Entries Tagged 'Video Games' ↓

Wii Charge Station

Easily charge and store your Wii Remotes with Nyko’s Charge Station for Wii. The Charge Station includes 2 NiMH batteries, exclusively designed for the Wii Remote, each providing up to 25 hours of play time. Each battery is easily recharged by placing the Wii Remote in the charging dock. The charging dock conveniently plugs into any standard wall outlet, allowing for rapid recharging of both batteries in 8 hours. The Charge Station includes 2 custom battery covers with contact pass-through points so you can charge the batteries while they are still in the remote. Each battery cover is also rubberized for superior grip during intense gaming sessions. The Charge Station matches the decor and styling of the Wii, and is small enough to fit in any home entertainment center.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Nyko Wii Charging Base – Stay Away
I have gone through 2 of these bases and the prongs on the base that make contact with the controller bend and no longer work. I had the exact same thing happen with 2 different sets. Find another manufacturer.

3 Stars Not bad, but not great either
After I bought my Wii I wanted to use rechargeable batteries with it. I saw this charger at Sam’s, also came in a combo pack with component cables, and the price was right so I picked it up. At first it worked OK. Now two years later, however, and the batteries barely hold a charge. I can maybe play for thirty minutes tops. And I didn’t even play my Wii that much, so longevity is an issue.

It’s also tricky to get to charge. You have to remove and cases and the wrist strap to get it to fit into the cradle. And even once the Wii-mote is in, its easy for it to get dislodged, even just walking by was enough vibrations to loosen the contacts between the battery and charger.

So while it works overall, I can’t recommend this product. I think the induction chargers would be much easier (don’t have to remove strap and case) or just pick up some rechargeable AA batteries and save yourself some money and hassle.

5 Stars nice price
i always appreciate the Amazon reviews. It helps me to make a wise decision. Although our WII is new and have not needed to replace the batteries, I thought this would be good to have. I am not disappointed. Easy to use and you can see at a glance that your controller has recharged itself. Only wish they had one of this for the Roomba because their chargers suck.

3 Stars Good charger overall
This charger came with the Wii bundle that I purchased from Best Buy. As a charging station is seems to perform adequately however I don’t like the way the remotes fit into the charger, it is not a secure fit especially with the wrist strap attached to the remote. The other issue is that you can no longer use the rubber skins on the remotes once you switch to the rechargable batteries. I think it makes total sense to use rechargable batteries with these remotes but I liked the skins. The remotes feel to small without them. Other than that it has worked fine for a couple months since I bought it.

1 Star NO INSTRUCTIONS
Okay, I’m not mechanically inclined. I admit that. But I also had a competent 16 year old try to help me on this and they couldn’t figure it out either. So I don’t feel so bad. There were NO INSTRUCTIONS with this device. No list of what was there, plus you had to put this into the back of the Wii in order to use it. Yuk! What I wanted was a recharger that plugged into a wall plug and not into the back of my Wii. Plus, instructions for us unknowledgeable people to show us EXACTLY how to use the darn thing. All in all, this was a disappointment to me. Perhaps after I figure it out I’ll re-review it, but right now, I don’t consider this a good product.

Buy/More Info

Disney Fairies Tinkerbell

Tinker Bell’s biggest fans can get creative by customizing her outfits with over 100 unique combinations of dresses and accessories. Once decked out, players will be challenged by a variety of mini-games, including ladybug painting and dewdrop catching. DS, Disney Interactive, E.

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars challenging due to needed reading level
I would not recommend this for anyone below a 3rd grade reading level. There is a good amount of reading involved. And honestly, even as an adult, I found the game to be pretty difficult to figure out.

4 Stars Very Good DS Game
This is quite an visually rewarding DS game. My daughter (7) enjoys the game very much, but has some difficulty due to needing to read A LOT to complete a level. I would recommend this for ages 8+ or for kids with very good reading skills.

3 Stars Tinkerbell
I bought this game for my 8 year old daughter. At first she seemed to be happy with it, but since buying it, she hasn’t played it at all. She says that it is a very boring game! I tried playing it and it has a lot of reading. Great graphics!

5 Stars THIS GAME RULES!
i love this game! i am 8 years old. this is one of the best games i ever played! you should so buy it! i was thinking this game would be cool,and i was right!

i love it SO much! YOU NEED TO GET IT! well, if you like tinker bell that is. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but i always wanted to go to disney world. but i never have.TEE HEE!

1 Star Disney Fairies: TinkerBell – DS – An absolute outrage & very disappointing ds game!
Hello I’m an autistic adult gamer.

This is my review on TinkerBell – DS.

Normally I like games that have to do with fairies but this game is an absolute outrage. I’m also a born again christian & do not believe in fortune telling & YES fortune telling is in the game chalk it up to disney to screw up a game with to say the most normally tinker bell is played out to be very innocent at least when I saw Peter Pan the disney movie year’s ago I just thought she was a cute little fairy. The Graphic’s on the top screen are crystal clear nice & big easy to see. On the touch screen the character’s are to small in my opinion. & plus you have to read the whole game. No offense to any one who actually likes this game but I’m glad I rented this game from my local library for free for three week’s. A couple of day’s ago I went into GameStop to buy a Nintendo DSi points card & debated on getting TinkerBell VS. Shrek: Carnival Craze Party games both for the ds & both used for 20 bucks a pop since at the time I was just waiting to get my game in from the library (TinkerBell) I decided to wait on TinkerBell & to get Shrek: Carnival Craze Party Games – DS. Best decision I could have ever made. I love Shrek: Carnival Craze Party Games for the DS. I’m very glad I didn’t buy TinkerBell P.S. Disney already had in the work’s of making a sequel to TinkerBell DS I know this because on TinkerBell DS game it has a trailer for the sequel. I thought the idea was to normally see how the first game does then if it does well then make a sequel Disney took all the fun out of waiting to see if there would be a sequel made & just does it anyway’s.

If you like TinkerBell then watch the movie Peter Pan don’t buy the game you’ll be sadly disappointed.

Happy Gaming!

By the way if you want a real good Disney DS game. I would recommend Disney Friends DS I love it I bought it used for 17.99 & couldn’t be more happier & personally I’m not a real big Disney person but I do like Disney Friends DS good game 5 Star quality.

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Wii Grand Slam Sports Pack

The Grand Slam Sports Pack for Nintendo Wii is the ultimate player’s package for the multi-dimensional sports lover. It comes equipped with a tennis racket, baseball bat, golf club and steering wheel, clear remote cover, Wrist Strap. Located at the base/handle of each of these is a compartment that is designed for the Wii remote control to fit right into. With the remote snuggly secured, you can freely hack, drive and steer away while getting the authentic feel of actually being in the game. The lightweight material assures that equipment isn’t a heavy burden on your arms so that you may enjoy a lengthier playing time without tiring as quickly. With this sports package, you won’t even know that you are in front of a screen, but in the game itself.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Needless purchase
This was my first experience with a Wii and the description led me to believe this product was essential for the sports experience. You DO NOT need to buy this to use the Wii. First, you’d have to buy one set of these for each person’s remote. So, if you have four remotes and try to play four-player games, you’d have to buy four of these sets. Second, they’re a pain in the butt to switch out if you change from say golf to tennis. They do nothing to enhance the playability of the game, On the contrary, they can get in the way, especially if the play area is a bit small. I’d suggest passing on it until you’ve played the game without them, then buy them if you feel you really must.

4 Stars sports pack tools
These are cute to have but you definetely do not need them to play. I saw little difference with or without them. I should have purchased 2 sets because only one person gets to use them an the other goes without.

1 Star BurnedbyCTADigital
Do not purchase this product. The quality is poor and the attachments are prone to break away from the handle during use. With less than one month of use, the bat attachment broke from the handle and flew into the TV shattering the screen. When contacted, customer service referenced a “we are not liable” message on the box and refused to assist. Please do not purchase this product if you have a TV you value for your Wii and do not wish to repair or replace it. Thanks!

4 Stars Good seller
This item was delivered quickly and was as described. My grandchildren use it, but can play game as well without it, so not a necessary item.

5 Stars Wii Grand Slam Sports Pack
The Wii is an awesome game. This sports pack is well worth the money spent.

Buy/More Info

Dragon Age Origins

Dragon Age: Origins PC…Dragon Age: Origins represents BioWare’s return to its roots in the form of a dark, heroic fantasy game that combines deep and immersive storytelling with classic role-playing. As the spiritual successor to BioWare’s popular Baldur’s Gate series, Dragon Age: Origins lets players acquire party members and interact with them while featuring a stunning amount of high quality cinematic dialogue. The pause-and-play combat system lets players make tactical decisions from an overhead view. Players that prefer a more in-your-face style of play can also take control of each party member to fight and explore in an over-the-shoulder view. Origin Stories are a major feature of the Dragon Age: Origins experience. Players choose their origin, and from that starting point they will play through a unique prelude that lays the foundation for their adventure. The player’s choice of origin defines how they will perceive the world and how the world will perceive them. Certain situations, storylines, and conversation options will change dramatically depending on the player’s choice of origin and personal motivation. In Dragon Age: Origins, the choices players make will change the world and affect the people around them, making every journey through Ferelden unique.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Lots of depth, fun game, horrendous controls
This is a rich and engrossing game, and I would enjoy it more, but…

the controls are just… bad.

You can zoom way in, or way out, but not in the middle.

You can configure some keys, but there are still some keys that

aren’t in the config menu. For example, HOME and END are associated

with zooming in and out somehow, but when you assign other actions to

them, they do both actions.

Sometimes the camera gets hung up with walls in the way so I can’t see

my characters.

Sometimes, the screen is not centered over my characters, but over some

wall or hallway to the side of where the action is.

I would *love* screen edge rotation instead of panning. This game has

screen rotation, but only when you hold down the mouse button which is

a real pain.

Dungeon Siege got a lot of these elements right, but this game is hiding

a lot of it’s excellence behind a fumbling UI (especially frustrating

whent the battle starts).

The frustrating part is, I think just a little coding time would fix most

of these problems.

On a more positive note, they didn’t repeat the Bioshock fisaco (I couldn’t

play for 3 days after buying it because of DRM issues). You type in your

CD key, run with the dvd in the drive and you’re done. No complicated

in-game patching, just download it and apply it. All this is great

and I don’t feel like I paid to be abused by a DRM system.

It is a good game.

5 Stars AWESOME, Awesome, awesome game!!
This is by far the best game I have ever played. The story line if great, the voice acting is fantastic (huge cast), and the graphics are gorgeous. And if you are anything like me and have been barred from today’s other excellent games because you get nauseous from watching the graphics – this one has no effect on me. Buy it. It’s a great game and Amazon’s price is the lowest I have seen.

5 Stars An Evolution in Computer RPG’s
So – I just finished Dragon Age (after about 70 or so hours or game time) and I thought I would share my thoughts.

I grew up on old fantasy D&D Games for PC’s such as Pool of Radiance, Eye of the Beholder etc. It’s been fun to watch how these types of RPG’s have evolved. When we were treated to the Baldur’s Gates series I did not think that the genre could be improved upon that much (maybe graphics). I was wrong.

The Great:

– The Story: most stories like these seem very cookie cutter and non-involving. Be a hero, kill the bad thing, get the girl. This is a game that paints around the edges. Not only is the story engaging (albeit, still somewhat generic) – it is fleshed out in a very Tolkien-esque way with much history and back story. The writing is of the highest quality being both interesting and at times quite humorous. I can’t remember a game where I actually took the time to read every piece all the way through. It’s that good.

– Cut Scenes: In many games, cut scenes tend to be more a distraction from the action. Eye candy for a poorly executed game. In THIS game, a cut scene is a reason to put whatever else you were doing down, shut the room up and listen carefully. It provides a welcome break from the action and gives a more humanistic perspective. This allows you to become fully engaged in the material. It also provides…

– Top Notch Voice Acting: Once again, I can’t recall a single game where the dialog, cadence and general voice overs were as good as this. Each character is infused with a distinct personality, mostly do to the professionalism and high quality of the voice acting. Just when you think that a character is on the verge of chewing a scene – which each could do easily, it is buffeted by the sheer talent assembled. This is also the reason why you tend to get emotionally involved in the fate of more than a few party members.

The Good:

– Playing the game: At the end of the day this is a turn based RPG, albeit an extremely polished one. If you are familiar with the Balder’s Gates or NeverWinter Nights saga’s you know all you need to know to play this game. Line of site plays a huge roll, the monsters themselves are well rendered, the magic is polished and things flow generally how you would expect them to. Once again, without a good story or any emotional involvement, it doesn’t matter how good the game playing is. I’ve played lots of pretty easy to navigate games that are awful.

– Graphics: Quite good for an RPG. The lip syncing on the characters leave a little to be desired and when things get busy on the screen it can crawl. Overall, for a game released in 2009 it’s not mind blowing (like Lord of the Rings Online), but it’s above average.

– Sound: I thought the sound was excellent. I listened through headphones (the way I think it should be played personally) and it never got tiring. The music, sound effects and immersion level of the acting is all of the highest quality.

The Ugly:

– Big Box: You need a beefy machine to play this. I am playing on an OC’d 3.2 quad with 2gb of RAM and two 512gb video cards in SLI (on XP). It runs OK – but the load times are rough and when the screen gets busy, go make a sandwich while it stutters into the proper frame rates. This does NOT happen often – but when it does it can kill the fun.

– Time: You WILL spend a lot of time playing this game. If you are married, make sure you explain the situation first so he/she knows what to expect. The immersion is incredible. Also, depending on your actions, you can get involved in intimate physical situations. It’s all PG-13 for the most part, but heads up (the banter to get there is most of the fun).

Overall, one of the best games I’ve ever played from ANY genre, period. If you even remotely like computer based RPG’s – this sets a new level. All games like this will forever be described as “How does it compare to Dragon Age?”.

5 Stars Addictively good fun!!
The story line is intense, and involving, your decisions will change the story and make it different every time you replay it. The only other games I’ve played that were as much fun was Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, and World of Warcraft. I highly recommend Dragon Age, Origins. Especially if you have lots of spare time and nothing to do.

5 Stars Fantastic game!
Wow! BUY THIS GAME! I can’t say enough good things about it. BioWare has once again shown they are the kings of RPG’s. Fans of the old Baldurs Gates games will find everything to like about this game. The graphics are top notch, the character art is unbelievable(Morrigan is beautiful#, and the voice acting/directing is the best I’ve seen. But while these are important, they are really secondary factors in this game. Its the story that sets this game far above other games of it’s type. It’s very detailed, well thought out, and extremely well written. The characters are larger than life, and you find yourself really caring about what happens to them. Or in case of the villains really looking forward to making them pay! Bethesda#Obilvion) should take note. Story and characters are what drive a great RPG, not pretty graphics, cookie cutter voice acting and repeated quests. Oblivion had a lot going for it in terms of graphics and combat system, but was ultimately a painful gaming experience. Dragon Age Origin on the other hand is addictive and you just can’t shut it off. Many evenings have gone from a planned hour of playing time into into 2 AM, eyeball bleeding, not looking forward to getting up for work, period of gaming bliss. With the many story arcs based around character type and countless decisions you make during game play, this is a game I will be playing for years to come. Kudos once again to BioWare for making the game that we all wanted. Keep up the great work and know that your efforts are much appreciated!!

Buy/More Info

Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2 PC

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars expands the basic gameplay of the previous game
The polished successor to last year’s hit “Left 4 Dead”, Left 4 Dead 2 expands the basic gameplay of the previous game and adds several new features to the mix. The game provokes mixed feelings, on one hand coming out only a year after the original L4D (which didn’t receive much downloadable content) and on the other hand being full of enough new content to justify a sequel.

Like the first L4D, the game puts players in the shoes of four survivors of a zombie apocalypse. The survivors battle waves of the infected to move from one safe area to another. In L4D, the tools used by the survivors were primarily guns and explosive objects like pipe bombs and fuel cans. One of L4D’s shortcomings was that it never really felt like “survival” – ammo could be found easily, and you were never really short on resources.

L4D2 keeps the basic premise – pistols still have infinite ammo, occasional caches of ammo can be found – but generally increases the scarcity of resources to make for a tenser survival experience. In addition, the choice of weaponry is greatly increased from L4D: in addition to a wider range of guns (rather than the 7 offered in L4D, 3 of which were an improved version of the other 3) there are also melee weapons. These allow for close-range damage without needing to reload. There are also more tools and items to be found, like adrenaline that increases your action speed, “boomer bile” which causes the infected to fight amongst themselves, and ammo boxes that make your guns shoot burning or explosive ammunition.

In addition, there are occasional “special infected” with unique abilities who will show up to attack. In L4D, these were the “hunter”, who pounced on his prey, the “smoker”, who strangled them with his long tongue, and the “boomer”, who covered survivors with zombie-attracting bile. In addition, the “tank” (a physical powerhouse) and the “witch” (a super-powerful zombie who could be avoided if the survivors were careful) also made less-frequent appearances. In L4D2, these special infected are joined by the “spitter”, who launches gobs of area-covering acid, the “charger”, who rams into survivors and pummels them, and the “jockey”, who jumps on a survivor and attempts to steer them into nearby hazards. The new special infected affect the balance of the game overall – the spitter forces survivors to keep moving instead of holing up in one spot and the jockey uses environmental hazards to his advantage. The charger is a little annoying, because even if you spot it early, unlike the other special infected it can take so many bullets that you usually end up getting hit anyways.

There are five campaigns, all with much more unique layouts than the campaigns in L4D. “Dead Center” is a fight through a shopping mall, “Dark Carnival” takes place in an amusement park, “Swamp Fever” sees the survivors attempting to get through the bayou, “Hard Rain” involves a two-way trip to get gas during a major thunderstorm, and finally “The Parish” puts you on the streets of New Orleans attempting to reach the last helicopter out. The maps are all much more fleshed out than they are in L4D, and due to the expanded list of items and bonuses in the game there’s much more potential benefit to exploring out-of-the-way locations like abandoned houses. There’s also more choice in route, though the paths are always ultimately linear. The campaigns on the whole feel much more unique and thematic than their L4D counterparts, and there’s a distinct flavor to each of them.

There are more game modes than in L4D. In addition to the regular campaign (human players versus ai-controlled infected), survival (players hold out for as long as they can in one area), and the versus mode (player-controlled survivors versus player-controlled special infected), there’s also realism mode (a campaign wherein many elements like glowing silhouettes are disabled, making it harder for players to find each other without good teamwork) and scavenge mode (where players try to collect gas cans and bring them back to a central location). The versus mode is much more fun than in L4D because of the new special infected, but the new game modes are sort of iffy.

Overall, L4D2 is a great game – much improved over its predecessor – but it still feels like it’s lacking a lot. The new melee weapons are all basically identical, so there’s no real sense of scavenging or anything like that. Everything from a fire axe to a cricket bat is completely capable of tearing apart a zombie with one swing. The new guns are a little better – I liked the idea of adding a grenade launcher that has non-replenishable ammo – but they’re so easy to find that there’s still really no tension. Basically, though, the game is an action game, not a survival game. If you want to have fun playing cooperatively with your friends, L4D2 is probably the best game to do it with.

Rating: 9/10.

5 Stars runs much faster than the 360 version
Valve did a good job on the pc version of this game, still I wish there were higher settings for effects like explosions which look particularly weak, especially when compared to the cool new fire effects on molotovs.

5 Stars Its More of What I Loved!
First of all, you should know that I absolutely loved the first game, having played well over 500 hours worth, mostly all in Online Campaign mode. I loved the atmosphere, the characters, the smooth game-play, and the long-awaited return of awesome co-op shooter greatness!

In a way, it reminds me of that classic arcade game from the 80’s, Gauntlet. A lot of the simple fun from that game hits the same chord with me here- Different but similar characters with a bit of humor. Grab all the nifty loot you can, run around, and shoot almost everything with wild abandon! That type of frantic, team game-play has always been just right up my alley!

That said, L4D2 is simply more of the same thrills, with some major improvements, and a few things that could be a bit better. But I’ve already logged in tons of hours, again, all in co-op mode. I keep finding myself trying to squeeze in a couple levels of zombie slaughter all the time whenever I get even just a few minutes. In particular, it is great for de-stressing from a tough day at work!

How can I play the same levels so often? I love the randomization. Every time you play, the zombies come at you from somewhere different, and the guns and goodies are random too, which forces you to PLAY differently every time too. And in my opinion, the best part is your three teammates. Every time, THEY are different too. Sometimes skilled, and sometimes noobs, but when you land on a good team all working together and using microphones? It is a great experience, plain and simple.

Now, as I said, some things are better then LFD1, and some are not quite as good. Here are some impressions:

My biggest problem right now, is a known bug that causes me to minimize to desktop. No error msg- It is almost as if I’ve hit my windows key, but I always get rid of that key. Then I just hit the button on the task bar, and it gets me back into my game. It usually takes about 15 seconds, and it usually happens at the worst possible point in the game. There seems to be a few crashes like this that they are working on, but I haven’t really run into anyone that has had the exact same problem, so maybe its me… :/ However, I am sure they will patch it up soon.

Difficulty: In L4D1, I usually stuck with advanced, but that was usually too easy for me, but Expert was MUCH harder, and I didn’t usually survive. In L4D2, normal seems as tough as advanced was in 1, with advanced being a much tougher too, but it is still easier then Expert used to be. Expert in L4D2 is just way beyond me.

Guns: LOVE THEM. PERIOD. Grenade launcher, both sniper rifles, shot guns, machine guns, pistols, CHAINSAW, the katana, and the machete! A lot of people tend to run around like morons with the melee weapons from time to time, and that can be annoying, but if you clip them a few times, they stop jumping in front of your line of fire so often. But bottom line, the new weapons and melee options are a brilliant improvement. The only way they could step it up even further might be a flamethrower!

New characters: Ehhh… not too impressed. Ellis and the Coach can be funny at times, but Nick comes across as a shady back-stabbing type of guy that could get interesting, and you want to see where they go with him, but nothing comes of it. Rochelle simply has no personality at all. If you are like me, you’d like to see Valve put Frances in every L4D game from now on, and I think I miss Zoey a bit too!

New special infected: My favorite is the Charger- he fits in great, and the Spitter is OK. Both add nice dimensions to the game-play by causing the group to scatter when they are bunched up. The Jockey, however, drives me up a wall. He comes out of nowhere, and then he is riding on your head and steering you away from your team. If your team is decent, it usually isn’t a problem, but it is SO frustrating, when there is no chance for you to prevent him from getting you, and your team is a bunch of ding-dongs. There is no way to bump him back like you can do with the Hunter just as he is about to pounce on you. While all the other special infected are fun to fight, and just offer challenge, when HE comes at you around a corner, all you can do is just throw your hands in the air and wait.

The new campaigns: Great additions! I enjoyed them all pretty thoroughly. They add great new environments and atmosphere, and introduce some situations that really make you play differently then you had to in LFD1. The ones I go back to the most are Dark Carnival, which takes place at a cheesy little amusement park, and Dead Centre, which involves a Shopping Mall and my favorite finale.

Game-play modes: As I said, I am hopelessly addicted to Co-op mode. I’d like to enjoy another one, but nothing has jumped out at me yet. Survival and Realism mode seem good, but it seems way too tough to get a good team together there, and as far as Verses mode goes- I like playing against live enemies, but I just don’t enjoy playing AS the infected, no matter how many times I’ve tried. Plenty of people do, however, so you should certainly give it a go!

In short, this game is more Left 4 Dead heaven. And after I brief period where certain things had to grow on me a bit, I learned how to handle the new challenges, and I finally don’t need L4D1 anymore. The new guns and graphics are THAT much better. I know some people have been upset that Valve put out a sequel rather then giving us way more free content for the first game, but MY main lament (or hope), is that maybe they will update L4D1 to the NEW guns, special infected and difficulty settings as a treat. I’m starting to miss the old levels and characters, but I don’t want to go back to the old, boring guns and special infected- Ya know? I promise you I will buy L4D 3 right away too- Valve is still on fire!

4 Stars Still Good, Just Not as Great
I have to admit, I was disappointed with this game. Everything should be right: the gameplay’s still the same, the missions have some great concepts and great event triggers, the new weapons and accessories are amazingly fun. And yet… somehow, it just doesn’t come together in the unforgettable way the original did. I’d chalk it up to level design, which is sometimes pointlessly confusing, and to level length. Some of the levels just stop being fun before they’re done, and just become a slog to the end. The swamp levels in particular suffer from this.

Still, the game has some epic moments. Mowing down infected the first few times you get the chainsaw is sure to make you giggle with glee, and it’s so easy to feel like a hero when you’re barricading a door, ninja sword in hand, holding back the horde while your team heals.

If you’ve got a group of friends who work as a tight team, this game will test your abilities. If you have friends who tend to play a bit looser, a bit more lone-wolf, expect to be occasionally frustrated.

4 Stars Left 4 Dead Too?

Black Friday came and went , and so was a opportunity to snag this title for $20 less than retail mfg price.

If you liked the first game and wanted an upgrade , and a change of scenery look no further , your game has arrived.

If your looking for a deep experience in gaming

sorry this isnt it , the single player camnpaign can be completed in less than 90 minutes , and that was on medium.

The graphics textures have been boosted , and the scenario is now set in the South with a new cast of survivors, Coach (large black male with baseball cap) ,

Rochelle (gangsta type black female lead),

Nick (Don Johnson type white male), and Ellis (redneck type resembles Team Fortress 2’s scout).

The graphics of the game improved and the game is set in a southern town that is under goverment quarrantine, mistaking the new form of rabies

that causes infected condition for a FLU ,

the national guard is busy bombing the city and

every now and then while playing you’ll hear jets bomb the areas as ambient noise. Most of the maps occur in daylight , which is my biggest issue with the sequel,

DAYLIGHT is not scary ,

and just because the zombie models look uglier

and grotesque does not make them scary. Valve sacrificed a claustrophobic fear of the unknown in this sequel, shooting zombies feels like a chore at times,

and it feels routine.

Also I feel at present , in versus the hordes just dont seem to amount to much in the game , as a special infected player the balance of the game is favoring the 4 humans ,

this is a big issue for both sides because it makes the game feel “rushed”, hopefully others are seeing this and Valve will fix it in a patch.

New weapons and items: Not just a few new guns , but also melee weapons , Katana swords, machetes, baseball bats, and frying pans (and even a garden gnome statue) ,

the new weapons do not disappoint they are a vast improvement over old l4D’s stock , incendiary bullets , explosive rounds can be added, as well as ‘uber cool

laser site add-on . Death is no longer a handicapp , as shock paddles can bring back dead players provided they are not dropped from a height and un reachable, the

drawback is you sacrifice a health kit slot to equip it. Valve listened to the fans and included the zombie movie favorite weapon of choice , the CHAINSAW as melee

weapons go it’s the ultimate but limited to a fuel gauge that runs out , but is the survivor equivalent to becoming a Tank special infected when you use it.

New special infected added :

Jockeys ; little troll infecteds that jump on your face and ride you into the hordes until removed , very nasty.

Spitters: The Boomer has a girlfriend , she looks like Britney Spears on a bad day silver bra and hot pants long neck,

they spit acid pools at long distance and when shot leave a acid pool behind.

Chargers : a mini tank , like a Rhyno these hulks come crashing in a straight path and if they connect , start pummeling

a survivor with it’s one massive fist.

HAZMAT: not a special but a infected Hazardous Material agent that is wearing a protective fire proof suit , along with

the Riot Cops in the game killing one of these guys is not as easy as most infecteds.

WITCH: Shes back and now she doesnt just cry in a corner waiting to be headshotted, she moves and roams her area , she’s still best

left alone .

So, in a nutshell a worthy sequel with the same exact gameplay , and new characters and weapons, still kind of fun , but lacking

in some departments , unless Valve comes up with a fantastic way to innovate the game , I cant see them doing number 3 any time

soon , the old player created problems still persist , rage quitting by players too immature to accept defeat, friendly fire on purpose to grief

your team , finding servers with players with half decent pings , and technical issues like sound card crashing unique to this game.

The best word I can describe this game is GRATUITOUS , violent to a extreme , not a game for kids under 16 please , but for mature adults a nice stress release after a hard day at work with friends , for potential buyers familiar with the old game , you should buy this game when it’s on sale , it’s

not a bad sequel and certainly ups the ante from the previous game .

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The Sims 3 World Adventures Expansion Pack

Sims 3 World Expansion Pack PC

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Best Sims Expansion Yet!
I am totally dumbfounded by the hostile reaction to this expansion.

The Sims 3 had some problems but those were mostly exaggerated by the deservedly high expectations Sims fans after the Legendary Sims 2 series ended. FREE Patches and this expansion have fixed almost every problem plaguing the Sims 3 experience and this expansion went way beyond my expectations. EA created 3 totally different cultures and locations and managed to give us the same NO LOADING times as the home city. It is very different than any other expansion but that’s a good thing. I really don’t want to give away much but if you have ever played a Sims game GO BUY THIS EXPANSION NOW.

4 Stars It is good
It offers many hours of additional gameplay fun. The early reviews were pre-patches, EA has and continues to fix bugs. All new games come out with bugs these days, just wait a few days or weeks in most cases and companies addresses them.

At any rate this is a fun expansion, it can not be compared to the Sims 2 expansions at all. There are several new skills that can be learned and travel adds much needed flavor to Sims 3 world. Basicly there are more things to do, more ways to make similions or money, and some pretty interesting, yet pretty easy puzzles and quests. If you have the sims 3 then there is no reason to not buy this unless the price is an issue for you in this bad economy of ours. It is 3 1/2 to 4 stars worth of game.

3 Stars Not excited!
I am a Sims fan to my heart. However, this expansion pack I was not so excited about after the initial play.

1 Star DO NOT BUY IT!
I just came online after angrily quitting the Sims 3: World Adventures. When I first bought the game it was a nice change to be able to go to different parts of the Sim world. It was a welcomed change. However, that was before I discovered all the glitches and bugs this expansion pack introduced to my Sims 3 game. I deeply regret buying it.

A few things that have gone wrong since I installed it:

- If a Sim has been in an area too long (ie Egypt) that sim will out of nowhere have a family located in that area. My sim girl was in Egypt a lot because the mummies and tombs were fun to me. After a while I looked at the family tree and she’s somehow already married to an old man and they have a kid together? What the?! I can’t break up the marriage so she can’t marry anyone ever.

- My sim guy “went steady” with a girl from China. When he got home, the girl disappeared so now my guy can’t marry anyone because it still shows that he’s in a relationship with this girl. I can’t reach her by phone or go to China because she vanished.

- There is a car stuck outside my sim’s homes and I can’t do Move Objects On to remove it.

- If my Sim asks a foreign sim (from China for example) to get married, the game glitches so that they marry but the Chinese sim doesn’t move in. I can keep marrying them but they never move in, it just glitches and sends them flying around the house.

These glitches have ruined the game for me. It was a big mistake trying out the game with my favorite family. Now they’re all messed up and I cant do anything to fix it. This expansion pack was MAJOR FAIL. I advise you NOT to get it and only do so when *everything* is fixed. Save your money until then! The game itself is pretty fun if you’re looking to trying new things and introduce new challenges for you and your sim but like I said, it’s better to wait until its problems are fixed.

1 Star The definition of “game” is???
Right up front I’ll say I don’t know how much fun this expansion pack is because I’ve never really played it. Before you buy this, you might want to ask yourself a few questions. Do I have good working knowledge of computers, software and troubleshooting? Do I have time to search Sims 3 forums for possible solutions to the current problems I’m experiencing? If you answered yes to the above or you’re a hardcore Sims fan up for a challenge, then proceed. I’ve installed WA twice and both times have been unable to get very far before experiencing problems with saving, loading and others I won’t even bother going into here because I’m sick of thinking about them. I’ll be honest – I have below average computer skills. As I was looking yet again for answers on a forum, I realized that I was feeling very stupid which would be fine if I was trying to save the world, but this is a GAME. And then you see the forum posts from people who claim that their WA game is working just fine and you feel even more idiotic. And then you see the posts from people who have the game working but the glitches make it virtually unplayable. You probably won’t get much help from EA – they’ll tell you it must be your computer even when it’s way above their own stated minimum specs as mine is. I enjoy the base Sims 3 game, so I’m going to reinstall it yet again, but this has really soured me on the whole franchise.

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The Sims 3

Get inspired by the endless creative possibilities and unexpected moments of surprise and mischief in The Sims 3! Customize your Sims’ appearances and choose up to five traits to create individual personalities. From the “Romantic” trait or “kleptomaniac” trait to “evil” trait, create millions of unique Sims from the vast amount of personalities. New goal-oriented gameplay enables you to choose which short or long-term objectives you want your Sims to pursue and even determine your Sims’ destinies in life. Create and edit your own movies by capturing your gameplay moments or select from a library of clips. Then join The Sims 3 online community where you can show off all of your creations, get free bonus content, hear the latest news, and more!

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Got boring very quickly…but, I figured out a way to enjoy the game.
Ok, I like that you can leave your house and do other stuff, and I believe they took that in the right direction but it was NOT implemented well at all. Between trying to raise skill levels and fulfilling their needs theres no time to do anything. I think I’ve spent more time on the damn speed button waiting for them to finish work or sleep than I have actually played the game. As many players have pointed out the sims look the same and play the same no matter how they are changed. I loved the idea of a personality maker and I also enjoyed the little quirks, but as before none of it was implemented very well and none of these sims feel unique. Also, the amount of objects is relatively the same from sims 2, and the only way to get more is to pay for them. It looks like EA got extremely greedy with this one and have decided to turn the Sims into nothing more than a digital piggy bank. What a bunch of douche bags… But, I figured out a way to make this game fun. You just dont get a job. thats right. dont get a job and attempt to make all your money though independent ways like collecting, performing, fishing, gardening and in this game it is easier than ever to make a living without actually getting a job. I found after that that the game really opened up, even though it still needs fixing.

4 Stars Good Game
It’s a good game. I play often, but I wish there had been some new features. I feel like this game didn’t exactly live up to the hype and I find myself missing the sims 2.

5 Stars Best Sims Yet!
Much better than the Sims 2 once you download the free patches and get World Adventures.

The Trait system is great and the graphics are amazing.

If you don’t like this game than just don’t play The Sims because ALL SIM GAMES ARE LIKE THIS.

1 Star Fun, when it works right…
Within 1 month of purchasing and installing this game, I needed to download 6 patches from the website in order to fix various errors within the game, and I am still finding errors. If you need to contact tech support for the game, you recieve a message saying that you’ll recieve a response within 24 hours, but I waited 2 weeks for a response to one e-mail regarding not being able to log into the sims 3 store with a valid account. Tech support finally fixed that issue but now I cannot log into the Sims3 website at all, I wrote tech support, waited 3 days, found that they deleted my question, wrote again, and it has been 5 days so far waiting for someone to respond. Now when I visit that site, windows says the security certificate isn’t valid.

As for the gameplay itself, there are some major improvements compared to the Sims 2: you don’t have to wait 800 hours for a community lot to load, because the game loads the entire neighborhood at once. There is the additional feature of “collections” in the game, which makes it a little more interesting that the standard “use toilet, shower, go to work, call sim, sleep” daily life that tended to get monotonous in previous versions of the Sims. If you can save your game, (there are a total of 16 save-related errors in the game that may prevent that), and things don’t start freezing up, if ALL the sims you sent on vacation actually return home, and your pizza doesn’t mysteriously dissappear, this game is pretty fun. But good luck getting any help from EA if there’s a malfunction.

SUMMARY: The game doesn’t work correctly, the website almost never works correctly, and tech support is unresponsive. I would stick with the Sims 2 for now, unless you actually enjoy huge headaches.

4 Stars i wish
i wish my computer was faster and better so i can enjoy this game to the fullest, playing it on a laptop sucks. What i can do and see, is wayyyy better than the last two sims. the town based action is tight and graphics are sick and everything is freshed and polished up

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Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board

Wii Fit Plus w/ Balance Board

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Wii Fit Plus Review
Good product. The games / exercises are good. I expected more from this title. The board seems to become erratic with some Wii Fit Plus combined routines

No bubble, no trouble.

5 Stars compatibility
As it seems, there are compatibility problems of wii-fit plus obtained in the USA with wii-consoles bought in Europe. I bought the previous version of wii fit in Germany and it worked. I gave 5 stars only because of the older version – this is a sensational good game.

Is there any solution?

4 Stars Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board
The product is great. Received it quickly. It is in perfect condition. I would recommend it. It is lots of fun. Some of the games seem silly, but you know that you are doing more than just sitting on the couch.

5 Stars This is why we bought the Wii — uses your whole body while having some laughs, too!

Ok, they try to mask this as a fitness thing and have you go through all these pseudo-fit things like humiliating you by displaying your BMI, weight, “Wii Age” on a 60-inch high def for your family to see (are they TRYING to cause DIVORCES?)

But once you get past that, they have some really fun stuff for the whole family — we spent the most time laughing as the kids dodged Panda Bears and soccer shoes or re-enacting the “Agony of Defeat” ski scene from the Wide World of Sports. And while they were doing that, they were actually using their whole body and not just getting carpal tunnel syndrome from your standard video game.

The balance board that has been added is very helpful in developing coordination. I was impressed at how challenging the exercises are but if you are consistent, you will make progress.

Are the games on this going to be as effective as a personal trainer at a gym? Probably not (but overall — a heck of a lot chepaer). However, if you are consistent with it, you will see some improvement in overall body tone and conditioning and that is never a bad thing. I think the true value comes from making “fitness” into a game where the whole family can participate. Much more interactive than any other video games, these activities will provide the whole family some active fun for the kids while watching some really hysterical graphics (ok, our family is easily amused), I think this has been my favorite part of the Wii experience so far…

I highly recommend this game for the whole family.

[NCJAR]

5 Stars Fun to play!
This is so fun to play. I am not one to play video games but this is fun to play with my nephews and niece. Like one review said it can be rough to hear that you might be overweight but hey it made me work harder. I didn’t really get it to get fit to begin with (much prefer to be outdoors for that) but during the winter (indiana) it might not be an option even though sledding is on the agenda for this winter. As for children getting the wrong perception of getting fit…. hello it’s a video game take em outside and show them how to burn calories building a snowfort or going on a nice bike ride. This is good for when they may be stuck indoors not a primary way for them to receive exercise. (sorry had to address that) back to the game since this is what the review is for, I love playing the games and challenging family members. My nephew likes the ski jump, i’m fond of the balance games and the golf swing. Corrected my swing somewhat so woohoo can’t wait to try that out on the course this summer! Cant say enough how great it was to play, and I had not had any issues with board not wanting to work. this is with my daughter messing with it as well when i’m standing on it. Highly recommended wii game!

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Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 PC

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star Great looking but shallow and poorly designed
While the look and performance of this game is outstanding (assuming that you have fairly high end gaming hardware), the overall value of the game is very low.

The single player campaign is short and simple. The narrative itself is confusing an muddied. While key actors in the story play important and sometimes surprising roles, their motives are left unclear. A lot of the story is left unfinished.

The game-play through the campaign bounces between poor and decent. There are a few interesting times when the player gets to control vehicles, but the variety that seems to be available in the game-play is sadly underutilized.

The ‘Special Ops’ aren’t much more than really boring copies of pieces of the campaign.

A lot of the multiplayer issues have been brought up in other reviews. I will only add that the multiplayer seems to be completely about tactics. From what I can tell, there is no emphasis on cooperation or strategy. Generally speaking, the multiplayer is not worth playing at all.

This game might be worth $20, if you were really into this style of games. I would suggest not spending any more than that on it.

1 Star FlyCfi
This should be an awesome game but the developers totally dropped the ball. First let me just say that the graphics in this version are just awesome. Whether you are in the frozen tundra or in Brazil the scenery is just amazing. But the game doesn’t go any farther than that. The Campaign is cheap and about as long as the original. There is absolutely no thought to the story line and it turns into just a normal shoot the bad guys and run type of game. They added a new special ops section which is fun, but will only keep you entertained for a few hours at most. The entire reason I bought this game was for the multiplayer and I was severely disappointed. First, there are no dedicated servers so you are left to the mercy of other players internet connections. Also, most dedicated servers on modern warfare were watched so hackers could be banned. No such thing with MW2. Hackers run rampant throughout the multi player game making it completely unplayable. The lag is also awful. You will run around a corner thinking you are safe and then die. Also, just about every gun has a grenade launching attachment and battles turn into a grenade launching fest. The other problem is that the most deadly weapon is a knife. You can run straight into a hail of bullets without dying and still reach the person shooting you to knife and kill them, very unrealistic and very annoying. This game is definitely the biggest bomb in the history of gaming.

3 Stars Fun for a while, Then dull
The game really surprised me at first, But then just fell off sharply.. I rarely play it anymore, almost no replay value (I speak of multiplayer only). No reason to prestige more than once, The lag is crazy and nearly every game I’ve played, you can see the hackers in the killcams. It’s insane.

4 Stars Superior graphics/Frantic gameplay
The graphics in this game are a real step up from previous versions. The single player portion of the game actually goes pretty fast, but, they keep it interesting.

The online multiplayer portion again has great graphics but you’d better be wearing your seat beat! It’s fast and furious to be sure. The servers hosting the games seem to switch a lot for unknown reasons.

3 Stars The Game that could have been …….
For console gamers this game is the big one , if your a PC gamer your going to ask what happened to this great line of Call of Duty games . The game itself is great , good story line sudden unexpected twists and in your face constant action all though some aspects and cut scenes are too much for younger gamers . Game play is smooth with great graphics and lots of stuff to blow up .

Good things ; great graphics , fast and action packed single player mode . Additional Spec Op mode for 1 or 2 players in co-op can be more fun than the single play game .

The dark side ; This game is SHORT if your an experienced player figure 6 hrs or less game play time . The PC online multiplayer aspect on this plain and simple sucks ! Infinity Ward tried something new called MatchMaking to make the game more balanced for all players and failed miserably . There are no dedicated servers for the game which puts you at the mercy of somebody’s net connection and their computer size which means constant game interrupts and dropped connections . The supposed foolproof anti-cheat system was hacked within 4 hrs of the game being released to the public so you better have a real thick skin to play online for any length due to the behavior and bad language most of the time .

The real insult here is the price tag , it’s $20 more than should be for the content you get and you will feel some what cheated . If you only want the game with no interest in multiplayer this is a very good choice , for the multiplay I’d wait for Battlefield Bad Company 2 after new years .

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Cabelas Big Game Hunter 2010 with Gun Bundle

Become the ultimate Big-Game Hunter! Travel the globe across five continents as you hunt the world’s greatest trophy animals. Your hunting and survival skills will be put to the test as you face dangerous game, treacherous environments and more! Climb sheer cliff faces Escape avalanches Cross raging streams Vitals shooting mechanic Simulates controlled breathing Dial in your crosshairs Lock on for the perfect shot Comprehensive reward system Instantaneous feedback for your performance Use cover points to earn high scores Earn club points to unlock new areas Shooting gallery Fast paced hunting action Waterfowl, Upland Birds, Small Game

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Cabela’s Big Game Hunter 2010 w/Orange Gun
This Gun is so much easier to use than the white ones! This game is really fun for our younger (age 3, 4, & 6) children to play. Thanks

4 Stars Awesome but too short.
My dad and I played this game all day and we’re one level short of beating it. Which is a real bummer because it’s a blast. There are 12 missions, each mission is comprised of 6-7 hunts. 3-4 of the hunts are for big game, 2 for small game or fowl, and usually you must either hunt or are attacked by dangerous game.

The controls are great, make sure you get the Top Shot gun, it’s a very good peripheral. The default settings are moronic as the trigger is up by the barrel but the Top Shot control setting puts the trigger in the back by the grip where it belongs. I recommend switching to Top Shot control immediately and then playing the first career mission as it will walk you through the controls.

You are awarded points for examining sign – you’re asked to press ‘C’ to examine sign and it’s worth it to poke the button for the points. You also get points for shooting animals from cover; there are always 2-5 cover areas with different point values, you get 10, 20, 30, & 50% multipliers for finding and using these covers – you get the most points if you stalk through all of them and then shoot from the 50% marker. It’s actually a lot of fun because you have to sneak around the animals avoiding noisy brush and ducking their line of sight.

Once you put your sights on an animal, the vitals light up, also some info about the critter. The second you put the crosshairs on it, the points start going down so it pays to shoot quickly. You get points for a lung shot but you get more for a spine or heart shot. It’s fun to make head shots but they feed you this crap about “wrecking the trophy” so you don’t get many points.

Bullet cam is fun but if you’d rather watch them crumple up in the scope you can turn the feature off. I like bullet cam myself.

You will pass the hunt if you kill the animal but if you rack up some points you will be awarded a bronze, silver, or gold medal. In order to unlock new hunting areas, you need more experience points which are most easily earned by getting medals or better medals on the hunts.

It’s a short game but the hunts are fun to revisit and shoot for gold. Also, the Shooting Gallery cannot be beat, it’s extremely fun! The animals just keep on coming, kill as many as you can – extremely fun. The dangerous game sections are hard because the Bears/Cougars/Leopards charge you 1 at a time, then in pairs, and 3’s until you’re dead – FUN!

From what I’ve read, this is the best hunting game you can get and other, earlier versions are disappointing. I eagerly await the next Cabela’s/Activision release.

4 Stars Pretty cool
Really have a great time with this game. it can be as easy, fun or time consuming as you want. Shooting gallery is like the old duck hunt game but way more savy! Or take a hunting trip and look for clues, hoof prints, tree rubs, etc use stealth as you hunt game from around the world. Wow, pull the trigger and check out the slow motion, very cool! claim your prize and move to the next hunt. Would recommend this to anyone that has itchy fingers for the trigger! Happy hunting!

3 Stars A better shooting gallery than anything else.
I have a Wii and wanted something that would be fun. When I saw this game and the gun for $29.99, I thought, what the heck.

After messing around with it for about a week, I can report that I love to play the gallery part of the game. The actual gun isn’t that accurate but if you treat it just like a real shotgun, you do get some realistic game play. The part of the gallery where you shoot ducks and geese in scenic settings is really challenging. You wind up trying to beat your won high score.

The career section of the game is not that much fun to me. I get bored with all the walking around.

Overall, I love the gallery, so I would recommend it on that basis alone. Fun for everyone….everyone who loved to knock electronic water fowl out of the air that is.

4 Stars Big Game Hunter
I have purchased the game for a Christmas gift for my son after playing the game at my brother’s house. It was a lot of fun for all ages. The graphics are exciting and the hunt challenging. Fun for everyone.

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