product, being half the price of normal PS3 controllers, isn't bad for the money. It connects through a wire and my PS3 connected with it right away. The cord is a little short and doesn't allow you to sit more than about 10' from your console, but if that isn't a problem for you, this is a good purchase!

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

Absolutely does not work. No support available for this device. Avoid at all cost. Tried the wireless dongle and directly wired the controller but it will not connect, the lights just flash dully.

Buy Dual Shock Gamepad for PS3 Now

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Dragon Age: Origins Collector's Edition

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First things first: in the past I have chastised EA a number of times for its release of cookie-cutter games, crippled with atrocious DRM schemes. So, in all fairness, I now have to say this: DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS IS A GAMER's DREAM! It is an excellent game and it comes FREE of any DRM madness. So, thank you EA for listening to your customers (let's only hope this new trend holds...).

This is one of those games that are easy to control, a joy to roam through and fun to play at no end.

I am a huge cRPG fan and cannot remember such a great companion/squad cRPG ever since the Baldur's Gate Saga. And to tell you the truth, this is the game I was dreaming of being able to play one day while playing BG (yeah, by now we all know that NEVERWINTER NIGHTS never delivered).

There are about a dozen gender/race/class/background choices and a great many combinations in forming your party. The armor and the weapons are exceptionally made and everything shows on your characters. And the graphics are truly beautiful! You have to see the rendering of flames to believe them.

Nevertheless, what really stands out is the gameplay. Every battle is a puzzle to be solved, pausing ever so often to reallocate enemies to the best suited party members (a feature I loved in BG!). Of course one can always turn off the autopause feature and let the AI take over the rest of your party and turn the game into an hack&slash action RPG (not exactly my cup of tea but, hey, it's still nice to know it's there).

Finally, this is a game made just like the classics in many ways, including duration. I am now playing the game for over 20 hours and I feel that I barely scraped the surface! DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS is one satisfying RPG!

My only gripe is this: I did not appreciate such short dialogue options. Most fit a single line and more often than not they consist of a couple of words. I like my RPGs to be wordy and challenging to my verbal imagination as well and I want my characters to participate in the humor, not just provoke it or react to it. Remember the long dialogue options in BG? Well, expect to find DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS much more laconic.

I guess 10 years of fast-paced FPS and blitzkrieging RTS do take their toll...

Now this is the COLLECTOR's EDITION which is almost 30% more expensive than the Standard edition. For the extra money you get: a tin case, a cloth map, a bonus DVD (soundtrack, making of documentary, concept art & wallpapers and strategy tips), an in-game quest and character as well as three enchanted items. Is it worth it? You be the judge.

The blood sprays, the swords clang and the spells explode. The animations are beautifully made and add a lot to both enjoyment and immersion. There is a verse in Homer's Iliad I love: "the warrior fell and his armor echoed around him" and I was reminded of it many a times throughout the game.

This game will stay with you. Do not miss on it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

Installation

For some reason it took three installs to get the program on my machine. Not sure why, I received no error message or other indication there might be a problem. So getting the game installed took nearly an hour.

Digital Rights Management

-DRM is not present in DAO. A simple CD Key and online registration to get an account with BioWare/EA and you're ready to rock.

Tech Support

Thank goodness the BioWare community is intelligent, helpful and generally proactive. Since EA purchased BioWare official tech support is passed off to EA. EA has no tech support to speak of. So imagine my frustration to find my NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX had issues running the game. I've got a gaming rig CPU Intel 2 X9000 2.8GHz, 6GB RAM, etc. and I could not run DAO. Big WTF. Thank goodness the BioWare Forums had the answers I sought.

Exclusive Content

The bonus items at start up are nice, having the Stone Prisoner is great (I think as DLC it retails for $15 US) But the Cloth Map is meh. The tin case is nice if you're into that kind of thing I often discard packaging in favor of my giant CD book. The features disk is interesting but if you want to play the game not see the whole shebang it may not be worth it for you. Overall I'd probably get the Collector's Edition again (it was a birthday present from me to me) but if you're on a budget or want plenty of bang for your buck its probably not worth it.

Gameplay

Graphics

Anyone that tells me the game looks outdated or poor isn't paying attention or can't witness DAO in all its glory. When I can see the pores on Morigan's face, the individual teeth on Dog (aka Rabbit) and see stray hairs on Alistair, it is amazing. Not to mention the burning, bleeding, spurting, freezing, effects from damage. Seeing an enemy break because he's been frozen is awesome. If you've got a mediocre rig a PS3 may be the way to go. I haven't seen a 360 in action so check those out but if you've got a machine that can handle the settings check the PC version is way worth it.

Cutscenes

If you've played BioWare games before you know they're big on story. If you've played Elder Scrolls, Fallout 3, Fable, Diablo, Guild Wars, LOTRO, and like the story this has more, and it is good. If you like Demon Souls this is less hack n' slash and more about the entire experience. Heavy dialogue, great and frequent cutscenes, are BioWare hallmarks. If that is not your bag you can hit ESC to skip the scenes.

I do miss the dialogue wheel from Mass Effect, I rather enjoyed hearing my character speak. Selecting dialouge options is akin to KOTOR or Baldur's Gate and at times it seems like your representative in the game is mute. This is not enough to discourage or dissuade me it is merely an annoyance.

Gameplay

Think an updated Baldur's Gate. As your avatar gets better at killin' he or she performs more stylized attacks and finishing moves reminicient of Fallout 3's VATS finishing/killing attacks. The game goes to SloMo and shows you doing X to critter Y. Navigating is easy your compass has a quest arrow when you use the feature.

One of the most interesting things are the "tactics" the more cunning your avatar or the higher the level you get more "if A then B" actions and choices making a very flexible but very effective "script" for combat. I.E. Condition: 'Self health is < 10%' Action: "Use strongest healing potion". The limitations are your ingenuity, imagination, tactical know how and your avatar's intelligence.

Downloadable Content (DLC)

I like the way the have DLC set up, it relay's what you have, what you can buy, and etc. It seems that Electronic Art's buisness model in DAO is to provide a solid and addicting product then have you purchase things to make the story more in depth. As a gamer it is annoying but I'll probably persist. As a stockholder if it would raise the share prices it seems like a good idea.

DAO Creator is awesome. I don't know what the consoles can do with regards to this option but it allows PC players unlimited creativity and ensures amazing replay value.

Overall

I am very happy with the game. If you have any doubts cast them aside, there is enough knowledge to ensure bugs are being fixed (there are few if any) and almost all technical issues I've seen posted on the BioWare forums are resolved.

This is an extremely enjoyable game with a new twist on old genres and the story creates a world that I certainly hope persists in BioWare's repitoire.

Have fun, enjoy.

*UPDATE*

Content

The rating of M is well earned. Gore is aplenty with decapitation and similar fantasy violence. Those concerned about the romance plots should know that you can engage in sexual relationships. The scenes depicting these are similar you would see to day time television, no genetalia or reproductive organs. There is also prostitution though once again no nudity.

Buy Dragon Age: Origins Collector's Edition Now

To long time classic CRPG fans, Dragon Age: Origins (DAO) is a nostalgic trip back to the bygone era of CRPG Renaissance amist the blight of dark forces joined with many (certainly not all of them) of generic FPSs that gives you measley 4-7 hours on single player campaign and hybrid RPGs that blur the true quality of classic CRPG. While Bioware has released many games that all found financial success and critical acclaims, Bioware's track record since Black Isle's demise hasn't always been impressive among classic CRPG fans.

Bethesda has successfully reinvigorated non-linear, open-ended, free-formed, real-time CRPG of 'TES: Arena' and 'TES: Daggerfall' with 'Oblivion' and 'Fallout 3'. Now Bioware has done the same to narratively-focused, linear, story-driven, party-based tactical CRPG of 'Baldur's Gate' series with DAO. Both are in lineage of classic 'Dungeons and Dragons', 'Tolkien', 'Ultima' series and 'Wizardry' series. But each camp go for totally different experience.

Now for the fans of classic CRPG fans can finally find great solace in the latest medieval fantasy epic called 'Dragon Age: Origins'. This game really picks up the torch from the late Black Isle and its own 'Baldur's Gate' in terms of gameplay, design, lore, and character development and carries on the impossible task of putting CRPG back on the track. It generally succeeds with DAO but it will surely polarize many others too.

Those who began to acquire the taste of RPG through games like 'KOTOR', 'Jade Empire', and 'Mass Effect' must be warned though. DAO is not quite like aforementioned Bioware's titles. DAO is a classic, hard-core PC-centric western CRPG firmly rooted in D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) compared to the past three Bioware titles, which were hybrid western / console RPG geared toward more accessible and broader appeal that could be viewed as shallow to hard-core CRPG gamers. But there are definitely similarities among these titles too.

Those who began to acquire the taste of RPG through games like 'Oblivion' and 'Fallout 3' must be warned also. DAO is not a non-linear, open-ended, free-formed CRPG. You don't do anything anytime anywhere you please, and interaction with items and environment is non-existent. While you are given a fair amount of freedom once you pass the initial origin part and first big prelude, DAO is a linear game where main focus is on narrative focus via plot, dialogues, character dynamics, and of course tactical combat. DAO is the polar opposite to TES series. You don't have such freedom in DAO, but intensely plot-driven, character-driven game just not feasible in TES series. You don't get the visceral, in-your-face hack n' slash here. Combat focuses on character management during each wave of enemies. The action is governed by number-crunching Bioware's own original ruleset, similar to D&D ruleset. DAO gives you much broader scopes of battles with waves of mobs thrown at you alongside your companions, so it's totally different kind of pulse-pounding combat. But I personally love both styles.

And finally this is not a click-fest hack n' slash 'Diablo' clone or various MMORPG either. So if you are looking to get some fix for action RPG, 'Diablo 3' and WOW expansion are on the horizon. You won't get far in this game by just clicking your mouse pointer on your foes.

To some people, it might feel oddly enough it seems Bioware might have taken a step back, Bioware actually has taken a step forward from the games from the golden age of CRPG such as 'Baldur's Gate' series, 'Planescape: Torment' and 'Icewind Dale' series. And those of you who were big fans of 'Baldur's Gate' then were somewhat disappointed with 'Neverwinter Nights', you will be thrilled to finally have the heir to a decade-long empty throne since 'Baldur's Gate' in 'Dragon Age: Origins'.

You get to choose your sex, race, class and background to determine your origin among six different origins. Then you play totally unique origin story / tutorial for a couple of hours. Once you familiarize yourself with control, menu, etc, it leads you to big intro part where you wet your feet with couple of side quests and combat. A good 3-4 hours will be spent to this point. Then you see some exciting cutscenes and you are into the thick of epic battle and more exciting and revealing cutscenes. You get to play a part of the battle. And off you go finally to your main quest after the longest prelude of the video game history. And from hereafter things opens up and give you some freedom.

It still has loading screen between areas like all other Bioware games although it now feels less confined and limited in each area dut to the game's bigger scope created by newly created and much refined 'Eclipse Engine'. I just wish there's an open overworld map where you can actually traverse and level up fighting foes like classic Final Fantasy style instead of clicking on the world map and occassionally running into random combat area.

In terms of graphic, even on high-end PC, things are somewhat bland, blocky and jaggy. While the game doesn't look terrible and CRPG has never been the front-runner graphically, graphic in this game definitely looks dated even by the CRPG standards. By comparison to games like 'Oblivion', 'Fallout 3', and Bioware's own 'Mass Effect', graphic in DAO might even come as a shock. It generally looks more than fine on PC; just don't expect top-notch graphic.

Beside the confined world map, modular nature of the map with loading screen and not quite top-notch graphics, everything else is delivered with depth and grandeur. All the dialogues are voice-acted, except your player character, and there are tons and tons of dialogues in tradition of all previous Bioware's games. The gameworld is littered with lores. Weapons, armours, items, magic, skills, map, quest log, codex, character development / customization, party management and combat tactics are very well handled in robust menu design. DAO is the most PC-centric game since 2002 with 'Morrowind' and 'Neverwinter Nights'. You can handle the combat with either micro-management in 'Baldur's Gate' style using pause function and action queue or more fast-paced with programmable tactics slots for your companions. And the combat mechanics is similar with 'Baldur's Gate'. You have full 3D camera so you can zoom in and out on the fly with mouse wheel and pause with space key. While you have new tactics system, user-programmable command slots that control each and every member of your player characters, thers's only one action queue per character. While tactics slots do generally fine job, multiple action queues are desired.

What seperates DAO from other CRPG is character interaction and dynamic. The world is no longer black and white. Bioware abandons good vs. evil dynamic over much more ambiguity and complex shades of grey. The tone of the game is much darker and bleak. This in turn makes story truly dynamic unlike other Bioware games in the past that only give you the illusion of choice. Besides 6 different origin stories, you now have multiple endings and various permutations depending on your actions. The only thing set in the stone in DAO is the main plot; you are the protagonist who eventually leads the army against the force of evil. How you start, who you start with, who you side with, who you abandon, who you clash with, how you get to the finale, you and your companions' fate are all up in the air.

The story arc is massive, expansive and immensely complex with many different possible outcomes from branching storyline directly stemmed from your choices. It's also very heavy and mature thematically. At the end of my first 70 hour run-through as a human noble, I really felt as if I was truly ladden with the fate of the world as well as people around me. Political intrigues and personal agendas are everywhere. Choices you have to make are genuinely difficult and whatever the consequences you face are irreversible. Each and every single wave of combat feels difficult and exhausted. One wrong move and your party is wiped out. It really felt like a load of heavy burden often too much to bear. This is where DAO truly excels and shines. Not only DAO made me feel like I was actually integral and the most important part of the game, I wanted to embark on a brand new, totally different journey immediately after completing a long, winded and tiresome journey (in a very good way).

'Eclipse Engine' is much better and more powerful than ill-equipped tile-based 'Aurora Engine' and rightful 3D successor of 2D 'Infinity Engine' but still restrictive and modular in nature. I hope Bioware refine the engine in the future to open things up little bit more. It's down right annoying when you get stuck by a tiny pebble on the ground or simple nook and cranny. Loading between each area, both interior and exterior, is still present but each area being much bigger and more detail than ones created by 'Aurora Engine', along with much tighter camera controll, it alleviates a lot of problems. Furthermore, thanks to free 'DAO Toolset', we can expect tons of quality mods from a very active modding community that will probably surpass that of 'Neverwinter Nights' and possibly equal to 'The Elder Scrolls' community. There are already a few official DLCs available for purchase and several mods from 'Dragon Age Nexus', the same site that also host for both 'The Elder Scrolls' and 'Fallout 3'. I guarantee we can expect some terrific mods in the future from the site.

While I had not run into any technical glitches at all throughout my 70 campaign, there's memory leak problems, which cause the game's loading time gets longer and longer during each single continuous session. It's solved by occassionally restart the game but there's some serious loading time problem due to poor memory management.

This game runs surprisingly well on my now ancient P4 HT 3.0Ghz with 2GB RAM and nvidia 7800GS with everything max except AA and resolution, as well as my brand new Intel Core i7 with 6GB RAM and nvidia GTX 295 with everything max.

As for CE package, I solely got this edition because the regular edition comes with really flimsy plastic case, which is a new cheap trend among DVD movies and PC games to save cost. And I am happy they don't stack 2 discs on top of each other with seperate disc divider. As for contents, the cloth map is nothing like the one that came with 'Neverwinter Nights Limited Collector's Edition'. It's very cheap and useless. Extra disc contains about 60 minutes worth of making-of documentaries and promo materials as well as 18 music from the game. It also comes with a few free official DLCs, which are way way over-priced if you decide to purchase seperately.

While I am definitely not happy about the current business trend in the video game industry with DLCs over expansion pack, cheap package with weak manual, over-emphasis on online features, I commend EA for letting Bioware realize its vision with minimum artistic interference and toning down the DRM scheme from the draconian secuROM that forces Internet connection and limited number of installation to much linient version of simple secuROM DVD check. It's definitely step-up from 'Spore' and 'Mass Effect'.

Although it's little too early to tell whether DAO will eclipse 'Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn', DAO is definetely the best game from Bioware since the legendary game on the other side of TES series. DAO is without a doubt one for the age; crowning achievement among the very best of CRPG indeed.

'Morrowind', 'Oblivion', 'Fallout 3', 'Gothic Trilogy', 'Risen', 'The Witcher', 'Two Worlds', and now 'Dragon Age: Origins' closes this decade on a very exciting note for CRPG and joins the handful of elite 3D CRPG collection from this decade that rivals the golden era of 2D CRPG of 'Baldur's Gate' series, 'Icewind Dale' series, 'Planescape: Torment', 'Fallout', 'Fallout 2', 'Divine Divinity', 'Sacred', and 'Arcanum'. DAO will delight CRPG fans for a long long time.

Read Best Reviews of Dragon Age: Origins Collector's Edition Here

If you love the Epic Fantasy, Dungeons, Castles, and Knights genre of video games this is a great addition to the realm. These games used to be a bit more popular and they don't come out now as often as they used to . The gaming industry is very heavy in a lot of different genres and the military game is very popular right now. Anyway, I am glad this game came out. Some other great games in this genre are The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition. Gothic 3 Collector's Editionand Dungeon Siege.

About the game

This is a very complex game. It took BioWare five years to develop this game and it shows. There is an awful lot of stuff in it. And most of this stuff is what is expected. There is plenty of battling and plenty of world to explore. And it is a party oriented game so if you have played Dungeon Siege or World of Warcraft you are very familiar with the style of game play. As you adventure through and explore the world you pick up party members that will fight with you. And you have to put together a complimentary set of members. You need a balance. If you are a warrior you are going to need a mage for healing and a rogue for lockpicking etc. It's a nice way to explore a lot of different roles in the game.

Where this game gets different

There are some very interesting things about this game that set it apart from other games in the genre. First off, there are a lot of moral and ethical choices that you have to make during the game. Will you steal from others? Will you make sacrifices for the greater good? And these choices affect what happens in the game. For example: Will you kill the evil king who has been wreaking havoc? If you do then his daughter will not marry you. This ruins your chances to become the new king if that's what you seek. Or how about this: When battling the evil bloodmage you have the choice of making a deal with him. Will you spare his life in order to get a permanant boost to your constitution stat? If you do this then some of your party members will disapprove. Bad Karma! And it has an effect on the game. Party members will get upset with you and leave the party permanently!

Not for kids

This game is definitely not for kids. There is quite a bit of very realistic bloodshed and you have killing blows that will actually decapitate your foes. And, there are lots of cut scenes after battles where you and your party members are spattered with very realistic looking blood. And....You can actually woo and seduce other members of your party through gift-giving, conversations, and good karma actions. It is an interesting concept and if your seductions, which take time to develop, are successful you will be rewarded with an animated cut scene of the actuall nuptials (PG rated).

Some of the minuses of the game

I got the collectors edition with all the extras which include a special character, some special armor, and another realm with quests to explore. But the game doesn't come with a storage chest! Yikes, no place for your party to store all their stuff? Wow, all you can do is carry a limited number of things in your backpack and when it gets full you have to sell the stuff to vendors.

Well, seeing as this game is very quest oriented (There are hundreds of quests) you never know what stuff you are going to need to complete a quest. And, I love to accumulate all kinds of armor, weapons, gems and things. It is a fun part of the game for me. So this is definitely a minus for me. But they do offer a solution. You can buy and download the add-on quest that gives you a whole new area to explore and a party chest to store your goods. This downloadable costs seven dollars but is worth it for the chest and the extra game play. And it's a seamless download. You can get it through the game screen which means no worries about extracting files. You pay for it and click it and the game does the rest. In a few minutes the new game area shows up on your world map.

Crafting is a bit weak Crafting is a big part of many online games and other epic fantasy rpg's. In this game you can do some crafting like make potions and traps but this is definitely weak in the game. There are not a whole lot of options for this and materials tend to be scarce. I really like the crafting aspects of games and usually do a lot of it but there is not a whole lot of it in this game. Definitely a minus for me.

Political intrigue

I am not really sure if this is a negative but in the games I play and the epic fantasy books I read I tend to not be too interested in all the political intrigue. You know, this is where the various houses, lords, and barons are all struggling for power. In this game there is a lot of this and the decisions you make during game play have an effect. As you are trying to conquer the blight that is set upon the land you have to drum up support from the various houses and factions. The moral and ethical decisions you make do matter. And the quests you complete are a factor too.

Extra stuff

There is some real fun stuff about this game. The developers really took a good look at combat and there are lots of great sword and weapon moves that your character makes and there are some great mini animations. Sometimes when you fell a large creature like an ogre your character will actually jump right up on its face and issue the killing blow. The combat is pretty good!

Mechanics of the software

I have a fast computer with Windows Vista and everything has gone smoothly for me. The installation was smooth and game play is smooth, no crashes and no errors.

So, should you buy it?

This genre used to be the norm for video games but these kinds of games don't come out too often anymore. So if you like the genre then you definitely should get it. You won't be disappointed. It delivers what it promises.

This collectors version comes with a cloth map, lots of extra materials, a bonus character and more quests. But it doesn't come with the party chest for storing goods so if you want this you are going to have to spend another 7 dollars for the download -which is worth it.

And, because the game is so very complex I highly recommend you buy yourself a game guide. I bought this one: Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) It is absolutely necessary if you want to find all the secrets and make your way successfully through the complexity of the game.

It is what is expected from the genre; You are set in a medieval world and expected to save it from the forces of evil. Along the way you get lots of political intrigue, battles with monsters and lots of opportunities for adventure.

Want Dragon Age: Origins Collector's Edition Discount?

Deluxe edition stuff at the very end.

If you don't want to read my retarded ode to Bioware, please skip ahead to where it says, "Actual Review!".

Ah, Bioware. You're like an old girlfriend. The one who defined love for me (1). Then you hurt me (2). I still loved you, but I didn't understand; why did you have to do that?

You went your way and I went mine. Eventually I learned to forget. I met new people; sometimes I'd fall in love, but it was never quite the same (3).

We'd see each other every couple years, and we'd have a lot of fun for a night or two (4). But other times I thought to myself, "What are you doing with your life? We could be happy together! Why are you doing this? (5). After these ultimately disappointing hookups I'd always dig up our old photos and go through them (6). I'm not ashamed to say I cried a little.

You always told me you were searching for something. Learning who you were, and how to be.

Then, one day in early November, you called me. You said, "I know now; I know who I am. I know where I belong: with you." And then you came back home to me.

Then it all became so clear; you HAD been learning. It was the old you, but a new version! Everything past was prologue to this; the version of you I always knew was there. I just needed to have faith, and you'd see it too, and we could get back what we had, what we'd always known was us.

I love you Bioware. I realize now I've always loved you. Thank you for being in my life.

Answer Key!

1. Baldur's Gate I and II, the infinity engine that led to Icewind Dale, Fallout, and Planescape

2. Neverwinter Nights

3. The Elder Scrolls, Neverwinter Nights 2, FFX, FFXII

4. KOTOR, Mass Effect

5. Jade Empire, Sonic RPG

6. all those replays of BGII

ACTUAL REVIEW!

This is the best cRPG experience I've had in ten years. It becomes very clear within the first few minutes of your Origin story that you're experiencing gaming history. Not the revolutionary, innovative, awesome new mechanic kind of gaming history. This is analogous to a new album from your favorite artist that's been doing experimental side-projects for the last few years, and now comes out with a solid, deep, meaningful effort in a well-established form.

All the old ingredients are here: rich, meaningful character relationships; deep, tactically challenging combat; well written, thought-provoking dialogue trees. In short, everything you knew Bioware was capable of, but hasn't been fully present in any of their games since BGII.

Don't get me wrong; I've liked almost all of their games since then (Jade Empire and the Sonic RPG being the exceptions). It's just that none have fully satisfied me, or they've left me with the nagging feeling that something's just not quite right (re: KOTOR and Mass Effect feel slightly underdone).

This game is an instant classic, from a master of the genre. It's the kind of game that will be added to the roster of eminently replayable games (BGII, Fallout 1+2, Morrowind, Final Fantasy [pick your favorite], etc.). It's as good as or better than all of those.

Now, those of you that have NOT played Baldur's Gate, Fallout, Icewind Dale, NWN2, beware.

As evidenced by the very few negative reviews, the ad campaign for this game is not very representative of the content. This is a true western RPG, especially if you're getting it on the PC. Combat is challenging on every difficulty mode but easy.

IT IS BY NO MEANS a hack-and-slash or action RPG!!!

I still recommend it, but be prepared to open your mind to a new experience.

For those of you trying to decide on which version to get, here are some things:

If you played and loved Baldur's Gate, and got it because you bought into the "spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate" thing, get it for the PC, no question.

On the console, the camera is locked in behind the character in the style of Knights of the Old Republic or Mass Effect. This is fine for those who fell in love with Bioware since their console years began, but not if you want to play it for full tactical enjoyment.

Also, if you have a capable PC, the graphics are far superior to the consoles, which is often the case.

360 vs. PS3?

PS3 looks better, 360 moves smoother. 6 of 1.

Don't hesitate. Buy this game.

Learn it,

Live it,

Love it:

Bioware is Back.

P.S. For those of you getting the Deluxe Edition, the added content is completely worth it. You don't have to feel cheated; they did it right. Worth every last penny.

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Madden NFL 13

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $18.97
Today's Bonus: 37% Off

I've been as loyal of a Madden fan as any. I've purchased the game every year since the early 90's on Sega Genesis. And I've always enjoyed playing the games themselves, but it was the introduction of the franchise mode (1998?) that got me truly hooked. Every year, as more and more features were added to the franchise mode, I found the game to be more and more addicting. Nothing could add to the games replay value more than a detailed franchise mode where I felt like a real GM, developing my team and molding them into a perennial contender by taking over every detail of the organization and calling all the shots.

I believe Madden hit its peak during the final year on the PS2/XBOX console when every detail of your franchise could be controlled, right down to the price of refreshments in your team's stadium. Admittedly, the game has been a bit of a disappointment since its transition to the latest generation of consoles (PS3 & XBOX 360). The franchise mode was essentially stripped down to the very basics...just a shell of its old form. I understood, at least for a year or two, that the game would have to make a few sacrifices in order to get the game fully functional for the new consoles. The graphics had vastly improved, and I felt I could deal with a lighter version of the franchise mode if it meant playing such a good looking football game. But EA has done very little to bring its franchise mode anywhere close to its old form. There was a glimmer of hope for us franchise enthusiasts in Madden '12 when the game made a number of improvements, publicly acknowledging that Madden had put its franchise loyalists on hold for too long, and the feature was in some great need of improvement. Then Madden '13 was released...

Madden 13 is a slap in the face to any fan of the franchise mode that has stayed true despite the repeated disappointments over the past 5 years. The franchise mode has been completely removed from the game. EA will tell you that the "Connected Careers" (CCM) mode serves as the game's franchise mode now. I beg to differ. The CCM is a sad, sad attempt to contemplate those of us who enjoy the franchise aspect of the game. Anyone with a little awareness can see that EA's attempt to make everything "XP" based is a move to eventually monetize every aspect of the game... (Example: your players no longer progress based on their performance throughout the season. They earn "XP" for reaching certain goals which can be used to purchase upgrades to their attributes.) Everything is about earning "XP". You can't even scout future prospects unless, you guessed it, you've accumulated some precious "XP". This 'subtle' addition may be the scariest aspect of the latest edition of Madden.

To those of you who have been told that CCM replaces franchise mode in the game, here is just a short list of features that are completely gone:

Offline franchise mode multi-player (seriously?? I've played a league with my best friend every year since 2001.)

Fantasy draft (that's right, if you like drafting a team to control from scratch....forget about it.)

Option to upload NCAA 13 rosters for your drafts (the only reason I buy NCAA...)

Ability to edit player appearance/ratings

Ability to create a team/logo

Ability to move your team to another city

I won't even list all of the features that still exist but have had their functionality severely reduced. (Example: you can still trade and sign free agents but the trade logic has been tweaked such that unless you're trading a superstar for a draft pick or two, it's not going to happen. Free agents can be signed but the length and size of the contract can't be adjusted) This would end up being a review too long for anyone to read if I included all the reasons why the features that remain are lacking.

According to EA, the series has approximately 5-7 million dedicated fans, and they'll likely sell over 3 million copies of the game by October. Apparently they've decided that the franchise fans make up too small a minority to worry about. A calculated risk I assume. I'll be returning my copy though, and they can exclude me from their list of dedicated fans going forward.

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Okay, so if you play this game by yourself online, and that's ALL you do, then you might not agree with this review...

...however, if you are like me, I primarily play offline franchise mode, so drastically changing this feature is a risky gamble for EA when it comes to gamers like myself. The only two words that I can use to describe 'franchise mode' this year is: EPIC FAIL. Madden 13 has something called connected careers, which serves as its only vehicle to play what past Madden's have called 'franchise mode'. This works well for online play, but if you are like me, I like to play franchise mode offline with a friend (you know, in the same room). We create our own guys, do a fantasy draft, and play as many seasons as we can until the next Madden comes out.

Not this year. EA has chosen to abandon this group of gamers. Most of the features for offline franchise play have been removed. Create a player, and have him play in your franchise? Nope. Fantasy draft? Gone. You are stuck playing with the current roster of whatever team you chose. ANY roster customization? Virtually all roster customization is gone. Again, you are stuck with the real-life team rosters. You can't even edit player attributes, names, or positions.

Finally, and this was the deal breaker for myself, and I will be returning the game I have bought every year for the last 10 years if there isn't an update issued. Multiplayer offline franchise. That HAS to be included, right? RIGHT? Unbelievably, no. I have no idea why they would take this out. It seems like a no-brainer, and quite frankly, I am a little pissed about it. Being able to have friends over and play Madden on franchise mode can't even be done in this years Madden. This literally makes this years Madden worthless to myself.

If EA included last years offline franchise mode with Madden 13, and nothing else in Madden 13 changed, my review could very well be 5 stars, so don't infer that my 1 star rating is for everyone. It's not. But, I know a lot of people who play offline franchise, and wanted to warn everyone else in this group that EA decided to ignore us this year.

UPDATE: 10/28/2012

I patiently held onto my copy of Madden 13 for a while to see if any updates by EA would be issued to correct some of the complaints I had above. I am happy to say that EA issued an update in mid-October which added some of the left out features. The update included the following:

1. Multiplayer offline franchise mode (up to 6 players)

2. Ability to import and edit rosters into offline franchise mode, this includes being able to bringing in created players, so it is now possible to play as yourself

3. A handful of tweaks to gameplay

As far as I can tell offline fantasy draft was not included. I personally love the ability to perform a fantasy draft, however, adding multiplayer and roster editing is still HUGE. Overall, I increased my rating by 1 star, so it is now 2 stars overall. The gameplay compared to Madden 12 is improved, and I think the overall experience is quite a bit of fun, so if you like previous Madden games, you will be happy with the purchase. If all of the features would have been included in the original release date (including the still left out offline fantasy draft), I think this version could have been worth a 4 star rating. So call it sour grapes, but having to wait nearly 2 months for the features that I consider a staple of Madden, I can't bring myself to give it over 2 stars.

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Read my updates below.

Unless you like playing single games do not get this crap. If you are a longtime Franchise mode player do not get this....there is NO Franchise mode and what we have in it's place...Crappy Careers...is not Franchise mode and it's crap. The new game engine is a nice idea but it's far from ready and therefore it's crap. Maybe if EA had concentrated on the game play engine and left the rest of what they had in M12 alone they would have had a game but what they gave us is crap and I refuse to call it a game because it's just crap. I hope I'm getting my point across with my continuous use of the word crap...M13 truly is a POS.

09/01/12: Now that I have time to play more I just want to add this to my previous comments. At first glance I thought that the new onfield game play was better but after playing 2 seasons worth of games I have to say that the "physics" EA has hyped so much isn't there either. The physics of player on player impact is far superior in Madden 12 and so is the AI. I will give this one example from the dozens per game that I see. Playing with the 49ers I watched Aldon Smith make 3 sacks in one game that were totally "instant replay" versions of each other and they were total BS when it comes to the physics of game play. Smith was coming at the QB who was looking at the opposite side of the field on all 3 plays so what would you expect from a hard hitting linebacker coming in full speed on a QB totally unaware that he's about to be hit? A monster driving hit chest to chest to try to cause a fumble? That's what I expected to see and what I saw time and time again in Madden 12 but in Madden 13 when Smith impacted the QB it was like he hit a brick wall and stopped dead from full speed and instead had to grab the QB and twist him to the ground. Huh? Really? And this is suppose to be a physics engine? After playing enough games the real problems with the new engine are huge and glaring and go way beyond players flopping and flailing on the ground after the play is over.

09/27/12

I decided to try playing a game online to see if any of the online adjustments made so far have made the game better and no it has not. Every 2 or 3 plays I watch one of my defensive backs just take off toward the opposite sideline at a 90 angle (sometimes he goes behind the QB and sometimes he goes behind the MLB) with no regard what so ever for the play called and what is taking place on the field. I didn't even finish the first quarter before I turned it off and put Madden 12 back in. There is no sense in playing such a piece of garbage and there is no sense in such an obvious AI error still being there after more than a month. I'm guessing that the safeties still become statues in the middle of the field too when the other team is way behind allowing receivers to just run free behind them but I didn't play long enough to find out.

10/17/12

This is my last update because this was my last attempt at playing this crap. Update #3 from EA...losts of promises from EA but I guess it was just an attempt to keep sales up as word got out about how bad this crap is because if anything the game is worse than before. Do your self a favor and save your money. I wouldn't even buy this crap out of the $5 used game bin.

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LOL more like $20-$30. First of all NO FRANCHISE MODE. Second, NO CREATE A PLAYER. Third, ALL THE DRILLS AND STUFF LIKE THAT ARE GONE. Fourth, THE DRAFT IMPORT HAS BEEN REMOVED. Fifth, the music is literally crap. SMH why they had to remove these features from the game that made it fun to play. I'll be returning this game for sure and I won't be buying anymore madden games in the future. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED.

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I cannot believe that franchise mode is, essentially, gone. No creating a player (generally yourself so that you can pretend you are on your favorite team), no draft each year to fill your roster, and no traning camp exercises/drills to improve your players. Again, I just cannot believe that the franchise mode is gone as this is what I always wait for with each Madden...and now I am done...or hard up to just keep playing Madden 12 for the rest of my life. I hope EA issues a large-scale apology for this horrible decision.

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Playstation 3 Lava Glow Wireless Controller Without Rumble - Blue

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $34.99
Sale Price: $34.95
Today's Bonus: $0.04 Off

I bought this as a cheaper alternative to the Sixaxis, as I'm sure others have. On all games it disconnects every couple of minutes and you have to reconnect manually. I contacted Dreamgear and they asked if I had wireless internet, cell phones, or cordless phones in my house. I thought they were joking! I challenge them to find ONE Playstation 3 owner that doesn't have at least one of these technologies in their house. I am currently waiting on more info from Dreamgear to see if they can solve this problem. I will update my review if they do, otherwise spend the extra for the Sixaxis.

UPDATE: Dreamgear offered to repair or replace the controller if I ship it to them at my cost. Amazon has replaced it once already and I still have the same issues. I am returning it again to Amazon for a refund. Very disappointing.

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Okay, this controller is really, really awful. It's beautiful (easily the prettiest controller I've ever owned), it's a really unique idea, and it's bizarre behavior can lead to fun and eventful things during gameplay (none of which will be within your control). We tried playing Little Big Planet with this controller and it turned our Sack Person into a tiny little spaz. There is something wrong with the Gyroscopes in ALL of these controllers (I've tried a couple and it's always the same problem). When used with Little Big Planet it makes your guy look like his seams are ripping apart and you lose control over one arm and one leg you have to play like a stroke victim!

Of course, watching our sad little Sack Person try to jump and swing and move things around in this sad condition was great fun We laughed and laughed and screamed "TIIIMMMMYYYY" as the spazzed out little sack boy attempted to make his way through each level. The controller was great for group fun (give everyone else a normal controller and one unfortunate person has to struggle through the game with this one) but as an actual useful device this thing sucked.

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I picked this up for the kids so they don't ruin the expensive PS3 controllers... well, I should've have gotten the official Sony one's, as I got this in a 2 pack, and they were broken by the end of the weekend. Not worth any kind of money.

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Save a few bucks and buy this aftermarket alternative. Looks cool with all the lights on, but save your batteries and just use it as a controller. Easy on the hands and eyes, this controller does exactly what you need it to, makes games fun!

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I ordered this controller cause I own two ps3 controllers so multiplayer games end up being only two player. Any ways this probably the cheapest wireless controller I found. and I found the ps3 owner with no wireless internet, a cordless phone nor a cell phone. that's right I have none of those things. The only time my ps3's been online is when i take it to other people's houses. What ever, if the controller works and it's cheap i s'pose it's worth it.

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Mass Effect 2

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

UPDATE:

On 2/22/11, Sony distributed patch 1.01 for this game, fixing memory fragmentation & corrupt save file problems. Buy with confidence!

I've left my original (2-star) review below in unaltered form, just as a record that BioWare kept their promise and I, in turn, kept mine. Obviously, the warnings in the second half no longer apply.

And thanks to everyone who gave this review a "helpful" rating if it saved even one person from buying this game before the patch arrived and having the same problems myself and others did, then it served its purpose.

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

ORIGINAL REVIEW FOLLOWS

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

For some reason the reviews that try to guide potential customers to make informed choices are getting voted down here, whereas 5-star reviews are getting 5:1 or 10:1 ratio "helpful" ratings. This is really distressing.

Would it help if I heaped on some praise first? That's easy to do. Mass Effect 2 is a fantastic game. So here:

PROS:

Best storytelling I've seen in a game, ever, hands down. Ambitious yet nuanced, and neither sacrificing polish for interactivity or interactivity for polish.

Most of the game looks fantastic

Voice acting is, on the whole, superb

An almost overwhelming array of things to do, and your actions have real consequences

BUT ...

If you are thinking of buying this game this instant, my advice to you is: wait. The game needs a patch. It currently has a problem with memory fragmentation during saving that corrupts save files--and all save files are bundled together, making entire careers and countless hours disappear with a single game freeze.

And a patch is coming--at least BioWare has promised it. When the patch does hit, I will immediately edit this review to acknowledge it, and change my rating to five stars. It's all in BioWare's hands now. | UPDATE: The latest word from BioWare is that they've completed the patch and sent it to Sony. Hopefully Sony's review process will go smoothly and this patch will be in the hands of gamers within a week. | I just think that potential customers should know to save their money until this game has been fixed.

And if this review gets voted down like every single other one that's tried to inform customers of a legitimate issue, so be it. But for the record, I tried to give it a shot--just like I tried to give this game a shot, before it ate 15 hours of my precious down time.

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I never played this game on XBOX 360 before so I read some reviews before I brought it. All the reviews I read stated this game was amazing. With that being said, I went into this game with high hopes....

You know how when you go into a movie with high hopes you often leave thinking, "Well that was kind of a letdown.. I thought you said it as AMAZING!" Mass Effect 2 for the PS3 actually met my high standards. I have been playing this game for 2 days straight and I can't get enough of it. It combines two of my favorite gaming genres: FPS (technically, it's third person) and RPG. If you love the Uncharted Series... I think you would love this game too.

PROS:

Great Storyline (it's like you're watching a movie... there is character development)

Beautiful graphics (The worlds you travel you are gorgeous... too bad the game is only in 720p and not 1080p resolution. But it's ok, it still looks great!)

Customizable player (You can make the main character look just like you. Before you start the game, you get to customize the face of the main character)

Upgradeable weapons, equipment, skills, teammates, etc.

There are so much to do. Basically you aren't just going through a level... picking up ammo, collecting money, shooting everything that moves, everything is predetermined, etc., etc. You actually get to choose what to do and say. For example, when you are in a interacting with another character, there are multiple responses you can select. Saying one thing will give affect you one way and saying the other will affect you differently.

CONS:

So far, there is really nothing I can think of.

As for glitches.... I had to restart on PS3 system only ONCE because during one of the loading windows the game got stuck. But after that... everything was fine. So far it hasn't happened again.

I highly recommend this game to any person who owns a PS3. I can't wait for Mass Effect 3!!!!

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Having played through the first Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 on the 360, I don't have to tell most what a great game this is, but for those who don't know....Welcome to a great RPG/shooter experience. Now, when you hear someone talking about Mass Effect 2 on the PS3, it more and likely will be a "which is better" type of conversation. Well, from what I see so far in the PS3 version, the two still look almost the same. True, the PS3 version IMO does have better graphics...clearer, smoother, better lighting...but, its nothing to "WOW" about. I am not a fanboy of either console, but I think both has something going for itself while the other version doesn't. The good thing about this version of the game, is that you get all of the major DLC missions integrated in the retail version of the game. This is where the game has the 360 version beat, but being that ME1 is still exclusive to the 360, you will get a better gameplay experience on the 360 version. The comic that is included in the game, only has major decisions that you can alter to affect how your game turns out in the beginning, middle, and the end. However, anyone who has played the 360 version will notice that they left out the "smaller" decisions that can affect your game as well. Does this mean that you are missing out on anything? Yes and no. It won't ruin the experience, but to me, Mass Effect is a unique game and I want to get the MOST out of it. I highly suggest that if you haven't played the first one, LISTEN TO THE CODEX! I personally bought this game on PS3 because there were things that I would have liked to do different in my first playthrough on the 360. At first I thought it would be weird playing this on PS3, but it actually feels really good. If you would like a review on what the story is about, read some of the 360 reviews...its the same exact game...nothing different at all with the exception of the comic and the graphics are upgraded. Mass Effect is one of the greatest games of all time and I know you will enjoy this game if you haven't played it before. Don't let anyone talk you out of getting this game just becuase you can't play the first one...if you don't have a 360. Like i said...if you read/listen to the CODEX you will be fine.

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I knew I would like this game because of the subject matter and Bioware, the company behind it. I've played their Knights of the Old Republic for PC and it had the best story I'd ever seen in a computer game. You felt like you mattered when you played through it. Down the road I played their Dragon Age which (along with Batman Arkham Asylum and the Uncharted games) had a great story, too. But this...well, the only thing better than Shepard and the Normandy for me, would be Captain Kirk and the Enterprise. Hell, it very much felt like that, spiritually, anyway.

You can go anywhere and do practically anything on your timetable. You can say what you want and do what you want. I totally adore the Paragon/Renegade thing. You don't have to be good ALL the time or bad ALL the time. If you do a little of both in your dialogue choices, you get surprising options that pop up as you go.

In places, I was genuinely moved by the events. I can't even begin to suggest the plot. No way. Find out for yourself. But it's a winner and I'm not done yet. Ok, bare bones. You recruit a team to solve this problem and you have to do a mission for each team member to make them "loyal" to you. In addition, other things happen and those are what you have to discover. Great world, great characters, great play balance, great music and great writing. Normally, I don't give a damn about visuals but this game is beautiful or creepy, depending on setting.

I only have two gripes and they're exceedingly minor. Others have complained about load times that's when I go get a drink or something but I did one of the vehicle missions and then did a later mission where I "discovered" and picked up the vehicle I already had used! Plus the "tutorial" on how to use the controls was in the second mission so I blew the trophy on the first mission! Not to worry. I'll get it on the second playthrough and there will definitely be one because I have to play as a badass chick next time!

My other gripe is I prefer a manual in my hand to on the disc.

Bottom line this is one of the greatest games of any kind I've ever played. Certainly the best for the PS3. I will definitely get ME3. No ifs ands or buts. Oh and it has Martin Sheen as the Illusive Man and I swear one of the krogans sounds like Michael Dorn. Haven't played the credits yet. Enjoy!!!!! I sure am.

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If you havent played the original Mass Effect, this game is still a must play. You wont be lost as to whats going on, as long as you check out the codex section on the in-game menu. This game is AMAZING and the story line, voice acting, graphics and overall gameplay are all impressive. This game is ahead of its time, dont miss it.

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