Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Collector's Edition

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $49.99
Sale Price: $49.10
Today's Bonus: 2% Off

I'm going to split the review into two parts: one for the game itself and one that specifically addresses the collector's edition.

First the game:

The game is a lot of fun but it falls really short. The story passes through quickly, it really feels like there's about four levels (the game splits it into 8 or 10). The game play is basically the same as the first, using the Force is a little iffy at times, but it's cool to have all the Force powers, yadda yadda yadda. This one is significantly less buggy than the first, which is nice. It also looks a lot better than the first one. Cut scenes are a given, I personally feel the game itself was also cleaner.

However, the game does have its drawbacks. For one, the story mode is entirely too short and doesn't really add anything to the Star Wars universe. It works as a sequel, sure, but where the first one tied episodes 3 and 4 together in a brilliant manner, this is at best an epilogue to that. You're possibly a clone, you escape Vader, stuff happens that really only matters to Starkiller (I'm trying to avoid spoilers here) and then you go back to fight Vader again, then nothing really happens or is resolved. I'm willing to admit I missed something, but I just don't see how that contributes to the overall story.

Another issue I have with the game is the challenges. Some of them are insanely difficult. I know there's a certain degree of fun in something being a challenge, but in my opinion a few of them just go too far. The first one, for example, has you input all the combos to "prove your mastery of the Force." Sounds like fun, right? Unfortunately not. The response of your inputs can be VERY selective. For example, hitting Square three times might actually require six inputs for three to be recognized. To a certain degree you can figure out the game's timing, but it likes to randomly decide you weren't fast enough. Even if you're in mid-combo. Or the training droid will attack you, or the game will wait a good 5+ seconds before putting the input back up, which greatly affects your score.

You might have heard that this game was supposed to have a multiplayer mode, but as another reviewer already mentioned, this is for Wii only. From what I've seen it looks pretty similar to Super Smash Bros, which could be fun but meh. That was probably clearly stated, but word of mouth chose to ignore it.

So overall, I would give the game three, three and a half stars. It's definitely fun and worth looking into if you enjoyed the first one, but I would wait for the price to come down, as you'll finish just about everything it has to offer in a matter of a few days (seriously, I beat the story on Hard the day the game came out, and I'm not that spectacular at these games). The game is supposed to get some DLC in the near-ish future, I'm hoping it's either cheap, free, or very good to make up for what I, and many others, feel lacked from the game.

As for the Collector's Edition, I would not buy it. I'm typically a sucker for these things, so I got it without question. The bonus stuff on the flash drive, the extra sabers and costume...I thought it would be worth it. It is not. The flash drive is okay, but really more gimmicky than anything else. It's shaped like Starkiller, you can see the pictures. All it really has on it is a Flash backdrop and 5 or 6 pictures in various sizes. According to the box there's a full game script as well, but I was unable to find it.

The lightsaber was not worth it to me, especially since I pre-ordered from Gamestop. The Gamestop lightsaber powers up all attacks, the Collector's Edition only powers up lightsaber attacks. From what I inferred not even by that much, but then again there's no real objective way to tell. The costume is also pretty mediocre. Again, the Gamestop preorder is the winner, the Maulkiller costume looks very cool. Finally, the Collector's Edition comes with three extra challenges. They're mediocre. About as much fun as any of the other challenges, but really nothing too special or something that you "need" to have. Of course, the comparison of the costumes and lightsabers is pretty useless to anyone who didn't preorder, but honestly, all in all, keep your $15-$20 and just get the normal edition. The game comes in a plastic case which houses the metal case and the flash drive. The metal case itself is a little cheap. Seems to me like it would scratch or dent easily.

I would give the Collector's Edition extras two stars at best. There simply isn't enough there to justify the extra money spent. I honestly felt a little...well I wouldn't exactly say cheated, but I certainly feel that I didn't get my money's worth with respect to the extras. I would just put that $15 to $20 aside and investigate the DLC when it's released.

So yeah. I hope that was helpful! Avoid the mistake I made, I somewhat doubt the Collector's Edition will be in short supply any time soon.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

What can I say... The sequel is never as good as the original, right?

If you own the first Force Unleashed, then you've played this game before but with a better story, and more in-depth gameplay.

There's maybe 5 hours of story play, less if you skip the cutscenes and the story is very unsatisfying with more than a few holes in it. They promised we'd find out whether or not we're playing a clone and by the end you're still not sure.

Yes, the cutscenes look better this time around, but it's not surprising that CG Movies would improve in the newer game. What is surprising is that the gameplay looks exactly the same as the first game.

You do get all combos accessible from the start. Though, most of the combos are identical to FU, the only difference being the second saber. Instead of a Lightning Shield, you get Mind Trick, so instead of taking less damage and dealing more damage, you get a weak enemy to battle with you for 3 seconds. No more character ability upgrading, experience points are now only used to upgrade force abilities. It is cool that you can mix and match saber crystals to augment different aspects of your character, similar to the what power crystals did in the first game, but I like when both sabers look the same regardless of their ability.

If you remember having problems with targeting and button response in FU, you'll be dismayed to find that no improvements have been made with the technical problems. You'll still find yourself turning around to stare at the screen instead of battling the enemy in front of you. There will be times when you're asked to hold a trigger button and press X repeatedly and you just start jumping repeadetly instead of raising a door, or blowing through a force field. From time to time, enemies won't take damage when expected to, assuming you can target them at all.

For most of the people who bought the Collector's Edition, the Mimobot USB doesn't work. Autoplay doesn't always recognize the drive correctly, and the embedded website doesn't work. The page loads, complains that you don't have flash player or javascript enabled, and after you allow blocked content (javascript) it just goes to a blank black page with no content. Lucasarts has not yet responded to the many forum posts and emails they've recieved about this issue.

If you bought the CE on the first day at midnight, you were disappointed when you got home and found that your Pre-Order codes worked, but the CE codes did not. Lucasarts finally made them available around 9pm eastern, unless you kept trying the code throughout the day and got locked out until the next day.

There is no Multi-Player unless you own the WII edition.

All in all, if you want the game, wait for it to be cheap. And don't expect a third installment. The current Lucasarts President, Paul Meegan, cancelled it during production because he doesn't feel Lucasarts should outsource any more projects. He also has been letting go of Lucasarts programming staff either by firing them or by making them walk out, so don't expect any more quality lucasarts games for a while.

Buy Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Collector's Edition Now

I buy Star Wars games for the story. Since no more movies will be made, video games have become one of the best ways for the Star Wars universe to continue. This game had better graphics and gameplay than the first did. But "thats all folks!". The story was non existant. Kotor 1 and 2 showed us that a great game could also have an amazing story. But you wont find it with this game. And after pressing the same attack button over and over you start to get bored quickly. Another thing is Darth Vader is a complete tool in this one. Im really starting to hate the guy. As we learn more about him, it starts to take away from the films. In my opinion he is a selfish murderer who does not deserve to redeem himself simply by throwing the Empreor over a balcony. Anyway dont buy...rent. Cause you will definetely beat this game, even on harderst difficulty, within a few hours. I will never buy another Force Unleashed game.

Read Best Reviews of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Collector's Edition Here

In short, if you have played the Force Unleashed, this one will feel like the first was simply a beta test. There are strong pros and cons to this game and it is being met with mixed reviews because of some dramatic changes to the original formula. Good changes, or Bad... that is really up to you to decide.

Gameplay: A lot has changed, yet hasn't here. The Force Unleashed 2 puts you as Starkiller once again, but now he is a dual wielding beast. Despite two sabers many of his moves have not changed they simply have become stronger. The big change here is targeting and force powers. *Targeting is improved to a level where I didn't even have to use the lock on feature for bosses and harder foes like in the first. *Force powers are now much more responsive to use. Even Force Grip is streamline. There is no need to fight with the controller anymore to get the direction you want something to go. The mechanics work fine with the flow of the game now, in fact to a point where starkiller feels god-like. *Upgrading force powers is back but you start with all force abilities except Repulse and Saber throw (you earn those fairly quickly though). However, force combos and upgrades for starkiller have been removed. The leveling change almost made the first one feel like an RPG. Holocrons are back but now serve as a way to upgrade your health/force bars, experience and of course unlock light saber crystals. Crystals now have a built in power attribute(unlike the first game, which had color and power crystals). Example, Jedi Green = health regen White = more Exp pts earned Blue = Force regen etc

Sound/Story: The sound effects are on par with the last game. More refined but overall the same. The story ...uh... no comment? Okay okay... if you are getting this game for the storyline I would suggest you pass big time. The storyline borderlines on annoying and illogical. I wont give it away of course, but don't expect the story to be nearly half as good as from the first game.

Graphics/Presentation: The graphics are amazing. The first game looked good but these look really polished and smooth. Force powers have a great definition. You can see them interact with the environment and bend through air or release shockwaves. The presentation of the game however is lacking I think. I even went in expecting it to be structured a little like the first, with more fluidity. Instead the game essentially has you go to point A.. then it is 'Force Unleash' yourself to the goal and then a really stupid story element makes you go someplace else .. rinse and repeat. There is no revisiting the same map all over again (exception of vader's base but it looks totally different compared to the first level you did there aka the tutorial)

Length/Replay: Short... 5hrs maybe 6 if you decide to be a holocron hunter (it pays to find them though as you get tons of saber crystals, and health/force energy reserve). You can easily beat this game in one sitting. The replay value though is probably better than the first. The game doesn't bog you down with long cut-scenes mid-map or choke points. Instead you go straight for the goal and hack n' slash.. blow up, mind trick etc everyone in your path. A second playthrough using fully maxed force is just to much fun especially finding ways to blow up stuff or simply force push lv 3 a hallway and watch the entire hallway just blow apart. There is also an added challenge mode that on 360/ps3 it syncs up with everyone else on the network and ranks you. Earning medals unlocks experience, crystals, costumes etc. Some of these challenges can be quite addictive.

Summary of "cons" I have for this game (with positive re-enforcement)

Storyline was absolutely butchered in my opinion. They should really just branch outside of the yoda, emperor, vader, luke etc universe of star wars and explore some custom stories at this point (nothing really positive to say)

Less focus on advancement. You basically fight your way through things simple as that. All your combos are given to you via saber upgrades so no need to save up points for moves etc. [makes it more relaxing to play through. Simply gain exp by destroying stuff ^_^ less focus on finding holocrons for pts to level up with]

Overall Score: 81% (88% if you are a TRUE star wars fan! May the force be with you!)

If you enjoyed the first you will enjoy this game especially if you showed up to own some Empire clones. There is no load screens anymore (unless you die) and menu access is smooth and quick. The Force Unleashed 2 pretty much amounts to "The Force Unleashed + polishing combat mechanics/force powers storyline" = ??? what it equals is your call in the end. For me, I can play this game over and over just like I did with Jedi Academy

**EDIT 1/22/2011

Wow I just realized I never actually hit on the Collectors Edition with this review. at Full price $79.99 the CE was definitely not worth the money. You get a silly little USB stick that looks ugly. Never tested to see if it worked. It just was ugly, uncomfortable in your hand and would just look downright silly attached to anything (is a free USB stick though but you can get an 8GB one for what $10. This is just 2GB. You get a special CE costume (which honestly was pointless and didn't look all that good) and a set of saber crystals which I really never had any use for as the ones in game provided me with better balance. Overall the CE was a giant waste of money.

USB Stick(20%) Can get 4x the size for $10 and the one you buy will probably look better

Saber Crystals (35%) adds a new color to your sabers + double damage yet not really needed as you want to use the in game crystals since they will help you regen health and force power, or incinerate enemies etc

DLC challenges (60%) Kinda sorta worth it. They are fun but for only so long.

Steel Case (100%) who doesn't love a sexy steel case design!

Anyhow steel case aside, this is just a total waste of your money. For $20 extra you can just pass and get the regular game. The game is not bad at all. Better than the first I feel; but the CE was a major letdown as was the storyline of the game.

Want Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II Collector's Edition Discount?

This game and package deal was WELL worth the money no matter what anyone says.

The game play is fun, lore interesting, and story compelling. I loved the acting and Starkiller's overly angry demeanor.

There were several problems though. It was too short. In a blink I was done and killed everything in my path.

Also, the game play was trying hard to be fresh and innovative but ending up just being a button smasher.

Your hero is basically a God and has a multitude of ways of dispatching his enemies. Sort of makes the game unchallenging. There is also little to no replay value.

The deal I received on this item was excellent and I would suggest StarWars fans and Sci-fi gamers alike to try it out!

Pros:

+ Great deal package with a lot of goodies (tin, USB, extra box goodies)

+ Fun for SW fans and other players

+ Interesting spec system for different kind of players

Cons:

Repetitive

Little replay value

Too short of a story

Read More >>

PS3 Macross 30 The Voice that Connects the Galaxy Import Japan

Customer Ratings:
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $87.99
Today's Bonus:

I will make this short but even though I do not like import games this is still worth getting I have no regrets. After a week of play and unlocking most of the planes to build this game rocks. I really hope a sequel comes out in Japan. There are menu translations floating around the internet for those of us who cannot speak or read Japanese. These help allot.

The only thing missing from this game besides a space map or two is pvp. It would be awesome and pretty crazy to have about 16 to 32 of us on the same map going at it. The combat is incredible. Soon I will be flying around with the black/yellow version of one of the original Valkyries off of Macross that Roy Focker used to fly on ultimate difficulty. Even though it's not the best plane if you fully upgrade the version 3 of it and flown right you can beat almost anything in the game. This takes skill though because I hear the ultimate difficulty is extremely hard that's why they gave us version 3's of the planes to build so we can do it.

Almost gave it 4 stars for lack of pvp but decided not to. I'm sure when I get to ultimate difficulty soon the dogfights will be pretty hard to almost impossible but I will know soon enough.

It's an absolute shame that somehow HG still owns international rights to Macross; it's pretty much destroyed it outside of Japan. Because of this we will never see an English version all the we have ever gotten here is Macross butchered to a version called Robotech but it's better than nothing I guess. Too bad Macross has been getting resurgence in japan in the past 6 years and the only way we can experience it is to import everything.

I recommend buying this, get out of your comfort zone and import it it's the only way you will be able to play it.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

There were only a couple of reviews for this product and they were pretty brief, so I thought I'd leave a review of my own and share my thoughts about the game.

I have played other Macross games on the PSP made by the same company, so I came in fairly confident that I wouldn't have difficulty picking this game up. My Japanese is only at a 1st/2nd grade level, so I can generally figure out the basics. Having said that, this game is actually a bit different from the handheld versions and does require a bit more Japanese knowledge. Fortunately, there is an amazing translation guide that should be fairly easy to find via a Google search that will help out. If you have no Japanese knowledge at all (or even just a little like myself), you'll probably want to keep that guide handy!

So, why exactly might you need help? Well, this game is an open-world style game where you have main quests that lead you around the world in a fairly straight-forward manner, but there are loads and loads of side quests that aren't always so obvious to those of us not able to read too much Japanese. Thankfully, it never gets too complicated in terms of what you need to do, mostly destroying X number of enemies, clearing out a dungeon, or collecting X items. If you've played MMOs before, you'll feel right at home.

As you'd expect from a game celebrating 30 years of Macross, you'll find (almost) all the characters you know and love from the franchise. (Although if you're wanting to see Roy Fokker, I'm afraid to say he's sadly not in the game.) Given the heavy musical themes from the various series', the ladies of Macross blessed with wonderful singing voices play a significant role in the story. If you're a fan of the music, you'll get your fill here. The vocalists you chose to support you will sing their notable tracks during combat and provide various bonuses and benefits, which is quite a blast.

And, of course, all the Valkyries are here with their custom add-on packs. This is where the game really shines, because the Valkyries are all a blast to pilot. The controls are smooth (I prefer control scheme C, but give A and B a try if you don't like it) and once you get a handle on all the things your Valkyrie is capable of in combat, you'll feel like a real pilot in no time. The more enemies you destroy and quests you complete, the more points you will earn to customize and upgrade the Valkyries to suit your playstyle. There are a lot of choices on what to upgrade when it comes to the Valkyrie and the weapons, but unfortunately the weapon loadouts themselves are locked. Each Valkyrie gets three weapons in addition to a standard machine gun/sniper rifle, but you can't pick which three it comes loaded with as it is a standard set for each fighter. Really, this is just an excuse to fly a variety of Valkyries over the course of the game depending on what type of loadout you need so it's a pretty minor complaint.

The graphics are good quality and what you'd expect for a late-generation PS3 game, though there can be slowdown at times when there are too many fighters shooting dozens of missiles at once. The cutscenes are animated well and from what I can tell, the voice acting throughout the game is top notch as the original voice actors have reprised their roles in most cases. I do personally like that they did not update the character models for older characters, but that might be jarring for some newer fans. Clearly characters from the original series look much more dated compared to their Macross F counterparts. The original characters added for the story are enjoyable additions as well.

I have found some minor flaws in the game, but overall there is really very little to complain about. It's well worth the money for the time you'll spend and there is a New Game+ for even more replayability. If you're a Macross fan, this is a game you should have in your collection!

Buy PS3 Macross 30 The Voice that Connects the Galaxy Import Japan Now

So a lot of games will sit there and tell you that they are based on your favorite television show, or movies. This game has got to be the best example of capturing every little nuance about said show or movie you could imagine! From the sudden Missile Storm, reminiscent of the Macross universe, to the most amazing and emotion churning songs done by some of the most famous anime 'Divas' you can think of, Macross 30 will keep you playing over and over again!

Having access to 'Valkyries' from across the various shows and movies, from the origins short series 'Macross: Zero,' to the 25th anniversary show 'Macross: Frontier' as well as at least one new fighter built specifically for the game, you can watch as it grows! Most of your favorite characters return for the game as well and the best part about it is, all but one of the voice actors have come back to reprise their roles (let me amend that to all but one of them if my research serves me right)! Familiar enemies even return, from Zentradi Regult Battlepods, to Vajura, including a few appearances by a very old nemesis will keep you wanting to see just when they will pop up next. Control schemes are solid, graphics are wonderful, and an all-star music selection rounds out the amazing qualities of this game.

The only fault...its in Japanese and Japanese only. Unless you can speak or read the language you wont get to understand much of the story, but the characters individual facial expressions as well as background music cues make it a little understandable. It is also hard to understand the side missions and items usefulness as well, but fortunately there is a near perfect translation guide available if you search for the Red Shoulders translation guide.

Even with the language problem, this game is a must have for any Macross fan! Since its on PS3, it also avoids the worry of Regional coding by being blu-ray which should eliminate any worries about playing it on your stock system!

Cheers everyone, and enjoy!

Read Best Reviews of PS3 Macross 30 The Voice that Connects the Galaxy Import Japan Here

Good to have as a collector. Awesome game to play. It's a must get. It is the best macross game to have.

Want PS3 Macross 30 The Voice that Connects the Galaxy Import Japan Discount?

I'm a huge fan of macross, and this game gives me exactly what i wanted. I would of like for there to be a few more planes like the PSP game has but I'm satisfied just to have the VF-29.

Read More >>

PS3 - Officially Licensed NFL Wireless Controller

Customer Ratings:
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus:

had trouble getting it to work at first, but now, it is the only choice. hubby loves and now his friends ask where did you get that? great gift for the Dad who has it all. He was really surprised.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

Not completly wireless but it works just fine. I have to say though I did recive this quickly.

Buy PS3 - Officially Licensed NFL Wireless Controller Now

Read More >>

Dragons Crown limited quantities privilege artwork book "Dragon's Crown Art Works"

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $106.38
Sale Price: $75.98
Today's Bonus: 29% Off

I remember when I considered purchasing this game a while back,I had my doubts about it and sadly most of them have been realized. I thought this game,or at least I hoped this game would be fun,it's not that fun for a number of reasons. I don't want to go into all of them but I will say this much,the game is definitely not worth the $50 price tag,at least when I ordered it,it was around that price. First of all the game is too broken up,there is too much talking and not enough butt kicking going on,so it feels like the action is very fragmented. The narrator has to tell you every little thing before you move on and it gets annoying after a while. This game tries to be like an rpg a little too much but it fails,it's supposed to be a "beat em up",so I don't get it! The game is supposed to be a beat em up with rpg elements,it has both of those but I wonder if one or the other is better in the long run or overall.

The game,...*sighs*,there is nothing special about it,I mean as a guy I can appreciate the beautiful art of the voluptuous women and all of that but that shouldn't be the selling point for this game or any game,it should be something that's just added on. The game got boring for me very fast,maybe you'll have a different experience but that's my experience with the game,my intelligence is much much higher then most people's,so maybe that's a part of it but I got bored within a few days of playing this game. Remember the doubts I was telling you I had,well,that was one of them! I thought I would get bored with this game quickly and I did but I wanted it,I had heard good things about it,and so naturally I was curious,and I wanted to play something new,fun and interesting. Dragon's Crown is neither of fun nor interesting and it certainly isn't anything new. The game has you going on quests and after a certain mount of levels of quests that you complete,then and ONLY then can you unlock the online features of the game,as far as playing with others are concerned. I personally hate that,I was looking forward to playing this game with others RIGHT out the box so to speak,why do companies do that,why do they make us wait for a feature that should be available soon as we put the game on since it's advertised right on the box! I don't get it,but then again I doubt this game would end up being that much more fun with 2 other players or even 3 other players,that would just be 2 or 3 more people being bored after a while.

Most of the time you can't even tell what's going on any way,I like to have a strategy against an opponent,aka a battle plan,in this game when it's 3 people on the screen at the same time,so much is happening at the same time,you really can't even tell what's going on,you really can't even see what your character is doing and thus,it's hard to formulate a strategy against any regular baddie or boss. I tell you what,next time I have doubts about a game,I will listen to them. I bought the game used for 40 or so,and I got the art book with it,I would have probably given it 1 star if I would have paid full price for it.

Read More >>

Logitech PlayStation 3 Driving Force GT Racing Wheel

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $149.99
Sale Price: $132.71
Today's Bonus: 12% Off

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Summary [8.5 out of 10]

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

The Logitech Driving Force GT PS3 Wheel is an excellent driving wheel with a good build quality at a solid price point that will satisfy any casual or avid racer. Unfortunately not every game makes correct or full use of driving wheels, but the ones that do (e.g. Gran Turismo 5) create a surreal driving experience that will satisfy any driving fan.

For the purist that must reproduce the true racing experience in his or her house, we would still suggest the Logitech G25; it is, however, more than twice the price of the Driving Force GT.

What's in the Box?

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

It's a good sized box, about the size of a Logitech 2.1 PC speaker package. As shown on the box there was an instruction booklet, pedals and wheel (with integrated shifter).

What I was really surprised to find in the box, and it might have been a toss-in for some promotion because I don't see it mentioned on Logitech's site, was a full copy of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue. If you already have it, then use this copy (if you get one) as a gift I suppose. If you didn't have a copy, you will be so freaking happy they included one, it does the wheel justice while other games don't:

After spending time with this wheel and especially Gran Turismo 5, I would have to say that you cannot review a driving wheel, or al teast this driving wheel, without having a copy of Gran Turismo 5 to test with. The experience is so much better with GT than it is with other "arcade" racers that it's a night-and-day difference. More on that later though under "Driving Experience".

For anyone that has used a force-feedback wheel in the past 10 years, I think the form factor of these things has always been the same. A life-sized steering wheel attached to a tapered base that is fastened to a table or desk of some kind using clamps or grips of some kind; this is very similar:

As you can see the steering wheel reproduces all of the 17 or so buttons you find on a standard PS3 controller. The red wheel and "enter" button on the bottom right can be used for navigation and confirmation as well as in-game adjustments for games that support it (like Gran Turismo 5).

I'm not sure what the split-circle +/does on the bottom left, I never got it to really do anything in any games.

In addition to the full-sized wheel the base unit includes an integrated shifter. The shifter doesn't have much play up or down as it behaves more like those auto-shifters (flappers) you find on some higher end cars that let you drive in automatic or shift automatically if you want. It just clicks up or down as you are driving and a spring re-centers it when you let go. It doesn't click "up" or "down" into position like a gear shifter, it's more of a toggle action.

Of course you have your pedal plate. I'm a size 11.5" and the plate felt like a nice size, sturdy, good resistence on the brake and gas and my foot never fell off it or slipped off. It's a perfect size.

I did find that the pedals stood upright a bit too vertical, so sitting in a chair and playing, my foot was always cocked up when I was off the gas or break. This made switching from gas to brake with 1 foot uneasy for me and I ended up driving with both feet instead; I just couldn't flip from gas and then cock my foot up enough to clear the brake as I moved it over to the left to push it back down. What ended up happening is that the side of my foot would hit the break as I moved my foot to the left and push the whole pedal pad over.

I would also point out that the pedal pad would be perfect on carpet because it integrates a retractable spike-strip on the bottom of it that can click out, and dig into the carpet. On hard/wood floors like I have, it was moving around a little bit, so I secured it by pushing it up against the table you see in the picture above. I believe there are little rubber feet on it but they don't do as good a job stopping it from moving as the carpet-spike-strip would if it was on carpet.

Keep that in mind if you are on a hard floor and don't have a way to secure it in place, I'm sure putting it on a mat on your hard floor would work fine (like a yoga mat) or something else that will cause it to stay put.

Hooking it all Up

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

As with all racing wheels since the dawn of mankind, you fasten the wheel base that everything hooks to, to a table or desk using clamps that tighten to hold it in place:

If you don't have a table or desk that this can be fastened to, you will need to get one if you plan on using this. I lucked out in that our coffee table had a lip on it that I could hook to, but I have a friend that has a low coffee table that he hooked the wheel to that provides a lack-luster driving experience as he is bent over the wheel.

Someone else that came over to try the wheel out didn't have a coffee table at all in front of his TV and was wondering how he would use it; my only comment to him is that he couldn't unless he had something to hook it to.

The base unit is front-heavy with the steering wheel; meaning if you didn't secure it to the table, it would happily fall steering-wheel-first off the table onto the ground. You can't just set it on something and use it; it needs to be clamped down.

Also you will want it attached to something sturdy because you can get to fighting with the force-feedback and turning the wheel and moving quite a bit while racing. This could move whatever you have the wheel attached to in more vibrant racing moments; something I did with our coffee table because it has wheels on it.

For example, if you tried to hook this to a bar stool or something, I don't think that would work out really well.

After getting the base-unit in place, everything plugs to it into sockets in the back of the base-unit, right behind the shifter. You will plug in:

* Power Adapter

* Pedal Plate

* PS3

The wire length between all 3 of these things is pretty liberal, so unless you are trying to spread yourself across your entire living room you should be OK.

The shortest connection is from the pedal plate to the wheel (understandably, since the two will always be near each other) and uses what looks like an old-school COM port connection.

In what I consider the most important connection, the base-unit to the PS3, Logitech was pretty generous. You have a 10' or 11' USB cable to connect to your PS3. In the picture above I am about 10' from the PS3 and that is about as far away as I am going to get without a USB extender.

The power adapter also had a generous lead on it, which I plugged into the wall behind me, about a 5' run total and there was still plenty of slack on that cable.

For those curious, the power adapter is one of those "huge bricks that I have to plug in and will cover a bunch of other plugs" types. The prongs themselves are set high enough on the brick though, that if you are plugging into a wall socket, you can use the top or bottom socket without blocking the other one.

If you are using it on a power strip, I'd suggest making it the last plug off the power strip so it hangs off and doesn't block other plugs cause it will. It's a bit bigger than a deck of cards or there-abouts in size.

Build Quality

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

My gut reaction out of the box was "meh" honestly. I have used force-feedback wheels in the past and only once can I remember being impressed with the non-plastic build quality.

However, after using the wheel for a while and playing quite a few games with it, I came to find the build quality above-average. The wheel is solid feeling, it's got a leather-wrap feel to it, the force-feedback is dynamic and consistent and the pedals were sturdy and performed well. If you want to turn the force-feedback up, the wheel can really wrestle with you, so if you like a powerful experience, you can certainly get it with this wheel.

The pedals didn't feel amazing to me out of the box, but playing with them I didn't have any complaints, besides the comment above about how vertical the pedals stand.

The gas is easy to depress but sping-loaded in a firm fashion to make it somewhat hard to push down with your hands. And the brake is firmly spring loaded, but in a smooth, shock-absorber way that makes it satisfying to use and feels more like a real car.

The shifter does feel a little rinky-dink because it's just a plastic knob on a metal pole that is attached to a spring-loaded click-shift mechanism.If you want that tactile feedback, you'll want to get the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel.

If you are a build-quality nut and don't mind paying for you, you really should be looking at the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel; that's more of a direct race-car replica, complete with metal parts, full shifter, clutch, etc. But it's more than twice the price of this wheel (just a warning).

Driving Experience

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

First a list of the games we tried (in alphabetical order):

* Burnout Paradise

* Dirt

* Gran Turismo 5: Prologue

* Grid

* MotorStorm

* Nascar '09

The "awesomeness" of this wheel (and I imagine all racing wheels) depends 100%, completely on how well the game you are playing implements it.

Let that above statement sink in... you could spent $900 on a wheel, and if the game you are playing doesn't have a tuned wheel experience, you will likely go back to using a controller.

Gran Turismo 5 is excellent, Grid and Dirt are bad; even though there are a ton of adjustments for the wheel, I wasn't able to find a combination of settings for those two games that made them playable for me with the wheel... there is a certain amount of arcadey lag that occurs between the wheel and what your car does that screws you up in tight spots, sharp turns, etc.

You spend a lot of time spinning out and then spinning out more as you try and get straightened out on the track.

Your mileage may vary and your tollerance may vary, but this was a comment another friend of mine with the Logitech G25 Racing Wheel echoed about those two games as well. Some of the bad controls can lead to road-rage though if you are expecting a perfect-simulation-experience from all games:

I tried this wheel out, along with my wife, our friends and their children. I didn't see anyone "not get it", it's pretty straight forward and accessible to anyone that has driven before. Although the children seemed to pick it up no problem and like the idea that they were racing "for real".

While the wheel does expand the experience of driving, especially if you stick yourself in "first person" perspective in the cockpit of the cars of some of these games, bad response from some games can ruin that experience just as fast.

Conclusion

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

After some time with this wheel and quite a few titles, I think I've come to the conclusion that if you are a Gran Turismo fan/junkie, and plan on getting it, this wheel or one of Logitech's others is a must-get along with the game.

If you just like racing games, especially more arcadey ones, you should probably skip getting a force-feedback wheel. The wheels themselves are excellent, but they are only as good as their weakest link. If the game you are playing wasn't tuned for the wheel you are just going to end up going back to the default PS3 controller after a while anyway so you can win races.

It's unfortunate, but with a lot of the problem titles, I didn't find playing with the 20 settings or so for force-feedback in most of them helped at all. Some I couldn't even see a difference between a 1/10 or a 10/10 "Force Feedback" setting.

Areas of Improvement

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

As with all our reviews, we don't like to criticize without providing suggestions on how to improve the product, so here are our suggestions for the Logitech Driving Force GT PS3 Wheel:

* Any of the following individually (realizing that all of them together would increase the price too high):

o A clutch on the pedal pad

o Gear flippers on the wheel for easy shifting

o A Shifter that included two well-defined gears and not the small-range-of-motion up/down click-shifter that is on there now so you feel cooler throwing it into gears

* Wireless connection to the PS3 (Is that possible? I don't know how much data is being transfered from the wheel to the PS3)

* A chart or guide that has "Best suggested settings" for the most popular driving games. You can spend a lot of time messing with the Force Feedback settings for different driving games. It would be nice to have "recommended" settings out of the box since the sampling of popular driving games on the PS3 is so small, it shouldn't be hard to do this.

* MINOR: Easier to reach Start button (for pausing) on the wheel. The phone rang while I was playing a few times and I fumbled and crashed 3 times trying to pause the game. I can't imagine getting interrupted while driving is an uncommon thing for a video game. Would have been nice.

* SUPER-MINOR: Working horn button, there is a horn button in the middle, and it lights up and depresses, but none of the games I tried it on did anything. This is super minor, but I like honking a lot before smashing into people.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

I purchased GT5 Prologue and played for 2 days using the Dual Shock controller, while the game was fun, I was having trouble running well on several tracks. Over the weekend, I went to a local store which had GTP5 and the racing wheel setup as a display. After sitting down and using the wheel for about 10 minutes, I knew it was a must have. The wheel itself feels well made of durable products, the rubber on the wheel makes it very comfortable. It also has reduced my times in the races where I have used the wheel. The setup was easy and control layout is easy learn. Some reviews I have seen discount the wheel because it does not have a clutch or shifter with actual gears set out. But with the $100 I saved, I am willing to live without theses features.

There are a few downsides, I was hoping for a wireless wheel, but it connects to the PS3 with a USB cable. However, the cable is a good length and allows you plenty of space to move across a room. Also, you have to plug the wheel into an electrical outlet. While this makes for more wires, it also allows for some great force feedback and opposed to a rumble effect.

I am looking forward to using the wheel with upcoming racing games and some old ones. And my favorite thing about the wheel, it the GT logo that lights up in the center of the wheel.

My advise is to get the wheel if you can. Now if they would only release the full GT5 (with damage to the cars please!)

Wanted to update this review to mention the product I found to use the Racing Wheel. I tried small tables, a tv tray and an IKEA laptop table. None of them worked because of they were to tall or short and the tables that could be adjusted were to wobbly or slipped. After much searching, I found the Wheel Stand Pro which is made in Poland. Unfortunately, it was more expensive than the Racing Wheel, but it was a great buy. You can adjust the height, angle of the wheel and distance to the pedals. It is made of steel so it is solid and has sturdy clamps to fold it up and store easily. If you are looking for a great way to use your Racing Wheel, I highly recommend you check out Wheel Stand Pro site. Also, shipping was great. They emailed me on a Friday the stand was on the way and I received it on Monday.

Buy Logitech PlayStation 3 Driving Force GT Racing Wheel Now

I have played the GT franchise games since GT2 on PS1. Needless to say, I have plenty of race time behind the "wheel of the iconic Dual Shock series of controllers. With that in mind, I can never go back to those days after experiencing the Driving Force GT.

The build quality is very solid, as is expected with logitech products in general, and feels very good in your hands. It has a good amount of weight to not feel cheap, but is not heavy to the point of inconvenience. The size of the wheel is smaller than an actual steering wheel, but is of comfortable proportions for long racing sessions.

The control layout is very simple, and translates well from the standard controller scheme. Navigating menus requires zero adjustment time. The real time adjustment knob is promising, and will no doubt be a great tool for the full version of GT5.

The pedals are well built, and are on a solid base, which is an appropriate size and weight to be stable during gameplay. The increase in pedal pressure from the accelerator to the brake pedal is a nice touch as well. I remember feathering the gas and brake way back when, using the digital button layout of the original PS1 controller, and being amazed at the improvement by using the analog buttons on the Dual Shock 2. The ability to fine tune the amount of throttle is simply amazing, and is something truly to see seen for yourself.

As another reviewer said, the wheel does come with a number of wires. The usb connector is approximately 2-3 times longer than the standard usb charger that comes with the PS3, making it adequate for most home setups I have enough cord length to play at a comfortable distance from a 60 inch display. The external AC power adapter is not absurdly large, and has plenty of cord length as well.

The existence of these wires is a necessary evil, but is well worth it. The force feedback is outstanding. The wheel fights back when attacking turns at high speed, respond with great detail when you come off the tarmac, and translates the effects of weight shift on high speed straights in a way that simply cannot be done with a conventional controller. It gives me a chill to think what this will be like on the rally courses in GT5!

I cannot begin to do this product justice in words. Simply put, if you have the disposable income, and plan to put in some seat time with GT5, be it Prologue or the full game coming out next year, you must try this wheel. At least check out a demo unit you won't be disappointed.

Read Best Reviews of Logitech PlayStation 3 Driving Force GT Racing Wheel Here

Excellent build quality, very solid with great force feedback(vibration).

Auto calibration whenever plugged into PS3 or a racing game gets loaded or quit. GT5P worked flawlessly as well as the Dirt demo, GTHD, GT3/4.

Full 900 degree turn radius is very nice. Wheel is 10 3/4" in diameter measured. It auto centers as you accelerate out of a turn, making it feel just like a real car. Like after you turn, then let the steering wheel slide through your hands back to center. I thought you had to manually turn it back to center it but it does this automatically. Very nice indeed.

Gas pedal is ok but brake pedal is firm and responsive.

Sequential shifter is great but I use the paddle shifters more and only use the shifter for quick gear changes when I can't reach the paddle buttons fast enough. Such as coming out of a turn and needing to up shift quickly.

The tuning knob is great for those on the fly adjustments when in game and you WILL want to adjust certain aspects when in races. Assuming you know what your doing.

Having the ability to quit to the XMB from in game is great but only works for GT5 Prologue so far. You can also move around the XMB with this as a controller.

Overall, this is an excellent steering wheel for the money. Having played on a G25 as well the only real difference is the 6 speed stick shift and price. Well of course, the leather and metal accents on the G25, too. It's a bit better in feel compared to the older driving force pro in steering, feedback and pedal pressure to me. It's very much like the G25. Remember though, some cars have a 7th gear so it kinda kills the feel of the 6 speed only G25, so you have to shift with the button or use it as sequential to be able to access the 7th gear. No biggy if you like shifting with a stick, but still lame. Also, the tuning knob helps alot if you know how to use it right. So, if you gotta have a stick shift, get the G25. If you want to save some money(about $80-120) and don't care about the "stick shift" too much, then the official Driving Force GT wheel is the one to get.

Want Logitech PlayStation 3 Driving Force GT Racing Wheel Discount?

Just got this wheel the other day from Amazon, and I can say that this is the best wheel I have used to date.

I previously used a Thrustmaster Enzo, which while it had strong force feedback, had a bad dead spot, and wasn't very easy to drive. Also, the pedals needed to have a 50lbs dumbbell set behind them so they wouldn't move. Also, the feedback was rather clunky, but better than nothing.

Next, I moved on to the Logitech Momo (which is essentially a Driving Force Pro for the PC; same motor, gears, and bearing system). A better wheel than the Enzo in some areas; the pedal setup was miles better, with the (probably) patented carpet tack thingy found on most Logitech Wheels, but also not as strong a feedback motor as on the the Enzo. Also, the force feedback never felt as fluid as I would have liked, and as a result I sometimes didn't have the confidence I should have when trying that overtaking maneuver at speed.

Which brings me to this wheel, the Logitech Driving Force GT. I purchased it mainly because my girlfriend has a PS2, has GT4, but doesn't have a wheel, and my Logitech Momo wasn't recognized by the PS2. As I'm sure you all know, playing GT4 without a wheel just simply won't do. Also, I'm buying a PS3 as soon as GT5 comes out, so I thought I might was well kill several birds with a single stone.

This thing is the bee's knees. Yes, it works on your PC, in case you were wondering. So if you've got anything other than the G25 wheel, get this one, and sell the one to cover your losses. I play racing sims a lot; GT Legends, GTR2, rFactor, LFS, and just for fun (not really a sim), Test Drive Unlimited. On the PS2, just GT4. I haven't purchased a PS3 yet mainly due to the fact that the ONLY game I care about for the PS3 is GT5.

So now that you know that it works on your PC, PS2, and PS3, I'll try to let you know how well it works.

I've used the fabled G25 wheel before. It's $300, and I'm not so willing to shell out that kind of money for a video game controller, but yes, it is nice, and is one of the best force feedback wheels you can purchase. Well, this one uses the same force feedback motor, gears, and sample rate, and cost less than half as much. It is miles ahead of my Logitech Momo. 900' of rotation I thought at first would be a gimmic, and something I wouldn't ever use... wrong. It makes the fine control of the car that much more realistic, and therefore makes driving quickly and precisely that much easier. It makes for a totally immersing driving experience, which is what a force feedback wheel controller should be all about.

The wheel is thinner than the Momo, but a lot more comfortable in hand. It's also much larger in diameter than the Momo or Driving Force Pro, which really helps with the overall feel. I also found the build quality much higher than the Momo and Thrustmaster Enzo wheels I have used. The wheel simply doesn't budge under load, whereas the other wheels you could flex the wheel up, down, and sideways while driving. Most of the buttons on the controller can be mapped in the PC, but not all. More than enough though.

The force feedback is forceful, but really, REALLY precise. There is a lovely deadzone right at the middle that just smooths in to progressive feedback, and there is no sudden feedback area, it's just so smooth. I can't say enough about the force feedback; simply awesome, very much like driving a real car at speed. The amount of data sent through the steering wheel is just awesome. You can trail brake going into corners, use the throttle to turn the car coming out, and it never feels unnatural or forced. It just feels fluid, and really gives you confidence to drive faster, find a better line, brake later, and get on the power sooner.

For those reviewers who said the wheel has too much feedback? Go to the gym. If you're having problems turning in with this wheel, it's you, not the wheel. The pedals are the same as on the Momo, and while not world class, like on the G25, they do the job, and again have the retractable carpet tack system found as found on the Momo, which makes it completely immobile on carpet.

So in conclusion, if you have the older Driving Force Pro, sell it. Get this one instead; it's in a different league. The fact that you can use it on three different platforms is a huge plus in my book as well. I promise you won't be sorry, and will be grinning like an idiot for weeks to come.

Read More >>

Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $18.37
Today's Bonus: 39% Off

Being a fan of UBI Soft's "Heroes of the Pacific," I knew that I had to try out Blazing Angels 2. My initial impression of the game was one of absolute amazement. The overall experience is one that is very fun, addicting, and highly original. The control scheme, a factor of extreme importance in flight games, is tight and very responsive. The graphics are crisp, smooth, and add another dimension to an already impressive game. There is nothing quite like engaging an entire squadron of Stukas over Red Square while witnessing the Soviet Army moving to engage the advancing Nazi army below you. You can actually see Russian civilians running for their lives--which makes you really feel like you are defending the city from the "Hun at the door." All of this occurs in a mostly silky smooth frame rate. The missions are quite challenging and require strategy as much skill to successfully complete. The missions are so intense that, on two separate occasions, I forgot to blink for long periods of time, which caused my contacts to dry out--resulting in me having to take them out. Though some have criticized the game for being too easy, this has not been the case in my experience. The missions are remarkably challenging and require you to experiment in your attempts to find the most efficient route to victory. You also have many optional quests to complete during a mission, like collecting all of the stunt icons or completing the mission in a record time. Flying in places as diverse as the brutal deserts of Egypt (with a nice view of the pyramids below you), to the arctic chaos of Moscow's Red Square, to the lush green mountains of China, the game does a nice job of transporting you to different locales and giving the player an impressive change of pace. Also, during each mission, you compete for prestige points, which you acquire by completing objectives and taking out enemy planes, tanks, buildings, etc. You can then use these points to purchase much needed upgrades for your planes. Prestige points, and the upgrades purchased with them, add a tremendous amount of depth to this fabulous game. As far as the story is concerned, I don't want to spoil it, but will tell you that the developers have obviously tried to make this game as different from the standard WWII game as possible. Though some have criticized the game for its lack of historical authenticity, I simply respond by saying that thought the game does not have any recreations of actual WWII air battles, that is not to say the missions available to the player are not based on actual historical events. Besides, the deliberately over-the-top missions may appeal to a new generation of gamers and inspire them to learn about the most important and influential conflict in human history: WWII. So, I don't buy into the historical criticism issue. The characters in the game are lively and many times offer the player a radically different interpretation of the same events. This is quite refreshing and gives a good dose of personality to the game. Bottomline: With 18 well-designed missions, immersive graphics, intense gameplay, over 50 real-life planes, and a storyline that (in my opinion) enhances the gaming experience, you would be hard-pressed to find a better WWII flight game on the market. NOTE: I haven't played the game online, nor do I plan to (I'm not an online gamer), so I have not reviewed that part of the game.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

Disclaimer: I am not a gamer -this is all new to me -I'll be brief.

I was shocked to see only one other review. This game sets an impressive (artistic) mood with its muted colors, snow falling, islands, ice bergs, and the entire story line.

Its an arcade type game -not a flight simulator. The fact that you can hit certain targets to gain new ammo might (understandably) be a downer for the purist. For everyone else, this game is great fun and, for me at least, a significant challenge -enough to certainly keep my interest.

As the previous reviewer noted: The various missions and assignments add to the thrill and continual newness of the game. I have no regrets with my purchase. I'd be surprised if anyone else would either.

Buy Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII Now

There are so many WWII games out nowadays, and I've long realized they're just not for me. I don't like "gritty" action, and I'd rather not trivialize this historic conflict by glorifying it with a game. Flying games don't come out that often though, and since we don't seem to be getting any more starfighter-based Star Wars games, this seemed like the next best thing.

The first Blazing Angels was a lot like the Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe games -a bit of a "serious" simulator with an arcade heart. I was thrilled to learn that BA2 is more like another "dumbed-down" favorite, "Crimson Skies" on the XBOX. Or the Star Wars games Rogue Squadron, Rogue Leader, Rebel Strike, Starfighter, and Jedi Starfighter.

The graphics are beautiful, the controls are responsive, the online and offline cooperative and versus multiplayer is effective and fun, and the whole package is definitively worth the price of entry.

Now if only people would buy more games like this so this isn't such an endangered species of game on modern systems!

Read Best Reviews of Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII Here

Blazing Angels 2 is original and exciting. This newest version of the series has many additions that add to the overall experience, including the ability to purchase plane upgrades: weapons, armor, ammunition, engines, training, etc., with points earned during the campaign mode. The graphics are impressive. The prior version on Wii is no match for this edition. So much detail is included in the game on PS3, including ground troops racing to perform tasks, and realistic tanks firing on targets. It was easy to learn the controls and begin flight. There are, of course, some unrealistic aspects, such as the overwhelming number of enemy planes, many of which are unresponsive to being fired upon, but at the same time it adds to the fun of the game to take out several light bombers just putting along in a straight formation. It would also have been nice for the game to have preserved some of the major battles (Battle of Britian) in the campaign mode, but I suppose the "Secret Missions" title should have clued me in on the fact that those might be absent. If you enjoy aerial combat games, I highly recommend this title.

Want Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII Discount?

Pros:

1)Six axis controller is great fun and makes flying a more intuitive experience.

2)Game offers an interesting customization feature to slowly allow you to improve the technology of your aircraft.

Cons:

1)Very Formulaic. Character development is weak, and the story line is melodramatic(in a very bad way). Your wingmen are full of trite cliche phrases that detract from being able to be immersed in the game playing experience. Sounds like the writers to "Leave it to beaver" were recruited for story development(golly gee mister!)

2)Cut scenes are cheap. They are processed photographs of actors, very bad ones, I would add.

3)Levels are incredibly repetitive. Flying in Moscow feels like flying in Paris feels like flying in Japan.

If you are looking for an incredible flying experience, I don't think this is it. I wanted it to be, I was a huge fan of "Secret Weapons over Normandy.(PS2)" I am not going to finish the game. Why should I? I know exactly what is going to happen, and I am irritated by the naivety of the story.

Read More >>

PS3 AV & S Video Cable

Customer Ratings:
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: Price Unavailable
Today's Bonus:

I bought this so I could record videos from my PS3 with the Dazzle because it doesn't support HDMI. It works perfectly.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

Very high quality cables and connections. Easy to use and really seemed to make a difference over the generic cables that come with the PS3. Really happy with the cables and will buy from INTEC in the future.

Buy PS3 AV & S Video Cable Now

The PS3 comes with a simple composite cable. The best way to connect your PS3 to your HDTV is via HDMI or component. But for those of us still using tube TVs like my 35" Sony Trinitron, SVIDEO is my best bet.

The cable is pliable so doesn't feel like it will break when bending around corners, connectors fit snugly, and the length is appropriate.

Video and audio quality is excellent.

Read Best Reviews of PS3 AV & S Video Cable Here

I really needed this cable so that I could record to my Dazzle. I went to numerous stores including Wal-mart, Radio shack, and even Best Buy. Nobody seemed to have one or even hardly knew what I was referring to. As soon as I found this product I ordered it (there was limited quanitites left). So far it's worked great. The only thing I did have a problem with was on the red, yellow, and white side there is a little too much plastic around each of the connectors so that it won't stay plugged into a dazzle. I had a dremel on hand and in about 5 mins just shaved that extra plastic down so that I get a tight comfortable fit into my dazzle. I gave it 4 stars only because of this. Otherwise a great product at a reasonable price. I would buy again.

Want PS3 AV & S Video Cable Discount?

This appears to be a good cable because it is thick/solid and I like that it is 8' instead of the standard 6 foot that so many cables are. HOWEVER, please be aware that the AV/S-vid connectors have a very thick casing on them so they will NOT pluf into all TVs. I found this out with my TV, the connectors are sunk just a bit into the frame and this cable could therefore not connect to my TV, I had to go get a different S-vid cable that did not have the thick plastic around the connectors. Not all TVs are like this, but some are, so be aware of this issue.

Read More >>

PS3 Rechargeable Battery Pack

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $7.99
Sale Price: $5.99
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

PROS: 8 additional hours of power, Plug and play

If you've had your controllers for a while, you may notice they don't last quite as long per charge. Just slap one of these on and you're good to go for any gaming marathon.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

I love this model of shoes is advisable, just as I expected which recommended 1000% thank you very much thank you for everything.

Buy PS3 Rechargeable Battery Pack Now

So far I am happy with this rechargeable battery pack and seems to be keep a decent charge! Happy so far and for the price you can't really beat it. I would suggest it to others, but will give an update in a few months.

Read Best Reviews of PS3 Rechargeable Battery Pack Here

The price for these controllers was great. I've had no issue with any of them so if you want to save money, this is the way to go. Shipping was super fast as well.

Want PS3 Rechargeable Battery Pack Discount?

I used it once and it stopped working, The light turns on then turns right back off. I wish I had never even bought it. . . .

Read More >>

Pro Evolution Soccer 2013

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $29.99
Sale Price: $28.22
Today's Bonus: 6% Off

So you're probably asking yourself which game should I buy this year...PES or FIFA?

Having played both in previous years and becoming frustrated with the issues of PES 2012 (online play, players with superhuman speed outpacing any defence), I decided to pick up a copy of FIFA 13 and see what the fuss was all about.

To be honest, FIFA 13 is a really great game. I'd played FIFA 08 and 09 a few years back and was amazed at just how much the game play had improved!

The modes, licenses, commentary and music are all superb and are easily way better than anything PES has to offer.

The stadiums look terrific, player movements are smooth and nicely animated and online gaming is top notch.

But after playing it for about a week and having read some positive reviews about this year's version of PES, I decided to try out the demo.

& that was the tipping point the demo just felt more fun to play than FIFA and the game play seemed more realistic.

...Long story short, I sold my copy of FIFA and bought PES and I've been a happy camper ever since.

So what's different?

1) The pace is slower you actually have time to pass the ball around to your other players while trying to break down a defence (like Barcelona would). I felt that was missing in FIFA, where the pitch just seems more crowded for some reason, and you're constantly rushed to either dribble past defenders or quickly rush a pass to another player so as not to lose possession.

2) Passing seems more crisp and responsive to the controls so an errant or intercepted pass is more likely due to a player's mistake or carelessness.

3) Defending has been improved you won't see as many unstoppable sprints by Ronaldo or Messi as you did in PES 2012.

Yes, the commentary's terrible and the lack of licenses is a bit of inconvenience but those are quickly forgotten when you start playing a game. It's just that good.

...So go ahead and pick up a copy of PES 2013 you won't regret it! Must buy.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

This game is great, it is by far, the most fun and enjoyable soccer game I have ever played. The improvements are amazing and outstanding, gameplay is very fun and REALISTIC. You just feel something different than when playing FIFA, even FIFA 13 (which I bought and played with for a couple of days, after that I sold it).

Definitely recommended, 100% recommended.

Buy Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 Now

I bought Fifa 12 after not having a football game for a long time. I played it for a year, and it did have a lot of nice features. The greatest positive of the Fifa franchise is content. Because they have exclusive contracts they can include all the teams you want and more. They have so many players that you can spend hours looking through players. They have a lot of different "modes" which remind me a bit of Facebook games. If you want a role-playing game and not a football game, Fifa is the game for you.

But the current generation 12+13 have issues. It is really hard to be competitive on Professional level or above, frustratingly hard. Defenders are way too good, way to fast. Passers rarely make mistakes. A opponent player can be under severe pressure on the touchline and still deliver a cross field pass right to a team-mate. This never happens in real football. There is a lag between when you press the button and your player takes action. This is the biggest deal-breaker with the current generation that still persists in Fifa 13. You may get few chances a game and this will blow many of them. The players rarely make any smart runs unless you bump your mode up to attacking and beyond. The through-pass system usually makes the wrong decision (PES overcomes this with total freedom passes on a play-by-play basis). The goal celebrations are completely unrealistic. The commentators spout random facts over and over and often call a pass a shot. The crowd are card-board cutouts which from certain angles becomes very distracting and cheesy. Manager mode will sell big players like Rooney and Messi behind your back. The injury/ card system is way to over-happy when you designate the computer to simulate a game. Players like Neymar are rendered useless because they have the stamina of a small child. The best feature of Fifa is that what it lacks in actual fun, it makes up back for in addictiveness That is in between the frustrations that make you never want to play it again. It is addictive because it is expansive.

PES 2013 while obviously lacking in content makes back up for this in game play. It is NOT hard. As a Fifa 12 player I was able to play a game and actually score *gasp*, even on professional level. The computer actually makes mistakes. Players make good runs. I can manually slot a pass through if I doubt the computer will choose the right path by pressing the L2 button. Even if I don't, the through-pass system is pretty good. Key players actually move like themselves quite amazing to see considering the players in Fifa all seem like cardboard cutouts of 1 or 2 generic players. Celebrations are realistic. For example, Neymar dances. Just last night, I was down a goal close to the end and Rooney grabs the ball out of the net and runs to the center for the restart. Passes and shots are surprisingly delay-free, if not 100% of the time, most of the time. The crowd is sufficient and not obviously cardboard cutouts. Stadiums are beautiful and the shading/lighting looks less cartoony that Fifa 13 does.

PES is NOT complex or hard to play on a superficial level. I'm not sure why people keep saying this over and over again. Could it be because the game starts up with an extensive tutorial you can chose to skip? This was one of my main frustrations with Fifa. There were 4 tutorials in the whole game and no instruction booklet. It basically left it up to you to figure out what to do, as if every Fifa owner has been playing the game for years. And as for tricks, Fifa Street will teach you they keys but NOT Fifa. So they are trying to co-opt you into buying Street as well, make Fifa your whole life and game library.

The main thing, in my view, is that when I played the PES demo, I smiled and laughed and was excited again about football. This is something that Fifa 12 has yet to make me do. PES is just fun to play.

Of course, coming from Fifa, the funding issues are apparent as Fifa is an EA big seller. EA is able to throw a lot of money at the game. The subtitles in master mode could have been replaced with simple dialogue. The wrong team names can be mostly fixed with updates published on the Internet by enthusiasts in the PES community.

I have not played PES 2013 yet as much as I have Fifa 12 in the past year, but the frustrations that PES fixed for me have been well worth paying the opening-week price in my opinion. After playing the Fifa 13 demo, I realised that Fifa had not fixed the most glaring problems.

Pros

Fun

Realistic

Seems like you are watching a game on TV

Key players behave like themselves

No key-press delay

Players are more intelligent

Opposition will actually make mistakes

Fan community

In-game and in-manual help

Cons

Changed team names

Lower budget means not as flashy and less time-waste content

Read Best Reviews of Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 Here

The game is awesome!!... its better than Fifa for the following reasons:

the gameplay is more real.

the champions league tournament

the Libertadores tournament

Excelent A.I

I love this game!!

What's the problem? In the specifications or details not specified region (region 1 is Amercian version Region 2 is Europe version).

I bought the game thinking that it was region 1, but my surprice is that this game is region 2.. and now i can't play with my friends in online option because theirs have the region 1(american servers) and I can only play on europe servers... big fail!

Want Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 Discount?

I have played both PES 13 and FIFA 13. Both games are very good. However, I have found PES 13 to be more fun than FIFA 13.

Read More >>

Tomb Raider Underworld

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $14.49
Sale Price: $14.07
Today's Bonus: 3% Off

I had been anticipating Tomb Raider Underworld for a long time. Ever since the cliffhanger ending in Legend, I don't think there was a Tomb Raider fan alive who wasn't eagerly waiting for the resolve.

A few notes:

If you haven't played Legend, you really need to. This is a direct continuation of its story line. If you don't know what happened in Legend, you'll be lost with the story contained in Underworld. A passing knowledge of what happened in Anniversary would also be advised.

The good:

There was a conscious effort on the programmer's part that if it seems like Lara should be able to do something, she can do it. For the first time the technology was available to let Lara do virtually anything the programmers could imagine. Poles Lara could only swing from before, she can now swing, perch, balance and fire a gun from. By far, this version of Lara can do more than she could in any previous game.

The areas are huge and, for the most part, non-linear. There are a couple sections near the end where you're basically being herded down a single corridor. But for the most part, this is the epitome of what a "go anywhere, do anything" exploration game should be. If you know exactly what you're supposed to do, you can probably breeze through certain puzzles. But if you want to take time to explore and see what the game has to offer, you'll find it has a lot.

The story is also very involving. Like I said, it's a continuation from Legend. So if you've played that, you already have a vested interest in what happens to these characters. Underworld really delivers on finally resolving the story between Lara and Amanda, Lara and Natla...and even Natla and Amanda.

The bad:

As much as I hate to find fault with this game, I have to be honest, there are some faults to be found.

As stated in other reviews, the camera is really buggy. This more than any of the other bugs had me frustrated at times. It never became a game spoiler for me. But many times, you not only can't move the camera to where it would be of utmost advantage, many times it's a challenge just to move it to where it's not utterly useless. This more than anything keeps me from giving this game that fifth star.

While not nearly as irritating as the camera, I also have noticed frame rate issues. But those tend to come and go. There's a brief moment on the part of the player of "what's going on?" But it passes and you're back on your way exploring.

Cinematics are not unlockable like they were in Legend and Anniversary. Once you've gone past them, that's it. Only chance you'll have to see them again is if you either start a new game or go on Youtube.

That brings me to my final point. Since cinematics are no longer unlockable, there's really not much else worth unlocking. There's character concept art, weapon concept art, level concept art and equipment concept art. It's hardly worth going into the "treasure hunter" mode to unlock it all in my opinion. It's a good thing that the levels are so huge and that it should take the average player a good while to finish the game. Because given the lack of anything worthwhile to unlock, that leaves little to nothing in the way of replay value.

Final notes:

This is a fun game. I hate that I had to list so many faults, because really this is a fun game. But you should know before spending the money that this does lack that certain amount of polish. As far as I'm concerned, though the good does outweigh the bad. If you're a Tomb Raider fan, you should get this game. If you're dying to find out how the Legend cliffhanger finally resolves, get this game. Just realize you may need to forgive the game for having a few little quirks.

Click Here to Read More Reviews >>

I just got the game today and played for a few hours. And these are my opinion on the game.

Bad:

Environment collisions are bad. You could fall quite easily even from a simple ledge, due to bad collision detection. And you often bump into invisible walls, or even stuck on them, in stupid places that they shouldn't be there.

Animations look bad. The poses are alright, but timings and in-betweens are bad and too fast. I feel like watching a speedy Charlie Chaplin's film. Lara looks like a monkey when she does wall-climbing. And too-fast animations also cause very annoying errors in controling the character.

Camera sucks. They make the camera follows Lara too much and track-in too fast. It could cause controling mistakes and a headache. Especially when you stand too close to environment collision, the camera will shake like crazy. I feel dizzy after playing for a few hours.

Combat system are pretty bad. The gunplay doesn't include cover system, which makes you take the bullets too much. Dodging moves don't help much because a lousy camera don't stay still, so you lose track of enemies very easily.

Good:

Well... it's Tomb Raider after all. That means the story and puzzles are still interesting enough to keep you playing, even with lousy controls and camera. The models, textures, shaders, and lighting look great.

In conclusion:

The developers tried to put new things to keep the series fresh. Unfortunately, they don't really work. On the other hand, the weak points destroy what made the past games in the series so great.

I wouldn't recommend this one to anybody new to the series. Judging from this one, you might hate the entire series all together. Tomb Raider Legend and Anniversary are better than this one.

For average fans, you might want to download the demo and try it first, or wait untill the price drop.

For die-hard fans, well, it's still Tomb Raider. If you're dying to collect every Tomb Raider games, it might not be so bad for you. Just don't keep your hope up so high.

Actually, I wanted to give it 3.5 stars.

Buy Tomb Raider Underworld Now

This game has it's good notes. If you like treasure hunting or puzzle solving games along with shooting and climbing/jumping, then you will like this game. The only problem is the numerous bugs. I can't believe that they would release a game with this many bugs. The camera sucks at times...sometimes all you can see is black. If you walk towards a wall and try to walk away, she goes into a spastic glitch. You have to wait 2 to 3 seconds to get out of it. There are numerous glitches that the company knows about that you have to go back to a previous level to do something stupid that you would think would never make any difference just to move on! There is one level where the ramp is missing if you died at a certain point 3 levels back. Consider the bummer there, knowing that you will lose all of your progress this far to go back and fix it. It's almost a game killer. There are very high notes on this game though. It is a very fun game to play. The puzzle aspect of it makes it very interesting to play and takes you away from the normal run shoot, run shoot of most games. My 2 cents anyway...

Read Best Reviews of Tomb Raider Underworld Here

If you have played Legend on PS2 and loved it... this one is all for you. A full fledged fan service. They have made the puzzles more streamlined and made the game levels bigger. The game continues where it left in the previous game. Lara is now casted by a different British model and all the animations are motion captured. The game difficulty is perfect this time. So far I liked how well it is paced. Lara also carries a PDA that can be used to solve puzzles. No random color matching puzzles, every thing is very organic. The game mainly stress on puzzles and platforming. Combat is mainly there as a diversion. You can always get away with a slow motion head shot.

The game does lack the level of polish. There are frame rate issues, my main complaint is the camera. The textures and polygons doesnt map one to one in some tricky locations. Technically it could have used some time more backing time. But what we have is amazing. If you like adventure, puzzles atleast give it a rent. It is very entertaining.

This game is a eye candy for sure with south Asian beaches and snowy artic caves. Lara craft play ground is jaw droopingly filled with details. A action adventure fans dream come true.

Want Tomb Raider Underworld Discount?

The best thing about this game has to be the amount of exotic locales and exploration that you do throughout. You have to explore the dense jungles of central Mexico, the tropical and beautiful scenery of coastal Thailand, frozen arctic wastelands, Lara own home(or underneath it), and tombs hidden deep within the Mediterrean Sea. There are almost no boss fights so that is one missing element that should have been added to the game since we have seen it in past Tomb Raider games. As a matter of fact, I think that this is probably the easiest but still most exciting Tomb Raider games that I have ever played. I enjoyed all of the exploring of the different locales and tombs. I almost felt like I was going on my own Indiana Jones expedition. Lara field gear in her PDA, really makes the game easier because she actually tells you what you need to do to progress further in the game, which was lacking from other TR games. Lots of enemies to shoot(people and animals) and the power of Thor's hammer adds a whole new level of excitement for the game. Any fan of action adventure games and exploration should check this game out.

Read More >>