Showing posts with label xbox 360 video game system. Show all posts
Showing posts with label xbox 360 video game system. Show all posts

Rock Band Drum Pedal - Rock Pedal

Rock Band Drum Pedal - Rock Pedal - PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Rock Band 1 & 2, ION Drum Rocker
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
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The Rock Pedal is a fantastic bass pedal. I spent days going over review after review of the "big three" (Omega, Destroyer, Rock) before finally settling with this one. As of right now, it's been a few weeks and I must say I'm pretty happy with it, although my sentiments weren't the same when I first got it.

First off, let me say, if you're not an experienced drummer or if you have no patience, don't bother trying to adjust the pedal. Jordan, who I'm guessing is the RP inventor, makes youtube videos on how to adjust it, and he whips right through it "oh it's easy, you just do this, this and bam you're done". The problem is not everyone has adjusted a bass pedal, so after seeing him do it so easy while you spend an hour trying to find the perfect calibration gets pretty tiring.

So after the first time of getting it calibrated, I was ready to see how this thing could handle a song with lots of heavy pounding bass, so I chose Indestructible, which is one I had gold starred before getting this pedal. Much to my dismay, apparently I didn't tighten it enough and it just sank to the bottom and never came back about halfway through.

However, after spending another good amount of time getting it calibrated, and making sure the bolts are super tight, it's been absolutely perfect. It's been a couple weeks now and I have a roommate who loves to play super hard and stomp the hell out of it for whatever reason and several other friends of mine have used it, loved it and had no problems. It took some getting used to but now I could never go back.

PROS: Unbreakable no-contact sensor, heavy duty construction, DOES NOT SLIDE on carpets, very willing and supportive customer service team.

CONS: Initial adjustments were incredibly painstaking but in the end, totally worth it.

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I purchased this pedal to replace the stock ION Drum Rocker pedal. This pedal is quiet, responsive and completely adjustable. Hands down the best pedal you can get for Rock Band 1&2.

It takes a little getting used to compared to the stock Rock Band plastic pedal or the stock ION Drum Rocker pedal since it takes a little more pressure to push the pedal down. This is not a bad thing at all. You can adjust the pedal and make it easier to push, as well as the pedal height. This means you can shorten the distance between the pedal and the sensor. Also, another big plus with Rock Pedal is the people behind it. I have emailed questions to them and gotten immediate responses.

I cannot recommend this pedal enough. If you're frustrated with loud or broken pedals, missed notes or if you just want a better drumming experience, this is the last pedal you will ever need.

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I've had this pedal for approximately nine months. I've broken two springs because I like my tension high so I can rest my foot on the pedal without it triggering. It is hard to set the tension high without putting too much stress on the spring resulting in it breaking. Be prepared to essentially take your foot off of the pedal between each beat.

There is a magnet in the bottom of the foot pedal that, when pushed down, triggers the pedal. This was originally glued in and it just fell out of mine. Not a big deal I just glued it back in. The pedal is built tough though.

The pedal has a 12 month "no bs" warranty. I asked for a spring replacement four weeks ago. It took him a week to respond and he said that he had a back injury but will immediately mail it to me. Well, three weeks later I still don't have it. I e-mailed him again last week and I have not heard anything.

In conclusion, the spring tends to break when set to a high tension. My magnet fell out but I just glued it back in. Luckily, I didn't lose it. The customer service was not that great considering that it was a "12 month no bs" warranty and it was heavily advertised on their website. I do not know if there is a better substitute as this is the only pedal I have tried.

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I happen to own this very pedal for my first bass pedal ever on my real drum kit. While it certainly is a HUGE upgrade over the rubbish stock pedal that comes with the RB2 kit, it is also one of the worst pedals you can buy for a drum kit.

Pulse is an entry level drum hardware company, and they don't exactly have a reputation for pedal feel. If only they'll make a peripheral out of the DW9000 pedal!

Thus, if you've NEVER dedicated any long term investments in real drums before, this pedal will serve you well. If you're an experienced drummer looking to replicate the real deal experience on Rock Band, you're in for a disappointment!

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I bought this pedal as a replacement for the ION Drum Rocker. I cannot yet speak to its long-term durability, but my initial impression of it is great. High quality look and feel. Fully adjustable. Quiet.

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inFAMOUS 2 Hero Edition

inFAMOUS 2 Hero Edition - Playstation 3
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $89.49
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The sling pack: is full sized and while it may be a bit stiff, it will come in handy. The cell phone holder on the front band is removeable too. It fits enough for one overnighter (pants, shirt, etc.). Looks like you could fit a 3 liter soda bottle inside of it. Oddly, that what it looks like full!

The RED soundtrack: Definitely background soundtrack music. If you're one of those into movie soundtracks or an experimental/ambient/downtempo DJ, this might be for you. Hints of industrial vibes to it. It does come as a download you install, but once that's done you can copy it to a removeable memory stick and move them to your preferred listening device. 22 tracks @ 256kbps mp3 quality.

The comic: a bit of what happened before he got his powers and what happened after. If you look around, you might be able to find this as jpeg type download.

The extras: are nice for those of us who don't really care for the way the "amp" looks (or Cole's new look).

The UGC: User Generated Content can be a trip. People providing their own mini missions. Some go from basic grinding wires and racing through rings to crazy climbing or straight up destruction/survival situations. Options on this allows you to pick certain types or shut them off completely.

The game itself is more detailed than the first, but it's still goes only to 720p max : (

(was hoping it would be 1080)

Movement has been cleaned up. On the first Infamous, Cole wouldn't walk down onto smaller things/steps or up onto a stairwell sometimes. Cole seems more natually responsive this time around, more fluid. The problem with him "sticking" to things you don't want him too doesn't seem to be here in #2.

Other than some of the 720/pixel moments, the only other thing that bothers me about this is Cole's voice. This time he's more nasal-ly and higher pitched. Keeps throwing me off after I had JUST finished playing the first inFamous and he sounds raspy and deeper!!

One cool thing to find was when I started the game, it asked me if I would like to pick up from 1 of the 2 save points FROM my Infamous 1 game! I tried both my good and evil saves and it gave me the same for each. It gave me 3 bonuses! It started you off already in 1st karma rank, gave you some XP and extra power cells!!! Now that was nice!

If you're a fan of the first, this is sure to please.

UPDATE:

So it took me a week to finish it with good karma. Seemed like the little guys were tougher than the bosses. I'm on hard now on the evil karma side and it's kicking my butt! One rocket or two bullets and you are done. Be prepared to die....A LOT.

Zeke looks A LOT better in this one, more detailed. The banter between the two girls and Cole is fun too. Like the first inFamous, choices aren't only made during the red or blue missions, but sometimes during the main missions too. So you have the nice girl to do things with....or the naughty one (hehe). Cole seems to have a bit more of an attitude too, this adds to the fun. Also, the surround sound on this is awesome. Love the little things people say about you as you walk down the street. But watch out! On the evil mission those people will join in to try to get you too as you're fighting others!

All in all it's not better or worse than the first. There is good things about it that are better than the first, and some bad things. But i'm still glad I bought it.

So there's a few only things I don't like about it now. One, the slo-mo when you get hit. Too often another hit will happen while in slo-mo and you're done, start mission over. Annoying. Also, about 3 three times now i've gotten stuck/glitched into inside of a building or train and couldn't get out. Had to save and re-load. 3 or more times i've gotten stuck inbetween things and couldn't move or died from being squashed over something ridicious. From one of those wooden walkways to a bad jump between a wall and something else, errr. The sticking thing I mentioned before, well sometimes he doesn't stick to things now. Sometimes you'll jump to land on a wire that going from roof to roof and just go right through it.

The whole thing seemed to go by a little quick, but it was worth it. I really don't see how they could do a 3rd, but only time will tell......

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*** GAME REVIEW ***

infamous 2 has a pretty big set of shoes to fill after the success of the first. It seemed like it would be hard to improve upon the mechanics of the first game. Yet Sucker Punch studios managed to find a way, and produce a worthy sequel to Infamous.

GAMEPLAY

If you have played Infamous then you will feel right at home with Infamous 2. Not much has changed gameplay wise from the original except for loads of polish. Your character will keep his powers, avoiding a Metroid or God of War scenario, and earn additional powers throughout the game. Climbing mechanics, aiming, melee combat all feels more fluid and lively when compared to the original. You will explore a brand new city, take side quests and missions, find dead drops and shards... its all here all over again just with a new coat of paint. On top of new powers to unlock, Cole now has access to THE AMP which allows him additional combat moves especially with melee. To top it all off the map now has some destructible elements which add a nice bit of devastation to Cole's attacks, and goes along exceptionally well if you decide to take the EVIL path.

One thing that does put a damper on the gameplay however is the camera mechanics. This time around the camera got in my way a lot more than it did in the first installment, especially when it came to melee combat with the amp. The camera gave this really nice comic book effect sometimes, giving nice low angle close ups to the fight but it also cut off my view of oncoming danger; and sometimes when jumping would go behind a building or wall leaving me blind to my position. While not a major problem it does put a tiny damper on the gameplay

GRAPHICS

A big time improvement over the first game, and overall the game looks great! The graphics are rendered exceptionally well, and the effects of Cole's powers never looked better. The best part of all is the new city. It looks magnificent when compared to the previous. There is a lot more activity and visual effects going on that really do make the city feel more alive. It is a major improvement over the first title I feel.

SOUND/STORY

Sound wise, the game is very lively. Cole's powers have a lot more effect to them and overall the game just sounds great. Voice acting is of high quality in my book. The new voice actor for Cole at first might seem out of place, when compared with the original, but it grew on me over time. Story wise the game has a decent story, on par with the first game. Like in the original you can chose to be Good or Evil depending on your actions making for two endings and in a way; Two story arcs each leading to different sets of skill upgrades and storyline elements.

REPLAY/LENGTH

Depending on how obsessed you get with collecting shards, dead drops, side quests etc the game should take you anywhere from 14 17 hrs. Replay value is exceptionally high! Not only do you have both a Good and Evil storyline to complete, but shards, dead drops, side quests all return and then some. If you loved the first you will have no problem playing though this game twice with ease.

There is also an online element to Infamous 2 which allows you to create and play user created maps/content. While the controls and implementation of the creator do need some work (in my opinion) the level of creation available is high. Given some time expect to see some wild user-generated content online!

OVERALL A... 90%

Infamous 2 does the original game justice. It doesn't change the formula much, instead just improving upon what made the original a greatest hit; while also giving it a nice face lift graphically. Throw in new super-powers, user-generated content and online, and you have yourself a winner. While Infamous 2 is not a perfect game, it does more than enough to make itself out to be a powerful, high quality title well worth the price of admission.

*** COLLECTOR'S EDITION CONTENT REVIEW ***

Spending a little extra $$$ to get the Hero edition might be a worth while investment if you are an inFamous fan; but that all depends on if you like what you get. Included in the Hero Edition is a plethora of goodies bound to at least impress at first glance but are they worth your money?

Included in the Hero Edition:

1. an 8.5" Cole statue. The statue is pretty decent quality though Cole might seem a touch small as keep in mind the 8.5" is including the height of the rooftop he is standing on

2. inFamous 2 video game (this one is fairly self explanatory!)

3. DC Comic ... inFamous #1. This comic is a prequel to inFamous 2 taking place just after the first game and provides a little more backing into some of the characters

4. Additional Skins and Powers. You will receive both the Reaper and Kessler skins as well as the Lightning Hook and Electrocution Grenade ability

5. All 4 AMP skin variations

6. inFamous 2 official sound track

*7. The big boy of the package deal... an inFamous designed Sling pack. This pack is pretty good quality I'd say. It opens on the left side via a zipper compartment and has plenty of space to store stuff.

So overall is the Hero Edition worth the current(6/7/2011) $40 investment? Depends on how you feel about the items and collectibles. The bag is the real $$ item here, as the statue, comic, and DLC included is stuff you probably would get in a $10 or $20 DLC w/ some sort of gimmicky item like a plasma cutter or little toy sackboy etc. Instead we are getting a nice, usable sling pack. So it comes down to if you really want a sling pack.

Personally I wouldn't lay out the additional money for the Hero Edition because of the pack. It is the kind of item that I toss in the closet and forget about since I have no reason to use it. That is me however; the pack is decent quality and I could see it being a usable item for every day use to carry some school books, a laptop, random stuff... perhaps even a Ray-Sphere if you come across one. With that said the Hero Edition is more for die-hard fans of the game, someone big on collectibles, or if you want a collectible Sling Pack.

OVERALL I give the package a 80%. The included content is nice and goes along great for a fan of the series, but at $40 it amounts to a collectible Sling Pack, figure, soundtrack and a Comic for the most part. Not for everyone, but if you make the investment you won't feel robbed at all.. especially once you see that Sling Pack.

** FINAL VERDICT : Hero Edition as a whole.. including the quality of inFamous 2 scores an 85%(B/B+ aka 4.5 stars). The game is a delicious cake and the Hero edition is the icing. While this package is not for everyone your $$$ will not be wasted on the investment.

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I pre-ordered this in March and good God I'm glad! I'll be brief so you can spend less time reading and more time going to the store to buy it! I'll start with the extras...

The sling pack (as everyone has been wondering) it isn't huge, but you can fit some stuff in there. Probably like two three ring binders and another mid sized book in the other pocket. This bag is not a cheap rip off dudes, it's VERY high quality and Sucker Punch definitely gets mad props for this. The cell phone holder is about the only thing that would look cheap BUT LISTEN!!!! it IS removeable and if you really want to carry your cell there, go buy a holder that attaches to your belt and put it in the place of the old one on the bag!! it'll work out perfect! I even got the wild idea of putting my sword where cole's amp was, ha it looked sweet but I don't wanna get arrested. This bag could also be a really sweet carry on bag for travel. (this sling pack was pretty much the only reason I got the hero edition)

The mini statue Again, the bag was the only reason I got this but damnnnnnnnnnnnnn the mini statue is insanely detailed and looks great sitting on the corner of my table and/or bookshelf!

The extras (downloadable) ya get basically two skins, one for cole and one for the amp. haven't messed with them because I could care less. I'm too busy smackin bitches around and saving a city to really worry about it. Plus there's so many bolts and explosions that I really don't take the time to look and how cool Cole's amp looks. Sarcasm aside, Cole looks totally badass and I'm sure a good handful will enjoy the two skins. The lightning hook is alright for pickin em off one by one but half the time there's so many enemies I'm not worried about that, I'd much rather have my shockwave at the ready. The grenade is probably the best perk out of all of em.

The soundtrack based on what I've been hearing during the action scenes, us band dorks/music lovers will get a nice kick out of it.

Lastly, the game itself (an understatement) JESUS MARY AND JEROME IT'S AWESOME!!! From the first part of the game you're thrown into the action!!! You can also pick up where you left off (good or evil) from the first game if you played meaning you get some extra perks from your old save file. You also get to team up with some badass girls and smack some enemies around. Oh and the melee combat system, epic. With Cole's new weapon it's insanely fun to whack the em around.

If anything, buy the fricken game!!! If you played the first one, the sequel has improved on everything from the first game and I have no complaints about it at all. the sling pack fits me perfectly (5'11, 157lbs) and I will definitely be struttin around with it once school starts back up in the fall (this game is the main reason I didn't take any summer classes....dedicated eh?) ENJOY!!!!

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Hero Edition:

Many reviews have already commented on Hero Edition extras, so I'll simply note that the sling pack is well-made and looks to be actually useful.

The comic is fine, bridging the two games, for those who care. But as part one of six (published by DC, if you're looking for other issues), you won't get the entire story. Also, its smaller size can make the dialogue a ltttle hard on the eyss.

The Red OST is good. I enjoy it quite a lot, but some may be disappointed that the final credits song is only included on the Blue OST, which must be bought separately.

Statue... Uh, I honestly don't know for whom these are marketed. I'm sure they appeal to someone...

The DLC was probably the main reason I bought this edition, beyond support for a game I fully expected to enjoy. Getting early access to the powers was great, although there are known glitches with the content (I have not experienced any issues with the skins, though some had to re-download them from PSN), but because one power occurs during the story, I've had some issues with it on subsequent play throughs. The game gives it to you, but it will not connect to anything, rendering it useless, until you reach the point in the story when you'd have normally obtained it (quite late, actually).

Game Review:

I loved the first game, and came into the second expecting to love it, as well. And, for the most part, I did.

Gameplay is just as fun as the first game. A player can easily spend hours just running around, stopping or abetting random crime, etc. The graphics received a facelift, and the non-2D cutscenes (quite a few, in contrast to the first game) appear to be done in engine, which is terrific, as it means the game actually looks as good as its cutscenes.

= Powers have also gotten a makeover, with new types of abilities opening, as players progress. While many may initially stick to their comfort zone from the first game (and lament some changes there), I really encourage people to try out the newer abilities, as some are just plain fun; maybe they aren't so useful per se, but they're a blast to play with!

While I was skeptical about User Generated Content, as I normally prefer offline gaming, I've had a surprisingly good time both playing others' levels and tinkering with my own. The creation interface is not incredibly intuitive, but with patience, fairly sophisticated levels can be achieved. And the sheer array of UGC available is heartening. It may not all be solid gold, but a lot of it is in good fun.

= My sole reservation--and the reason I docked a half star (which became a whole one, due to system)--is the plot. This is an area of contention, and I think it comes down to personal opinion, as well as whether one plays the "good" ending or the "bad" first. Overall, the writing remains sharp; personal narratives carry over fine from the first game (specifically, I'd argue, Zeke's attempts to become his own man); the new characters had decent personal stories, and I was surprised how much I came to care for them, even if I didn't *always* love them in combat ("Quit throwing ***** monsters at me!") And the new Cole, while initially jarring, was forgotten about an hour into the game, for me.

But the story itself feels much more linear than the first game, which had a healthy dose of conspiracy theory and mystery. This game is very by the numbers. structurally. That isn't necessarily bad, as the story drives forward competently and with well-tuned pacing. It's just not as interesting to me.

Exacerbating it is that the main "villain" (and main subvillain) is the same from the start. The first game had multiple bosses before the final villain. And each of those characters were interesting, and fought in very different ways. The boss fights here seem to repeat the same patterns, no matter what the boss' size. And fighting as many monsters as you do, rather than people, made me feel more distanced from parts of the story. Defeating a monster isn't really the same, emotionally, as defeating someone who has their own internal story and cause for action. I'll give the main villain(s) some credit for nuance. By the end of their respective stories, I could see their motivations. But in at least one case, it felt almost tacked on and really, too little too late.

All that aside, as with most game play, the boss fights are enjoyable, if a touch on the easy side, even on the hardest settings. All are defeated with the same basic tactic. Again, though, this is just a preference, and baed on my gameplay style. Some people enjoy easier fights, and that's certainly valid.

= Surely, the most controversial part is the ending. I felt strongly that one was superior to the other; it's as though the developers had it in mind all along, but were forced to make a counterpart. I'm confident they tried, but it's like they just weren't feeling it. It shows in the writing, length, lack of animation, and--for me--lack of emotional weight. In fairness, I did eventually watch both together, and it's clear that the scripts dovetail neatly together; the technical deftness made me like the other one more. The problem is that, considered on its own, the weaker still feels lacking.

However, the stronger ending is, undoubtedly, one of the more brilliant endings in recent games. The developers force the player into actions they likely resist, and it works perfeetly. I think it's the best single moment in a game this year.

= IN SUMMARY, the game is a blast to play. If you care a lot about story, you may not enjoy it quite as much as the first, and the ending may disappoint. That said, it isn't enough to make me say anything except that anyone who remotely enjoys this genre should play this game. Yes, it's that good.

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Got my hero edition the day it came out and it's really a great package. I was impressed at the quality of the statue and the bag they are not cheap looking at all definitely one of my favorite collector editions. Plus you get all the pre-order DLC from all store,some exclusive skins, and free soundtrack for a great price. The base on the statue could have been better made but other than that everything is well worth it.

The game itself is ridiculously fun and these add-ons are great and high quality

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HDE LED Black Dual Controller Charging Stand Station for PS3 Controller

HDE LED Black Dual Controller Charging Stand Station for PS3 Controller with 2-Port USB Hub
Customer Ratings: 3 stars
List Price: $14.99
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This is requiring me to write 18 words about something that works great and is self-explanatory. I don't need 18 words.

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First day of having it the metal tips on the dual stand charger started to get loose and fall off i though wow what a peace of crap just writing this to let people that u get what u pay for

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Acceptable for what it is, great for the price. Really good way to keep track of your controllers, and looks pretty spiffy too. It's a bit difficult to get the top controller in place, especially when the bottom one is on. However it works fine (gets everything charged), and is a great thing to have around if you have multiple controllers.

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It is way better than having to connect the controllers straight to the ps3 console. Love it and recommend it

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When you put the controllers on only the bottom one charges the top one doesn't work I wanted to send it back but they wanted me to pay for the shipping... Wasn't worth sending it back wouldn't buy again.. Don't waste your 10 dollar spend a little more and get something that actually works right.

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Catherine - Alternate Boxart

Catherine - Alternate Boxart - Playstation 3
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
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When I first heard about Catherine i thought it was just a really really weird Japanese game with some sexy boxart. And I wasn't far off, but as time went on many gaming sites started talking about the game and showing that it was more then just a blond bombshell with some boobs. Catherine turned out to be one of the single most interesting and different games I have played this year, if not this decade.

Catherine is very hard to sum up, and its going to sound really weird. And it is, but trust me for its weirdness Catherine is not to be missed.

Story

The game revolves around a guy named Vincent, he's 32 and has a girlfriend named Kathrine (with a K). He likes life the way it is, just coasting along. However Katherine wants to get married and start a new life with Vincent. Soon after Vincent starts having terrible nightmares, and cant get much sleep. Not long after all of this starts Vincent wakes up next to Catherine (with a C) a smoking hot blond girl. He cant remember what happened but he knows hes in deep trouble.

That is the plot of Catherine (the game), its adult, deep, engaging, and fun to watch. You will be invested in many characters and their problems and it's your choice of how to handle them.

The story is also very good, there are many times where my jaw dropped and I didn't pick up for a good ten minutes.

Gameplay

Catherine has 2 main game play types, when Vincent is in the bar and when he is in his dreams. The nightmares make up the core game play, with Vincent having to puzzle platform his way up towers of blocks while said tower crumbles beneath him. The mechanics are deep and fun and you always feel a sigh of relief when you make it to safety.

After so many stages you must also race against bosses who will effect the tower in many ways. Each boss is very unique and some are downright scary.

Now this is something you must keep in mind. Catherine is HARD. And I mean HARD. I played in Normal and this gave me an infinite "undo" command, and still I had to bump down to easy. Even on Easy I died....a lot. Now while this game is hard it is almost never unfair, and while I screamed some F bombs towards the end it made it all the more satisfying to make it to the top and to get Vincent to the next story point.

Once you wake Vincent begins the second game play mode, and this is where the story is told. You will follow Vincent as he goes on dates with Katherine, and goes to the bar with his buddies. While you can do much when Vincent is speaking in cut scenes you do get more control in the bar. Once giving control you can get up and talk to other people in the bar. You will also receive texts usually from Katherine and Catherine and you chose how to respond. Depending on what you say to people, your texts, and special decisions made in the nightmares you will alter a karma slider. Be a good guy or bad, its up to you.

You may even get a naughty pic of Catherine form time to time, which require you to go to the bathroom to view.

In the bar you can also talk to people, and drink. Talking to people will advance time a bit and as the night goes on patrons will leave and new ones may enter. Many patrons have personal problems you can hear about, and how you respond to them may determine if you see them again. You have 3 levels of intoxication and the higher it is the faster you will move in that nights nightmare sequence

Presentation

Catherine is a very unique looking game, the cut scenes are told in an animated anime style and game play is a cell shaded anime style. The soundtrack for the game works great, and will have your heart pumping during the nightmares.

Replay Value and Game Modes

Now its not hard to see some obvious replay value, Catherine or Katherine? Good or Bad? Those are 4 endings right there. However without giving anything away towards the end of the game you are given a new set of options, between Chaos and Peace. These choices wont effect your progress on Catherine or Katherine or your Good or Bad slider, and bumps the total endings to EIGHT.

If that wasn't enough there are special game modes, the tower of Babel and Challenge mountain game types. The Challenge mountain lets you and a friend Co-op solve the games puzzles. And the tower of Babel lets you take on even more challenging towers alone or with a friend.

This gives Catherine immense replay value.

Closing Comments

This game is weird, I know. But it's also great. It's one of the games that has real adult material, and that isn't afraid of its weirdness. The plot has such good twists and turns there where times I had to pause, and put down the controller to take in what just happened.

This is also a game that breaks the mold. Its unique, its artsy, and its pushing the video game industry further. I encourage you to check out this title and its games like this that will help the industry grow.

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I have always been a fan of puzzle games. So whan I saw this one I had to try it out. The game does center itself around some mature themes. Guy dates girl, guy drinks a lot one night, guy wakes up next to a different girl. Only problem is there is a witch about cursing men who are not faithful. So every night he wakes up in a nightmare that when you die in the dream...you die for real. The difficulties vary. From easy if you wanna enjoy the story, but still wanna test your brain, to hard. To where you will be cursing at the screen due to the unforgiving levels. All in all the game is great. If you love a good puzzle game, and you don't get frustrated easily, give this one a go!

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I bought it for my boyfriend, but I LOVE the storyline. It is very good and puzzling to figure out the building blocks. But I like how you can choose certain options like to answer phone calls, respond to texts, and what choices you can make in Vincent's life. This game is really fun and sort of like a movie. Not much "action" or game play but it really gets you thinking.

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it's a bit hard, but it's still fun. But then gets boring after a while. would recommend to people who like puzzle games

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Catherine is a unique game in how the game presents it self to the player. You start out at a bar with friends. SHortly after going home you are thrown into the world of craziness. Object is to make it to the top of the blocks. Easier said than done but it's possible. Game replay value is a 7 out 10. I enjoyed my time.

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L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition

L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition - Playstation 3
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $57.94
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I bought this game on Xbox 360 back when it was first released. Immediately the DLC cases started rolling out, so fresh out of the gate, you have incomplete game. I am starting to grow very tired of this kind of behavior from game companies. DLC that is worked on and released well after the game is released I can see, and actually look forward to. DLC that was clearly done before the game was released and could have been included with the game is shameful, and just clearly a money grab.

When this version came out, I decided to buy it for $30 and sell my Xbox 360 copy, instead of buying the DLC which would probably be around $30 for it all anyway. Plus the Xbox 360 version has 3 discs which is annoying to say the least. Every single case is included in this version, and even the special suits and guns which were preorder incentives. This is the version of LA Noire to get.

As for the game itself, if you are expecting 1940s Grand Theft Auto, look elsewhere. While the game is open world drive anywhere like GTA that is where the similarities end. This game focuses completely on investigating and solving crimes. You are a good cop, so you can't pull your gun on civilians, you can't run people over (99% of the time they jump out of the way just in time), you can't commit random crime at all. You are a good uncorrupted cop in 1940s LA, and the game makes you play that way. Some would complain that it is too linear, but that's just how the game has to be to tell the story it does. The graphics are among the best this generation, and the face capturing technology is very impressive. I even caught myself recognizing actors, which impressed the heck out of me.

All in all this version of the game is well worth the price tag now, so if you were on the fence, now is the time. This game isn't for everybody (FPS/TPS crowd I'm looking at you), but I feel everybody should give it a try at least. The graphics and face capturing tech are sure to impress if nothing else.

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I really enjoyed the atmosphere in this game. But, definitely do not fall victim to the temptation to use online guides. You will spoil the experience and clue finding. You will want to sit back and enjoy the cases. The graphic details are magnificent and the game is well written. You actually find yourself wanting to just spend hours running around or driving through the areas to see what you can find.

The only problem I had was the fight and chase scenes. I'm an FPS player and this style made it really tough for me to do well.

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This game is so awesome, totally different than anything out there. Every game out there now is kill kill kill whether its a FPS or 3rd person. Perhaps I'm biased because I love police procedurals yet I absolutely loved this game, the clue finding and interrogations specifically, that's the gem. The facial animations are amazing as well.

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There was SO much potential for this game. It was a great premise (be a detective) set in a fantastic time and place (post-WW2 L.A.). But Rockstar ultimately didn't live up to the (admittedly) enormous potential that was there.

Pros:

Technically, it's marvelous. The sound, visuals and acting are stellar. What they did with facial animations was like watching the actors themselves, and hopefully more games use the process in the future. I can't even count the number of famous actors they used. I'm not talking A-list, but a good half the characters had faces where I thought, "I know that person!," so Rockstar should be applauded for not skimping on actors.

Using guns of the era (especially the Tommy Gun) produced awesome sound and light effects (in dark places) that were reminiscent of Hollywood gangster films. I just loved that.

The setting was like you'd been dropped into 1940s L.A. Toward the beginning, I enjoyed simply driving around and enjoying the scenery while listening to the radio. The cars handled like you thought they should, and driving the "special" cars (one looks like the Batmobile) was a blast.

I loved the last homicide case, which was, unfortunately, how I hoped more of the game would be.

Cons:

The fun of driving wore off though, and outside of the cases, there wasn't a lot to actually do. Street crimes (of which there are 40) were fun, but lasted literally 2-3 minutes each. Looking for simple collectibles, like badges, film reels and landmarks felt ultimately pointless. They didn't improve your character at all, and really didn't add any extra content. (I was hoping the film reels would feature trailers with (main character) Cole Phelps as the star of the film you'd found.)

The game was kind of a "jack of all trades, master of none." There was running, shooting, inspecting, interrogating, driving and exploring, but none of them ultimately stood out. The interrogations were the most challenging and fun, but also the most frustrating. Trying to determine the difference between "doubt" and "lie" often left me angry.

The main character was fairly unlikeable and unrelateable, and the way the main story unfolded was also frustrating.

SPOILERS: Two main desks homicide and arson featured a number of cases in which you KNEW the perp you charged was innocent. You didn't have a choice though, and had to charge someone to complete the case.

Conclusion: I play most games twice before selling them. This was a one off. I'd definitely give it a shot if you can get for it for under $20. There's enough to enjoy to make it worthwhile. I did all the cases and street crimes, and my playing time amounted to about 30 hours. Rockstar really pushed the envelope with this title, but only pulled off some of it.

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My husband and I are always looking for something to do together and LA Noire was right up our alley! Love the cases and the story lines...only thing was the game glitches...you never knew when they'd happen. Most of the time they were funny. Another great game by Rockstar!

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Playstation 3 OEM Bluetooth Wifi Board CWI-001

Playstation 3 OEM Bluetooth Wifi Board CWI-001
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
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Needed to replace the bluetooth board as the one my PS3 burned out ... once I figured out the problem, googled the part and here it was. Upon delivery cracked open the PS3 to find my model used CWI-002, so now its held in by just one of the two screws, but whatever it works and I'm happy Sony wanted $129+ shipping to diagnose and fix the PS3 this part cost $1.30 + shipping instruction for how to replace the part are all over the internet so, need I say more .

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I had a local guy fix my PS3 when I got the YLoD a few months ago. He again fixed it when a power surge screwed up the power supply. But I couldn't justify bringing it back in when my machine got into an update loop. After some Googling I discovered that a possible culprit was faulty hardware. Just before the looping started I noticed that my controllers would not work over Bluetooth. Putting two-and-two together I figured it couldn't hurt to see if swapping the Bluetooth board would solve the issue.

One special screwdriver and a simple guide from iFixit () and we're now back in business. The only problem now is we bought a new PS3 Slim while the old machine was out of commission. Sure fixing it allowed us to get some old data backed up and off the machine. But now I'm not sure what to do with the machine. =/

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Everlast Universal Aerobic Step - Wii/Move/Kinect

Everlast Universal Aerobic Step - Wii/Move/Kinect
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $16.97
Today's Bonus: 43% Off
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Understand when I give it two stars it only because i my feelings. The step is only a few inches high and even with the Wii fit step on top the height is not sufficiant. The middle of the step interlocked so if you aren't a size 10 the interlocking came apart. It not meant for the more full figured woman.

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The block is made well enough but it is not wide enough to do most of the step moves. I should have sent it back but didn't want the trouble.

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The first day I used it, the step broke in the middle when I stepped on it. Now there is a crescent shape right in the middle. I did buy two, and the second one has not broken. I gave it 3 stars instead of 1 because one is holding up and the other is broken.

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It seems to throw my step aerobics games on Wii Fit off a little. I'm not sure if it's me or the board. For the most part it makes you workout a little bit more, and I care about burning calories more than scoring points, so I was good with that.

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My wife is using this step. She likes it. She is 162 cm. The step is solid, and the height is proper to her.

This step is good value for money!

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PlayStation 3 Frontman Wireless Guitar - Black

PlayStation 3 Frontman Wireless Guitar - Black
Customer Ratings: 3.5 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
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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. At $ its a good deal for a new or spare instrument but Amazon did have it on sale for $or cheaper during their Black Friday sale and Gold Box deal. At $ or less it's a great deal. Hope this helps.

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For those who went from Guitar Hero then back to Rock Band you'll welcome back the click of the strum bar. But the benefits just begin there. You can now play either wireless or wired, and if you place rechargeable batteries in the guitar you can charge it while playing using the included wire.

Switching between Rock Band and Guitar Hero is pretty easy. Move the switch on the red box (the one pictured in the photo) to Guitar Hero, press and hold the Nyko button on the guitar until the box and the guitar sync up, and voila, you're good to go. Same with Rock Band.

The ONLY complaint I have is the buttons on the neck are very small (and no lower set of buttons). They are more akin to the Guitar Hero guitar, but I did appreciate the neck of the original Rock Band guitar. With everything else this guitar has going for it, it's a small adjustment that is easily made.

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I love this controller. I think it's better than the Les Paul, which I think is much better than Rock Band's Fender. It was a pleasant surprise. The strum bar click is predictable and accurate. The receiver has a very cool feature it sports five colored diodes corresponding to the neck buttons that light up as you press them. The "PS" button on the guitar lights up in different colors depending on which number is assigned to the controller. I find the receiver's cable way too short, but that's easily solved with a USB extension cable. Yes, it has a cheap feel to it, but so do the others I didn't expect much from a fake plastic guitar.

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We started playing Rock Band at Christmas, and have been waiting anxiously for a stand-alone guitar to become available for it, so that we could have a four-player band, or play guitar/bass together.

We also play Guitar Hero 3, and this guitar (to me) is more like the GH3 guitar than the Rock Band guitar. I actually prefer this guitar when playing Rock Band, as I find it and the GH3 guitar easier to play. I have noticed that my scores are SO much better now on Rock Band, now that I am playing this guitar.

I read another review that mentioned the "clicking" sound, when you strum with this guitar this is the same as the GH3 guitar and if you can hear it, you don't have the music loud enough. :)

The guitar is wireless, and it's compatible with GH3 and RB. You are going to love playing RB with four players!

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Before the latest PS3 Update, this guitar was fantastic, I even got it from amazon over a year ago and it was only 15 bucks a guitar, so I was extremely happy. The guitars are solid, the strum bar won't break like the Guitar Hero 4 guitar's.

The only design flaw with the guitar is the neck. I've grown used to it and have big enough hands where it doesn't bother me but if you have small hands the neck size of this guitar may be an issue for extended play. The neck is more rectangular-ish with curved edges than the guitar hero guitars which tend to incorporate a more crescent moon back side to the necks making it easy for people with small hands to hold. Still, this is a minor downfall to the guitar, been using it for a year and haven't had anyone complain about it.

Unfortunately the PS3 is Blue tooth, so any guitar you buy should require a usb dongle, not just these 3rd party guitars, (my guitar hero 3 guitar still required a connection through usb).

I mean, again, this thing is reliable, full functioning, and very easy to get used to. dont let the picture fool you, although it looks extremely cheap. this guitar really isn't, it's rock solid.

Finally, as of the last PS3 update, this guitar is useless. Sony updated their firmware and made the frontman guitars not work, they say there is a goofy temporary fix you can attempt by plugging/unplugging the usb dongle, but I haven't bothered to try that. When a new update is released I can only hope that it makes my two Frontman guitars work. Until then.... Don't buy this guitar yet, since we don't ever know if it will work again.

-Jack

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The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena - Playstation 3
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $23.49
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"The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena" was such an enjoyable game for me that it killed me that one significant flaw kept the game's fun level down. (I'll go into that below.) Aside from that, you get two games on one blu-ray disc. In fact, one of the opening screens upon booting up offers you a choice to play "Escape From Butcher Bay" or "Assault on Dark Athena", much like a movie DVD/Blu-ray menu, so the games are separate and are on the same disc. So you really get your money's worth, IF you haven't played "Escape From Butcher Bay" before, which I hadn't.

"Escape From Butcher Bay" is an engrossing game that really (even being 5 years old) takes first person shooters into a different direction. You are able to interact with a whole cast of believable characters, many of which are better scripted and animated than ANY of the non-playable characters in "Fallout 3." The next-gen gloss really makes everything shine--no pun intended. The character models are very detailed and the backgrounds and levels are very sharp. Another reviewer complained about the graphics and I have to say I am shocked by that. There are very few times the graphics are anything less that next-gen. "Assault On Dark Athena" is built on the same engine and has equally sharp graphics and an interesting cast of highly detailed characters.

The stories for both are very much part of the Riddick universe and canon, with "Escape From Butcher Bay" being the one mentioned in the actual movies. I would say the story for "Escape From Butcher Bay" is superior to "Assault on Dark Athena", but not by much. Both are very detailed and your main quests (and side quests) add a lot of depth and time to the playing experience.

I thought the controls were very good and the selection of weapons was particularly generous--though I preferred the Ulaks, as they were quite lethal for silent kills or melee combat. The other weapons were nicely detailed and animated and it was always cool to walk into a room, shoot out the lights, and turn the Riddick eyeshine on so I could see in the dark.

The sound is great and many have mention the top notch voice acting. I have to agree, the voice acting was superb and it even has some musical cues from the movies.

The enemy AI is rather good and relentless. It really forces you to use Riddick's stealth abilities (which include the awesome eyeshine, where he can see in the dark) to perform quick kills.

Riddick, at times (in both games) can step into robot-like suits and then use them against the enemy. This is fun and adds variety. In "Dark Athena" he can even take over and control the zombie like soldiers, in certain areas.

Now to the issues that keep this from being a solid 4-5 star game. Well, the checkpoint save system is the worst I have seen in a long time. Many times you will be down to one health block and you move ahead and it automatically saves you progress there. You die and you start back there with one health block. If you die enough, the game generously gives you another one and I have heard if you die enough, then another one. But this save system saps the fun out of the game by constant loading screens and then you finding out you have a large amount of enemies or big enemies to fight, BUT you only have one to two health blocks. It is very tiresome and adds a lot of deaths and restarts. Also, the map system in "Escape" (which is actually non-existent in "Dark Athena") doesn't help at all as it doesn't show your location or direction on the map! These two flaws seriously affect an otherwise awesome gaming experience and that is sad.

There's some minor glitches I noticed like one of the cut scenes had dialogue spoken, but there was a serious delay to the characters lip-synching. Also, there was some slowdown and choppiness.

Overall, it is a fun game despite the flaws and glitches. I had a great time, though cursing at the screen from time to time, and I think most will enjoy the game if they can overlook these problems.

3/5 stars

Pros:

*15+ hrs. of gameplay.

*Great graphics for the character models and levels.

*2 games for one price.

*Well constructed levels, with multiple non-linear routes.

*Controls are pretty solid.

*Enemy AI is good.

*Sound is good.

*You get to play as Riddick with Vin Diesel voicing the character.

Cons:

*The worst checkpoint save system that results in many loading screens and many deaths due to reloading with few health blocks. (Should have had a nice hard drive install to speed up loading times or do away with them.)

*Enemy AI can get too good in some areas and also, while the game developers want you to be sneaking around, many enemies carry flashlights on their guns which makes sneaking almost a gimmick.

*Map in "Butcher Bay" is terrible and no map in "Dark Athena."

*A few glitches and slowdown.

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I have the PC port of Escape from Butcher's Bay from 2004 and loved the game. I don't play too many games on my PC anymore and was debating whether or not to spend the money on this game. I'm definitely glad I did. There are two episodes to this game. The first is a remake of the 2004 release "Escape from Butcher's Bay" and the second is an all new campaign "Assault on Dark Athena."

Butcher's Bay is as good, if not better than I remember from 2004. There's plenty of ways to play the game and there's more than one path to get to some places. All of the FPS, stealth an melee elements work really well together and the game does a very good job of making you feel like Riddick.

What worried me is that the reviews I read indicated that if you've already played through Butcher's Bay, then Dark Athena might not be worth a rebuy on it's own. It doesn't matter. It's been 5 years since I played Butcher's Bay and it still holds up so well that it's definitely worth it on it's own. Dark Athena is a good addition and makes the package worthy of full game price. The environments are varied and interesting, but the story is lacking polish and continuity. Loose ends are left hanging, like SPOILER "what ever happened to Johns? Isn't he supposed to leave with Riddick at this point?" END SPOILER The game shifts gears into shooter territory for a little while with some neat foes, but brings back the stealth elements before the game is done.

For those wanting a game with a decent story to follow, gameplay variety and a good cast of characters, this package of Butcher's Bay + Dark Athena is a very good choice.

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I just picked up The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena and I have got to say Its a great Game! I really like how they put the Butcher Bay story in the game as well. I liked how it showed some of Riddick's past on how he got his Eyeshine even though we all know it was from Surgery. The butcher bay graphics are decent not bad but sometimes a little blurry. What I really like about this game is the difficulty of it I am on Normal and it seems like a hard mode which is a blast.

One you get the hang of Butcher bay the weapons and combat is a little hard at first but once you get used to it, its flawless and the killing and neck snapping action. The blood and the terror of the tortured people in the cells or that are trying to run free is just a great version of a prison also the pit brings the reality of the game out.

On to the Dark Athena part of the game. The graphics are crystal Clear, and amazing. The sound is where it should be and Riddick's Eyeshine is really neat in the darkness. I really like the way this story worked out with the weapons and the characters. I especially like how Riddick and the Capt have a history together and they are going to fight it out hopefully. I will just say Riddick is right "the dead should stay dead" and that's where you come in. I also like how you can sneak up people and since your used to the fighting from Butcher Bay you should be good to go with fighting and sneaking around.

Overall this was a great purchase I enjoy these games a lot and I look forward to beating Dark Athena soon. I will be looking forward to possibly a multilayer or something along those lines. I recommend purchasing this game 2 great games in 1.

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I could not put it down, my brother and I both got it on the same weeknd and with a few phone calls back and forth we did not stop until we finished.Also we did not find any bugs!! Its just a great game.

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Say what you will about Vin Diesel, but the man has the character of Riddick nailed down. His performance is so convincing. This disc includes the original Riddick episode, Escape From Butcher Bay as well. The two chronicles are very similar in gameplay design. In fact, there isn't much variation to speak of. The mechanics are the same, and both are essentially stealth/action. Butcher Bay features a more compelling plot in my opinion, but Athena is most certainly worth your time. These games really shine when is comes to setting a particular mood and atmosphere. They really suck you into the experience. The voice work is amazing. Each character is realistic and sympathtic in their own unique way. The in game map system is rather...well...terrible in Butcher Bay. And Dark Athena doesn't even have one. This is typical of developer starbreeze. I suppose they prefer that you figure it out on your own. There is a rather steep learning curve, and the difficulty can be rather punishing. Great games though!

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Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones
Customer Ratings: 2.5 stars
List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $19.99
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The game is a spin off the very popular Game of Thrones series and is one of the rare games which manages to capture the mood of the original book.

Cyanide is a small studio, so don't expect huge open world, or anything technically advanced the game engine is quite old. But I think it is good enough not to distract you from the actual gameplay.

The story revolves around queen Cersei killing off all Robert's bastards, pregnant girl on the run, and two old friends, one of which is bound to kill and another one to protect the future mother.

Don't want to spoil anything, but if you are familiar with Song of Ice and Fire books you know what to expect a lot of gore, nudity, intrigues, plots within plots, backstabbing, torturing and blood of innocence all over the place. Definitely not a game I'd want my kids watch me playing.

I really enjoyed the music and voice acting, which was taken from HBO series and helps you to immerse in (I'd recommend to watch TV show before playing the game, this way a lot of characters and events will make much more sense)

By itself the game is story and character driven. A mix of RPG and Adventure with a fair amount of cut scenes. It is not too long, but will keep you glued to your gaming chair. The story is good enough to be cut&pasted directly into Game of Thrones book. Nuff said.

Graphic engine is a bit outdated, but it works fairly well with just a few minor bugs.

Combat system is original, the active pause (a slow down actually) which allows you to give orders is very well done.

Character abilities are unique and fun to explore. The game really shines at hardest level you are forced to be careful about your development, combat tactics and plot decisions.

Replay values is very low, because when you know how it ends there isn't much sense to replay. I'd say $40 is fair value for the game new in box.

Overall it is highly recommended while you wait for the next HBO season or next book from Martin.

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Well, let's begin with the good.

The story to this game serves as a prequel to the books & subsequently the HBO series. The plot follows two characters, each of whom you control throughout the game. In the first half you switch back and forth at certain intervals in the story until, at length, both heroes come together to finish the final half of the game.

Prior to both heroes' paths merging the story is awkward and sloppy. There are many secondary characters mentioned throughout the conversations you have with other NPC's and most of those mentioned never appear in the game. As such, their constant mention is irritating as it quickly becomes impossible to keep track of who all these people are. Once the two playable characters come together, however, the story arc becomes much simpler and the last half of the game is actually pretty well told.

The music and voiceover work are absolutely astounding. They are easily the most well done part of the entire game.

Now for the bad. The graphics are terrible by modern standards and the characters' movements are awkwardly rendered. The faces especially are flat and unexpressive.

Gameplay is difficult to master though, given time, the combat mechanics due become easier to use. Combat is performed by lining up a queue of character specific skills rather than by actively controlling your character. Three action slots can be filled at one time, assuming you're enough energy to execute them. This is an unusual combat interface and although it does get easier to use over time, I cannot say that I ever reached a point where I enjoyed it.

At certain points in the story you must track down prey and, although one of the principle characters is supposed to be a master tracker, it is his dog that does the heavy lifting here. You must control the dog at multiple places in the story which, though unique, is not particularly enjoyable.

The game's greatest failing overall is the number and length of cinematics. I know that many gamers like to skip over them in any game, thereby missing out on the plot of a game and thereby losing all contexts in which their actions take place. As a writer, I am fascinated by a video games' ability to tell engaging stories and as such never skip cinematics. Usually. Game of Thrones tries so hard to tell an engaging story that it forgets to be a game. Especially in the first half, literally every single battle dumps you directly into another cut scene. The opening scene for your first character in particular is painfully drawn out and most of the dialogue is pointless. Many others follow suite. The entire game feels more like an interactive movie than an actual game. The developers attempt to make the game as epic as the books was a huge mistake, given that the very nature of a game dictates that playability comes before all other considerations. Even for an ardent fan of video game storytelling as myself, Game of Thrones simply tried too hard to cram in content when they should have been more focused on making the game fun.

The game also falls prey to several glitches. In combat, your characters often decide for themselves whom they wish to fight. This becomes a problem when the enemies they target are on the other side of a door while there are four or five right beside you trying to kill them. Although you can easily switch targets during combat, the characters would often just stand there or keep automatically trying to run to the enemies they originally targeted rather than attacking the ones you've just selected.

Also, there is a level I n which you must adorn the armor of a city watchman in order to infiltrate their corrupt ranks. To do this, the quest requires you to obtain each piece of armor separately. Two pieces can be had for free, but the rest must be purchased and they are not cheap. I had to sell all of my equipped gear to buy it and was barely able to afford it at that. And I was being frugal throughout the game. If you haven't the coin, you simply hit a dead end in the game wherein you cannot proceed any further. There is no alternative to solving the puzzle. This is a horrible flaw as it ends the game in a way that cannot be undone by simply reloading an earlier game as you have no idea this part is coming. You would have had to been scrimping and saving every penny from the first mission on. Such built in dead ends are inexcusable.

Lastly, there is a level that requires you to use the dog to navigate a dungeon maze. The level forces you to solve it in a very specific way; and offers no instruction on how to achieve this goal. The order things must be done are not clearly defined and without a walkthrough to guide me I would never had figured it out. Fortunately by this time I was so fed up with the game as a whole that I had no compunction about cheating.

Overall, Game of Thrones is a horribly designed mess. Though the story is engaging (in the second half, anyway), it is simply not enough to justify the hours of gameplay or rather scant minutes of gameplay followed by hours of cut scenes required to complete it. If you absolutely love all things "Game of Thrones" related, then rent this if you must. But I can't recommend buying it. It is a poor attempt at cashing in on a popular franchise and is, quite frankly, not even worth the price of the rental. Despite multiple possible outcomes; the game's clumsy construction makes the replay value low. One would not, I imagine, torture themselves to suffer through this game twice. I barely managed to plow through it the first time.

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Game of Thrones for the PS3 is billed as a prequel to the HBO series. What it really is is a prequel to a fully finished game.

We adore the Game of Throne series on TV as well as the books. We've seen the series many times. We were enthusiastically looking forward to the game release. We were disappointed with what the game provided.

The game starts out seeming interesting. There are two characters that you go back and forth playing, one being a Night's Watch brother and the other being a Red Priest. You get some small amount of configuration for each you can choose one of three basic battle techniques. These then affect your "attack tree" for building experience. The priest gets magic, and the fighter gets a dog to take over with.

You find various items along the way of your quests, mostly junk you just sell, but occasionally you do hit a useful item. There's an arena mini-game to hone your battle skills, and you bet on them as well. You can even bet against yourself and throw a fight. You do get some decisions along the way, and they affect how certain characters react to you later on.

Gameplay is frustrating. The game will auto-save when you head into a section, and if it's long and convoluted, you're sent all the way back to that spot. This issue then trains you to have to save after every single action which is tedious. Loading times are quite slow as well. By the end of the game it seemed like one was doing the same thing over and over again.

Graphics and sound were OK. Not stunning, but not atrocious either.

All in all, the game was not so awful that we gave up part way through, but it didn't leave us thrilled with the experience when we finished. It could have been so much more. The bar was set high by the novel and the actors in the series. The game doesn't rise up to those standards.

Rating: 6/10

We purchased this game with our own funds in order to do this review.

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Okay, I'll be completely honest. I'm not the biggest RPG fan when it comes to video games... but, I do love Game of Thrones, so I figured I'd give this game a try. The sad thing is, there could have been something really great here. George RR Martin has created a very intense and intricate world that could really have allowed game developers to do almost anything with it. And it seems that these game developers had that in mind when they created this game. They took the liberty of designing new characters, opening up the realm to more than just the few worlds we've read about or seen in the HBO series, and introducing more about certain characters we already recognize.

Unfortunately, this game falls flat on its face.

I think the thing that drove me the most crazy was the controls. They were hard to understand, clunky, and all-around a pain in the ass to use. I'm still not exactly sure how I got through half the battles, considering I found myself just hitting "X" a couple hundred times and hoping for the best. I think this game could have been more successful if it followed a combat system more like the Assassin's Creed series, with alternating weapons easily accessible (rather than having to keep opening your inventory and figuring out how to equip something). Also, the smoothness of how Assassin's Creed operates in battle would have been ten times more pleasing.

Additionally, there are times when you have to pick-up certain items that have been dropped. I found myself slapping my controller for 10+ minutes (you're supposed to just hit the "X" button when near the item to pick it up) and running in circles around the item trying to grab it before the system would recognize that there was something there to grab. Considering that some of these items were necessary to continuing the game, it was wildly annoying.

On top of this, the graphics were disappointing. In a time where games have become so life-like, the graphics in parts of this seemed half-assed. There were a lot of glitches I noticed in different parts of the landscape. Some faces seemed more developed than others. Overall, just slightly off compared to what I was used to. Granted, I could easily enjoy a game with so-so graphics if the rest of the game is solid, but this was not the case. Just an additional annoyance to add.

I will say this... the developers actually created an interesting story. It's just over-shadowed by a frustrating system. I would love to see another attempt for a GoT game on the PS3 in the future, because it's absolutely one of my favorite stories of all time. Just something that has a little more staying power than this.

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The story in the game was very intriguing but the first few battles were so hard to get through that I gave up and traded it in. I really wanted to be able to play this game badly, but it was just too hard.

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USB Cable Single

USB Cable Single - Playstation 3
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus:
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I bought a generic cable before this one and it would disconnect every time the control vibrates, after getting a replacement from the store the same kept happening. So I did some research and turns out that is a common issue with generic cables, so I decided to buy this official one.

It was around $7 + $2.5 shipping (check all the sellers of this product so you can pick the best one). I thought this was a replacement cable just like the one that came with the console (only longer), but no, this the best cable I've ever had, it is indeed the official one from Sony amd it is a gold pleated and braided cable, plus 10ft is enough for me to play even lying in my bed, this cable will last forever.

If you are thinking of buying this one, don't hesitate, it's worth every penny, actually, is ridiculously cheap for its brand and quality.

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I like to play my games sometimes with some distance from tv and with this cable is possible.

Buy it.

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I bought a generic cable and it KEPT DISCONNECTING WHEN IT VIBRATED! BEYOND ANNOYING! I was raging. So I bought this official cable thinking if this doesn't effing work I'm going to fly to Japan and kick Andrew House or Kaz Hirai (current and former CEO of SCEA) in their respective aging nuts. But guess what? No need! This cable works beautifully! I've never had a problem with it and it actually charges my controllers and doesn't stop charging when it vibrates AND doesn't kill my battery. Love it man. Do yourself and get this cable cuz it's long, strong, and down to the friction on. Seriously. This cable wins.

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This cable is better quality than the original controller cable. A little too long at times & kind of expensive, but it's worth the extra cost & can wrap up slack with a cable strap if necessary. Sony should have thought of this a long time ago. Great product & very satisfied customer. :)

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I have a 55 inch TV on which I play PS3 Games. Playing video games on such a large TV is sometimes a pain IF you must be connected while your favorite controller is charging on the console. Well this USB connector does the trick. The cord is LONG one of the longest PS3 compatible cords I have seen. Better the insulating material appears to be made of a tightly braided mesh over wires that is stronger than the standard plastic rubber insulation. While I do not recommend this I rode my office chair and wheelchair over this USB cable a few times and each time without damaging it. I lost 4 standard insulation PS3 USB cables stripping off or breaking insulation and snapping wires due to rolling my office and or wheelchair over lesser quality cables. PS3 USB cables might cost more than others on offer here BUT you too often get what you pay for. This PS3 USB cable delivers what it promises without compromise few competing lower price lesser PS3 compatible USB cables can honestly say this. Its better to buy quality first rather than indulge yourself in the delusion of saving money only to have to return cheap bargain bin USB cables to sellers if they allow. Video games are hard enough to play without using an inferior PS3 USB cable that adversly impacts your gaming experience. Just this AUTISTIC WEREWOLF'S words to the wise!

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