Cyberfront WRC FIA World Rally Championship for PS3

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WRC 2010 is a competent racing game that is designed for WRC fans. The games strong point is its focus on rally and mimicking the WRC virtually. The game includes the drivers, teams and countries from WRC 2010. It does not have replicas of real world stages, and it does not have 20 minute stages like the real world but what is provided is adequate. WRC 2010 includes all 13 countries each with 6 stages that are inspired by the real world counterparts.

The game comes with career mode, single player(think quickplay), multiplayer and challenges. It allows you to start your own career in rally and eventually compete against big names in WRC, P-WRC, S-WRC and J-WRC competitions. Career mode starts you off small with little horsepower, a few sponsors and racing in short events against unknown racers. Building a name for yourself and earning the right to race against Loeb in Career Mode will take some time, so fortunately you can hop right into any stage of any country in a separate single player mode. In single player mode you can compete in single races, single rallies or even customize your own championship. For example you can make a J-WRC Championship that takes place in 7 countries each with 3 stages. Outside of career mode you will not be able to use your custom driver; instead you will pick from drivers like Solberg or Block and use their cars and liveries. If you're like me you will pick Loeb and lose regularly, finally allowing Mikko Hirvonen a chance at a Championship victory.

Now on to stage length, unfortunately WRC does not have any 10 minute stages like Rallisport Challenge 2, but they are longer than some of the competitors. Dirt3 stages range between 1.5 and 3.5 minutes, where WRC stages are 2.5 to 5 minutes. Dirt3 has about 20 rally stages in 4 countries and WRC has 78 stages in 13 countries. WRC has a good amount of rally content for those who can get past the mediocre menu system and graphics.

The car graphics are good, but windows, mirrors and special effects look weak. Cars kick up plenty of dust and this looks ok but not stellar, what is nice is that the particles stay in the air a long time during replays unlike most off-road games. The environments are good but not as good as the competition. Foliage and trees don't seem dense enough while mountains and hills occasionally show off their limited geometry. Also the graphics engine seems unable to draw objects in 3D very far into the distance even on very high end computers. Even with the visual issues, the game looks good enough to play and each country has unique styling and personality so it is a treat to travel to so many environments.

I use the Logitech Driving Force racing wheel and I find the force feedback in this game to be mild. Other racers definitely kick harder by default. The feedback that is provided seems accurate enough; you can almost feel the traction of your tires via the wheel it just feels subdued. Gravel and tarmac don't feel as different as I would expect either.

The controls are much closer to a Sim than arcade games like Dirt, at least when you take off all assists like I have. The high powered WRC cars need a sensitive touch off road; wreckless acceleration will cause you to spin out and braking too late will cause countless causalities. The front-wheel cars are quite easy to work with so I suggest you start there. The more powerful 4WD cars require concentration to keep them on the road but once you get comfortable with them it's hard to return to the slower junior cars.

While the damage system works in game, it does not seem realistic or punishing enough in many situations. For example in one race, I damaged my gearbox had a coolant leak and cracked something else so my car regularly made a strange sound. Third and fourth gear seemed longer than usual to switch but I was able to finish the stage with the best time. My car was so damaged that with the 60 minutes allotted to do repairs I could only fix half of the issues. I still got a stage win on the next stage as well, but I still had to listen to the strange sound.

I've read complaints about the co-pilots, but personally I find them good overall. In the options you can change pace note timing if you need. Playing with the hud off is enjoyable, focusing on verbal directions instead of a map is a fun challenge. The co-pilots do a good job of navigating you without the need for a map, arrows or even section times. It is not perfect mind you. But late directions are a rare occurrence. After stage splits the co-pilot informs you of your performance "They can't see us for dust", "We moved up a few places", "We are losing our lead" etc are colorful additions that might be annoying to some because you will hear them a lot.

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Dragon's Dogma

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List Price: $29.99
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Capcom, famed developer and publisher that's brought gamers such franchises as Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, and Street Fighter, enters the medieval fantasy foray with Dragon's Dogma, a peculiar take on the Western open-world RPG. (And seemingly brought to us with a lack of typographical errors.)

Taking inspiration from Skyrim, Dark Souls, and Capcom's own offerings, Monster Hunter and Devil May Cry, Dragon's Dogma stands out by being derivative of several games and in turn becoming uniquely its own title, and if the sales are promising, hopefully it'll be the start of a new series.

Before I get into what's important, the gameplay, let's get the graphics out of the way first ... Dragon's Dogma is a shoddy looking game. The game is letterboxed (black bars are located on the top and bottom of the screen, taking up real estate), and there is no way to disable this; the frame-rate isn't locked at 30 fps, and will frequently dip (though it hasn't turned into a game-breaking slideshow); there's noticeable pop-in; the textures are muddy, clipping is prevalent, and there's a soft focus to the world in general, similar to Devil May Cry 4 on PS3. The good news is the game is devoid of any screen tearing and when it comes to artistic mettle, it can be quite stunning at times, especially with its lighting. The world itself is alive with great wind effects, some lovely day to night transitions (though be wary of the night), and overall, a well realized D&D look.

Dragon's Dogma is however a joy to play. Initially allowing three classes to choose from -Fighter, Mage, and Strider -DD opens up with additional vocations, the game's preferred nomenclature, and adds Ranger, Warrior, Sorcerer, Mystic Knight, Magick Archer, and Assassin, for a total of nine vocations. Each vocation has its own skills and abilities, and you'll have opportunities to switch it up without having to start over, which allows you to experience the many variants in combat approach DD offers. If that's not enough, DD employs a unique pawn system, essentially party members, but with a twist. You create your initial pawn, and select their vocation, so you can live vicariously through them on the battlefield ... or should I say, they'll live vicariously through you. In addition to your pawn, you can hire two additional pawns created by other users, and these pawns take with them the knowledge they've acquired through questing with others into your game, frequently dropping quest hints and other various anecdotes pertaining to their surroundings; this also means your pawn, so carefully crafted, will be adventuring with others (they stay with you at all times regardless, even if someone "rents" your pawn while you're playing), and they too will come back with things to share, and if the previous master was so kind, with a gift left by whomever took them on their travels. It's an interesting take on the traditional party member, and something I've never come across in a game before. On one hand, I would like the option to just create all three of my pawns and form a bond with them as I adventure on; however, this system encourages the idea of player interaction, since you're swapping pawns frequently (they do not level up, and you can't assign specific skills, so you'll have to swap accordingly). It isn't as profound as Dark Souls online implementation, but it's a refreshing take on single-player RPGs with a community based element.

I've typed more than I intended and I' haven't even touched on the games crowning achievement, and that's the gameplay. The combat in this game is fantastic, with each class being awesome enough that no matter what you're doing, you'll see a pawn pull off some crazy **** and think, "I want to do that next!" The game simply feels like the director behind it brought us Devil May Cry 2, 3 and 4. And the best part is that this is an open world RPG! Dark Souls was all about precision, with a very methodical pace to its proceedings; DD is much more action oriented, with some eye-popping skills that are fun to perform and brilliant to look at it. The creatures that get to absorb these amazing attacks are terrific, with a nice variety of classic monsters that animate well and have attack patterns that require you to pay attention and to be on guard. I haven't even mentioned the climbing ability, similar to Shadow of Colossus, which allows you to scale these beasts and plunge whatever weaponry you're housing into their hides. Jeez, I haven't even mentioned the spells yet, either. You should see these spells! You really should, youtube them! It's what sorcery should look and feel like. DD just nails the combat. You'll know it as soon as you nock your first arrow and let it fly into the eye of a cyclops.

I could continue, but I feel I've made my point. Dragon's Dogma is a worthwhile entry into the open-world RPG market. It has fantastic combat and a grand sense of adventure, and it is able to encapsulate the feeling of danger that should arouse when you don't know what's down this cave you've stumbled across. It's unfortunate the engine can't keep up with its ideas (time for a new generation of consoles), but don't let that dissuade you if you're in the hunt for a lengthy title with rewarding gameplay.

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It's been a long time since I've played a game where I truly felt that I was adventuring, D&D style, in a dangerous world. The combat is weighty, visceral, and exceptionally diverse and offers a real challenge (but not frustratingly so like Dark/Demon souls). Each encounter becomes epically cinematic as you and your pawns (companions) work in tandem to block strikes, grapple with foes, climb giant monstrosities to access their weak points. At one point one of my AI teammates used his shield as a springboard to vault me up onto a giants arm, where I then clung swinging my sword, holding onto the beast as he thrashed. He stumbled over to the edge of a cliff turning the tactical jump I just made into a grave mistake, as now I didn't have ground underneath to land on if he shakes me off. During a caravan escort quest, a harpy swooped down and grabbed the guard next to me, carrying him to a nearby cliff and dropping him. These weren't a scripted events, they were ordinary encounters and mob mechanics that turn seamlessly cinematic.

The environment has a few features that some people will hate, but I've been longing for. Darkness is truly dark you need to ensure that you and your party have light sources (lanterns and oil for instance) before heading down into the unexplored, and those light sources can be influenced by the environment. Fighting in the water? Your light is going to go out and no amount of turning up the gamma will make it so you can see! Along those lines nighttime is also not something to be taken lightly. You need to plan your quests and travels so that you won't be caught outside when darkness falls, because not only will you not be able to see (even with light sources, it's realistically dark), but it's supremely dangerous. Getting caught out at night becomes nerve wracking as you strain to hear dangers that you can't hope to see, and try not to get lost as you seek some sort of shelter. It gives an old school feel of real danger and panic that I've really missed in games.

Character creation has you customizing every aspect of your character, not only in basic appearance and hairstyle, but in actual size, weight, bulk and musculature. This all plays into how your character performs a smaller light character will be more nimble, a bulky sumo character will be good at knocking foes down. Even your posture and stance can be customized, you can realize the stooped and wizened wizard you always wanted (for you or your pawn).

The pawn system surprised me the most, I didn't think I'd become so addicted to it. Essentially, you make one main pawn for yourself this is your constant companion on your journey, able to be designed with the full range of options as you yourself were built with. You equip them, they level with you, and most importantly they learn with you. As you do quests, fight monsters, and have conversations you direct their progression. Are they protective of the party and will help teammates above all else, or do they aggressively attack opponents disregarding everything else. Do they like to scout ahead or do they prefer to stay near the leader. If you show them how to do something (take restorative healing items), they'll learn how to do it themselves. These pawns and their AI are probably the most lifelike NPCs I've encountered in a long time, and the fact that they can be quite talkative just adds to that as they'll comment on anything and everything as you are exploring/adventuring.

You can have up to three other pawns with you in a party, but you yourself only make the one. The others you can hire are the ones that other players have made to be their main pawns. Your pawn doesn't go anywhere when another person uses them in their party, but instead a copy of them is used and then the quest and monster knowledge that they learn with other players, is retained. Your pawn will be out learning whether you are playing or not. I didn't expect to enjoy this feature so much, but seeing that my pawn is getting use by dozens and dozens of players, who send gifts and comments back with it showing it was useful to them, is a great feeling not to mention that my pawn then has new insights into various enemies or hazards in the world that helps me dramatically in my own game.

The only real negative I'm finding with the game is the weaker main story (it's on par with Skyrims main plot), some occasional performance issues during busy fights, and the predictability of some areas. That is even though it's an open world, when you've been somewhere enough, you begin to learn what might spawn where. Since combat is so much fun it's not too much of a drawback though, and it will take you some time before you explore the entire world enough to begin predicting where things are.

Overall this is an amazing RPG and one that I'm obviously enjoying immensely. If I had to compare this game to something, I'd say it's some amalgamation of Dark Souls, Skyrim, Monster Hunter and Shadow of the Colossus. The few negatives about the game are easily forgiven and forgotten in the face of how much dang fun it is.

Buy Dragon's Dogma Now

this is a truly excellent game with some really epic

fights. be warned though, you may die frequently especally at night when it seems

all the things that go bump in the night are bumping more so then usual

the nice part is you can save at any time.

the story isn't anythng special but serves well enough to get you into the game.

this game, unlike others does no hand holding at all

so you will not be treated to the usual tutorial or

any such standard RPG mechanics.

the battle system is fluid

and really fun to experiment with. the mages do really get strong after

some grinding (you will grind a lot in this game) I built my character

to be a "Mystic Knight" basicly a Warrior Mage hybrid. it seems to be a weaker class

though I have jolly good times climbing upon the likes of a cyclops and

stabbing him in his big old eye thus making him a bit chaotic

for a time where he even covers his face. the fighting is much more fluid

then in the demo which I thought was good but needed polish.

well the game has been polished quite nicely so most of the bugs you encountered

in the demo are not present here. (thankfully)

it's a little tough to get going since you have no idea where anything is and also do not know the map,

thus your first few adventures may be harder then you expected

especally when the quest marker is not being very helpful (I followed my quest objective into a city and upon going in it pointed behind me)

the pawns are a godsend though with better A.I. then I have seen in

an RPG in a very very long time. they heal you, fight the monsters

(a little zealously sometimes which leads to either death or another battle)

the pawns not only support your actions but actually assist very well

and their comments on the huge beasts weaknesses are most welcome! they also pick up items and give them to you. you also get a Main Pawn that will lvl up with you throughout the adventure and you may Hire using Rift Crystals up to Two Support Pawns that will Not gain levels with the party. they bring loot and info back to their masters. your pawn will be the same when "rented out" though while rented he will still be at your side so you're never without your main Pawn (unless he "dies")

the loot is a bit more sparse then I was getting from the videos but

it's not a big problem. the stores sell loads of items and Inns

sell Skill Upgrades where you expand upon your skill tree depending on your choices

the strider class is your "rogue" class with loads of nifty abilities (like invisibility). the mage is a AoE + Healing support style character.

you may also re-spec your points at almost any time (for a price)

the environments may seem bland at first but they soon are filled with life

and thgis life is intelligent too so beware of brigands that might

set a trap for you (like the rolling boulder shown in the vids)

or a dragon might come crashing through the trees and this above all

creates Tension throughout the adventure, which leads to caution.

caution is wise here as your pawns can "die" if one does it's sent back to the "rift" where they come from. your main pawn may be resummoned from the rift if he or she dies. support pawns cost Rift Crystals to aquire and the more crystals

you have the better class of pawns you can hire.

overall this game is a Must Buy for Hack & Slash fans and action RPG fans alike

theres loads of content and the map is Huge, be ready to cough up some rare loot

to fast travel though (No one rides for free I guess lol)

not only are the pawns quite smart, so are the baddies they will flank you, use long range to their advantage and annoy big monsters to lure then to you.

(so evil of them...) renting pawns is done through a rift stone 9they're scattered everywhere it seems) and a quest awaits you around every corner.

some of which take you underground into caves and labyrinths filled with the dead (some of which can posses party members lol) you must use a lantern in these dark places and you'll need to be sure to bring loads of Lantern Oil.

enemy types are quite varied with quite a few that will be easily identified by

RPG'rs and D&D fans. the enemies range from standard fare goblins on up to Chimera,

Harpies, Evil Eye (think Beholder) Hydra, Cyclops, Trolls, Ogres and more

all for you to climb on and give a beating (provided you have the stamina which is important in this game)

Some NG+ info

you get Portstones (which can be bought at the black cat in NG+) too which help a ton. (lets you set a spot to use ferrystones to Go to!)

you get one of these at the top of blue moon tower.

and at the end, the game IS NOT OVER! it's not only got NG+ (new game+)

but it has endgame content only available After beating the game. so there's Tons

to do. also they keep adding new quests and other stuff via DLC

the game is a blast if you're hesitating about picking it up, don't.

I haven't had this much fun with an RPG in years.

I'd recommend being at least lvl 50 before going for the end.

it's not due to the end boss rather, it will be eternal night

after the "final Battle" and is extreamly difficult. so be ready and

well equipped.

this game seems to be going back to

"the good ole days" of RPG's. I was shocked to see almost no fast travel (and I love it) (well, there IS fast travel but you need Ferrystones that you find (rarely) and they're extreamly valuable. also for resurrection you need Wakestones that you find in shards and need Three to Resurrrect your character. while this may sound difficult, it's great to use in times of dire need.) but I find it refreshing since it really makes you explore the whole world and as such, makes the game last longer (and the sun setting much more scary lol) also from the good ole days is the Lantern! How surprised I was at actually having to use the lantern in the dark (most games I turn the gamma up and I'm fine, not here though) and of course the brutal difficulty. it really makes me feel like I am playing old days D&D. I just love the game and it's exactly what I have been looking for on the ps3. I will sum it up in two words: Simply Stellar!

Gameplay: 4 of 5 stars due to the lack of a lock on. climbing is fun though.

Graphics: nicely polished and interesting locations 5 of 5 stars

Sound: an excellent score backs up the sound of combat 4 of 5

Controls: fairly easy to learn, menus can be a pain to navigate 5 of 5 stars

Fun: the game is a blast whether you're climbing a hydra lopping off it's heads one by one or bashing the undead in dark caverns. the battle system really makes the game shine. 5 of 5 stars

Overall: a must buy for RPG and Action RPG fans it will not fail to please.

5 of 5 stars

Read Best Reviews of Dragon's Dogma Here

I've been playing this for about 2 weeks now as a strider with a mage pawn...

Pros:

-Awesome Battles Boss battles are actually quite intense. Some of these monsters you face are HUGE. And I do love the aspect of climbing the monster till I reach it's forehead and begin happily jabbing away into its brainpan with my awesome daggers! Very Cool!

-Pawn System I originally bought this for the intriguing aspect of this pawn system. Long story short, you make a henchman The henchman can be recruited by another player online and gain knowledge, items, and experience. You can do the same for other players online as well. So it's quite interesting and I kind of dig it. The best part is that your henchman (pawn) never leaves your side; however, when you rest at an inn, you get word that apparently your pawn has been breaking heads with other players. Kinda cool!

-Big World Lots of exploring to do Like I said...I've been playing for 2 weeks, but this thing is like HUGE likely not Skyrim BIG but still, a vast world with a lot of stuff to see...should keep you occupied for awhile...

-One aspect I like is that when you venture out at night, it is actually a little scary...you can't see very far in front of you you're only fighting by a torchlight on your belt, and in the dark surrounding you, you can hear whatever monsters gathering...I like it that I'm actually nervous that something may happen to my character...

-Character customization Huge amount of character customization for your character and your pawn. There are some bizarre body type configurations if you like the idea of playing a mutant...

Cons:

You only have ONE save game unless of course you want to do some shake and bake and move your character to a thumbdrive or whatever, but I'll be honest...I'm too lazy to do all of that. So the fact that you only have ONE save for your ONE character is kinda BS.

No Fast Travel 'Nuff said. I mean, they got these little token-like things that are hella-expensive, but you don't just find them lying around all over or anything...So anyway, you will be traveling back and forth to a lot to the same places and fighting that same group of goblins over and over again...which is good and bad dependent on how you look at it...

The talking from your henchmen...they will repeat many, many things over and over again. I find it's easier if I lower the voice volume and leave everything else as is...

Story and quests are pretty lame and unimaginative...

In Closing:

Overall I like the game, it's difficult which keeps me coming back to it. It angers me often with the little stupid things that's wrong with it, but obviously it doesn't bother me that much because I keep playing it...I only wish I was able to have more than one save file. I feel that detracts from being able to fully explore and appreciate the game such as changing your class. I did learn this the hard way when I upgraded my Strider to an Arcane Archer, and decided I did not want to play an arcane archer yet...I figured, "Okay, no big deal, I'll just go back to my old class and continue to be awesome.." Ho, ho...not so...I had to buy back my old class and I dropped in my ranking for that class to 0. Not cool at all...But despite that harsh learning experience, I still like it, hence my Love/Hate relationship with Dragon's Dogma...

Want Dragon's Dogma Discount?

After a few hours with this game today, I think I have the gist enough to form an opinion.

Dragon's Dogma is a nice blend of Eastern RPG with Western style and flair. Maybe it tries a little too hard to get that Tolkien and Game of Thrones feel, but it is unlike what I've been able to come across from a Japanese title so far. Combat flows plenty, and depending on your class can feel like something familiar to a Devil May Cry game. It's not nearly as fast paced and combo related as the former, but you can definitely tell this game was made by the same people. So far I haven't run across any major bugs with the combat, and trust me, this is a combat heavy game.

The pawn system is really neat. Being able to pull your companions out of other peoples games is something innovative and highly useful. The first time you dive into the Rift it'll fee like second nature, and searching for that perfect Pawn comes naturally and easily. In my relatively short time with the game, my own personal companion returned several times with gifts of rift crystals and loot, as well as valuable experience on the land, quests, and monsters.

Exploration in this game is there for you pioneers out there. Most of my first hour in the game (after the tutorial stage) was spent searching every nook and cranny of my tiny sea town for any hidden goodies I was able to find, and find plenty I did. There is an item upgrade/crafting system in place that rewards players holding onto rare items and weapons. But treading off the beaten path isn't without it's own perils. Many times I've been jumped by bandits or lizard monsters by just exploring not very far away from the main road. And when this game tells you to only travel at day, trust me, they mean business. Exploration at night is difficult, but oh so rewarding if you're willing to take the chance.

Is it perfect? No, no, there could be some fixes here and there. The camera often fights against you in tight quarters. Some of the menu interfaces and wording for training your main Pawn isn't completely intuitive, and I often find myself guessing as to what her behavior will be like. The screen can become quite cluttered with key layouts and pawn dialogue, but that can be remedied with a few option preferences. The game doesn't really let you know if you're getting in over your head (protip: don't jump in the well in the first town until you've leveled up a bit...)

But that's half the fun, the trial and error of figuring out what to do on your own. It reminds me of the old days of gaming, before way points, game guides, and FAQs everywhere you turned, and beating a challenging game felt like a real accomplishment.

Bottom line: This is definitely something worth your attention if you're a fan of RPGs and adventure games. Take it slow, don't be afraid to run away, and enjoy your journey through Gransys. I know I am.

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Of Orcs and Men

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This is a great Tactical Rpg. I look forward to see more games from CYANIDE studios. This game is on the PSN network to download. But i prefer physical copy. Took a while to ship from the UK to the states. But it was worth it.

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I bought this game for my youngest son because he heard that this retail version would work on his PlayStation 3. This game worked like a charm.

Buy Of Orcs and Men Now

The oddity of there being Orcs and Goblins as main playable characters in a game really attracted me to this title. I wanted to know the other side of things rather than being an elf, human, or dwarf. Gameplay is similar to Dragon Age Origins, and SWKOTOR which for me was a plus. This consists of turn based party driven (in this case a duet of an Orc 'tank' and a Goblin 'rogue') strategy, with elements of role play where the main characters talk to NPCs, collect armor, weapons, etc... I personally enjoy these turn based strategy RPGs with a darker tone. Story wise this game is below the two games mentioned above but still has its moments. Most of its charm is in the two main characters conversations/camaraderie and in the concept itself (Orcs and Goblins instead of humans and elves) as opposed to the final execution. The graphics are nice, characters are average (in terms of current games), it has a dreary over tone with rain and dark woodland towns that comes off just above average in terms of ascetics. Towns are empty linear paths with some open areas that are usually there for combat. There are bases where there are allies and merchants to engage in conversation. Dialog choices do effect conversation outcomes as well as choices in routes to take or whether to be aggressive rather than passive and clever. Voice acting has some unneeded profanity to add some kind of misguided edge. Something like this was executed much better in the Witcher games. The darker fantasy fits but stumbles on itself with the writing. I wanted to like this game more than I really did. Bottom line if you have an interest in these type of games and are looking for something new rent it, or if you have a decent PC check Steam for a good deal.

Read Best Reviews of Of Orcs and Men Here

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Lightning Green WraptorSkinz Skin fits XBOX 360 & PS3 Guitar Hero III

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List Price: $19.95
Sale Price: $17.95
Today's Bonus: 10% Off

The main reason I bought this lightning green skin for my Guitar Hero controller was to match my XBOX 360 Elite, and it looks great displayed next to it! The skin itself is very thick, and the quality of the image is amazing! It does takes a pair of very steady hands to correctly position the skin, but it applies very well if you take your time. My skin did, however, have a few air bubbles, but they weren't too difficult to push out. Overall I would recommend this product!

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The product description says: "easily positioned, applied without air bubbles"

Product 3/5: It isn't bad and looks nice when it's in place. Not so easy to put this thing anyway.

For a deceptive description 1/5: This skin left bubbles, no matter what you do, it leaves bubbles all over the place and isn't "easily positioned". The only good thing is that effectively this skin doesn't create a mess when removed.

So, overall a 2/5 counting the very high price (18 bucks) for what it is. There are better options with a reasonable price out there.

Buy Lightning Green WraptorSkinz Skin fits XBOX 360 & PS3 Guitar Hero III Now

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PlayStation 3 250GB System

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NOTE: (Nov. 9, 2010) The PlayStation 3 320 GB with a larger disc is now available for the same price. Another option is PlayStation 3 320GB System with PlayStation Move Bundle which would make sense if the Move was something you wanted with your PS3.

_______________________________________

< BEGIN REVIEW >

Briefly, the PS3-250 is the exact original PS3 'Slim' with a twice as large hard disk.

I had the opportunity to actually see and use a PS3-250 on the Sunday prior to its launch. As I expected, the only difference between the ps3-250 and the PS3-120 is the larger disk with everything else the same. Many reviews of the PS3-120 are HERE.

< END OF REVIEW >

Once the decision was made to get a PS3, 2 important questions might be:

Which model to buy? PS3-120 or PS3-250?

To upgrade or not to upgrade to a 500/640GB PS3?

Based on personal experience and the experience of other PS3 owners that I know, the options are the following remember, these are my views:

PS3-120, no upgrade

---------------------

Buy a PS3-120 and do not upgrade if you use it mainly to play movies and you rarely download games from the PSN store. It will take you very far and it should have sufficient room for storing thousands of pictures and a lot of music besides it playing Blu-ray content and CDs.

I found that 120GB would not be enough for me. After a couple of years of use, with a few downloaded games, many more demos, lots of pictures and songs and some videos the kids made with the PS3 Eye we've breached the 120GB threshold. I would not worry about that if all I wanted was one of the better Blu-ray players. In addition, anybody comfortable with backing up/restoring the PS3 and upgrading the disk can postpone the upgrade step for later.

PS3-250, no upgrade

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Buy a PS3-250 and do not upgrade if you do plan to download a few movies and games but not a lot of them AND/or you don't feel comfortable with upgrading your PS3 yourself.

Anyone who is not an almost-exclusive movie viewer and doesn't want to mess with screws and OEM disks should buy the PS3-250. It should have enough capacity to last for quite a few years with good disk space management (delete the demos and downloads you no longer need).

PS3-120 upgrade to 500/640GB

------------------------------

Buy a PS3-120 and upgrade it to 500/640GB IF you don't mind swapping the PS3's disk. You get to upgrade your PS3-120 to quadruple capacity for very little expense and probably for less than a PS3-250 would cost you (see next paragraph). This should buy you peace of mind for the rest of your PS3's lifespan.

Keep in mind that a 500GB HDD such as the 500GB Scorpio Blue Mobile Sata 5400RPM 8MB 2.5IN or the Western Digital 640 GB SATA OEM Notebook Hard Drive WD6400BEVT (Scorpio Blue) if you don't mind the extra expense can be had for about 90 dollars at the time I am writing this. That would make a 500GB upgraded PS3-120 appear a little more expensive than the PS3-250 BUT you are left with a brand-new 120GB HDD (the drive originally in the PS3) when you are done and you can either sell it or use it as an external USB-powered backup drive or maybe to upgrade your laptop's drive. This would effectively set the price of the 500GB upgraded console to match that of the PS3-250.

There are many online guides that detail the process. I will post a couple URL's in a comment to this review.

PS3-250 upgrade to 500/640GB (not recommended)

------------------------------------------------

Do NOT buy a PS3-250 if you are planning to upgrade it to 500/640GB unless you really need a spare 250GB external HDD instead of a spare 120GB HDD and think that the price difference is worth the larger spare drive.

EVALUATION

The PS3-250 while not for everyone, deserves its 5 stars. In my view, there is enough value added by doubling the storage capacity to justify the price difference over the PS3-120.

______________________________________

NOTE: If you want to upgrade you are better off if you upgrade immediately.

This way you avoid the backup/restore hassles and therefore greatly simplify the process. I would include the upgrade HDD on the same order with the new PS3 and maybe add a HDD enclosure if planning to use the drive I removed from the PS3 as an external drive.

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I had no idea which unit to buy, the 120 or the 250 GB Playstation 3. I ended up with the 250 out of fear that the 120 would leave me desiring more space later. If you don't know anything, here is what I see so far. On the Playstation network, you can download game demos and marketing videos for games free. I haven't found myself doing this a lot yet. Of course, you can also delete them easily after you watch them.

Most playable games even old ones cost to download so I have decided to just buy a couple of the popular ones and am hooked on those and the stunning DVD and Blu Ray movie quality for now. You are not going to be able to download games like Modern Warefare 2 to your hard drive from the PS network that I can see. WHen you buy a game at the store or here on amazon in disc format, you have to install it first. This may take some hard drive space. So far, one game I have takes nearly 3 GB and another takes up less than 1 GB but the games also called for an update download which I don't know how much space that took. At this rate, you could install maybe 100 store bought disc format games.

Playing movies on disc doesn't seem to take hard drive space. You can download movies from the Playstation network. If you do much of this, I image you'll need more space but the movies I was interested in cost the same amount to buy from amazon or wal-mart as to download so if you can wait to go to the store or recieve a package, you don't need to download it. You can rent movies also. I imagine this is a download that is disabled after a time period or after it is viewed or something. You can also download TV shows like "The Office" for $2 an eposode. If you want to do a lot of that, maybe the bigger HD is a good idea.

I am thinking you would do well with just the 120GB unless you know you are going to make a collection of movies and TV shows and low priced downloadable games on your Playstation.

You can also save photos on the Playstation as well as video. If this is part of your plan, well again more space may help. The PS3 has USB ports where I believe you could load photos and home movies from to view on your TV.

You can also access your applications on the www like facebook.

Bare in mind that there are a lot of folkes out there with older PS3's that have only 40 and 80 GB drives who love their playstation and don't feel the need for the 250 GB drive.

I don't feel upset that I spent the extra $50 to get the larger drive because it might be useful later, but if I knew then what I know now, I would have been comfortable buying the 120 for my purposes which is playing a small number of games (not a small amount of time, just a small number of games because they cost a lot) and watching some Blu Ray movies.

If you still find it hard to make a decision, ask yourself if you want to spend more money because both models are the same except the HD size which you can upgrade later. By the time you buy the unit, HD cable, a game, maybe another controller and remote control for Blu Ray, you'll be in deep on the expense and maybe another $50 isn't acceptable.

It is a very good and fun product. After I spent all the money on what I needed, I debated on hooking it up or sending it back because it was a lot of money; I'm very glad I hooked it up and delt with the expense. It is everything I hoped.

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Prior to getting the PS3, we had a Sony BluRay player, an Apple TV and a PC hooked up to our Sony Bravia LCD TV. PC was used for Netflix and backing up the Apple TV, Apple TV was used to rent and buy movies, and the Sony BluRay Player simply played BluRay DVDs. After learning about the functionality of the PS3, I was sold.

We've had it for about 2 weeks now and I am ever impressed with it's capabilities and quality. Keep in mind, this is the first type of gaming system like this we've owned (we do have a Wii but I put this in a different class). Here's my take on the various functions and their quality, smoothness and quickness of processing/playing.

Gaming Amazing quality with no hesitations at all (playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2) and I've been playing quite a bit since we first got it. Like the Wii, you can download old games like Mortal Kombat II and new ones for PS3 and the PSP. Initially, I didn't think I was going to play that much but the graphics and the games have been really cool. Not much of an online player at the moment but it seems that most have this option available. Even Mortal Kombat II. You can create user profiles on the PS3 which automatically link to saved game data. Automatic and very nice. Create additional users so they can advance at their own pace.

BluRay Discs load quicker than the Sony BluRay player we bought about 9-12 months ago. Thoroughly impressed with the quality of the picture. You can also play older discs and they'll work just fine.

Netflix You'll need to get a disc from Netflix to be able to do this. We've watched Instant Watch movies via PC/Internet on our TV and the quality wasn't too bad. I say acceptable and sometimes the movie would freeze for a few seconds. On average about two freezes per movie. We were expecting the same thing via the PS3 but were dead wrong. The quality is AMAZING and there has not been one hiccup in the video. This really impressed us...and I'm a picky so don't take that compliment lightly. :)

Renting/Buying Movies/Shows via PlayStation Store Lots of shows available for viewing, including the current season of whatever season you're into. We don't rent these but it's nice to know we can in case the DVR gets goofed up for some reason. As for movies, the files are larger compared to Apple TV/iTunes downloads but with this the quailty is much better. HD movies are available but they're pretty big, about 6 GB! If you're buying movies then it's worth the wait and the extra 5 dollars. SD movies are still good quality for basic rentals. However, if you have a good cable connection you may want to rely on your On Demand Rentals to bypass waiting for long HD downloads. Again, PS Store is good for purchases and I encourage it to save on materials/resources...go green where you can. :) Only downfall with buying/renting movies this way is that the files don't have chapter markers so you can advance through sections of the movie like you can with a DVD. Hopefully they change this.

Internet If you need to access the web you can but you'll probably want to pick up the Logitech keyboard to do this. The speed of browsing isn't too fast and the viewing area isn't the largest. I'll walk over to my computer to do a search rather than use the PS3.

Photos/Music Depending on your computer setup (Mac or PC) you may need to get some additional software in order to turn your computer into a media server. Then, through your wireless network you can access the music and play it through the PS3. Same goes for photos...or you can load the photos onto the PS3 directly, same goes for the music. Really amazing features but take a little research on what file formats are compatible, etc.

PS3 Backup With an external drive attached, you can back up the PS3, which is great.

Overall, I say go for the 250GB if you're into being green like me and wish to download games, movies and load photos and music. This device is truly an all-in-one and like I said, I'm picky. Not to mention I understand technology pretty well. If, after taking a realistic inventory, you will use all or the majority of the services, grab one of these suckers. I'd also recommend going Sony for your TV and surround sound. They all work really well together.

Enjoy!

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Hi there,

Let me give you some background:

I purchased a PS3 60 GB model at launch back in November 2006. I have loved everything about it ever since. I even upgraded the hard drive to a 250 GB hard drive about a year and a half ago.

Why did I choose to purchase this new, slim, 250 GB model?

Honestly, it's a great deal for what you get. It's cooler (temperature wise), more energy efficient, and it takes up MUCH less space than my previous model. (Not to mention the much nicer, matte black finish as opposed to the older piano black finish which is a scratch/fingerprint magnet.)

Thinking about the new 120 GB vs. this 250 GB model? Maybe this will help:

Originally, I had planned to buy the 120 GB model and upgrade to a 250 GB or 320 GB hard drive myself. However, at the $349.99 price point, there's no need to perform the upgrade myself. For a quality Western Digital or Seagate 250 GB hard drive, you'll be spending anywhere from $50 to $70 plus shipping and/or tax, and for a 320 GB hard drive you'll be spending upwards of $75. Honestly, there really isn't any reason for that with this model. Why go through the hassle when Sony offers a great package at the perfect price point?

I for one am happy with my purchase which I received today from Amazon and am happily inagurating it with the GI Joe: Rise of Cobra blu-ray. For almost anyone that I can think of, the 250 GB hard drive will be more than enough space. However, should the need arise in a year or two (or three), a 500 GB hard drive will be dirt cheap and easy enough to install.

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By now, the PS3 has been extensively reviewed and this latest iteration (the "slim") has been out in the 120gb format for 2 months now (since September 1st, 2009).

To summarize the benefits:

Slimmer, lighter, and more energy efficient than the prior "fat" PS3

Blu-ray player built-in

Netflix streaming (yay!)

Free online service (vs. subscription based X-box live)

The negatives:

No backwards compatibility with PS2 games

Bluetooth remote only (and not included, so need to purchase a remote to use as a dvd/blu-ray player, no IR (but a number of bluetooth-to-IR solutions like Logitech Harmony Adapter or Infra-red to Bluetooth Adapter)

No more Linux support

With Blu-ray player prices now dropping to the $100-$150 range, the PS3 makes for an expensive option as a Blu-ray player only. As a home media center player/HTPC device, it really shines and is a great deal (you can't build a HTPC with a blu-ray player for less). It IS somewhat limited, however, as a HTPC as its browser is not up to par. Too bad Sony dropped linux support for the PS3. The addition of Netflix streaming (currently requiring a disc but supposedly becoming native in a future firmware update) just ices this cake.

edit to address the HD upgrade issue:

Yes, you can buy the 120gb for $50 less and, yes, you can install whatever capacity 2.5" hard drive you'd like fairly easily as long as you're willing to pay for a new hard drive. BUT, considering that (1.) you'd still have to spend extra money (more than the $50 difference), (2.) spend time and effort to upgrade and (3.) you'd then have an extra 120gb hard drive afterwards to go through the hassle of ebaying (unless you turn it into another usb/backup drive--I've got too many as it is). I find that it is just not worth it. Spend the extra $50, get the 250gb installed by Sony and warrantied by Sony.

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Capcom Biohazard Revival Selection for Ps3

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One of the legacies that will ultimately mark the seventh generation of video game consoles is its obsessions with upscalling sixth generation video games, add in throphies or achievements and sell it either on disc or as DLC. So many games from last gen have had second lives on this gen from Devil May Cry, Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, Tekken, Splinter Cell, God of War, Okami, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Silent Hill, Ico & Shadow of the Colossus, Sly Cooper, Yada Yada Yada. What does this really tell you? That games were simply better back? Sure I won't deny it. Games from the last gen have aged much better than games from previous generations? I agree. That games today lack the finese and standards that games just a generation ago possessed? Pretty much dead on I say. Pretty much when a game we loved back in the day gets an HD upgrade, we all get excited. Not one to skimp out on this trend is Capcom. They've put two major entries from their Resident Evil saga that have yet to appear on the PS3. And that is where this review comes from.

The review is ofcourse Biohazard Revival Selection, a Japan-only blu ray that contains Biohazard 4 and Biohazard Code Veronica in HD. Just a reminder, in Japan, Resident Evil is called Biohazard. But I will pretty much call them Resident Evil in this review because we are more familiar with that name over Biohazard. So anyways, like I mentioned, in Japan the game came out in both digital and physical disc form for those with really crude Internet connections. However for the rest of the world, Resident Evil 4 HD and Code Veronica HD only came out on the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PS Store. But don't think the disc version excuses the player from installing the game. That is not the case. It turns out that the blu ray acts as both the installation disc and the key for one to be able to play the games. You still will have to install the game on to your HDD but will need to insert the disc in every time you want to play the games. This is ofcourse to detract players from only installing the game once and then giving out or lending the disc in to another user.

The inclusion of RE CV and RE4 on the PS3 marks a significant occasion as it is now the only system where you can experience the main cannon Resident Evil games from the original all the way up to the sixth game which is due out Fall 2012. Though the PS3 still lacks Revelations (a pretty important game in terms of storyline progression), but knowing Capcom, they could be planning a port of that game on to the HD systems, with 3D capabilities.

The first game of this collection is Resident Evil Code Veronica HD. Originally a Dreamcast game, Code Veronica's port to Hd was not a very impressive one. While the game is still creepy, muddy textures, blurry lighting, and dated game mechanics ultimately hamper the experience. Many hold Code Veronica highly though for its lengthy quest, genuinely scary moments, and engaging though campy story.

Resident Evil 4 HD is the highlight of this collection. Originally released on the GameCube back in 2005, Resident Evil 4 was eventually ported to the PS2, PC, and Wii prior to the HD upgrade. 4 stands as the current blueprint of the series as it is now a full fledge action game franchise. The HD upgrade looks gorgeous thought using the Wii version as the template. Contrary to what some critics have said, the Wii version was used not the PS2 port. The main game uses in game engine for the cutscenes just like with the Wii version. However, just like in the Wii version, if you are wearing Leon's third costume, the cutscenes will revert to Leon's default costume. Another complaint from the critics is with the Separate Ways missions. In case none of you noticed, the Wii version used prerendered cinmatics for Ada's adventure. And because they are prerendered cinematics native in 480i, you will notice how bad they look on the HD update.

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More than Happy to recieve this Game. I will never get tired of it!

It was revieved in a Timely manner.

Thanks!!!!

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I got this game for my husband because he is a huge Resident Evil fan. He loved this addition to his collection. Thank you for having this available

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Sony PS3 Controller Decal Style Skin - Camouflage Purple

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Looks even better on my ps3 paddle. Resticks easy enough if you made a little mistake but once you smooth it out its on! Love the colors. Will buy again.

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PlayStation 3 FrontMan Wireless Guitar - White

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I have read so many comments about people having "defective" guitars that I had to write these instructions. First off, Nyko provided very poor instructions but the guitar does work. So before you return your guitar have a read of the instructions below.

Instructions Overview

=====================

To get it to work with Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero you must first sync or link the guitar with the red Pedal. Then turn the select button to Guitar Hero on the Pedal. (Part of these instruction was borrowed from Jim C. from Chicago post. Thanks Jim.)

Detail Instructions to make the guitar work

============================================

1. turn off ps3

2. connect red pedal

3. turn on ps3

4. press Nyko button on guitar (goes into slow blinking mode)

5. press pedal button (pedal goes into fast blinking mode)

6. press Nyko button on guitar (goes into fast blinking mode)

7. make sure both are blinking fast, then press Nyko button one last time

Turn the button on the pedal to Guitar Hero and keep it there regardless of you playing Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero.

You see, Rock Band 2 recently provided an update to allow Guitar Hero World Tour instruments to work with the game. The updates cause problems with the Nyko guitar playing Rock Band 2. You get crazy button presses if you select "Rock Band" on the Nyko pedal. To fix the problem, just switch the button to "Guitar Hero" on the Nyko pedal and the guitar will work for both games. That it.

Overall Comments

=================

The guitar is offered at a very good price compare to OEM, especially if you just want to try out Guitar Hero or Rock Band. I just don't like the look so much but it does work well. If this is half the price of an OEM its a good deal for a new or spare instrument. It was on sale here for one quarter the OEM price during their Black Friday sale and Gold Box deal which makes it a great deal. Hope this helps.

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I got this guitar as a cheap option to be able to add a second guitar to GH3 and Rockband. I bought it for $9.99 which seemed like a real steal. After getting it I saw all the reviews from people how fireware 3.10 made the guitar useless. I just got the guitar today. At first I couldn't get the thing to work, then after some dumb luck it worked for Rockband. My wife wanted to play some GH3 so I went to change to GH3 (instructions say you need to restart your PS3 for it to connect....total lie). When I did it, it didn't work. After some searching online I found out that someone else was able to get it to work. THIS IS HOW I AM ABLE TO MAKE IT WORK:

1. You need 3 other controllers besides the Nyko guitar (they can be the rockband instrument set, or just any PS3 controllers. I used a DS3 a RB guitar and GH3 guitar)

2. You need all 3 of the controllers assigned to the PS3 taking up spot 1-3 except the Nyko guitar (goal is to assign the Nyko to 4 or higher)

3. Plug in the Nyko dongle and attempt to link with the guitar (it will most likely make the Nyko button turn red which is the color that won't play)

4. Turn the switch on the dongle back and forth once or twice ending on GH setting letting the guitar link on it's own (It may not assign correctly on the first try, but keep switching between Rockband setting and GH setting. Always end on GH, because it will work with Rockband on GH setting)

5. After a few times it should link and allow you to play

Obviously this option isn't something that everyone wants to put up with, but for $10 it'll work fine for my uses. Hopefully my instructions will help ppl that either want to keep the guitar or can't return it for a refund.

The guitar works well after tricking it into linking. I can't buy a guitar for $10 that will work on both GH3 and RB so this guitar is a winner in that regard.

************Buyer beware if you expect this product to link automatically as advertised. Sony has stated they will not do anything to enable it to work and Nyko has a statement out that they are working on a solution, but who knows when or if they will deliver one.

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I hardly ever write reviews, but hear me out on this one if you're planning on buying this guitar.

The short version: If you have small hands, this guitar is not for you. Not sure how this would be if you had larger hands, but I don't have that perspective to give.

The long version: This is all from the perspective of someone with "small" hands, I can hold a basketball with one, but barely. I'm 23 years old, so not kid hands. To give an idea of "small," there's about 2.5 inches left between my middle finger and thumb when wrapping around a 1 liter soda bottle before they touch.

I bought this mostly because I needed a guitar for Guitar Hero 3 and GH Aerosmith. It was also to be a nice addition as a bass for Rock Band when more than 2 other roommates were out in the living room when I was playing, or when someone got sick of singing.

Does this guitar work? It didn't for me in terms of being able to play a game productively. I personally prefer the Rock Band guitar, so that is my bias. The fret buttons respond to their pressing, but in no way was I able to actually play. The frets are small and need to be pressed on roughly in the center in order to register. If you have the habit of slipping to the side, it drops registration and you lose or miss the note. The strum bar works perfectly, but with the frets not picking up my presses it was pointless.

To give a comparison, I average 85-98% on Expert in Rock Band with the RB guitar. With this guitar, I struggled on Hard and couldn't pass beyond 22% on Expert before failing for the first song of GH Aerosmith. The registration was just not there for the sides of the buttons, which is all I was able to press due to the thick neck that made it so hard for someone with smaller hands.

The biggest problem with this guitar is that it was physically painful to play with. I hadn't played more than 20 minutes (failing the very first song on GH Aerosmith 4 times in a row between 10-22% completion and then moving on to a lower difficulty to struggle through 3 songs just to hear them) before my wrist hurt more than it ever had. Every guitar I had used has caused some kind of "burn," but this was very extreme, and I stopped due to it feeling like it was about to cause physical damage. As of right now I can use the Rock Band guitar for roughly 2-3 hours before feeling anything in my wrist anymore, my other hand usually tires from strumming before also, but this guitar managed to cause great pain (not just discomfort) in a very short time due to how it had to be held in order to press the fret buttons with any kind of accuracy.

So, if you have small hands, this guitar is definitely not a good choice. The neck is so wide that it becomes very difficult to press the fret buttons and be able to play quickly and accurately, and managed to cause me a great deal of pain in a very short time. I actually packed it up and had dropped it off at the post office to be returned in less than 2 hours of it showing up at my front door.

Other minor notes: It is quite neck-heavy, in that in the relaxed position the neck will hang pointing downward. Really weird and awkward, and may influence playability when having to support the neck the entire time with the hand that has to reach all over for the frets.

Syncing it with the wireless receiver is a pain. I noticed posts online here and there saying the instruction manual is worthless and there are "tricks" to getting it to sync, so if you do manage to order this guitar I'd look for those online. I actually sat with my roommate for 5 minutes trying to re-sync it after I got it to drop its connection.

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I bought a pair of these controllers a few months back to use with Beatles Rock Band. They worked great, and I had no complaints at all . . . UNTIL PS3 released a firmware update that made them no longer compatible. I have nothing bad to say against NYKO, since I know that this problem is not their fault, but if you're buying a controller for PS3, this is literally a waste of money. Amazon should remove the product from the site, but they're dragging their feet. Please do not make the mistake of buying this product.

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Since not too many of these reviews are updated, I thought I'd share some "new" information on this guitar. In Rock Band mode, it works perfectly in Rock Band 1.(I'm sure it works great in Guitar Hero 3 as well, although I don't own the game) To use this on Rock Band 2, you actually have to put it in Guitar Hero mode. (It doesn't work in Rock Band mode for some odd reason) This just makes it so you can't use the effects switch. It works perfectly with Guitar Hero World Tour as well as the Guitar Hero Aerosmith demo.

These points aside, I've had this guitar for one day, and from what I can see it's pretty solid.I took off one star for the following:

I find the guitar neck to be a bit too fat, as I'm used to the Stratocaster controllers. Those used to the Guitar Hero controllers might not see this as a negative, as the GH guitars are also quite fat in the neck. My left hand tires out more easily on this guitar.

No effort was made to make this guitar look good. This guitar looks like straight up plastic compared with the nice finishes of the RB strat and GH guitar. It's kind of hard to tell from looking at the screenshots, but its quite hideous.

Also, the fret buttons are a bit small, and I find myself missing notes that I could easily hit on the stratocaster.

The dongle is huge. It is easily as big as 4 of the rock band dongles combined. I'm sure its this big because they had to combine dongles for both GH and RB, but I thought this should be pointed out in my review.

I would recommend this for a 2nd guitar.

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PS3 Premium HDMI Cable - 9.8ft

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Man. don't drop a hundo on an HDMI cable. This one is great. the TV says 1080p, just like with the other one. The other one may be made from "more better metal" but there's a finite speed that electrons can travel.

This was a great deal, because it meant I could get a game and a cable for the price of just a cable.

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This is the best HDMI Cable I ever had, I bought several before this one and they all broke. This one I have it since 2 years and counting...

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Megamind: Ultimate Showdown

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Im 25 years old and sometimes i like to buy games like this because i dont really have to think and they are pretty fun to play. sometimes i just want an easy game that is pretty simple. If you have kids i would definently get this game. the controls are perfect for little kids. you only use sqare to fire,circle to interact with things, and x to jump. the combat is easy but fun. id say if your kid is atleast 3 he could play this game, sometimes you have to pick stuff up and place it in certain spots so you kid might need some help with that but if your kids playing im sure you wont mind watching him play. i just wanted to let people know that this is a fun game and kids will love this game. just like i said i play kids game sometimes and on some of them im like how would you expect a 4 or 5 year old to beable to do this. this is a great game for any one at any age. It is co-op to so you and your kid can play together. as you beat stages you unlock mini games i havent tried them out yet because i just beat the game. the game is not long maybe 3 hours for me but im also 25 and its sopposed to be a kids game so they will take longer and im sure they will want to do the mini games and replay some levels. I hope this review helps and if you have any questions just leave them in the comments and i will try to get back to you.

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I admit it. I wanted an easy Platinum. I had just gotten my PS3, and wanted to boost my stats so I'd have a better chance of getting into some on-line gaming. I got this game because it was cheap, and it was listed as being one of, if not THE easiest game to get that first Platinum with.

Maybe it's just because I enjoyed the movie, but I loved the game. I got the Platinum in very little time, then kept the game. Normally, I would have traded it in, but it was so much fun, I kept it for side-to-side, co-op play at home. As far as a fast, kill-an-afternoon game goes, this one is surprisingly fun. It ALMOST makes me wish I had a child of my own to play with. It's one of those rare, fun for all ages games.

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THIS GAME WAS A GREAT GAME FOR MY KIDS. IT WAS EASY WITH SMOOTH GAME PLAY. ANOTHER EASY PLATINUM. IT TOOK ONLY 3HOURS.

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This is not a very good game. I have PS2 games with better graphics. It did not take very long to finish.

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I love it great product A + + + + + + + + + + + + ++ +

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YT Wired DualShock 3 Controller for PS3

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No tracking available

Arrived LATE

Still needed 3rd party software to use on a pc, regardless if you downloaded the driver via net or cd

Very light

Requires buttons to fully be pressed in to register

Slightly sticky buttons

No problems with joy sticks

2star

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Controller does work, its very lightweight and aesthetically pleasing. My only gripe is that the buttons seem kind of sticky, not literally but I seem to be getting input lag when I try to do combos with fighting games, other than that it works fine.

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Sony PlayStation 3 Slim Skin (PS3 Slim) - NEW - BRUSHED SILVER

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Decent Skin if you can put it on, i had this on my ps3 for a few weeks before it started to peel and i eventually pulled it off. Its too hard to get on but if you get it on perfect and it stays it looks very nice

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I've had many system skins for various consoles in the past, and usually they are very thick and look tacky. This skin, however, looks like I bought a ps3 that came in an entirely different color. The skin had a lot of separate pieces that covered the entire system. All in all I count about 20 pieces. They also included 2 cutouts for applying onto your controller. The controller skins only cover the front of the controller, not the whole thing. The skin fits very well and I would highly recommend any skin by this company.

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Well I was excited when I ordered the skin, thinking it was like the ps2 skins that I had for a ps2. Those were thick and easy to install. BUT these ps3 skins are worthless. Mine are already coming off. AND putting it on the ps3 was extremely hard to make it accurate. I wont buy another one thats for sure.

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Lightning Colors Skin by WraptorSkinz fits Rock Band Drum Set

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $24.99
Sale Price: $19.95
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

Disappointed that I spent $20 on something that is already, just a couple of weeks later, cracked, peeled and broken.

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These skins looks great but don't stick on the drum pads well. Disappointed with these skins.

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These add a "rocking" touch to the drum set and make them sound more like hitting a drum rather than hitting a cardboard box. Teenagers loved them.

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PlayStation 3 - 320 GB System/PlayStation Move Bundle

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $399.99
Sale Price: $354.99
Today's Bonus: 11% Off

MOVE VS. OTHERS :)

Ever since the launch of Slim, the PS3 has been undertaking a quiet revolution or... could it be the console's midlife crisis? :) Here's what happened recently and I will only note the more important developments going 12 months back (writing this in Oct., 2010):

NetFLIX streaming, now disc-less, 1080p, 5.1 surround sound

Much larger disc (this one is triple the size of the original Slim)

Move

3D gaming

Blu-ray 3D

This is a lot of new 'stuff' for a 4 year old console. I am not going to go into bean-counting mode and compare the PS3 improvements with what we see at the other guys but, clearly there is a lot of life in the PS3 and a lot of what the PS3 has to offer today 3D gaming, Blu-ray 3D either cannot be duplicated or is unlikely to be implemented by other consoles of this generation.

WHAT YOU GET, WHAT YOU MAY NEED

Briefly, this is what you get in with this bundle and I will make it very short because there's a lot of info. at the Amazon page:

PS3 Slim with...

* 320GB HDD as far as I know, the largest hard disk a console has ever had. You CAN upgrade it to a 500GB if you want but 320GB should probably be enough. See PS3 Slim reviews for details and features

* Move controller, of course

* PlayStation Eye camera (must have for the Move to work)

* Sports Champions (Ping Pong is simply awesome, some of the games play much better with a second controller)

* A demo disc so you can see what Move can do for you (most of the demos can be downloaded from the PSN)

DualShock 3 controller (rumble, motion sensitive)

ONE USB wire mostly to charge the controllers

I marked with asterisks the items that come with the bundle are not included in the Slim 160GB package.

Depending on how you are planning to use the PS3, this is what you don't get but may end up buying eventually:

HDMI cable for HD output (a component cable should work too but you can get a decent HDMI for $3-5 or so)

One or more extra USB wires same as above, don't pay more than $2-3 for one

One more Move Controller (some games will either require two controllers or will play better with two)

One or two Navigation Controllers (you can use the DualShock in your left hand but it feels weird)

Dedicated charger, especially if you have more than one Move controller or you also have a Navigation controller

PS3 TV remote controller to use when watching movies

TO BUNDLE OR NOT TO BUNDLE

We got the bundle because we really needed a fresh console but, it turns out, if you already have a PlayStation 3 Eye camera all you need is the stand-alone Move controller to be able to play Move games. If you don't have the Eye then it's going to cost a little more but the general idea is that it's possible to ease yourself into the Move universe and possibly stop if you feel that the Move is not for you. However, if you get yourself hooked, the odds are that you are going to spend A LOT on extras, eventually see above.

THE PS3 BUNDLE VS. OTHER OPTIONS

At the time I'm writing this you can get a Move-less, 160 GB PS3 for $100 less. In my view, it's probably worth buying this bundle even if you do NOT want the Move because you should be able to sell your brand-new Move controller ($49), the PS Eye ($30) and the Sports Champions ($40) game and make close to $100 in the process and you will STILL have a console with TWICE the disc capacity.

MY RATING

This bundle is probably the best PS3 deal ever see my notes on how you could sell the Move stuff if you don't want it and still end up ahead. I've been a PS3 owner ever since the 60GB classic became available and I've been impressed with the PS3's reliability, versatility and its sheer power and I've owned both 'classic' and 'slim' models, upgraded most, gave away a couple. In the end it's a matter of personal taste but the PS3 is increasingly the most popular 'gaming' or 'entertainment' implement in our household. And we DO own an Xbox too.

I will not go through the long list of PS3's features. It would be an exaggeration to say that it does 'everything' but, in my view, it does a lot more than the competition and it's doing it increasingly well. Agreed, features and capabilities do not come for free and sometimes they don't even come cheap (see my list of possible add-ons above) but I can't say that I have the feeling of being constantly nickeled and dimed when I upgrade my PS3. I will have no choice at this time but to order the extra Move and Motion controller from Sony but the charger, the larger discs I used to upgrade my old classic, all of the cables came or will come from third party vendors and even for the old SixAxis and the remote controller there were alternatives at the time I decided to buy the Sony-made ones. In addition, the 'basic' PS3 console can take you pretty far as it is and you can have a lot of fun without having to spend one extra penny.

To conclude, this bundle gets 5 stars:

for being chuck-full of 'stuff' (controllers, game, huge hard disc)

for being the most cost-effective PS3 deal at the time I am writing this (Sep. 17, 2010)

for the PS3 being the most feature-rich, well-balanced console you can get these days

____________________________________________

Aug. 16, 2011 Note:

Quite a lot happened to the PS3 since I posted my review. A week or so ago Netflix became part of a new category named TV/Video Services with Hulu PLUS, Vudu HD Movies, NHL GameCenter Live and MLB.tv. I've had Netflix for quite a while and if Hulu adds a lot of movies show to what I'm getting from Netflix I may say goodbye to my satellite provider. Under the Music tab I can see now Qriocity. I believe there is a 6 months free trial but I'm a Pandora guy so I'm not sure I'll sign up. It's good to know it's there.

Oh and... funny coincidence. I just read that Sony cut $50 of all consoles sold in the US. I paid $499 for my first 60GB PS3 back in 2007 (came with 8 or 10 Blu-ray movies so it wasn't THAT bad a deal) and it's still one of our 2 PS3. Not even a hiccup after 4 years of gaming and movie viewing.

--

>> Brush your teeth, it's the law!

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Nascar 09

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $26.72
Today's Bonus: 11% Off

I have a Logitech Pro Wheel, an HDTV, the whole set up, and I am a HUGE NASCAR fan.

This is probably the most disappointing game I have ever played. It is a complete disaster. The only possible way that anyone can enjoy this game is if they have never played another racing game in their life.

It constantly freezes. It has frozen three times for me today while trying to play online. I hit join game, and the PS3 freezes. It is infuriating.

The graphics are abysmal. Compare this game to GT5 prologue; it is an absolute joke. You cannot see things until they are right up on you, the resolution is awful; this looks like a PS2 game, IF THAT.

Jeff Gordon is constantly talking to you, it gets incredibly annoying.

Load times are incredibly long; go to the bathroom while the next screen is loading, come back and wait some more.

The setups are completely impossible to figure out; if you want racing but do not want to spend 40 hours trying to figure out the best setup for each track, forget about competing online.

But when you do finally get your car handling correctly and take it online, for one, there will always be someone with a car much better than yours (and you will never be able to figure out how to catch him), and two, there is always the sound of a pre-school class full of kids in the background with a microphone, wrecking everyone in the back. The competition is just awful, the other players are a joke. I think the reason for this is that serious simulation racers laugh at EA NASCAR games and go straight to NR2003 or something. Do not expect any good competition; towards the front, it is nothing but a battle of setups from what I have seen anyways, not much real racing going on.

Do not buy this game. You may feel the need to buy the only NASCAR game available, but this is not worth your time. It is a monopoly at its worst, an absolute utter waste of $ and an insult to us as humans that this is our only option. Shame on NASCAR for letting a terrible company like EA buy exclusive rights to making their game.

I want a good NASCAR game on my PS3; I want it desperately, but it looks like I am never going to get it.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue gives you a better NASCAR racing experience. Racing Daytona on that game and compare it to Daytona on NASCAR 09; not even close, it is night and day.

Do not buy this game.

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Well I was waiting for this years installment to come out to write a NASCAR review, but that's not going to happen any time soon. This game was a must buy for me because I buy it every year. NASCAR 08 was terrible in my opinion and I hoped that EA would change their way of thinking this year. By far this game exceeds the previous installment. The actual racing is nicely refined, giving veterans of the series a more challenging experience while still giving the rookie a chance. There is an opening race where you set up your skill level, actually the game provides its estimate of what you should pick, I chose the veteran driver setting, but if you're a rookie I advise you don't choose it. The game play is fast and furious. Even if you've found the perfect set up for a track and saved the next time around the track will change and you're back to square one just like in real life. I wish they had a tutorial for the setups to help me adjust my car better. I simply adjust air pressure, wedge, and the track bar the rest of the set up is a mystery to me. The career mode is lacking though. There is really no interaction with the team you chose. You can't communicate with team mates or even see who your teammates are. There are no driver changes; everyone is the same every year. There is no trophy room to see your hard earned possessions. The contracts are stupid; a team dropped me a three time champion because I didn't qualify in the top 20 one race. You also can't run more than one series at a time you have to choose which one to run at the beginning of the season. Also I liked in previous years where you could build up your garage and team, and even price your own merchandise. All that has been taken away, you can't even check your stats for the previous year. Come on EA what were you thinking in the career mode. Overall the only choice right now and the game play is smooth enough, but the lack of split-screen still pisses me off.

PresentationThe game has an interactive Jeff Gordon to talk to you as you progress through your career which is nice. The music is a mix of country and rock to accommodate both music groups. The ability to save and watch your replays is nice. 4.5/5

GraphicsIt's the same every year. They get a little better. There is nice dirt on your screen when you go through the grass. The damage element needs to be more elaborate, you can't really tear up your car that much. The normal cars look great, but your created cars are missing the nice polished look the other drivers have. The inside camera view is very well done. The stats you can out on while driving really help you adjust the car, though they hurt the realism of the game, I love the tire wear gauges. 4.3/5

Game playThe overall driving is a lot of fun. You actually feel like your driving a stock car. There are a few problems, like the super speedways. If you start 1st you will pull away and never look back, which doesn't happen in real life. The cars actually handle like real cars and don't always make the corner. You have to be precise in this game because like in real NASCAR if you mess up you're going to be in the wall. It has a simulator feel to it unlike any previous game in the franchise. 4.7/5

StoryThe career is bare bones and has a lot of problems that I have stated above. The racing really brings you back not the career itself. I've finished 6 seasons and I'm beginning my seventh. It's nice to have a career to keep you playing, but it should have been better developed. 3.5/5

Lasting AppealThis game has kept my interest for two years now as I await Gran Tourismo 5 which will have NASCAR as one of its series. There is a lack of career options, but it is fun to race and I love this game despite its flaws. 5/5

The VerdictIf you like NASCAR I recommend this game whole heartily. It will be a long time until someone makes a full forced NASCAR game again. GT5 will have the NASCAR series, but its not the focus of the game. This game was a huge leap over NASCAR 08. If you don't mind bad graphics I recommend either NASCAR Thunder 2004 or NASCAR 06: Total Team Control, they have the whole package for their time. NASCAR 09 was a nice effort, lets just hope its not the last. Overall 4.4/5

Buy Nascar 09 Now

If driving a real NASCAR is anything like the video game, then it should be noted that I would clearly leave it to the professionals. 42 Cars are doing nearly 200 mph bumper to bumper and the 43rd car is all over the place. Causing wreck. After wreck. After wreck.

This might be the case where the game is SO realistic that it takes a real NASCAR driver (with the right virtual set up and a steering wheel) to be competitive.

I'm not, and I'm more than just the casual fan.

As bad as I am and as hard as the game is, I still enjoy trying. I've reserved myself to knowing I can never finish ahead of last on anything more difficult that a Rookie setting.

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If you have read any of my past reviews, I have been a vocal critic of EA's NASCAR titles and how unrealistic they have been. For the past few years, I rented them ONLY and found myself disappointed. I finally gave in again and bought NASCAR 09 for my PS3.

I must say I am impressed with some of the new features that I have seen. I love the inclusion of Jeff Gordon and the removal of Agent Ace Moneymaker...what an annoyance he was. The controls are better, the graphics look good and crisp and I love the ability to look around left, right, and behind using the analog stick.

So, here are my PROS:

1. Saw some new features, like the "lucky dog" during a race.

2. Love the new paintbooth and the ability to copy cars from your PC to PS3 from Photoshop, etc.

3. Importing your own driver photo.

4. 2 handling modes for varying skill drivers.

5. Inclusion of Jeff Gordon as your mentor.

6. Great new challenge mode.

7. Online play with up to 12 persons.

8. The new "reputation" meter.

and on the other hand, the CONS....

1. Glitchy online play (but understandable early on).

2. Freezes occasionally between menus.

3. Still has unrealistic accidents and lack of AI cars blowing engines, having wrecks, etc.

4. Limit of 12 cars in online play.

5. No prerace ceremonies, activities that add realism and flair to the game.

All in all though, I am happy with this game and think it's a very worthy purchase if you are a NASCAR or racing fan in general. Props, EA !! But don't stop now, keep those improvements coming for NASCAR 2010 !!

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This is by far the worst racing game I ever played. Although the graphics are great, the gameplay is awful. I much rather play 08 on PS2. The biggest thing for me is no bump drafting. If you get behind another car and try to push them they lock the brakes and both of you go to the back.

There are lots of other problems as well. I couldn't help but feel like the developer has never even seen a nascar race. Forced myself to play 6 hours hoping it would get grow on me. Finally I gave up and haven't played it since. I've had it almost a month now.

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