Napoleon: Total War Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a big Empire: Total War (hereinafter referred to as ETW) fan, and a few months ago, was wondering whether to get Napoleon: Total War (NTW). $39.99 for an "expansion pack" seemed rather exorbitant. However, since I am a huge fan of Napoleonic history (I read David Chandler's "Campaigns of Napoleon" front to back) I decided to take the plunge and pre-order off of Steam.
I would also like to address the oft discussed topic of Steam. This review will NOT solely discuss the criticisms of Steam; if you want to do that, start a topic in Amazon's discussion forums. This is a review of the game itself, not of the distribution system. That being said, I would like to add that I'm not sure why there is such furor over Steam. I've used it for the past four years, and never had a problem with it. Anyone who's played Counter-Strike, the Half-Life series, or Day of Defeat Source will agree that Steam is a very convenient content distribution system. I prefer not having to physically store my game CDs; Steam is a popular system, and I don't see Valve suddenly folding up shop over the foreseeable future.
Back to the review, installation from Steam took a few hours and 20 GB to download. The game requires Steam, so even if you purchase the physical DVDs from Amazon, Steam will be required for activation. Happily, the game is rock solid so far, no crashes of any kind. For comparison, here are my system specs:
Core i7 920
4 GB Ram
Single Nvidia GTX 260, Core 216
I'm running all settings on ultra, with the exception of a few token details. HDR is turned off, because frankly, I never liked the look and it unnecessarily burdens my system. Video optimization seems particularly smooth, and whereas the Campaign map would lag in ETW, I see no such problems here.
The differences between NTW and ETW are many, some slight, but even the smallest modifications make a big and improved difference in Napoleon: Total War. NTW is what ETW should've been. Here are the main differences, which I've summarized in 4 main categories.
VISUALS (Campaign map, battles, soldiers)
GAMEPLAY (Shorter turn time, Campaigns like Road to Independence)
ORGANIZATION (Historical Battles, Campaigns)
MULTI-PLAYER
First, the VISUALS. NTW is vastly upgraded over ETW in terms of visuals. There are now more soldier types per unit, some sporting brown or blonde hair, others with muttonchops or none. When you adjust the settings to the maximum, yes, there really are 64 face models as Creative Assembly boasts. Each engagement is a thing of beauty, with brightly besmocked soldiers, shakos and tri-corner hats, bayonets glistening in the air. Revolutionary Infantry soldiers march into battle barefoot! Napoleon's Old Guard Grenadiers look particularly resplendent in the new game engine. With white tunics, bear-skin caps with red plumes, and imposing figures, the Old Guard is brought to life and every bit as accurate as the history books. Heck, you can even make out the individual threads on the red epaulettes of the Guard.
Cannon shells leave explosions bursting in the air, and cannon-balls leave deep furrows in the ground. The camera view rocks from nearby blasts. A few new unit animations have been added, including a horse dragging a dead rider away, foot caught in the stirrup. Battles are amazing, to say the least. Now, muskets fire with greater flash and smoke. The Campaign map has also been upgraded, showing greater detail. There are also a plethora of short cinematic clips, which help to cement the 19th century feel as well as teach you a little Napoleonic history. Naval battles have also been improved, with clouds in the sky, and sun glinting off the ocean. The battle interface bar is sleeker, and the battle control menu from ETW has been replaced with a translucent menu. Soldier portraits are larger, and more intricate. Battle landscapes feature environmental effects which in turn have an effect on unit statistics. Battles feel faster and more magnificent. Units upgrade their veterancy in real-time as well, so you often survive a hard-fought battle with elite units.
Next, the GAMEPLAY. The biggest overhaul is to the Single-Player Campaign. It builds on ETW's "Road to Independence", featuring three linear campaigns which closely follow periods in the Napoleonic Era, from his early years with the Republican armies in Italy/Austria, to the forays into Egypt, and then the European theater. I think this type of linear storyline makes sense, given the focus on Napoleon's life. Additionally, the tutorials are more detailed, with three tutorials (land, naval, campaign) also illustrating early events in Napoleon's life on Corsica, and his travel to mainland France and subsequent rise to success. One huge change on the Campaign map which I really appreciate is the ability to speed up unit marching, which used to drag the single player turn time. Turn time is now two weeks rather than ETW's six months. Additionally, the campaign maps themselves are much more focused. Weather now impacts your strategic planning, so march your armies carefully! Troops must be supported by supply lines, and even the grandest of armies can be crippled by desertion and sickness. Rakes have been replaced by spies (good decision!) and greater flexibility is given to gentlemen. Spies have the ability to build up spy networks as well, if enough time is spent in an enemy city. When capturing a city, occupying forces finally have the option to either loot and kill the inhabitants or peacefully occupy. This option was sorely missed in ETW, even though it was present in the Rome and Medieval series.
In naval battles, ships now have the ability to make repairs at sea, and further health bars on added to show the hull strength on left and right sides of the ship. Naval battles with large numbers of ships were already hard enough for me to manage in ETW, so while the new health bars are a nice touch, I probably won't be able to monitor them unless engaged in one-on-one combat. For land combat, units' morale is shown in real-time with a morale meter by each unit, and generals may rally or inspire select units. Each general is based on a historical figure (another nice touch), and are irreplaceable, so conserve them carefully. Generals level up, but their veteran experience gives them a nice touch in NTW. Higher ranked generals can deploy their men after lower ranked generals have already deployed, thus increasing your tactical superiority. This presents a tremendous tactical edge; during one memorable battle against the computer AI, I was able to place my Grand Batterie of artillerie a pied and completely enfilade his entire left flank, crushing the infantry and routing them before contact. Depleted units also automatically replenish when in friendly territory.
Lastly, on the battlefield, there are additional inset video screens that bring your attention to critical news flashes, like when your general is in danger of being killed, or when a particular unit is in danger of routing. I could've done without the inset screen; it sounds helpful in principle, but in reality, the inset screen is too small and too low-resolution to discern anything useful.
Next, we have ORGANIZATION. As previously mentioned, NTW builds on the Road to Independence Campaign featured in ETW. NTW also has a greater number of historical battles, which I thought ETW was severely deficient in. To add some excitement (or consternation), the historical battles must be unlocked one by one, and some major battles are featured, such as Borodino, Austerlitz, and of course, Waterloo. I would've liked to see some additional major battles, such as the Peninsular confrontations, the giant bloody square at Wagram or Napoleon's return to brilliance with the Six Days Campaign in 1814, which featured tactically brilliant demonstrations with his Old Guard. Or event Murat's enormous 10,000 strong cavalry charge against the Russian center at Eylau, or General Senarmont's brilliant use of case-shot against the Russians at Friedland? Alas, we will have to wait for a fan-made mod to relive those battles, I'm afraid. The Grand Campaign aka Campaigns of the Coalition allows play as one of France's enemies; Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, and Russia. However, the campaigns end around 1813; why not 1815 with the surrender and capture of Paris following Napoleon's abdication and permanent exile to St. Helena?
Lastly, the MULTIPLAYER has been heavily hyped. Since I was never interested in multiplayer for ETW, the same is true for NTW, and I'll just briefly mention some of the new additions, some of which are quite significant. Besides the usual Steam achievements and hyped uniform editor, friends can drop into campaign battles in the single player campaign! Some online review sites have said that the new multiplayer feature is the icing on the cake, but I'll let you find out for yourself.
In summary, here are the pros and cons:
PROS:
-Vastly upgraded graphics
-Gorgeous battles
-Improved interface and playability
-Napoleonic theme
-Multi-player (if you're into that)
-Stable build, no crashes
-Shorter load times
CONS:
-Need to shell out more cash
-No fife/marching music?
-No additional unit formations, e.g. mixed order formation?
-Sieges are best auto-resolved
-Minor AI Quirks
-Cannons shooting into the backs of own troops, !$#@%
Just a brief note about the cons; I noticed they added a fife playing soldier to each infantry unit, however, he doesn't seem to play any particularly famous historical tune. I used to play a...Read more›

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S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl Review

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(More customer reviews)A well done FPS!.
This game is set in the future, with a plot that begins around the time of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. It is a game of intense action, atmosphere and involves some strategy and choices.
As with any game there are positives and negatives...let me explain
The Pros:
1.)A great selection of weapons and ammo (with the better ones becoming available as you proceed in the game). Some are better than others and some are quite heavy (you have a limit to how much you can carry).
2.)Different armor is also available at different points in the game.
3.)Realistic "fog of war" occurrences; weapons jam (with increasing frequency as they become worn); your player tires and gets hungry affecting his ability to perform.
4.)Great atmosphere; spooky ambient lighting in dark halls and tunnels, in the outdoors you have rain, lightening and night time; and then there are always the unexpected attacks (anywhere) by an assortment of men, animals and mutants.
5.)Enemy AI that is realistic: their guns need reloading and occasionally jam; they hide behind objects when shot at; they sneak up from the unseen side; animals attack in packs and from behind while one or two distract you from the front. All in all an enemy that appears to "think" about what it's doing instead of just standing there and blasting away at you.
6.)Although the game requires you to the complete main missions to proceed in the game, you can roam around the country side unrestricted. As a bonus, however, there are several side missions that you can do (these are optional and not required to finish the game but may give you substantial rewards in money or items)
7.)Easy save and load feature.
8.)3 different endings, depending on the choices you make near the end of the game.
9.)Some re-playability; you may want to try different endings, side missions and other weapons and armor.
10.)Many hours of intense, hectic game play.
Cons:
1.)You'll need fairly good hardware and lots of RAM to run this game as it was meant to be played.
2.)No vehicles to ride for battle or transportation purposes. (and annoyingly, towards the end, you must walk back almost to the starting point to get an important piece of info) or you can't get into the last 2 endings.
3.)Maybe, just maybe a little too hard even on novice (especially towards the latter part of the game).
4.)You'll need at least 9GB of disc space to load this game.
5.)I found there were occasional crashes or freeze ups after long periods of play.
Suggestions; (SPOILER)
1.)Early on, go to "Dark Valley"; this will give you a chance to
a.)obtain a sniper scope (useful a little later) and
b.)while here, do a side mission that requires you to "rescue a fighter's friend" (here you'll find, in the same building as the "friend" (but in another room), a piece of great armor and many useful and powerful "artifacts".
2.)Take every bandage you find; medkits will heal wounds but do not stop bleeding (and if you don't stop bleeding, well...you bleed to death).
Conclusion:
This was a game that I really enjoyed (even though the novice level could be a real challenge at times); it featured my favorite type of game, that being, a FPS with some RPG upgrades. If you liked such games as Deus Ex, System Shock or Dark Messiah, I'm sure you'll pleased with this game. 5 Stars. R. Nicholson


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Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows - Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I got this controller after having issues playing Lego Harry Potter on my PC (windows 7-64). the installation was simple and the controller is excellent. I am very happy with this purchase and am starting to use it for other games now also.. certain games are definitely more enjoyable with a console style controller.. driving games and anything that's 3rd person can be played with one of these..
NOTE: be sure you install the driver before you plug the device in for the first time! there is a warning about this on the USB cable but just wanted to reinforce that..

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Cities XL 2011 Review

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(More customer reviews)* I haven't encountered any bugs so far. I went through the forums and looked at what some are having trouble with. So I'm reviewing and informing at the same time.
So after a year since CXL was released by Monte Cristo, Focus Interactive releases Cities XL 2011. They promised some changes and a transit system complete with buses and trains (subway and elevated). The next generation city simulator gets a makeover with these much needed features. I liked CXL and was annoyed that Monte Cristo went bankrupt before it could implement its new ideas ie. G.E.M.'s Transit expansion, and a host of others. When Focus Interactive took over CXL, it seemed like a breath of fresh air and a new chapter for the city building genre.
Unfortunately, some (and for others, many) bugs from the original CXL and some new ones have marred it to the point where the forums are lit up by frustrated people. Focus has been quiet although they did fix a bug for steam users. I recently saw a post that Focus has no patches in place because they are working on releasing CXL '11 for other languages. It could be a while before we get any type of patch. They are also very quiet concerning CXL '11 and it's future. From my point of view, it seems like they are going to crunch numbers and see if it's viable to continue. Hopefully, they will. There has been no attempt at creating a city-building game after Simcity Societies (not including CXL). Simcity Societies was dreadful.
If you are familiar with Cities XL, buying the game online has your serial number emailed to you; and online activation. The download was pretty fast but bare in mind, I am using FIOS. Previously, Monte Cristo told me that I can load CXL on as many computers as I like, no limits. Focus doesn't mention it. I heard that Starforce DRM is on it but I didn't see it while going through installation. I've had Starforce before and it usually says, "loading Starforce." If anyone who has this, had seen, it, I'll change this sentence, but like I said, I didn't see it. I went through the files as well. For people who had CXL, you have the opportunity to buy CXL 2011 for half the price if you have your serial number for CXL. If you forgot it or lost it, emailing Focus Interactive Tech support is the way to go..You have to provide your username, password and email you used to sign up CXL.
There is no online aspect of the game. Previously in CXL, you had the planet mode. online mode is completely left out in CXL 2011. You can trade with each of YOUR cities or Don Madoff of Omnicorp, but no one else. It's fairly simple. Like a point and click. You have a "earth" screen that will show where the trades are going but it doesn't show your road network like Simcity 4. In the earth screen, you can also see the available areas to build a city. It doesn't truly represent what you will see when you pick that spot unlike in Simcity 4, you see what land you are getting; including all the physical features. A wishlist here would be when you are searching for an area to create your city, it would be nice to get a feel of what you are getting. You cannot change the land. You can terraform AFTER you pick your spot and name your city. Terraforming is very expensive and a little frustrating. Simcity 4 was much easier when it came to terraforming.
The same premise is back. You can build a city on the CXL "planet," picking a spot with different physical features ie. peninsula, volcano, lakes on a plain, fertile plains, tropical island, and more. Also, keep in mind what type of resources that each "plot" has ie. oil, water, holiday, water, farm. You give your city a name and go through a quick tutorial of where to place your first road, city hall, and early power/garbage zone. The tutorials at the very beginning (before you pick where you want your city) are good enough to give you the know-how of the basics. Again, you cannot terraform the land after you pick it and name it. I found one bug. I chose a peninsula and I was creating my city when I saved and closed it. When I came back to it, all of a sudden, my city became a island with peninsula qualities.
Many people are having problems installing the game, starting it, and playing it. Steam was the worst but I think a patch, fixed that. I haven't had this trouble at all. Also, people have been reporting slow frame rates early in the game. Usually the frame rates decrease when you have a sizable city. This is true. I loaded my city that I exported from CXL and yes, it was slow. Not too terrible though. It was like your large city in Simcity 4. You would think in 2010, almost 2011, the multi-core support and increased framerates for a city-building genre would be there.
The graphics are gorgeous. The people in CXL '11 are just like the original; not very realistic but better than others. There is no comparison concerning graphics between Simcity 4, CXL '11, and Simcity Societies. This one is by far better!
One thing new, you can tax different types of zones. In Industry, you can tax separately; heavy industry, office buildings, high tech etc. In CXL '11 you have industry, commercial, and residential zones. Building have been added as well as packs ie: coastal homes on stilts, Asian style homes, European....
One of the best things done in CXL is the idea of allowing us to create our own bus lines; up to 20 lines. The maps show your worst traffic and how your lines are being utilized. You can;t go crazy or else you will go bankrupt quickly. The best thing is that the bus stops are placed along your roads; they don't take up a tile as in Simcity 4. Perfect, since every bit of real estate is needed. The Metro (train) works the same way as the buses except, the station needs to be placed near a road. you can create many lines depending on the size of your depot (just like the buses; small or large). What is great, concerning the Metro, you can run your lines along side or under your lines placed already. The belief in the CXL universe is that the tracks go under the track already placed. A roundabout was added in the roads section however, it really has no use at this time. Expressways are now highways. One bug that had carried over from the earlier CXL is the way traffic moves. On a multiple lane road, cars in the left lane turn right and cars in the right lane turn left (besides going straight). The traffic lights, again are not animated. These 2 things too me are glowing issues especially since we are in 2010 and this game pushes city building realism. I'm also a realism nut :) The way cars and trucks turn is unnatural. People waiting at the bus stop looks nice, however, when the bus arrives, they mysteriously get out of the bus and get on. The windows on the bus look like the windows on the buildings.
For those looking to buy Cities XL 2011, just be on the lookout concerning the bugs; there seems to be more in this one that the previous one. In the previous Cities Xl, Ive only experienced one lockup but in this one, none. Like I said, I haven't come across the crashing and error messages that others have gotten. Most people reporting the issues have decent systems. Check the forum. You need a decent video card because this one will wake up your video card. The game was rumored to have multi-core support but it doesn't.
Besides all the bugs being reported, what makes me nervous is the way the developer is very quiet. Contacting them gets a very slow response. Sometimes, it seems like you get a generic response also. For those who remember, Cities XL '09, Monte Cristo was quick to respond and always had their news updated. Even when nothing new was reported, they seem to update their website. When emailing tech support, they responded quickly and seemed more personable. They even took the time to let you know that they've logged your issue and will send it to the development team. In other words, at least they responded. When I couldn't find my serial number from CXL '09, it took more than a few days for Focus Interactive to email me back and even their response was kind of cryptic. You had to read it a few times to realize what they were asking. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blasting Focus Interactive. I'm happy that they've added some things to CXL 2011 and cleaned up the resource trade screen. It just would be nice if they kept us, those who bought the game in the loop ie a patch will be coming, updates will be coming soon. It's like pulling teeth! Not good customer service. I feel bad for those who are looking to buy this game or have it on their wish lists but are afraid to take a chance because they might feel, "what if I get those bugs and/or crashes."
All and all, what is surprising is the amount of bugs being reported. If you don't experience the bugs, you will enjoy this game. It really requires you to thin what type of city you want to build, where, and how big. You have to keep an eye on your finances. In Simcity 4, it was easy to zone and expand quickly without any problems. In CXL '11, you can't expand quickly. When things become available, sometimes it's best not to immediately place them because it will put you in the red quickly. The passage of time in CXL '11 is by cycle, not month/day/year like in Simcity. I happen to like CXL way of passage of time. By default, the day/night cycle is turned off, but you can change it. The city looks nice as night as well as the moon and sun during the day. The water graphic is spectacular. I will be adding to this review the more I play it. I've been playing it since it was released last week. You can read this review and my CXL (original) review to get a sense of this game. There is only one edition of this game unlike the previous one which had the original and limited editions. I have this game a score of just under 4, I would give this one about 3.9...Read more›

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Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days Review

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(More customer reviews)Kane & Lynch was a game with a lot of style and a good story but lacking gameplay... Kane & Lynch 2 delivers more polished gameplay with the same style, making for a more robust experience. While the cover mechanics and shooting in the original felt rough and old, they feel pretty much perfect in the sequel. There's an actual cover button now, which works great, and the shooting is more precise and fun. Cover does not make you invincible, which some professional reviewers disliked, but I like that... if your arm is sticking out, it makes sense they can shoot your arm.
The campaign uses the same gritty Michael Mann style to great effect. You'll fight your way through back alleys, apartment complexes, restaurants and other real-world locations while Kane and Lynch spout off some very well-written Resevoir Dogs-style dialogue. It's not for everyone, just like the first game wasn't, but if you're a fan of this style then you will like the way this game handles story and immersion. The graphics are surprisingly well done considering the original game lacked in this area. The environments all look detailed and real while the characters mostly look unique and move well. There is a grimy YouTube video style filter on the game to make it look even grittier, but on PC you can disable this if you like... go back and forth and see what you prefer. Also turn on the "steadycam" option if you have motion sickness issues.
The main problem with the campaign is it's only about 5 hours long and that's playing on hard mode. I tested normal mode and it was even faster-paced and more "run n' gun" so maybe it would take even less time to complete. To round out the package though there is multiplayer and "arcade mode" for singleplayer offline play of the same basic multiplayer game. The basic premise with both is you play a random criminal who works with a team to infiltrate a place, take some money or equipment, then get out to a getaway van. In arcade mode you do this with AI partners against AI cops, trying to get as much money as you can with three lives to get high on the leaderboards. In multiplayer the other crooks and cops are actual players, looking to help or stop you as the case may be. Other criminals in multiplayer can stab you in the back and take your money, which in the games I played ends up being annoying as every player feels the need to do this. In arcade mode the AI will not turn on you unless you repeatedly fail to get any money, making it a better experience overall for people who are not hardcore multiplayer competitors. Arcade mode is something I will likely play here and there over time, which adds some length to the game. The campaign mode is also rather replayable, which can boost the value.
Still, at the end of the day Kane & Lynch 2 feels like it should be cheaper than $50. I tetered on the edge of giving the game 3 or 4 stars, but I went with 4 based on how fun the campaign is and how unique the overall tone and style still is. However with a 4-5 hour campaign and an arcade mode that is fun but nothing amazing, along with multiplayer I found more annoying than fun and that is hardly populated, I'm not sure there is $50 worth of value here. Your mileage may vary and I personally plan to replay the campaign and set some high scores in arcade mode, but most people will play the campaign and quit and they should wait for a sale. If you really enjoyed the tone and style of the original game though and wished it was more solid in the gameplay area, Kane & Lynch 2 granted your wish. I urge you to grab the game when the price reaches what you find acceptable for what the game offers.
DRM Alert: Kane & Lynch 2 uses Steamworks DRM, meaning every copy is a Steam copy. This requires online activation for install and ties the game to an account preventing resale, but it also gives you achievements, DLC support and Steamworks multiplayer features. Make up your own mind on how this effects you, it is not used in scoring.

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Experience 48 hours of hell with two of gaming's most notorious criminals. In Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, Kane and Lynch face the consequences when a simple job gone wrong sets off a desperate and frantic struggle to escape the entire Shanghai underworld. Experience intense action in Single Player, online and offline Co-op, Fragile Alliance multiplayer and Arcade modes. Ground-breaking art direction, relentless action gameplay, and innovative multiplayer re-define the action-shooter experience and position this product from IO Interactive as the stand-out shooter of 2010.

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Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising Review

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(More customer reviews)One caveat first. This is a Windows Live/Steam game, so if you have objections to either of those things then stear clear. That said, I'm going to provide a brief review of the game with scoring not weighted by those factors.
I have a fairly uncommon perspective on this game, I imagine, which is that I played it before I played the original (which I just completed last night), so I can rate it both as a stand alone experience untainted by preconceptions, and as a continuation of the original.
As a stand alone experience I found the game to be quite addictive and fun. The first level is designed as something of a tutorial to the game's basic mechanics. You're introduced to various ideas like explosives, the cover system, bunkers, the strengths and weaknesses of the different squad types, etc. Not having read the manual I found myself scratching my head at a few things but if you click the little quick tip icons on the left side of the screen and pay attention you can figure out most of the game's major mechanics fairly quickly. I was able to beat the first level of the game at the medium difficulty setting on my first try. Don't forget to use the "x" button frequently to retreat your squads that have lost members. This way you can replenish them to full strength and bring them back into the fray without any of your squad leaders requiring revival. This works especially well during boss battles. Since the bosses don't heal you can chip away at them and win by sheer persistence. Once you learn the mechanics you are fairly quickly thrust into the thick of things and the game ceases to coddle you.
Your squads carry through from one mission to the next, gaining levels and experience much like an RPG. You can and will upgrade their equipment multiple times. Though individual members of each squad can die (and easily be replaced at any control point), the squad leaders persist and stay with you for the whole game. You'll have to play through a few missions before you find Captain Thule, or unlock your Terminator armor, though.
You lose stars on your mission rating for each squad leader that becomes incapacitated during the mission (whether you revive them during that mission or not). I find this mechanic works well. You can plow through most missions by attrition, even if you have to revive your squad leaders multiple times, but to earn the highest rating (and the most experience), you'll need to be smarter and more methodical. It can be quite a challenge to get a 5 star rating in all three categories (number of enemies killed, squads that didn't become incapacitated, and speed with which you complete the mission).
There are a few changes to the game as compared to its predecessor, but nothing major (with the exception of the corruption system). Mostly, you just don't have to worry about defending your foundries and such any more. You'll probably also appreciate the new abilities you can unlock. Some of them are truly amazing such as converting signum use to energy. Talk about blasting the enemy to smithereens! Good stuff. I particularly enjoyed the section of the game where you get to explore an ancient space hulk. I had flashbacks to the board game. Also, at a certain point you unlock a new unit type, the Terminator Librarian. This guy is extremely versatile and effective if specced out right. Controllable mini "black holes"? Yes, please. The game includes an additional enemy type, chaos marines, which are pretty evil and fun to blow up. I'm sure there's some change to the tactics required to defeat them, but I found that they died pretty "hand"ily to Davian Thule's massive Dreadnought claws. Long live Captain Thule! Additionally, there's a corruption system whereby you can let your team become more and more evil, thus unlocking the ability to use special "corrupted" weapons and armor, which are fairly univerally better than the uncorrupted stuff. I didn't try it this way yet, so I don't know exactly how it would change the story, but intend to do this on my 2nd play through.In summary, if you liked the original, you'll like this. I can't imagine why you wouldn't. If you haven't played any DoW II but you like tactical style RTS games with no base building (much like World in Conflict) then you should definitely give this one a try.

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Story Your Blood Raven Space Marines have saved the sector, but can they save themselves? In Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising, the sequel to the acclaimed Dawn of War II RTS franchise, you return to sub sector Aurelia where a long lost frozen ice planet has reappeared from the Warp, bringing with it new secrets to uncover and foes to face. Here you must take command of the Blood Ravens and defend the sector against the forces of the Black Legion. Purge the chaos filth and hold the chapter together as traitorous forces work from within to try bring down the Blood Ravens. New Missions, Units, Multiplayer Race and Corruption Mechanic Dawn of War II struck a new chord in the RTS genre with its focuson specific unit based strategy with limited reinforcement options andlimited RPG elements, as opposed to the generally repetitive RTS tacticof resource gathering-base building-and swarming maneuvers. The ChaosRising expansion to the franchise follows suit with 15 new singleplayer missions centered on the players' strategic choice of units; uppingthe ante further by including new units for each of the returning in-gameraces and even introducing a new race, the traitorous Chaos Space Marines,who are a playable faction in online multiplayer action. In addition,players must navigate a new corruption mechanic built into in single playercampaign, which consists of access to new and dangerous destructive powers.Designed to allow for variation in completing mission objectives, thesepowers also carry the possibility of drawing units closer to the influenceof Chaos, which affects both the mission possibilities as the game progressesand the overall outcome of the game. Key Game Features
New Single Player Missions – Continue your fight against the enemies of the Emperor and use your squads' wargear, abilities, and experience to battle Chaos in 15 new missions.
New Environment and Multiplayer Maps – New ice planet graphics set increases visual diversity and adds 7 new multiplayer maps. Six-player multiplayer support available online.
Aspire to Glory – Build your existing squads up to level 30 and unlock even more devastating abilities.
Chaos Corruption Mechanic – New single player mechanic allows you to equip incredibly powerful equipment that corrupts your squad and will guide the story towards or away from the corrupting influence of Chaos.
New Multiplayer Faction – Swear loyalty to the Chaos Gods and play as the bloodthirsty Chaos Space Marines in multiplayer battles against both Chaos Rising and Dawn of War II owners.
New Units – New units for the Space Marines, Ork, Eldar, and Tyranid armies.
2 New Last Stand Heroes – Face off against the relentless hordeas either the Chaos Sorcerer or Tyranid Hive Tyrant.

System Requirements

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Pharaoh Review

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(More customer reviews)Where, oh where to begin? I dug Caesar III to the point where it caused me to lose sleep and affect my health. Being a huge fan of Egyptian history, I was salivating for months while Impressions developed Pharaoh.
I was not disappointed. The graphics, while not your latest 3D-Accelerated Zing-Boom flavor, are slick and very nice to look at. The gameplay is all we remember from the Citybuilding series, plus a bunch of new surprises. There are many differences in the way you build a Roman city vs. an Egyptian city, and it's refreshing to see that Pharaoh goes for accuracy in the little details. This is a detail-oriented game, after all. Floodplain farming, the lack of groundwater in the desert and monument building are some of the interesting differences between Pharaoh and Caesar III. Management of religion is improved somewhat, though I still find myself constructing "temple row" somewhere out of the way just to make sure all the gods are equally appeased.
The biggest stumbling block, ironically, is also Pharaoh's greatest triumph: the accurate and detailed process it takes to build monuments. You don't just say "Oh, I wanna build a pyramid" and plunk it down. No, first you must build the infrastructure; guilds must cut and lay stone, peasants must prepare the build site and haul stone. Carpenters must build ramps, etc etc. The process of building a pyramid is excellent, and most fun to watch... when it goes as planned.
Unfortunately, the damn things take FOREVER to build! You may have met all your victory requirements for a given mission four hours previous, but you're stuck waiting for that Pyramid to build. Sometimes carpenters just don't come build the ramps, and your stone haulers are left stacked up waiting to deposit their loads (that stuff gets heavy after a few months!).
Game lengths aside, Pharaoh is as fun and addicting as any strategy game I've played, and the city-building style is always a refreshing change from the "Gather>Build Units>Destroy Enemy" formula that most RTS games employ. In Pharaoh, if you don't make your city work, or plan, or listen to your people, you'll be one unhappy city manager.
This game rocks

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Heroes of Might & Magic 5 Collectors Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)The collectors edition of Heroes of Might & Magic V contains several game experiences satisfying many of the typical gamers' moods. The campaigns are involved and enjoyable. They are of ample length without being tedious. Custom games turn out to be surprising. At first I thought, "too easy," but then was surprised by an enemy that built up such a force that I was nearly wiped out. You have to truly act strategically in order to win the game. The discovery aspect of the game has been very satisfying to me. I did not read every detail of what the game contained before playing, and found many "oh's" and "cool's" during my game play. My son and I enjoy the multiplayer aspect of the game and can team up to wipe the map together. I had also been concerned with the story-line references to demons, angels, etc. But I discovered them to be handled in a way that did not offend my moral principles, even in the campaigns I have done so far. I have played many hours over several weeks and still have not come to the place where it is mere repetition. It nearly captures the feel and fun of Heroes III and adds the richness of more modern graphics. The alternate creature upgrades and their powers adds a tactical depth that I find extremely satisfying. Since every town type has racial benefits, special powers, etc. no town type is boring or left out of my "willing to play" list. Great game!

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All Pro Football 2K8 Review

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(More customer reviews)...or watching Barry Sanders singlehandedly shred a defense for a 40-yard TD run. I've been glued to this game since I brought it home...
THE GOOD: the graphics and sound are amazing. Much better than the Madden line of games. The game is supposed to be rendered in 1080p, but comes on in 720p for some reason on my TV. I went into the PS3's display settings and turned off 720p, and that fixed the issue. Players retain dirt and scuffs on their uniforms, and celebrations after TD's and sacks are excellent. The game really gets the feel for each individual player. Gone are the ratings based on 0-100 scales. When you choose a player, it tells you exactly what this player does well. You have total control of every single player on the field in pre-snap: hot routes, blocking schemes, formation switches and audibles all before you hike the ball; zone coverage, blitzing, shifting, drop off and pinching on defense...all of this can be tailored for each player one at a time, meaning, for instance, you can blitz your weak side LB ("Will") by hitting 3 buttons. You really have to learn the button layout, though.
The gameplay is fluid and fast, but not too fast. The QB can slide in the pocket, duck under and avoid sacks with the ease of the Left control stick. RB's and WR's have a slew of moves. What's different here? Used to be, players moved on a horizontal axis, making them look and act almost like horses on a merry-go-round, with a pole running up through them. Now, player movement is very fluid, very smooth, and players you would expect to just seem to "glide"...OJ Simpson, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, etc. After years of playing both the Madden games and the 2K games, I'd have to say that this version looks the most realistic--the tackles, the moves, the blocking, players knocked off balance, the ball movement...your QB will even throw a wobbler into the ground (or worse--into the air and up for grabs) when he is hit as he throws.
Also, it's great to be able to build your own team of NFL Legends. Right now, I have 4 teams which I've built, including designing their home and away uniforms, and I compete with each of them. You'll be pleasantly surprised by many of the names included in the game--too many to name here. The CPU teams are made up of legends as well, though, so be prepared to get your butt kicked the first time you play.
Essentially, you pick 11 players from the "legend" database. This field of players is broken down into 3 tiers: Gold, Silver and Bronze. You get to choose 2 gold players, 3 silver players and 6 bronze. The game fills the rest of your roster with random players; suspiciously with familiar names (my back up QB's name is "Archuleta"). True, you don't get to pick anyone beyond the 11 legends, but the random players are pretty darn good, and you do get to choose how the roster is filled: your extra WR's can be balanced, possession or deep threats; your extra RB's can be finesse or power runners; your D-linemen can be run stoppers are pass rushers, etc. I've heard complaints be early reviewers about the uniforms, but as long as no one's in pink, who cares what they are wearing? The uniforms are OK, and you create your own when you make a team from the helmet to the shoes. Also, the stadiums are absolutely over-the-top. One has a huge shark coming through the top of the scoreboard...it's awesome.
THE BAD: there are negatives to this title. You can only play with your created teams. I would love to play with the team called "LEGENDS" as it has 11 gold tier players on it, but it is a CPU only team. The choices for gameplay are very, very thin. You can play a quick game with one of your created teams against a CPU team, or start a season, where you basically play a round-robin against the other CPU teams, then go to a playoff series. If you do win the league championship at the end, it's over. This was a real downer for me. This is also why I created 4 teams, because I really wanted to play with Ditka, Night Train Lane, Eugene Robinson, Reggie White, John Elway, Ronnie Lott, etc. etc. etc., but you can only have 11 legends on your team at a time.
It seems the developers spent way more time on the offense. As fluid as it is, the defensive backfield is still a tad shaky in it's player movement (a la NCAA Football 06 or 07), especially strafing, and potential INT's seem to bounce right off DB's chests and facemasks. Watching a sack unfold is gorgeous, though, and linemen can swim, club, spin and bullrush to gain an advantage over their blocker, which makes rushing the QB the most fun aspect of playing defense.
Kicking is a nightmare. 2K uses the right stick, much like the EA games do, but there's no kick meter. You pull the stick back to start the whole process, and right before the kicker actually makes contact with the ball, you thrust the stick forward. You won't know if you did it right until you see the flight of the ball. A text indicator comes on screen to let you know how well your timing and aiming was, but it's an after thought--if your kick was bad, you'll know as it sails out of bounds.
Online play can't really be reviewed here, as there aren't many players out there yet. I'm sure by next week, it will be jamming. There are quite a few options out there, though, like Tournament play, online seasons, custom play and quick play, and all are separated by difficulty level. I saw one profile player already had a record of 12-1 as of last night (the day the game hit the shelves) but there were only 44 others players online at the time, so wait for later reviews to discuss online play.
ALL IN ALL, I love this game, and it has exceeded my expectations in so many ways, but it falls short in a couple of small but key aspects: the anonymous "extra" players (who have no visible ratings), the thin gameplay options, the frustrating circus that is "kicking," and the dropped INT's. But nowhere else can you find this vast field of NFL Hall of Famers. I can only compare it to last year's games, so it may be unfair, but I will say that this game blows Madden 07 away in nearly every aspect of actual gameplay, but not in it's menu items.

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Command & Conquer 4 Review

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(More customer reviews)It is always sad when a great historic game franchise comes to the end of its road. But it is depressingly sad to watch it do so in this condition.
KANE IN DISNEYLAND?
The graphics are laughable. True, EA has been steering the C&C franchise towards the ...cartoon direction ever since the RED ALERT 3 installment. But the RED ALERT series had always been more playful. Even so, what was barely palatable for a RED ALERT game is outright insulting for a TIBERIUM one.
If his tanks could still run-over infantry units, have no doubt, he would hunt down whoever did this to him.
Because, you cannot mock Kane and avoid having your lungs infused with Tiberium fumes!
MORE UNITS? PLEASE WAIT BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE. FOREVER.
One of the most annoying features of the new C&C4 is the units cap. You cannot produce more units above a (very low) number. Upgrading your tech-tree with such a unit cap in place means you have to kill and replace most of your units - and make painful decisions as some units are more equal than others. It feels like having to deal with a (small) Diablo-like inventory: whatever does not fit within the grid must be left behind to rot.
And to add insult to injury, extra units are bestowed with a dropper. A tiny one.
This cap reeks of one thing: an attempt to turn this series into a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (fewer units means less lag). And no one seems to care that this took away one of the most fun tactics in a C&C game: tank rushing.
SORRY, ALL OF OUR TIBERIUM-HARVESTERS HAVE BEEN RECALLED. WOULD YOU CARE FOR A SENSIBLE COMPACT?
A COMMAND & CONQUER game without harvesting? It could be an RTS game of any name (and there have been baseless RTS games before), why did it have to be a C&C game? Because, once again, EA proves to have no respect for this beautiful art-form. If it means exploiting a classic title in its swan song to sell a few more units, so be it.
Moreover, game publishers seem to have an ever declining expectation of their targeted customer IQ. Hence the ever simplified games released. So, yes, this feels like C&C-for-Dummies.
BATTLEFIELD CONTROLS OFFLINE? YOU'RE SCREWED COMMANDER!
Yes, this must be the most inconvenient DRM scheme ever.
If you hate STEAM for requiring endless updates, this is worse.
If you hate games that require online activation because they never actually become yours, yes, this is worse.
And if you hate games that come with Limited Activations and become worthless the moment you pop the box, well yes, this is worse.
This inconceivable scheme demands for the owner of this game to always be online to verify that the copy he payed for is legitimate. That's right, not just activation, ALWAYS ONLINE. Yes, even for a single player game.
Will it deter piracy? No, pirates will be playing the game without all those DRM hassles. Legitimate gamers are left complaining - and, once more, EA will turn a deaf ear.All in all, C&C4 will not appeal neither to old friends of the series nor younger gamers. And (for as long as it will keep working), it will have you jumping through hoops for the privilege of having ...bought it. And I thought it was the other way around.
This Tiberium field has been depleted long ago.
Move along Commanders.

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Story In the year 2062, humanity found itself on the brink of extinction. Tiberium, the mysterious, alien crystalline structure that infested Earth for decades and caused years of relentless conflict between the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod, was close to rendering the planet uninhabitable. In the midst of this crisis, Kane, Nod's prophetic leader, emerged from seclusion to deliver GDI the message that he had developed a system that could control Tiberium and harness its power. But he could not build this "Tiberium Control Network" without GDI's cooperation. Thus, the two opposing factions—GDI and Nod—found themselves in a desperate and unlikely alliance to stop Tiberium from extinguishing mankind. Now, after 15 years, the network is nearly complete. Tiberium is under strict control and the revitalized Earth is on the cusp of a new age of prosperity and progress. It is only now that the world's citizens begin to seriously ponder why Kane chose to help, and what he will want in return. Kane. GDI. Nod. Tiberium. How will it end? These questions and more lead to the dramatic final act of the 15-year Tiberium saga in Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight. Gameplay Command & Conquer is a real-time strategy gaming franchise,and Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is no exception.Players assume color-coated versions of the GDI or Nod factions and uncoversegments of the map, where they must manage Tiberium and other resourcesin their possession or that they they mine or commandeer in the field.Other factions occur in the game, but are not playable, and differentsingle player campaigns are available to players depending on which ofthe two factions are chosen. The energy that Tiberium crystals possessis used in the manufacture and upgrading of mining and combat units, weaponsand support infrastructure in preparation for impending conflicts withother players on the same map that are doing the same. Each faction hasits own distinct unit types, both land and air based, which although unique,are overall more or less balanced against those of opposing faction. Inaddition, certain units can be captured on the battlefield and used tosupplement your arsenal. The overarching task though is to combine theright number and type of units with the right battlefield strategy forthe conflict and terrain at hand. Historically, C&C matches have been won by completely eliminating all enemy units that stand against you. Although there is certainly plenty of this within Tiberian Twilight, the game also is different in that players need not eliminate all enemy units, instead capturing control nodes throughout the game and holding them for a minimum amount of time. Doing so leads to earning enough points to win the match. Tiberian Twilight also differs from earlier games in the series with the addition of certain RPG game elements. Players overall orientation within their chosen faction is class based, with units falling generally in offensive, defensive or support classes depending on your play style. These units can be upgraded with experience points, which are gained through success against enemy units, with more advanced enemy units earning the conquering player more points, and thus potential unit upgrade opportunity. 5-on-5 Online Multiplayer Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight allows PC gamers to team up and battle like never before. Join your fellow commanders online and tackle your opponents in the biggest C&C multiplayer to date, featuring 5 vs. 5 objective-based battles. Choose your favorite class and take online strategy action to the next level as you conquer objectives while pummeling your enemies. In addition, an all-new party system lets you move with your party of friends from one online battle to the next. Key Game Features
The Epic Conclusion to the Tiberium Saga - Kane returns in the thrilling conclusion to one of gaming's longest running storylines, told through gritty live-action cinematics. Choose to take on the campaign solo or team up with a friend and play cooperatively.
Persistent Player Progression - The more enemy units you destroy, the more experience points you earn to progress your player profile. Level up to unlock new units, powers, and upgrades to make your army more powerful.
Always on the Move - For the first time ever in the C&C series, a massive, mobile, all-in-one base, The Crawler, lets you pack up and move your base with your army for a new layer of strategic depth. Build units as you move across the field, and deploy whenever and wherever you choose.
Choose Your Class - Choose from three unique classes from both GDI and Nod, each with its own specialized units and powers, for more strategic and combative options that match your play style of choice. Offensive, Defensive, or Support classes-which will you pick?
Online Multiplayer Support – Sign on for 5-on-5, online objective based battles which also features an all-new party system that lets you move with your party of friends from one online battle to the next.

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Trainz Railroad Simulator (Jewel Case) Review

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(More customer reviews)This simulator has great graphics, detail, and options. However, ensure you have upgraded graphics becuase the product will drag and freeze up regularly if you don't. Also, the taskings are some what difficult to figure out at first so ensure you go thru the tutorial. This game is very time consuming with little to do.

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Dead Space Review

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(More customer reviews)Went to Best Buy to buy a new Wiimote yesterday and saw this game. I bought both.
Came back and install it on my Dell Dimension 9200, which is about as pre-built as you can get right? No vista driver problems for me, right?
WRONG. 2 + 2 = giraffes WRONG.
First I had to tell my antivirus and spyware software about a BILLION times to let secure-rom install.
Second I installed it and rebooted.
Third my dvd drive no longer works.
I am not sure what changed between Bioshock and this game cause I bought Bioshock and had no problem with secure-rom back then. I bought bioshock full price and don't regret a single cent because I ACTUALLY GOT TO PLAY BIOSHOCK. I finished bioshock without even cracking it (although I eventually did for a second play-through, cause who wants to find the dvd everytime right).
REVIEW UPDATED :
Funny thing. I never did install Dead Space again on my system. I just can't risk having SecureRom on it again since I actually do tons of work on it. So here is a review of a cracked version of the game, as opposed to the boxed copy which now sits next to other games I don't play anymore (poor HL2). I think EA should have an option when you insert the disk that lets you chose between installing their DRM version or downloading a cracked one. I am joking but I totally am not.
The game runs nicely on my Dell Dimension 9200, which ran Bioshock and COD4 on high just fine. If you compare it to PC exclusive titles you can tell the textures in this game is low quality. Nevertheless, it has a nice, polished look.
The controls are fine. I tried it with my xbox 360 control but just can't bring myself to play any kind of fps without keyboard/mouse. The game forces the mouse turn rate so your character can't magically turn 180 degrees in half a second. This didn't bother me, and I actually think it's a nice way to add some realism into the controls.
The overall experience is effective and addictive, if not for the reason the developer stated. They said it was mostly about psychological fear, with help from shadows and music. The game is actually mostly about enemies popping out or dropping down from ceilings. They said it's about strategic dismemberment. It's strategic the first 5 times, by then it's more like habitual dismemberment. Shoot limbs for maximum damage doesn't require more IQ than boom headshot.
Nevertheless, the game just flows very well, and lots of little things are put into it to keep you in the game world 99% of the time. It's obvious the developers put a lot of thought into the interface and controls. It's something new to the genre that future games can learn from.
So now having played the game (I plan on replaying it on Easy so I can just wack the enemies to death, and then on Hard to give myself more of a rush) I think it's worth the money. However, a big part of the reason I think that is cause I played a cracked copy put together by the pirates which installed the game and not secure rom. So I'm very conflicted about the whole thing. I definitely don't want any more secure rom nonsense but at the same time I'm happy I bought the game (to support more games like this on my PC). I guess I'll continue to buy games with secure rom if it's good enough like this one or bioshock, but I'll still be playing the vastly superior pirated copy instead. Everybody wins, I guess. At least everybody who is honest enough to buy the game, and then smart enough to download a cracked copy too :/

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Dead Space from EA is sure to please any action-adventure gamer looking for a bloody battle against deadly aliens. Dead Space for PC begins when a massive mining ship, the USG Ishimura, comes in contact with a mysterious alien artifact and suddenly loses its communications with Earth. Engineer Isaac Clarke is sent to repairthe Ishimura's communications, but arrives to find a floating vessel that has become a complete bloodbath. The crew is mutilated and infected with an ancient alien scourge. Clarke's repair mission is transformed to one of survival as he fights to save himself and return the artifact to the planet at any cost.
Fight with Weapons and Telekinesis The alien hordes are incredibly resilient. You'll have to find creative ways to neutralize the attacking enemies by shearing off limbs with powerful weapons. And when the ammo runs out you'll be thankful that you can use your telekinetic powers to pick up objects (even the aliens' own severed arms and legs) and hurl them at your advancing enemies.
Graphics, Effects, and Sound Increase the Horror EA delivers an incredibly frightening experience with state-of-the-art graphics and effects, an audio system that will have you jumping out of your seat, and a truly horrific atmosphere that is permeated with death, mutilation, and despair. You'll have to be resilient to slash through the alien onslaught and stop this virulent scourge. As you explore the ship, the tragic story of the USG Ishimura will unfold in gory detail as you discover frantic logs from the hideously transformed crew in their final days.
True Zero-G Effects You'll be able to take full advantage of zero gravity in Deep Space. Battling enemies and solving puzzles takes on new challenges and present ingenious opportunities with the Zero-G game play. You can use zero gravity to create your own path around obstacles by walking on walls and the ceiling. Leap across vast distances or change your perspective to gain a strategic advantage over your enemies.

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Falcon 4.0: Allied Force Review

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(More customer reviews)This game/sim is great fun. It has a truly dynamic campaign, which means that your actions do impact the outcome. There isn't another game out there where there is so much going on "in the background" that, aside from playing the game, you can see and use to impact on how you play the game.
I'm no kid, so I don't have time to learn many complex features or learn how to do it on a real F-16. So, while you can have all of the true to life features/requirements of the real jet if you want, you can also scale those down to simplified avionics, etc. There are about 30 training missions with specific instructions on completing them, which cover the major aspects of handling the jet.
As for documentation, if you do want to do all of the "realism" options, you can get plenty of reading material as there is a 716 page .pdf manual).
I would recommend this highly.

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NBA 2K11 Review

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(More customer reviews)Introduction:
Alright, first of all to put this into perspective: I'm an old-school gamer. I play NBA simulations on the PC since NBA Live 1996 and even before that the arcade NBA Jam on some Sega console. I played nearly all NBA Lives from 1996 to 2008 and after that NBA 2k9, 2k10 and now 2k11. I played NBA 2k11 for about a week now. So I hope my review is able to help old-school gamers like myself, who are in doubt about wether or not this game is worth buying.
Also I have to say I didn't try the Jordan mode yet, because I don't really care about it and I didn't try the online mode, because I didn't get it to work yet.
The main emphasize in this review is the AI, the overall difficulty, the realism, and how much and fun this game is -- playing with and against the CPU. I must say I'm usually very critical, so maybe I'm too harsh on some points, although I really don't think so and try to be as fair as I can be.
General:
I play 10 minute quarters, with the gameplay setting being set to "simulation" and the difficulty being set to All-Star (second highest). After a couple of games I slightly tweaked the gameplay settings so that the CPU wouldn't throw so many ridiculous alley-hoops, and miss (relatively) too many dunks. In the standard "simulation" settings I had the CPU throw 3 or 4 alley-hoops per game, and none of them were fair or plausible, while at the same time missing about 1 dunk per game, which also mostly wasn't plausible. Also of course I tuned the graphics according to my system (medium to high) and disabled commentary because to me it gets annoying after about two games.
Passing:
Another thing I tried to tweak is the lane interception thingy. Because the CPU is intercepting way to many passes in this version. Of course this is generally a good thing, since in all previous NBA simulations you could throw ridiculous passes from one end of the court to the other end, with the ball clipping through 2 or 3 defenders and reach the target without problems. So generally I really like the concept of having to think about the passes you make. But sadly this concept doesn't work out all that great. There are at least 4 problems with passing overall. The first two problems are due to the fact that the passer and the guy receiving the pass often times just don't work together very well.
So problem number one occurs in the following situation: the guy receiving the pass is standing on the court in a position that makes a pass very plausible and possible. However, once you tap the pass button he all of the sudden moves to a different spot while the ball is in mid-air (the pass somehow is designed to land exactly at that new spot) although you of course never intended to pass to that spot, but to his original point where he was standing when you tapped the pass button. The problem now is that while moving to that new undesirable spot, a defender is in the passing lane and easily grabs the pass. There is absolutely nothing you can do about that. You didn't want to pass to that spot, because you knew that the passing lane would be crowded, but the CPU causes you to do it anyway and you turn it over as a result.
The second problem is that the guy you control when making the pass isn't all that bright (even if he is a very capable PG). Instead of throwing a lob pass, that flies above the heads of the defenders making it impossible for them to intercept, he throws a medium height pass that never has a chance to get to the receiving player because the CPU easily snatches it. This is very annoying when you try to pass to your PF or C who is posting up. More often than not you can not get him the ball just like that, because it is intercepted. Although generally this should be an easy and common pass. You have the same problem for example when you try to give the ball to a player who is cutting. It is very difficult to get it right, just because the passer isn't throwing a correct pass. I don't know of any way to control this. Maybe there is one, and I didn't figure it out yet.
The third problem is that the plain direction passing is flawed. I guess only 60% of the passes go to the guy you intended to pass the ball to, even though you of course point LS in the correct direction. The game just doesn't get it right and attempts some weird cross court pass that is easily intercepted because of the reasons above, although a much more plausible pass to a semi open guy was intended. So you should use 'explicit passing', i.e. the method where you press a combination of two buttons to precisely select which player should get the pass. This of course isn't always that easy, because some times the guy usually playing the 3 is currently playing the 4, or because in the heat of the moment you don't exactly know which button to press, to give it to the right guy. So you really have to be good, to get this right -- however of course problems 1 and 2 still occur, even if you are good.
Problem number four is that none of the previous three problems happen for your AI opponent. He can throw ridiculous passes all over the court without much of a problem. He can easily get it to the cutter or lob it in the post. So usually you will have much more turnovers than your AI opponent.
Controls:
The controls are very very difficult to master. Like I said before, I'm an old-school player. I never had problems making super combos on Street Fighter or Tekken or stuff like that, where you have to make some weird 180 degree or 360 degree rotations with your controller and press a number of different buttons to make some special move. But in this game the iso-motion stuff is crazy difficult imho. Even something as trivial as a behind-the-back dribble is really hard. It really is much easier to do nice moves in real life than it is in the game. I think this is because the game is so fast, there is so much going on and you have the 3D perspective and have to think in some weird ways. Breaking your man down off the dribble is nearly impossible. Even below average defenders like Luke Ridnour will stop Chris Paul 1 on 1 most of the time (at least if YOU are Chris Paul). You just run into them and loose your dribble. Doing spin moves is frigging hard (where in the past you just had to press one button). Cross-overs and in-and-outs can be done rather easily but often times won't help too much. Also I always feel like I'm not totally in control over what my player is doing. Even getting to an exact spot on the floor is sometimes not possible because of some animation going on. I know it's very hard to get the balance between having smooth animations and having great control over your player, but this game really has too many animations and therefor is difficult to control.
Also sometimes it feels like you are playing a Hockey game instead of a Basketball game. It's difficult to discribe. You just seem to slide over the floor like a Hockey player. It is much much easier to get an open shot than to get to the basket. Just slide over the floor a couple of times (using the turbo button) and your defender is gone. Getting to the basket is much harder because you constantly run into your super strong defender and lose the dribble. Although sometimes it just magically works, because of some animation.
AI offense:
The CPU opponent plays extremely static with very little player or ball moving. He runs too many sets, and always the same, even if they didn't work the last three times. Basically most of the time the PG waits behind the three point line, three of his teammates are not moving at all, while the other guy cuts and gets a pass (you'll have to defend the cutter, because otherwise he'll nearly always will get an open shot here). Most of the time you'll see the opponents players just standing around until some guy tries a one on one move, once you successfully stopped the set play. Your AI teammates are very slow and stupid and their defense is attrocious. Even though your opponent doesn't play very smart, you will have to do a lot of player switching on defense to not let the opponent get easy looks or cuts, because your teammates just don't get it.
"Basketball is a game of runs":
The developers took this ancient wisdom far too far. I think this problem existed in previous versions, but never was it more obvious than in NBA 2k11. I mean it is really nice to have runs, because that's what happens in the real game. But in this game this stuff is getting out of hand. When your opponent is on a run, you have nearly no chance of stopping him until he somehow finally misses and the game has mercy and allowes you to score. You have to play as hard and concentrated as you possibly can to stop a run. It's really brutal. On the other hand, if YOUR team is on a run, the CPU can not hit anything and looses the ball all the time and the game becomes super easy. The problem is that now it is really important to get off to a good start, because if you don't, you already pretty much lost the game.
If you start the game 2:12, with the opponent being red hot right from the start, you can pretty much end the game. Because you will not be able to come back. Maybe this is because of my difficulty setting, but it really is true. If you don't somehow manage to get back into the game ASAP, you will find yourself behind for the rest of the game, because your team will not be able to make baskets and your opponent will hit 60% of his shots and steal the ball a lot and win by 20 or 30. On the other hand if you yourself start 12:2, you pretty much already won the game. The only time it is fun to play, is if the game starts balanced 8:10 or something like that. I don't think there is a way to control this behaviour via any gameplay settings.
Other stuff:
Fadeaways work. I can't remember another NBA game where...Read more›

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NBA 2K11 is the latest installment in the best selling and highest rated NBA videogame series. NBA 2K11 is the best to plug into NBA culture. It's the most fun, authentic NBA videogame experience and is for any sports fan with that competitive fire who wants to play the best NBA simulation on the market. It's the NBA series that everyone is playing- from the most elite NBA athletes and superstars to the local court gym rats, NBA 2K10 delivered its promise to TAKE OVER, and NBA 2K11 will on build on that momenum by dialing up all of it's features-gameplay, AI presentation, visuals, audio, online and more to deliver the best basketball videogame experience EVER.

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The Clockwork Man Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a beautiful hidden object game. Some of the scenes are panoramic, while others allow for zooming-- making it more innovative than most games of this nature. The over all look is rather appealing-- sort of this mechanical/victorian fantasy world. I loved the main character's white hair-- and also loved the cute little sprocket assistant. Over the course of game sprocket gets upgrades that help with the hint system and change the game play. The story is standard-- essentially the headstrong heroine off in search of her missing grandfather. However, the distinctness of the characters and fantasy world makes up for this. The ending was also quite good. I can not wait for the sequel.

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Supreme Commander 2 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)WARNING: It has come to my attention that there is an organized campaign to manipulate the review scores for this game, with posters on the official forums attempting to recruit others to create multiple accounts and write 5 star reviews. Obviously it hasn't been very effective, but be aware that the review scores have been slightly increased by this shilling. I highly encourage you to download the demo and find out the truth.
Supreme Commander 2 is the latest game in a disturbing trend gripping the gaming industry: more and more developers simply have no regard at all for the fans who put them on the map. If you enjoyed Supreme Commander and Forged Alliance for everything that made them unique, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. It is complete and utter rubbish, in essence a parody of the masterful original. The game has been dumbed down to be almost unrecognizable, although some of the good elements like extreme map zooming and a good unit patrol interface remain. Those who prefer more micro-heavy games like Command and Conquer may still get some enjoyment out of it, but if you want a small scale RTS there are many of them better than Supreme Commander 2.
The problems start with Tiers. In Supreme Commander 1, there were three tiers of units, plus experimental units. The first tier units were like little ants, useful for little other than early game harassment but incapable of dealing any real damage. Second tier units were capable fighters, and third tier units were pretty powerful. By the end of the game, you could have hundreds upon hundreds of units out, yet it was still possible for a single experimental unit to slice through your entire army and kill your commander. It was thrilling to devote your entire economy for a protracted period of time just to get that experimental out, and you would cheer for it as it completely shifted the battle. Supreme Commander 2 throws all of that away. The units now fall roughly along the lines of the dozens of C&C style RTS games, with experimental units being roughly as powerful as Mammoth Tanks. I saw an experimental unit get taken down by five gunships. FIVE. Now there is no longer any strategy in deciding what to build. Whereas before, you would need to make hard choices about whether to devote significant resources to tech up and devote a large portion of your economy to build single units or structures, now you can pump out experimental units in under 5 minutes from the start of a game. In other words, Supreme Commander 2 is now just your standard RTS, but with units far more generic than most. The macro has been scaled back dramatically, yet most units are still one-dimensional so there is little need for micromanagement since you won't affect the outcome of a skirmish.
As for resources, the great system where you used mass to build things and power to, well, power them is gone. Structures and units no longer use up power by being in play. Instead, power is just like mass. When you build something, power is deducted from your cache and that's it. In other words, you can build shield generators and artillery all over the place with no consequence since it costs nothing to support them. This means even more incentive to turtle since a surgical strike on any one area of your base isn't going to damage anything you can't easily replace. In Supreme Commander 1, it was at least a possibility that your generators would be taken out, rendering you defenseless as the shields and turrets shut down. To make matters worse, the old system where resources were deducted as units and structures were built is GONE. Now resources are deducted immediately when you queue up unit production or structures, which means you can no longer queue up a massive base and then let an engineer do his thing. This was one of the two or three most important aspects of Supreme Commander and it is completely ruined.
Now there is a third resource: research. Points are produced by buildings and can be spent in one of five overly convoluted tech trees. This is a terrible system that replaces the tiers from Supreme Commander. Unlocking the best units is too easy, and the pace of the game is killed by having to constantly open up the tech menu to unlock things. It also discourages adapting your tactics to the situation because there are so many minor upgrades that you'll need to choose between specializing in ground, air,or naval units since it will take a very long match to power up all three. It was just flat out stupid to have a menu-based system instead of tying upgrades to buildings. Some games like Battle for Middle Earth make it work because they don't have as many upgrades and don't require constantly accessing the menu, but it doesn't work here.
Normally a sequel is supposed to be bigger, badder, and better in every way. Supreme Commander 2 takes a step back in almost every aspect. The graphics are scaled back. There are far less unit types and the unit cap is far lower. The maps are much smaller. They aren't small just in comparison to the original, they're actually some of the smallest maps I've seen in a RTS. The campaign is very short, with 18 missions that take around 10-30 minutes each. Normally a RTS with such a low mission number will at least have 1-2 hour missions. And as for the much vaunted "story" and "cinematic experience" that was supposedly added? It's terrible. The CG is just video of the normal in-game assets, so it actually looks worse than the gameplay if you have a decent computer. The characters are insufferable, the dialogue terrible, and the story paper thin. The only positive thing I can say is that the art design of the maps is improved.
There is very little to recommend Supreme Commander 2. If you like the original, you're better off playing that, and if you didn't, there are many better RTS to spend your time and money on. To add insult to injury though, once you own this terrible game, you OWN it. That's right, Steam is required for this game, and it will be tied to your account forever. I look at this as a shrewd and cynical move by a developer that knows the market would otherwise be flooded with used copies because most who buy this game will not want to keep it.
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Addendum: If I could revise my score down to 0 stars after what I've seen of the online play after writing the original review, I would. Matches end one of two ways almost every time. In a 2 v 2 or larger match, multiple players will rush with their commanders at the start and kill one of the enemy commanders 2 on 1. Then repeat with the other players. Total match time is around 5 minutes. Otherwise, the match will end in a swarm of gunships due to the weak anti air options. There is no reason to build anything else because there aren't any units or structures in the game that, for the same resource cost, can kill a swarm of gunships faster than they can kill a commander. Also, to clarify something I said earlier, in SINGLE player it is very easy to unlock the best experimental units and pump them out in mass quantities. In online play however, they barely play any role at all. Anyone who tries to build them will probably lose because they are not as effective as normal units, dollar for dollar. There is no point in trying different strategies. Online play is ruled by basic units and whoever has the bigger blob of them wins.

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Set 25 years after the events of the original game, Supreme Commander 2 begins with the assassination of the newly elected president of the Colonial Defense Coalition. The CDC members - the United Earth Federation, the Order of the Illuminate, and the Cybran Nation - deny involvement, blame each other, and a galactic war ensues!Experience brutal battles on a massive scale! Players will wage war by creating enormous customizable armies and experimental war machines that can change the balance of power at any given moment. Take the role of one of the three enigmatic commanders, each representing a unique faction with a rich story that brings a new level of emotional connection to the RTS genre, or fight the battle online. Where do your loyalties lie?

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All Pro Football 2K8 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First off, I am not a 2K fan boy, and DEFINTELY not a Madden fanboy. Know that this is my FIRST 2K football game ever. I never got a chance to play NFL 2K5 as I was still playing Madden/NCAA 03 at the time. After being disappointed with Madden/NCAA for the 2003 release I skipped over the 04 and 05 editions, and because it was so late in the season I decided to skip NFL 2K5 as well, planning on getting NFL 2K6 the following year, but EA changed that and I was stuck with the EA football titles for the foreseeable future. I decided to give EA one last chance, and they failed again with Madden/NCAA 06. At this point I decided I was done with EASports and since they had the monopoly I figured I was done with football games for good.
Then 3 years later 2K decides to get back in the football gaming market and I was very excited, finally a choice in football gaming again and true football fans wouldn't have to be stuck with EA's monopoly.
I picked this game up recently, in fact a couple of days before I got my XBOX back from Microsoft. I was finally able to play one game last night, and I must say I am pretty impressed.
When you first start up the game, you are instantly prompted to build you own team, there are no predefined teams on this game so every team you use, you have to create them from scratch. You are allowed 2 Gold, 3 silver and 6 bronze rated former NFL players to build you team. The rest of the team is filled by generic players. You have over 240 former NFL players most of them being all-stars during their careers. Some notable names include Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Steve Young, John Elway, Reggie White, Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, and Williams "Refrigerator" Perry. While you might recognize many of the names included in this years release, you will also notice some missing, some right of the top of my head are Howie Long, Michael Irvin and Jim Kelly. That is not to say the list provided is disappointing, 240 players is plenty especially considering 2K had to individually sign these players.
After you select your players and choose the generic players to fill you team, you are taken to a screen to select your city, team nickname, logo, and stadium and after your done, you then go into actually editing your teams uniforms all the way down to how many stripes the players' socks will have and the color of their shoes, helmets and face masks. You can even change the colors of the team's logo. There are tons and tons of different combinations you can choose and this can be very long and drawn out considering how much you care about how your team uniforms (home and away) look on the field, but the game already has predefined color schemes so if you just want to get to the action, you can skip this all together. If you do decide to edit your team, then just know the menu is very cumbersome and admittedly not very intuitive as it should be. In fact it took me a while to figure out how to change my team's helmet colors from white to black.
After your team is created it is saved and you are ready to go. You are then taken to the game's main screen where you can either choose to play a quick exhibition game against one of the computer created teams or go into season mode. I just wanted a quick game so I just choose a quick match in my home stadium.
The first thing you will notice about the game that these are not truly Next Gen graphics. Even in HD at best they look slightly better than HD regular XBOX games. But believe me there is much more to a game than jaw dropping graphics, and I found that out after the ball was kicked off in my very first game. As soon as the ball was kicked off I knew that this was going to be a football game like none other I have experienced before. First off the players move realistically. I hadn't noticed and robotic like movements of them running like they are trying to make it to the bathroom before they have an accident. The tackling animations are also quite more realistic than I have seen in other games. There is real gang tackling here and not anything like the "hey, I'm going to hold you, while my teammate comes and hits you" crap. There are no sled animations or seeing receivers skate to the ball either. Even the sidelines have animated players that react to plays on the field and attempt to get out of the way if they see a player out of control flying towards them. Other times, they'll step in and grab him to stop his momentum.
The game plays like football is supposed to be played. No longer can you back up 30 yards and throw 80 yard bombs all day, because chances are you will be sacked or more often than not your pass will be knocked down if you're lucky. Your linemen block who they are supposed to block and don't miss an obvious block just so they can go block a free safety 15 yards away who is not even in the play to begin with. On the defensive end of the ball players react well to both the run and pass. Don't expect 20+ yard runs on every single possession, if you do manage to get a long gain you better believe the D will adjust incase you try that crap on the very next play. In the running game you have WORK for your yardage, you have to find the hole and hit it hard. If you just dance around in the back field you WILL get your bell rung. Take a hole and go for it. Passing is also quite realistic and very rewarding when you complete a long pass play on 3rd and long. The defense reacts pretty well to the ball and will knock it down if they can't quite get two hands on it. If you throw in double coverage too often you will pay for it, if your throw is too late or too early the D will knock it down. As good as the AI is on both sides of the ball, I never got the feeling that it was "cheating" like other games I have played in the past. I remember in the said game, I would be running for a first down, clearly beating the defender and all of a sudden he makes a dive for me at the wrong angle and then while in MIDAIR, he body changes direction just so he can stop me; this is not the case in APF2K8, if you have a man beat you have him beat, and the only thing he can hope for is that he has enough foot speed to catch you. Another thing I used to hate on the "other" game is that when my defender had the perfect angle on a guy going towards the end zone and I will dive towards him clearly expecting at least some contact between my defender and the ball carrier only the have the game take over and cause my guy to dive in the complete opposite direction of the ball carrier. I can't tell you how frustrating that was! But that is no longer the case in this game, if you have an angle and time your hit right, you will at least make contact with the ball carrier getting him to go down is another story if you are dealing with the bruiser gold/silver/bronze star RB's.
Another thing I like about the game is that the halftime show shows actual video highlights from the game you are playing and the same is true for the post game show. While the commentators start getting repetitive after a while, its still good to go back and see the big plays of the game without having to rely on your saved replays all the time. Other things I like about the game are the stadium mascots that do various things after the home team makes a big play, if you are the Assassins and score a touch down, the giant hooded "assassin" at the end zone will perform a stabbing motion, if you are the Firebirds the bird will squawk and flap its wings, there is even one team that has two battle ships that shoot off its cannons! In addition to this the crowd always seems to be in the game, you make a big play they respond with ecstatic cheering, if you make a stupid play, then you will get booed....loudly. Another final thing I would like to mention is that if your XBOX is online while you are playing a game, you will get up to date sports tickers from the real world of sports. Even though it really does not add to the game you are playing its still a cool feature. It's nice always being in touch with the real sports world while I'm playing video games.
As much as I like the actual game, there are handful of flaws that are disappointing and one that is downright frustrating. First of all if you already didn't know, there is no franchise mode. So the team you create for offline play can only go through one season and that's it. No continuing to a next season, and no tracking career stats etc. The most you can do is take that same team though the same team again with a slightly different scheduled, or just create another team all together. In addition the Season mode itself is pretty limited. There is not even an ability to "watch" other games that your team is not playing in, and even more, you can only bring ONE of your created teams into season mode. This was a disappointment, especially for someone who primarily plays offline 99% of the time. I've tried online play before with other games, and if you have read my last reviews you will see that I am not a big fan of online play, playing people I don't know, most of who are cheesers, whiners and glitchers. The only time I will play someone online, is if I know them in real life. The lack of franchise mode bothered me, but not enough not to get this game. I have always heard 2K made the best football games, and if APF was anything like the NBA 2K series, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed in the game play. The other limitation is a big one, even bigger than the lack of franchise mode in many ways. You are only limited to creating 8 teams in the game, meaning that at any one time you only have 8 teams to choose from as you can't play with any of the CPU's teams. This is not a big problem in itself, because I would have expected some sort of limitation on the amount of teams you could create. However,...Read more›

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