PS3 Video Games

Injustice : Gods Among Us UK/EURO Collector's Edition

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Sat, 10 Jan 2015 04:26:00 -0800

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Sale Price: $124.99
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The statue makes this worth it! The us version is so bland compared to this one and it doesnt look cartoony like the us one as well as the sweet steelcase it comes with. Id rather have a steelcase than a digital download of a movie that is already on netflix

Frag FX Shark Controller for PS3, PC and Mac

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Sat, 10 Jan 2015 02:30:00 -0800

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Sale Price: $99.90
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i'm a pc gamer. hardcore. mouse and keyboard since the quake 3 arena days. i have never been able to compete on the consoles because i can't get my thumbs to make a controller do what i want. while all of my friends play on consoles.

for people like me the Shark is a godsend.

i own the original wired fragfx, a fragenstein, and a scorch. the shark performs well above all of these.

the mouse movement on the shark is perfect. playing mw2 with the in game sensitivity at 9 and the shark set around 2.

my only problem with it is the size. the mouse is just too big. i need to hold my hand a certain way just to reach all of the buttons..kind of annoying. and we can really do without the rapid fire and macros.

when i wear this one out i'll definitely buy another.

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I play games in bed with my TV at the foot. It gets uncomfortable after awhile with my arms holding a dualshock 3 over my stomach. This controller allows them to rest on either side of me. You can also set this controller to the same input as your dualshock Eg. 1. That way you can have a dualshock in your right hand and the fragchuck in your left. I love the "fragchuck". It fits well in hand and everything for the left hand is there, plus motion sensitivity, macros, rapid fire, and more! Could pack 2-3 more buttons in, though.

The mouse feels good, the buttons take a little getting used to, but are intuitive and easy to adapt to. The mous pad is good too. However, it's a little too big for me and I have good sized hands 7 inches from my middle finger to the bottom of my palm. Because of the shape, It actually fits better in my left hand than my right, of course then the buttons are imposable to use. I could have gotton used to the size but didn't want to since it wasen't very compatable with some of my games (See details section below).

There is a lot of disinformation surrounding this product. There are a lot of positive reviews from people playing Calld of Duty (Newer ones) and a lot of bad reviews calling it a "rip off". Aparently compatbility is hit or miss since PS3 was not made for a mouse and the fragfx shark has to emulate a thumb stick. To be fair to Splitfish they made a niche product, great for some of todays most popular games, but it's game manufacturers that are not making their titles compatible with Splitfish controllers. But then, why should they? It is a 3rd party controller. Also, why would Sony make the PS3 compatable with mice when most console gamers like the dualshock 3? I should add that some users don't like to use mice and the only refuge they have from the advantage a mouse gives users is on a console.

Pros:

The Concept is sound

Wireless, no lag

The design looks sweet

The "fragchuck" is almost perfect!

Great Battery life

Works with some F.P.S. games

Cons:

Price!!!

Dosen't work with some F.P.S. games

PS3 Games were ment for Dualshock controllers

3rd parties don't get much support from developers

OK as an optical mouse (Not great, Not laser)

Mouse is a little too big in my opinion

Disinformation about it

THE BOTTOM LINE: DOES IT WORK, AND IS IT WORTH $89?

Yes and no to both points! It works with some games and not with others. It may be worth it if your game is supported, you get past the learning curve, and you really want to take your "hard core" gameing up a level, or if you seriously want to get into PC gaming without the keboard. Otherwise, it's not for you and you will end up unsatisfied. I suggest you keep everything, and thouroughly test out all your games as soon as you get it, then you can get a refund if it does not meet your expectations.

Price I would consider keeping it for (Opinion):

$34.99

Price I would buy the Fragchuck alone (Opinion):

$29.99

DETAILS:

There was no combination of ingame look sensitivity and "dead zone" sensitivity that removed diagonal "staircasing" without making tracking too slow for most of the games I've tested. I saw reviews that mentioned the same thing before I purchased. I decided to give it a try anyway. To their defence, I tried evey combination of dead zone to ingame look sensitivity in the games below with limited success.

Homefront (Demo):

Staircased at dead zones of 0-5 and required too much mouse tracking with 6-9. 6.5 was almost workable except it required me to repeatedly pick up the mouse and reset it to look around. Was less efiecient than the dualshock.

Call of Duty: Classic

Same as aboave, but worse.

Call of Duty: Black Ops (Demo)

Works really well but seems to move up/Down slower than lept/right. No staircasing/jittering with ingame sensitvity at max (Insane) and deadzone = 3. Workable but will take some getting used to. Recommended for this game but it's not perfect.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Demo)

Same as black ops aboave. Abviously, these are the game it was intended for.

Killzone 2 (Demo):

I was able to resolve staircasing and jittering. Requires maximum ingame sensitivity and a deadzone of 4. Too slow of movement, mouse has to be picked up and drageed all over in this one. Not recomended.

Killzone 3 (Demo):

Better than above but not as good as COD:MW2 or black ops. It is still too slow. too much mouse tracking.

Battlefield 1943:

No staircasing. I needed a dead zone of about 3 to get rid of the jittery/jumping when trying to "pixle point" at an object. Although better, I found tracking was still too slow/difficult to play with. Would take some getting used to. It makes driving vehicals or flying extreemly difficult, if not imposable.

Infamous:

Works well enough to play. Better feel than the dualshock but jittery/staircasing not completly gone.

PC USERS:

When set as a mouse it is fine, sweet to have four extra buttons! Not as good as my logetech MX 5000 laser mouse but it tracks as well as an optical (A cheap one). Also, since I was a console gamer before PC, I tried this on a game I have always dreamed of having a "fragchuck" for...The Descent series. Although windows 7 x64 recognizes it as a gamepad and all of the buttons/analog stick work, it would not recognize the anolog or mouse movement in Descent 1. In Descent 2 this problem is fixed but the mouse has dead zone issues, and when that is ajusted it's too slow, requires too much movement, and is'nt as accurate as my MX5000 laser (Not even close). So, it was esentially useless. Too bad! Fine, I can just use the MX5000 instead by choosing the mouse and joystick option. Worked perfect, very addicting. I set drop bombs to the motion sensative melee and afterburners to the joystick button (L3)! That is sweet and there are 10 buttons on the fragchuck, if you count L3 and the D-Pad, to assign functions to. They could have packed 2-3 more buttons in though. I also, tested a few other FPS games (Older School) that did not work to my satisfaction. Bottom line: if your game supports joystick and mouse operation in tandom (and gives you complete control over button reassignments) then it "might" work like you want it to, otherwise it's a crap shoot. Don't know about newer games like far cry, fallout, and etc.

Note:

I really wanted it to work for me and to give it a fair review. I even pulled it back out of the return box to test it agian on a few titles I forgot about, just to make sure I wanted to return it. No go. Given the range of experiance I got out of it and the problems I was able to almost resolve, I would say my unit was not defective. It just almost works. Maybe it will work better for the games you want it for. Good Luck.

PS:

that guy on youtube (zDD) is displayed prominantly on the packaging and endorsed by Splitfish. Not to say his videos are fake, but his incentive is to paint the product in a positive light. Therefore he's not going to post a video showing what games it doesn't work in! A one sided story is at best a half-truth. So, don't be supprised if your experiance is different form his.

Buy Frag FX Shark Controller for PS3, PC and Mac Now

After several hours of researching the Frag FX Shark, AIMON PS, EagleEye, and XIM3, I finally settled on purchasing the Frag FX Shark controller. Here's the lowdown:

The Frag FX Shark does work as promised, depending on the game being played (based on what I've read). I have only tried it on COD MW3. The best thing about the Frag FX specifically is the sensitivity dial on the controller. This makes it as plug and play as can be with this type of setup. No need to download game specific firmware or any other garbage. The controller is fully customizable as well (remap buttons, macros, blah blah). Basically, you plug in the wireless stick into a USB slot, turn on the mouse and controller, and presto -it works. It is recommended to set in game sensitivity to max and then adjust using the dial on the controller. I've found slightly past 2 to work best for me.

Yes, there is some staircasing with the Frag FX. It won't affect gameplay much for the average gamer and it might even get sorted out with a firmware update later on.

The wireless works well and I had 0 problems with interference. I have a wifi TV, 2 routers, cellphone, cordless house phone, iPad, and the ps3 all in the same area. Did not have any problems at all.

My biggest issue with the product is the ridiculous size of the mouse. I can get over the cheap feel of the plastic, but the size of the mouse is as if it was designed for Captain Banana-hands. This isn't enough to make me return the product.. it is, however, the MAIN reason I knocked the Shark down to 4 stars. The only other issue is more of an annoyance than anything else... even when the controller and mouse are turned off, if the USB stick is plugged in, the ps3 will assign it to controller 1-4. This is annoying in 2-player games if you want to use the dual shock controller and play by yourself as the game will ask player 2 to hit X to join (or automatically add player 2 into the game).

If you are a typical gamer, this is a great product at a great price. It's not as great as a PC mouse in terms of accuracy or quality, but it does do the job.

If you are a hard-core FPS gamer looking to dominate everyone just get the XIM3. This is one area where you definitely get what you pay for.

For reference: (based on my e-findings)

FRAG FX SHARK $60 (when I purchased) $90 now

See above for review

pros (no setup, sensitivity dial, includes lap board, great fragchuck design, 'snipe' button which slows mouse movement)

cons (cost, mouse size, staircasing, works better on some games than others)

AIMON PS ELITE $80

pros (better mouse, less staircasing, better 'quality')

cons (complicated setup, firmware flashing required for each game, no MAC support to do said flashing, possible wireless signal issues, cost, no sensitivity dial)

EAGLE EYE $55

pros (real keyboard and mouse, cost)

cons (complicated setup, need PC to set up the hardware, game specific settings required)

XIM3 $150

pros (unsurpassed accuracy and quality, real mouse and keyboard, LCD screen to assist setup, 1:1 conversion)

cons (requires an xbox controller to be plugged in, can make a mess with all the cables necessary to use product, very high cost, no mac support for updating firmware, made for xbox and requires adapters to use on ps3)

note: $300 on amazon market. It costs $150 at the maker's website (google xim3)

SUMMARY:

Average gamer who wants a plug and play solution? Get the FRAG FX SHARK

Want a higher quality product and don't mind tweaking settings and tinkering? Get the AIMON PS ELITE (then head to their forums and read up)

Want to use a real keyboard and mouse at low cost? Get the EAGLE EYE (then head to their forums and read up)

Insist on the absolute best, regardless of price (hardcore gamer)? Get the XIM3 (then head to their forums and read up)

You can't really go wrong with any of the 4 options.. I got the Frag FX because there's no setup and amazon prime shipping was offered.

I will update this review after testing the Frag FX on Battlefield 3.. I've held off because I doubt it will work very well as the game itself currently has lag issues.

Read Best Reviews of Frag FX Shark Controller for PS3, PC and Mac Here

I was scared when ordering the shark. I thought it may not be worth the money. but i am glad i did get it. It works great in call of duty and battlefield bad company 2. i also tried it in fall out 3 and new vegas. I works ok but it does smoothly go diagonally in these games. ALso in the fallouts you can not get the sensitivity high enough to make it seem like you are playing on computer i have to constantly pick up the mouse. In call of duty is where it shines it gives me pixel by pixel aiming i can turn quickly up down side to side diagonally it all works really good.

i mostly play call of duty black ops so the controller was worth it to me if you play games other than fps it might not work good but for fps it is alot of fun. It makes target acquisition much easier as well as following moving targets.

the build feels sturdy doesnt feel cheap. It is really easy to set up

comes with a mouse pad that is pretty good

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I just picked up the new fragfx shark... I have never used a mouse for gaming before, as I never game on a pc. Been gaming on consoles since Atari, but wanted to try this out based on all the hype about mouse being better than analog sticks for aiming and all. The thing cst $90 plus shipping, but I took the plunge to try it out with black ops. Got it in thursday after playing black ops for a few days with my dualshock 3. The first day I thought i had wasted over $100 on something that I could never learn. My first 3 matches I went roughly 1 kill and 23 deaths average. Considering I had been going 21-16 K/D with the dualshock it wasn't very promising. I decided to stick it out for a week before putting it on craigslist and ebay.. I am sooooo glad i did that, because after only 2 or 3 days I finally got used to using the mouse to aim, and now I feel quicker and better in game. Played a round of Battlefield and went 36-9 K/D playing conquest on white pass, No camping , moving from flag to flag the whole time. On Black Ops had my first ever 7 kill streak and did it twice with a k/d of 21-9 in one game. granted the game is new and I undoubtedly got better as I learned the maps, but I have been playing BFBC2 since launch and this was my best round ever.. I got the Shark which is wireless, and I have noticed no lag, but the price is steep. I have no experience with any of the other models, but this one works great for me and I will probably never go back to using the dualshock for an fps.

A few side notes. I have heard reviews say the mousepad isn't good. I am hoping to buy a better mousepad to compare but the one it comes with does seem a little smaller than I would like.

I bought a 4 pack of pre charged duracell 2000 MaH rechargeable batteries with the charger at walmart for $13 and still haven't ran the first 2 batteries dead. The battery life is very good, and with rechargeable batteries cost should be minimal.

UPDATE...... I bought a rocketfish gaming mousepad from best buy and would highly recommend it. A little bigger, way more responsive, and has a speed and control side. I prefer the speed side but both are better than the one provided by splitfish.

PS2/PS3 Guitar Hero World Tour/Band Hero Drum Receiver Dongle

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Sat, 10 Jan 2015 00:07:00 -0800

Customer Ratings:
List Price: Price Unavailable
Sale Price: $18.00
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i have the set with the 1/3 symbols and this worked great for me got the drums to work with my ps3!

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I did some research, and if you have the newer drum kit such with the round cymbles this item will not work for you.Activision will not return your calls and you won't even be able to ask about the toogle because GH is not a even a optional game to ask about, you will get no support.If you have the older drum kit(half cybles) this MIGHT work, but it is a 50/50 shot.you will have do some work.So make sure you have a clear option to return this more than once until you get one that works.I work at a big chain gameing store so I know what I am talking about.

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I've ordered an Activision dongle, as advertised, and was sent a Redoctane instead, which is not compatible with the GH6 (warriors of rock) drumkit controller.

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i've tried a lot of different ways to connect this dongle to my ps3 guitar hero world tour guitar and it's not working i have literally done everything i can think including a lot of tips online yet still nothing.

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I bought the advertised product manufactured by Activision and was sent the reciever for the redoctane kit. It will not work with the activision kit. I don'y know if this was a packaging mistake or false advertising. I still want the product advertised. If you have it please email me so I can leave positive feedback. Thank you, William.

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 14: Masters Historic Edition

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Fri, 9 Jan 2015 09:52:00 -0800

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List Price: $69.99
Sale Price: $65.98
Today's Bonus: 6% Off

Basing my review on the last 3 versions of Tiger Woods for the PS3, this is another very good edition. While I have a hard time saying that it's worth its current release price, I am enjoying the game. The only slightly negative thing I have to say about it to this point is that the graphics look a bit grainy. My 9 year old (who enjoys the game) also said the same thing to me without me mentioning it first. I also have a hard time accepting the fact that you purchase a "Masters" edition for a few more dollars, and still find that some courses need to be purchased/downloaded. Isn't the current price enough to already have them all?

For those of you that play online and get those unrealistic scores in the mid-20 under par per round, try doing that on simulation with all settings at their most difficult. You won't see anything close to those scores again. This difficulty level was an eye opener for me and frankly drove me nuts. Since that first experience, I've gotten more used to it but by no means have I come anywhere close to mastering it. What would a game be without a challenge? EA has succeeded again with this latest edition.

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I have enjoyed Tiger Woods golf since the PS2. I just cracked open 2014 today and truly enjoy the new challenge of re-learning the game.

TW 2012 was a solid entry and I heard and read so many bad reviews on 2013, I saved my money and skipped it. Worth the wait, although $70 is a steep price for a video game. That and finding clear instructions on certain aspects of the game is why I give it a 4 instead of five. And terribly slow to load this year. Too much disk-based content?

Now, back up and do the math: For $70 try to play real-life golf on any one of the real-life courses in TW14. Never going to happen. So, for $2.50 or so apiece per course, I can travel the world and play where I never will and CRUSH the PGA tour pros whenever I want. Still not a bad way to spend entertainment money.

It's just a game. They will never get it perfect. Enjoy the good parts!

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The graphics are great. The commentary is better adn the shot shaping is more realistic. One thing I can't stand is the putting camera. When you putt the camera changes position and you can not see how the ball breaks. Hopefully this is fixed on a patch

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Great visuals, and graphics. The game play is similar to all TW games so no surprise there. The course selection is vast, even including my home course, TPC Louisiana.

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Lots of players, courses, game types and a long career mode. Nice ability to scale difficulty. Wish the load times were shorter. Graphics are good, but underwhelming for a AAA PS3 title.

Universal Microphone for Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PC

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Fri, 9 Jan 2015 07:59:00 -0800

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List Price: $19.99
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Universal Microphone for Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PC

by Komodo

Purchased online (not from Amazon) Did not work with Wii games. Tried 2 different Disney sing it games as well as Grease sing along and it did not work. Sent back to company and they tested it with Rock Band and said it worked fine. I told them I do not have Rock Band but other games and they said since they can get it to work they will not give refund and mailed it back to me. So now I have a mic that does not work and had to pay shipping twice. Save you money and buy another brand!

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i order that mic i wild ago, and the size is nice, but the rest is horrible, the mic is very fragile, if you drop it, he will broke like a mirror, cause its made with the cheapest plastic ever !! even a toy mic for a 5 years old kid is better in quality of plastic.

don't buy this crap, it don't worth a single penny.

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I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED WHEN THIS PRODUCT BROKE IN THE FIRST DAY I GOT IT. THIS IS NO GOOD I WANT A REFUND PLEASE BECUASE THE MICROPHONE BROKE ON THE FIRST DAY WHAT KIND OF CRAP IS THAT...WE PLAYED DEF JAM RAPSTARR ON THE PS3 AND AFTER 3 DUETS THE DAMN THING STOP WORKING SMH..NOW WHAT WE SUPPOSE TO DO I WANT A REFUND OR A NEW ONE FOR FREE.!!!!!!!!!!!

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I tried to connect this to my laptop and it didnt work , but it does connect to my xbox really well.

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Fantastic device for the price. I have a Wii and PC and I have done voice dictation on my PC that comes out great. Delivery was sooner than expected. Would buy from Komodo again.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Fri, 9 Jan 2015 05:33:00 -0800

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This game was rushed.

I've played every version since 04, and this one is the first that didn't improve from the previous version.

Pros:

1. Improved graphics

2. Improved sound

3. Improved Tiger WOods CHallenge

Cons:

1. Slowdown, inconsistent frame rate

2. Controls are horrible unless you are on the easiest difficulty setting

3. Commentary has nearly the same dialogue as 06 and 07.

Here's hoping TW09 isn't rushed, too.

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Have been playing Tiger Woods Golf for years. This year was such a disappointment from the play aspect. My husband and I played together, being a guest on each others careers. The only way to play together is the play now option. This makes it a singular effort to complete your career matches. It seems to me all ps3 games are more geared to playing online instead of playing with friends. Why do we have to loose that aspect just to get better graphics? The game face has been overhauled and is more realistic and you can even load a picture of yourself. Change the way modifers are applied to your player. They brought back the 3 click (when you had the bar to swing with)

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We should probably stop supporting EA's yearly release schedule. At least with TW they added new courses instead of just new players (which seems hardly a big incentive to me). But, if it weren't for the red shirted Tiger on the front I could have sworn this was TW2007.5 instead of an actually game. They could have just sold it for 20 bucks for add on courses and that would have been honest business at least.

The PS3 version is terribly slow. You can tell this was an Xbox 360 port to PS3 instead of the other way around. In the end I just couldn't keep playing it with the horrible load times just to boot up the game and get in and play took entirely to long, then if you made a mistake and select the wrong option in your hurry to actually play it's time to do it all over again.

I think the biggest tell tail sign is when they moved the same commentary from 2007 to 2008. This is what happens when you must get a game out each and every year.

I'm going to get Hot Shots: Out of Bounds which at least looks like they tried to create an actual game instead of $50.00 expansion pack. Don't buy (at least not for $50 dollars).

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I know it's and old game now, but for the price you get as much fun as newer versions would provide.

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This is a very fun game, although it takes some practice to be any good if you have never played a golf game before. Easy to learn controls with a difficulty level that is just about right

Atelier Iris 2

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Fri, 9 Jan 2015 04:08:00 -0800

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Along with the third game this is one of the few rpgs I consistently go back to playing every now and again. Unlike the other various atelier games, you aren't punished in this one by time constraints so you are welcome to farm as many materials for alchemy as you want to.

There isn't anything too amazing about the stories in either game, but it is the combat system that really hooks you. Not enough jrpgs have a fun turn based battle system. They use a battle gauge that fills up on regular attacks and you spend it for more powerful attacks or spells. On top of the decision making that requires, the turn order gauge also plays an important role. Higher speed determines how fast you move to the right side of the bar for your turn to be had. Pushing the enemies back to the far left side of the bar with a break attack stuns them and allows for an auto crit on them. Since break attacks cant build up the attack gauge, you have to balance out each players turn to figure out how best to beat each boss.

Since then i've enjoyed other games with this sort of shared system in place. I highly recommend arc rise fantasia if you like this combat style. It is another hidden gem with one of the best story lines i've ever played.

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Great game. I never had so much fun in my life. Everybody in my family loves it.

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PlayStation 3 LCD HD Monitor 3 HDMI Version

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Fri, 9 Jan 2015 02:37:00 -0800

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List Price: $269.99
Sale Price: $264.88
Today's Bonus: 2% Off

Normally, these things are like $450 $500. So, when I seen it for $250 I jumped on it. I've own the larger competitor version by Gaem (Another great buy). However, this one has a considerably small screen. That case was huge, with a large screen...but that's not what I needed. I needed something that could fit in my backpack. Being the same size as the slim, it certainly does. Picture great, the sound without head phone is loud and only the slightest little speaker distortion. Most probably use headphones; so, that's okay. With the headphones the sound was great. Hold up to Hori's high quality, very steady and seems long lasting. The best thing is how it just slides on the system, easy on easy off. The only problem I have with it is, when playing for a few hours, my eyes started to hurt a little.

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I love it a lot. It nice and portable and you can carry it around anywhere you go. I give this 5 stars because of how great it is

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Offers a great portable solution for your PS3 Slim without adding much to its original form factor.

You can carry the system and all your essentials in one of the larger Targus model laptop bags or a backpack.

The Screen is 720p and really good, it features customization options in the menu so you can adjust it to your liking.

This product won't obviously replace your current set-up and it's a very niche product for those that need the portability and/or the small form factor.

In my case I needed both and even then I did find it a bit pricey, but the product didn't disappoint in the end.

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Best portable screen I have ever owned, def worth the price tag, it works great on call of duty, nba 2K13. It's really not that small unless u play some games in split screen, I didn't even had problem play FIFA 14 on it, I'm loving this product so I m sure u will be the same.

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Heres a little history for you...

I ordered a G155 in the past, and i was very disapointed both in the product quality and in the company's technical support service. That unit had issues with the screen view distance. It was impossible to adjust the view distance correctly. If you viewed it from higher than perfect alignment or lower than perfect alignment, the screen glared up like crazy on the G155, the competing PS3 portable screen unit to this. Furthermore it had water damage which the company was claiming was "fine" because "it had to do with the typhoon in japan, damaging their units" and all they offered was to send it to amazon for a refund, and they wouldnt honor a return from their actual company and said its my problem with amazon. I actually did exchange it, and i had the same issue. they don't respond to emails in a timely manner and don't seem to really care either.

Fast forward to later, i bought this hori screen. right out of the box theres no damage whatsoever, no defects, the viewing angles are great no matter if you are a bit below or a bit higher than the perfect viewing distance. the graphics reach 1080p, not so the case with the g155 which only reached 720p WITH all of the glare issues ontop of it. The G155s screen quality overall was much inferior. overall for around the same price, this is a MUCH better buy than the G155 and i wholeheartedly recommend it if you want to get the closest you can to a portable Playstation 3.

I want to add that no--this will NOT work with the PS3 super slim, or the PS3 fat. it is designed ONLY for the Playstation 3 Slim. theres no chance it will fit anything else as a mounted display, so the only downside is it is fairly proprietary. It will work with other products it just wont mount to anything. However dispite this, it is the best portable screen out there for the PS3 Slim unit in my opinion. 5 stars for Hori.

NASCAR #18 Kyle Busch M&M's Video Game Racing Seat

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Fri, 9 Jan 2015 00:21:00 -0800

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List Price: $599.99
Sale Price: $408.64
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This is a review i wrote for a better version of this playseat cockpit but the construction and quality are all the same.

This racing seat/cockpit/mount is amazing. I need as much space as i can get, so out of all the available cockpits that are on the market now, none can be as compact as this. Not saying that it doesnt extend for us tall people, im 6'3" and ive got room to grow in this seat. I find the seat to be a little snug and not have much back support, but i doubt your gonna be sitting in this for over 5 hours.

Ive tried out tons of cockpits and done a bunch of research. This by far gives you the most bang for your buck. It does everything the other cockpits and more. But just like everything in this world there are downsides and room for improvement.

You cant adjust the angle of the steering wheel's mount. You can adjust the elevation and how close it is to you but not the angle at which it faces you.

The pedal mount will also require constant maintenance unless you buy some loctite in which case you run the risk of stripping your screws. There is a very inconveniently placed screw that requires and allen wrench and doesnt have a lot of room for you to apply down pressure to make sure you dont strip the screw. In my case, i most likely wont be removing that screw and if i need to, the construction is made of metal and heat allows loctite to dissolve/melt away so you can remove screws or what have you easier. The reason for all of this is because if you dont use loctite, or constantly tighten this screw, and the one next to it you will have a lot of play on the pedal mount. Eventually just pressing your foot on the throttle will cause the entire pedal mount to rotate to the right and same goes for the left side.

Other than that the only other complain i have is that the mount for a shifter has a lot of play as well. Im constantly feeling the shifter whether its from fanatec or the g27 racing wheel set to move forward and backwards. In order to solve this problem i needed to use popped bubble wrap to help, not solve this problem. But if your storing this in minimal space like i am, your gonna be removing the shifter constantly and the wrap will tear. Im currently trying to solve this problem now thats its been a year of owning a playseat. All playseats are constructed the same, the only thing that changes is the seat or the color of the metal.

The great thing is this thing has tons of room under the seat for mods and the buttkicker gaming amp you can buy. Even if you have a fanatec racing wheel like me you dont need to worry, the g27 bolts right on, but the fanatec wheel comes with a template for drilling the holes, so as long as you have a drill and a bit you can easily fit almost any racing wheel onto this thing. The metal is very easy to drill through.

Just remember that this seat is not at all a good seat for use with PC games unless you like getting out of the seat every time you need to use a keyboard/mouse and wanna hunch over your setup and or desk. For just a tiny bit more you can find tons of better cockpits that will come with or allow you to later purchase keyboard, mouse, and monitor mounts.

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i race online at iracing and this seat has actually improved my racing skills. makes it alot easier to gte the feel of real racing by sitting in this seat. i would recommend one like nthsi to anyone that races sim racing

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PS3 Call of Duty Black Ops First Strike Content/Map Pack 1 Bonus Card

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Thu, 8 Jan 2015 10:20:00 -0800

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bought this for my little brother couple of weeks ago at first he thought it didnt work but figured out he missed a letter so it did work. for those you who are skeptical, dont worry it works.

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this bonus card was awsome i installed it sucssesfully but are there bonus cards like this for anhiliation,rezzurection and escalation?

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it came just like it said 2 days, it came faster than something i orders like 5-7 days ago. ive heard good reviews about the game but if the games not good its not this users fault. so great overall

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PS3 Call of Duty Black Ops First Strike Content/Map Pack 1 Bonus Card (game NOT included)

Bigger map than the offered maps (Kino and 5) and it gets intense pretty quickly. I noticed that if someone is on the far end of the map opposite where I am, if I don't make my way to them immediately, there is little chance of saving them. So it's better to stick together unless you can hold your own. I love the weapon where the zombies are pulled into a sort of space portal. That really helps in the later rounds. Great map pack. A lot of fun. I can finally stop playing Kino for a while now.

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EXCELLENT product help me a lotThe best of all.

good price, Arrived on time and complete.

Yesssssssss, good quality

have a nice and excellent day

Bye

Playseat Evolution Gaming Seat

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Thu, 8 Jan 2015 08:22:00 -0800

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Racing games need a wheel, and wheels need to be fixed to something steady. I missed playing racing games because the standard controllers just do not fit the bill. The good news is that the seat is allowing me to rediscover racing games.

Despite being 6ft3 200+ lbs the seat is comfortable; I can even slide my 6 year old in, and play with him steering and me on the pedals. Both the pedals and steering wheel attachments are adjustable with its max range out of the comfortable reach of my legs. If anything, they should make it work for smaller folks like my 6 year old, who cannot reach the pedals. He is 4ft, I expect you need to be at least 4ft6. The seat folds, but think twice if you want it to pack away discreetly in a tight corner; in this regard the manufacturer's photos are accurate. The only thing that I would really add are channels to enable the wires to be discreetly routed; with just 3 cables for the wheel, it still looks like a mess of spaghetti. The steering wheel attachment could be a bit stiffer, but I do not notice this when playing. They also include loads of Velcro and ties to keep things attached. Bottom line, if you like racing games, and want to treat yourself, this seat will fit the bill.

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I use this with my XBox 360 wheel for both Forza 2 and PGR3. You'll never go back to using a stupid desk or fold-up table like I did after using a chair like this.

I have hard tiled floor, no carpeting, no padding. If I pay attention during transition periods between game play, the stem is a little wobbly but when I'm deep into racing and throwing my body every which way, I don't notice the wobble. I suppose if I want super solid stem, I could have paid for a $1000+ unit from a competitor. Not me! I'd rather save it for my next "necessity" ... three-panel set-up for my Forza 2! Bottom line -GREAT value ... unless you have alot of free time to make your own rig.

One more thing, the mounting bracket sucks if you have a Microsoft XBox 360 Wheel. That's because the metal mounting panel is too small for this wheel. If you don't have any wood panel scraps in your garage, you'll need to make a trip to the local hardware store ... cut yourself a 8" by 18" panel from half-inch thick particle wood board, drill a couple of holes for bolting onto the pre-drilled holes in the metal mounting panel and then use some plastic cable ties to strap in the wheel to your wood board in addition to using the flimsy mounting clamp on the bottom of the 360 wheel. Shouldn't take more than half an hour to do even if you're sub-par at carpentry skills ... I'm a geek software programmer and it was a breeze for me (but then, I was highly motivated to get the set up done so I could start racing ASAP Forza 2 in style).

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

Edit (Feb 8, 2008):

I ended up getting a Logitech G25 wheel + 6-spead shifter so that I could practice manual shifting on "GTR 2: Realism Redefined" using my new gaming PC on the same LCD TV that I use for my XBox 360. Turned out that attaching the G25 wheel to the Evo mount panel was MUCH simpler than attaching the XBox 360 wheel.

The Evo has pre-drilled holes that line up with the bottom of your G25 wheel platform and your G25 pedal platform, though you will have to offset the Evo pedal panel mount quite a bit to the left (from the perspective of a sitting position) to where it's strange looking but not impractical from a functional standpoint.

If you have a G25, look into buying the additional Playseat Evo attachment for the G25 shifter. I don't think Amazon sells it ... I ended up getting that attachment from MaxWho.com.

I never drove with manual transmission in real life so I can't tell you how legit the Playseat + G25 shifter arrangement is. But a friend of mine who track races and is into the street culture scene tried it out and said it was pretty close to reality. He ended up "testing" my set up for hours ... I had to kick him out because it was getting to be past my bed time!

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I bought my Playseats Evolution Gaming Seat back in 2007 around the time that Forza 2 came out for the Xbox 360. I also purchased the Microsoft Xbox 360 wireless racing wheel. I also own a PlayStation 3 and a Logitech Driving Force Pro wheel that I have used with the seat.

I can't recommend this seat for the following reasons:

1. The included "seat" that gets mounted to the whole thing is very cheap and not even close to a real car seat. It comes "folded up" and you basically unfold the back section. Because of this, there is a metal rod that runs across right where my backbone hits the chair. Since this is a "cheap" chair, it does not have very good lumbar support and after a few races my back really begins to feel the metal rod.

2. The steering wheel mount is designed to pivot up and down, but it is very hard to get the bolt tight enough to keep it from pivoting up and down when you're actually using the seat. Occasionally you'll have to yank up on your wheel to pull this mount back into position.

3. Wheel support & Nickle and Diming. The Xbox 360 racing wheel I purchased with the seat didn't mount well and I had to hack together a solution using some foam material (craft store) and particle board. Eventually I made it work. Since I bought my seat, I see that Playseats has introduced a 360 wheel mount solution (for extra money) as well as seat rail sliders, stick shift holders, etc. For $300 all of this stuff should be included. Especially with how low quality the seat actually is.

The Xbox 360 pedals work fine w/ the pedal mount if you jam them back under the lip which causes some scuffing and wear to the pedals. The Logitech Driving Force Pro wheel works well with the steering wheel mount but there is no reasonable way to attach the pedals. I don't believe zip-ties and velcro are an acceptable mounting solution (though PLENTY are included).

4. This may come down to personal taste, but, the between the legs design results in a very flimsy, unstable feel to the whole thing.

As some other reviewers have mentioned, I also wondered if I received a "used" product. My box was very badly damaged (but everything inside was okay).

If you can pick this up for $150-200 and are willing to put some work into it (replacing/fixing the seat rod issue, welding the steering wheel mount so it doesn't pivot, etc) then it might be a decent value.

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Bought two of these seats to race my 10 year old son with his old PS2 and new XBox 360 games. Both racing wheels fit nicely and seats adjust fine for me 6'3" and my son 5'. Changing steering wheels is tedious because of the wires but the seats are incredibly great. I still can't drive a virtual car as well as my son but using a steering wheel I can at least compete. Has been great father son time indoors now that its 20 degrees outside. Buying two seats seemed expensive till my wife reminded me of the cost of the XBox originally. Solid construction and they fold and dissasemble partially for storage in a closet. they get an A+ in my book.

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I am a 40+ year old female who loves racing games, Gran Turismo being my all time favorite.

I use to use a Logitech Force Feedback steering wheel mounted to a small table while sitting in a dining room chair. UGH! That set up actually caused a lot of discomfort and fatigue when playing for any real length of time. My braking foot needed to hover in a very uncomfortable position and my legs just ached. Try as I may it was very difficult to mount/place everything at just the right distance and angle for any long term fun.

When the Evolution Seat went on sale for $239 thru Amazon with free shipping I couldn't resist.

Quality and comfort are both excellent and of course it makes racing even more "simulator like" than before.

The bottom of the chair (it's metal frame) is smooth and slides easily and damage free across my living room carpet, which is fairly important as it's a little too heavy to lift and move single handed. If you needed to store it you do have the option of folding the seats back down after removing the pins. You can also remove the steering and foot mounts from the center crossbar to shorten. Luckily I have just the spot for it as I do not think I would care to make such an effort.

Next is comfort...no complaints here! You can adjust the foot pedals and the steering wheel to just the right distance meaning no more foot fatigue or discomfort in my arms from overly bent elbows. The chair itself is extremely comfortable and I am 6' tall and actually eat. :)

I can easily sit for 2 or more hours and never feel the least bit uncomfortable. The seats comfort is equal to that of my Honda and exceeds that of my Ford.

If you really enjoy using a wheel with racing games then this is certain to enhance your enjoyment and realism. If you rarely play racing games with much enthusiasm then this will probably end up collecting dust and taking up valuable floor space, which leads me to measurements.

MEASUREMENTS

From the seats floor frame to the end of the pedal mounting plate is roughly 50" (this is adjustable for your height). The chairs height from floor to top (headrest) is 40" (this is stationary though the seated can fold forward). The top of the seats cushion is approximately 12" off of the ground, which places this at an ideal seating height to view my LCD TV which is placed on a TV stand. At it's widest point it is about 20".

MOUNTED A BUTTKICKER

For a little more fun I added the Buttkicker gamer to the chair. In order to mount it I made a metal X frame from 2" wide, 1/8" thick flat steel which I sandwich and bolted in between the seat and it's floor frame. In the center of that X frame I welded a 3/4" OD steel pipe with a threaded end. I of course used the pipe for the Buttkicker's mount. I also installed a metal cap to the threaded end of the pipe to keep the Buttkicker from vibrating down and off of the pipe. This is a convenient way to mount the Buttkicker and it distributes the vibrations well WITHOUT any changes or alterations to the chair or Buttkicker themselves. Now there is force feedback in both the steering wheel and the chair itself.

You get the idea I kinda like this stuff ah? :)

**** UPDATE 3 1/2 YEARS LATER ****

Oh yeah, I'm still driving my little heart out. The biggest issue I have with the Playseat is where the steering wheel support post is mounted (right between your ankles). Be aware that they now offer a Playseat Limited Edition Gran Turismo® 5 Revolution Gaming Seat where the post comes from beneath the seat, I would assume this would be a favorable change though I am upgrading to a rig that has no center post.

After moving up to the Logitech G27 (with clutch) and then to the Thrustmaster t500 I found the bar to be a real pain! If you are a heal/toe driver then this creates a problem. My ankles feel bruised after a long session using the clutch. I've hard mounted my pedals to avoid movement and must unbolt and move them depending on what I'm driving... have the post between the gas and brake for left foot braking (Rally, F1) have the post between the brake and clutch for right foot braking (using clutch).

My other gripe has been the non-adjustable pedal plate. When my foot is off pedal my foot is pulled back in an extreme angle. This creates some shin splint like pain after long races. I eventually got the MIG machine out and bent the pedal plate to a far more comfortable angle and tacked that in place.

Bluetooth Wireless Game Headset Mic For Sony PlayStation 3 PS3 / PlayStation 3 Slim

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Thu, 8 Jan 2015 06:32:00 -0800

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Worst buy I have made on Amazon. I always am confident of what I buy but this piece of junk is going to make me think twice next time I buy something. It looked fine at first, but with the faulty device, I could not connect it to any bluetooth because it would not scan this headset. Then the instructions did not help since they were also faulty, not specifying what each part was;Not helping at all with how to connect it to somewhere. Overall, I gave it one star because I could not do a negative

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great out of the box but after the 1st time charge it was brunt something inside because it would not charge after that. we try with other charges and still could not get it to work!

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charged it then used it once then i wouldent charge anymore and it wouldent turn on DONT BUY THIS its worthless it worked for liiteratly 1 hour after that its junk

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I also bought this for my son, so he can play his game system and talk with people around the world.

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I use it every day. In the game when playing black ops 2 I use it every day don't know what I would do without

Assassin's Creed II Complete Edition (Playstation 3) Limited Edition

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Thu, 8 Jan 2015 04:25:00 -0800

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A friend of mine gave me the money to order this game for him. Assassin creed is his favorite game so he bought this one. He liked it so much that he promptly gave me even more money to pre-order Assassin's creed III, so yeah, this is definitely a good game.

Collective Minds Rapid Fire PS3 Controller (CM00066)

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Thu, 8 Jan 2015 02:11:00 -0800

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the grip on the controller fells good and i think it is easier to play with. the joysticks are a little bit tougher to move than the regular PlayStation controller. and the sensor to connect to the ps3 can be blocked by a blanket so you cant play with something covering the sensor. But i still love this controller and making my friends mad is really fun.

Intec Rock Icon PS3, PS2 Wireless Guitar

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Thu, 8 Jan 2015 00:08:00 -0800

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This is a nice guitar. It has higher frets and lower frets for children, or people with small hands.

PROS-

Inexpensive, I bought mine for a surprisingly low price of $12.49

Higher and lower frets

Sturdier Whammy bar than original Rock Band guitar

Strum bar seems better than original Rock Band guitar

Overdrive/star power function is superb, You can go into over drive very quickly(Tilt up and play, during a pause, you just press any random fret, you do not need to wait for actual notes like in Rock Band)

Start/select buttons are smaller and farther from strum bar, no more accidentally hitting select to go to overdrive

Has a PS button

Lightweight

Has guitar mode adjuster, waha, chorus, etc

CONS-

Lightweight(pro and a con), seems very cheaply made

Strum bar is noisy

Smaller than Rock Band/Guitar Hero guitars

Whammy bar is short

The PS button cover came off, doesn't affect game play or controller, it's now just a white button instead of black

Start/select buttons are teeny tiny

(My biggest peeve of this guitar) The lower frets are not solo keys, just normal smaller frets, so during a solo if using the lower frets, you still have to strum

It is made for Right-handed people, ie strum with right hand, press frets with left. You can select lefty mode in-game, but there is no way to have a strap if you are left handed

The receiver is maybe 9in, whilst the Rock Band guitar receiver is only about 4

The strap is shorter than the Rock Band one

Guitar is made of cheap plastic

The D-pad is also troublesome. The d-pad is messed up, right is right, left is left, up is down and down is up.

OVERVIEW-

Great guitar. Has some problems, but it is durable. Great for me to finish my band, (bass guitar, drum mic).

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I had the product for 1 day, and the whammy bar already broke. I put a rubber band around it and then tied to the end where the guitar

strap goes, this worked but still kinda sucked considering the guitars is brand new. Eh, im satisfied, but buy at your own risk.

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For 20 bucks its okay. Strum bar is loud, whammy bar broke after a few plays, put a rubber band around it and the knob where u put your strap, works but wouldn't recommend it

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looked decent for the price but i was sorely mistaken. it never even showed signs of working even after researching the problems. it wasn't worth returning so i set it on fire. do not buy, you will regret it.

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This guitar sucked! I got it in the mail, and the AA batteries wouldn't even fit into the damn guitar! So I couldn't use it! It was worthless, and a waste of my money! then when I contact customer service to get a replacement, they tell me it isn't available anymore. Hmm...I wonder why. Stick with the guitar hero or rock band guitars, they might be a little more money, but at least they work!

PS3 Tomee Wireless Controller - Red

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Wed, 7 Jan 2015 06:46:00 -0800

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first off there are no directions of how to set up to the ps3. Secondly it not woth the price because its not even simuluar to the origonal ps3 control because u need batterys to even use it. Your better off paying more for the real ps3 control.

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This product does not adapt to ps3 it is not Amazons fault but never buy this I tried linking and adapting looked up instructions to no avail. It does not work

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It's ok I guess, buttons kinda stuck and doesn't respond very well. Thought it was simply wireless but it comes with like a connector you hook up to the playstation, don't like it very much

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Well.. to be honest, I have found quality of that thing not very good, maybe it was a good idea to consider purchasing other controller...

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The L3 button (left analog stick) doesn't operate smoothly when pressing on it. It clicks, and sometimes doesn't work. Feels like something is loose. Overall decent controller, but I probably should've gotten the factory version.

The Beatles: Rock Band PS3 Wireless Rickenbacker 325 Guitar Controller

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Wed, 7 Jan 2015 05:21:00 -0800

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This guitar is perfect for Rockband and Beatles. It is NOT painful at all, if you are a normal sized to tall person. If you have short Oompa-Lumpa arms, then who knows. All of my family have had no issues including the kids.

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This controller is great to use. It is quiet and very responsive when playing. I love it mainly because it is a replica of the real one John Lennon used, but it is still very comfortable.

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Yeah, I wish this thing wasn't so damn expensive, but I'm a sucker for all things Beatles and I'm having such a blast with the Rock Band Beatles game that I needed to do it. And I'm not ashamed. VIVA LA BEATLES! VIVA LA JOHN LENNON!! Do it if you want. You probably can go with a cheaper controller, but if you're going to go all out and have a wild Beatles Karaoke night, you might as well go full-tilt and get the controllers. You should probably also get some Newcastles and some Beatles wigs, and women and turn it into an all night sex-a-thon.

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I'm only missing one more of this guitars to complete my collection. A bit small but looks great for any collector.

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This was for my great nephew and he loved it. He is very good at it. His family is very much into the Beatles so this was a big hit.

MotoGP 13 (PS3) (UK IMPORT)

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Wed, 7 Jan 2015 04:08:00 -0800

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Bad stuff out the way: there are a few small glitches. Quite often when you're sitting in your pit garage, with the option of 'go to track', your bike won't be on it's stand ready, and then it'll suddenly appear. And sometimes, in the post-race highlights, your bike can be riderless, and then in the next shot you're on the bike again. The graphics in your motorhome (career mode) are a little rough, (and in the pit garage) and the emails/social feed messages you get during the career mode are very generic. And the game front cover....in reality the ps3 version is the same as all the other versions with Crutchlow at the front, Lorenzo and Rossi following....I wonder if Yamaha paid out for that?

And this is still a 5* game because none of that matters! Is it the best racer on ps3? Maybe not, (burnout paradise is for me) but it *is* the best sim racer. This game laughs in the face of gran turismo 5, and is just downright more fun than any of the codemasters racers, (f1/grid/dirt). Be warned! MotoGP 13 has a steep learning curve, but once you 'get' it, it's the most rewarding and addictive racer I've ever played. If you're unsure, download the demo off psn.

I'm playing it with the AI on 'hard' (easy/medium/hard/realistic), the physics on 'standard' (standard/semi-pro/pro), joint brakes on, (you do have the option to control the front and rear brakes separately) auto tuck-in, (you can choose whether to manually 'tuck-in' your rider on the straights/sit up when approaching corners) and auto gears. I've got the brake and steering assists off. I've also got tyre wear/mechanical failures/disciplinary flags all off, (which they are by default but can all be turned on)....and I'm just loving it!

First off you create a rider; then you have a choice of instant race, (motogp class, random rider/random track) grand prix, (choose from moto3/moto2/motogp, choose your rider altho some are locked and you have to level up to unlock them and choose your track, whether you want to do a full weekend/qualifying & race/just race, choose the weather etc). You also have a championship option, so you can choose to do a whole championship in any of the 3 classes, and then you have the meat of the game career. In career you play as the rider you created and you have your own motorhome, where you can customize your rider more/check emails/social feeds etc. You start off as a wild card in four moto3 races, and if you meet all your objectives then you go on to do a full moto3 season. If you do well you get offered a moto2 ride and so on....

There's also 2-player split screen, and multiplayer. In multiplayer there's the usual options of quick race/custom race etc, and also full online championship :)

One thing to note, when doing a race in any of the offline modes; the default option is race-only, 15% race length, and the AI is set to easy, brake assist is on etc etc, so if you want to do qualifying/practice, a longer race, and crank up the difficulty etc then you have to go into 'racing aids' and 'race options'. Once you've changed it, the game saves your preferences tho :)

So the racing? Well it's awesome! The physics are perfect. When you crash you know it's fair; it's because you were braking too hard while lent over, or you squeezed on too much gas too early etc. If you hammer the brakes on the approach to a corner the back wheel will skip, and if you really overdo it you'll do an 'endo' but you don't go straight over the handle bars in an unrealistic way. Equally pulling back and accelerating too hard will pull off a wheelie, which if overdone can send you off the back. The bikes feel brilliantly nimble, yet planted and the way you can slide the back wheel out when winding the throttle on, on the exit to a corner is just epic. It's amplified more when you move the physics from standard to semi-pro or pro, so you have to practice careful throttle control. The AI is also brilliant, making lunges, but not too aggressive like the maniacs in the 'nfs shift' games, but definitely not on rails like gran turismo.

When racing the graphics too are top notch, photo realistic, with a silky framerate. The 360 version looks to be getting a lot of complaints of bad slowdown, but not so on the ps3. Have we got the better version of a game for once? Anyway, it's perfect, and has a great photo mode you can activate during the replay, (the replay, not the race highlights. You can press square when it's displaying the race results to watch the entire race again from a variety of cameras. Pause, fast forward, watch in slow-mo and take photos, which can be exported to the xmb and used as cool wallpapers etc :)) The sound too to me is very very good; a lot of professional and customer reviews seem to criticize the sound as sounding like a guy swinging a chainsaw, or just generally very weak, but put this through a decent set of speakers or headphones and it sounds real to me.

The presentation when you start a race is ripped straight out of British eurosport, which makes it feel super authentic.

I just really cannot recommend this game enough. It's niche, so it's a shame not many people will take any notice of it; the casual race fan would be more likely to take a random punt on stuff like 'grid 2' which is a let-down of a game but the care and effort which has been ploughed into this is brilliant, and the sheer racing, handling model and overall physics are all just spot on!

If you like racers, and are prepared to initially put some effort into learning how to play this game properly, then just buy buy buy. It's seriously a top draw game, and deserves support :)

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Where's the dlc for north America plus the handling almost slipped away from them trying to make a sim motorcycle game with people using controllerstakes away the fun of the game in mgp08 the arcade handling was more forgiving and let you enjoy the game mgp13 still is very good but it shouldn't be frustrating but it still allows you to have fun if mgp13 had 08's arcade handling it would be real nice but this is still very manageable awesome game just wish here in the U.S. we had the dlc. Awesome game though.

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You have to be a fan of moto and racing to like this. I especially enjoy the feature of being able to talk to the engineers and have them automatically tune your bike. I also like how the practice and qualifying sessions are in real time. This game is awesome. Too bad its not in the States, but well worth the wait for overseas mail and customs.

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Eigertec Dual Charging Station for Playstation PS3 Move Controllers

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Wed, 7 Jan 2015 02:23:00 -0800

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Feels kinda flimsy and takes a little bit of time to place controllers. But with a nine year old and curious beagle in the house it seems to cut the mustard. What really drew me to it was it was one of the only ones available that I could piggy back off of my Dual Shock charger stand with a USB cord. All of the other required that a electrical socket be handy. With everything I have going on in the living room those are scarce. Takes a bit finagling to properly sit both Move controllers but once you figure it out it gets the job done.

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I am reviewing this because I was hesitant on buying this charger. It is great because it uses mini usb to charge unlike other chargers that use a wall plug. So this will be work with my Energizer controller charger that has the extra USB ports. It works well, totally worth the cost. The mechanism that holds the move controllers are a bit hard to get use to. Once you figure out that the spring loaded plastic has tabs to meet with the recess of the move controllers then it make total sense. I am happy with this and works, the only thing I cannot figure out is if this is a smart charger, as in once it is fully charge will it stop charging the controller. Some of these third party controller chargers may end up draining and ruining your controller, I hope that this isn't the case. It does have a blue indicator light that tells you when its done, but it is hard to see since the light is projected through the spring loaded plastic that holds the controllers. Well, only time will tell. Good Product, well worth the cost.

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EA Sports Active 2

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Tue, 6 Jan 2015 23:53:00 -0800

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I wasn't aware EASA2 came out yesterday and I decided to do something I usually never do: buy an expensive product without reading the reviews. Totally worth the gamble.

The game comes with two programs you can enroll in: a 9-week exercise program and 3-week cardio program. It's recommended that you start off with the 3-week one but I decided to jump into the 9-week one. You're also given a choice between 3 difficulty levels (which you can adjust at a later time): Easy, Medium, and Hard. I went with Hard and it definitely showed. It was a great 30 minute workout that had me sweating hard by the end.

I bought the PS3 version which uses three sensors that connect wirelessly to a USB peripheral. One goes on your left forearm, one on the right, and the last one goes on your right thigh. Setting everything up was a breeze and after I completed the avatar creation process (which you shouldn't expect much from if you're a heavy RPG player like me), I filled out some surveys for the in-game journal (for better tracking) and then proceeded with my first workout session using EASA2.

So far I've found the music tracks enjoyable but I'm probably going to make my own playlist and import it into the game pretty soon. The exercises are wonderfully paced and the mountain bike one is a lot of fun. You can make custom workout sessions and track all the progress you've made and create schedules and view your workout calendar.

All the data is stored on EA's servers and a lot of it is accessible from EASportsActive.com; the companion website is mostly functional but does have a few janky (buggy) moments. EA is not known for excellent launches (online stat tracking for Battlefield Bad Company 2 was an atrocious mess for the first few weeks), but you should expect excellent functionality soon.

If you're interested in doing this thing with a partner, the game features a 2-player mode if you buy another set of sensors (so far EA is only selling bundles) and that seems like it might be really fun. I don't have friends willing to shell out $110 on something like this but I can see couples getting a lot out of buying 2 bundles.

If you're even remotely interested in exercising at home without buying monetarily and spatially expensive equipment, then EA SPORTS Active 2.0 is the product for you. Recommendation based on the first day impressions? Buy it.

P.S. The bundle comes with a resistance band but neither the manual nor the game instruct you to put it together prior to starting your workout. Just when I was really getting into it, I had to pause the whole thing in order to set up the resistance band. It's a bit of a lame oversight on the developer's side, but definitely not a deal breaker.

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I am a sucker for any product that's going to make my workout more fun. I own both previous version of this game, and faithfully ran out to get this one the day it was released. I am in good shape and have done intense workouts in the past such as p90x, so I consider myself an advanced exerciser. I am probably not the target audience for this product, but if you are like me, maybe this review will help you. If you are out of shape and don't exercise, go buy this product right now and start using it! If not, read on...

EA Active 2 is by far the best exercise video game available, so if you have already decided to get one, definitely get this one. However, compared to most other forms of exercise its still lacking, will annoy the crap out of you, and probably end up not being used. Some of the issues from previous versions have been improved, but there are still enough annoyances that you can't get through a workout without getting frustrated and slowed down by the technology.

Lots of people have written about the pro's and improvements so I'm just going to say what I think they left out. The program still gets stuck waiting for you to 'stand up and stay still' between reps of many exercises. Even when standing completely still I sometimes have to wait 10 to 20 seconds for it to continue. It is still too slow to register when you have gone into a position (faster than before, but still too slow!). The avatar tracking of any running type motion, including high-knees and kick-ups is still terrible. Sometimes it goes slowly while I'm running fast (and keeps telling me to speed up) and sometimes it runs extremely fast when I'm just doing a light jog. A lot of these issues could be caused by improperly positioned sensors but I am following the limited instructions that came with the game and have tried making many minor adjustments without any improvement. The warmup routine is improved, but still totally monotonous and is much more of a stretch than a warmup. I still end up jogging in place between stretches to get a decent warmup (not a big deal).

The pace of the exercises (even when its working right) is just too slow for my taste. Timing is probably the biggest issue preventing me from enjoying the workout. The 1 to 2 second pause between each rep sounds small, but ends up making me feel like I'm holding myself back the entire time. There is also a 10 to 15 second delay between exercises, ugh. It would be much better if this was adjustable. No other form of exercise (video, class, gym, home gym) has you waiting this long between each rep and activity. Good for beginners, not so much for people who already know what they're doing.

The bottom line is at the end of a workout I'm just annoyed and relieved its over, which is a horrible way to feel after exercising. I recommend you spend your money on something else, unless you're just looking for the novelty experience. I hope EA keeps working to improve it, maybe the next one will get right!

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EA Sports Active 2 for PS3 comes with everything you need in the box. It doesn't use the move controllers. This is so exercises can be hands-free in case you wanted to use weights with some of the resistance routines.

If you are looking for an alternative to the gym or a personal trainer... I would recommend this over any other fitness title as it provides real exercises instead of routines where you can only wonder if you are getting an effective workout. The routines and programs in this software were designed by personal trainers.

You can have the software create a workout routine for you focusing on cardio, upper body, lower body, core, or full body. You can also create your own personal routines. When you create your own routine, the software lets you know what percentages of the body you are covering. Such as 50% upper body, 20% lower body, 10% core, 15% cardio. This is so you can be sure you are tailoring the workout to what you want. There won't be any guessing on if you are working the body effectively.

There is a 21 day cardio program and a nine week total fitness program which also features weekly fitness tests that measure how long it takes for your heart rate to recover.

This software uses motion sensors to make sure you are doing the exercises properly. These may present a problem initially for some people as they may put them on incorrectly. They aren't difficult to put on, it's just one may overlook something about them when first using them. Overall, they work excellent.

Two people can play if there is an extra set of motion sensors. These should be available for purchase from the EA website.

The heart rate monitor is accurate as well as it shows you and saves your heart rate data. This enables you to see your intensity levels on your workouts. You can make sure you are working out in the right zone and not overdoing it or underdoing it.

There is a journal that is optional for you to fill out that keeps track of your nutrition and workout progress. If you already know quite a bit about fitness and nutrition, you may find this repetitive. I do, I still choose to use it though, it makes it easier to know your eating patterns over time compared to writing it in a book. I know on my days off of work, I choose to eat more snack type foods. So at the end of the day, you just answer about 10 questions of what you ate and drank that day and that's it.

If you don't know anything about nutrition or are confused by it, they have built in, easy to read and follow nutrition charts on what is good to eat and what you should avoid. These are very easy to follow and I highly recommend them to someone who wants better nutrition but do not know where or how to start.

Also, if you don't know the first thing about exercises and/or are just starting out exercising, the lead and follow exercises the virtual personal trainers perform are great. There are also tutorials before an exercise begins.

Not only are there the traditional exercises and stretches, but there are also "games" which cover up the "exercise" to make fitness fun. There is mountain boarding where you have to run up hills and jump from rail to rail. This covers up the running in place and squat jumps you are doing.

What I like about this software alot is that when you are doing an overall workout, you aren't doing one type of exercise for 20 or 30 minutes. It moves from one exercise to another smoothly and quickly. So you may be doing 20 mini exercises in a 30 minute workout for example. The way it is laid out though, it covers the body areas you chose to focus on and you don't get bored doing one exercise for 20 minutes. I think this is the thing that will keep me at it long term for myself.

To sum up, whether you are familiar with working out or not, this is a real fitness product. If you don't know where to start concerning exercise and nutrition and wonder if you should join a gym or hire a personal trainer, I would recommend this. It's cheaper than a gym and a trainer, although some people do better in that setting.

The PS3 version also will feature downloadable workouts as well to keep things fresh.

written by The Fun Zone Nutrition Health Fitness If you are looking for a higher resistance band than the one that comes with the package, on the site there is a chart of weight equivalents for thera band resistance tools.

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First some background: I am in my mid-30s and in OK shape. I play ice hockey recreationally, skating 3-5 times a week depending on time of year. I try to keep a balanced diet, not necessarily eschewing fast food or junk food but making sure my portions are moderate in general and get my whole grains, fruits, vegetables, etc.

I went through a period in my 20s where I was a gym rat in terms of lifting weights to gain some size but w/o doing the supplements and protein shakes so I know the proper techniques, the difference between lifting to get cut versus pure power versus size, the importance of rest, so on and so forth.

Outside of that though, I don't have a real athletic background. I'm a decent sprinter b/c I'm lean but my cardio is somewhere south of terrible. It's something I've always wanted to improve but the problem is I hate running and biking as I find them monotonous.

Recently, I had been thinking about getting back to the gym or joining a fitness program in order to improve my cardio as I was tending to fade at the end of my hockey games and it was hurting my performance IMO.

I was doing some shopping and was looking at buying a Wii when I stumbled across EA Sports Active completely by accident. I wasn't necessarily looking for a fitness tool on a video game console but I was intrigued. I almost pulled the trigger right away until the read the reviews for Sports Active on the Wii were somewhat mixed and also saw that version 2.0 was coming out on the PS3 which I already have.

I waited until it came out and read a couple of reviews. It seemed like the PS3 version had the most favorable reviews at the time since you didn't have to buy any extra peripherals, it was hands free, and seemed to garner the best results in terms of response. After that, I went ahead and bought it.

Out of the box, you get the following:

* Game disc (duh)

* Resistance band w/ 2 handles (you must assemble this yourself it's a matter of tieing the band to the handles)

* A sensor/heart rate monitor meant to be strapped to the left forearm

* A sensor for the right forearm

* A sensor for the right leg

* USB w/ a sensor

* 6 AAA batteries

The sensors are battery driven, each requiring 2. The USB plugs into one of the USB ports of the PS3 like any other controller/peripheral. I believe the way the game works is that the sensors on your body "communicate" with the sensor in the USB to feed into the game, serving as the controller to speak.

Once I popped it in, the initial walkthrough was straightforward and easy to understand.

Figuring I wasn't completely sedentary and had some athletic base, I decided to start off on the Medium 9 week program (choices are either a 3 week intro program or a full 9 week program and within the two, you can select Easy, Medium, Hard). Initially, I wasn't going to write a review until I had completed it but after 2 weeks, I think I have enough to provide useful feedback and can update later as necessary.

I picked the 4 days I wanted to workout (my guess is other programs may have more or less days where you workout) and it was off to the races.

The idea of the game is that you are represented on screen by your avatar (whose appearance you can customize) and as the trainer directs you to move, your movements are captured by the sensors and your avatar on screen performs the same.

I had some problems with my initial set of sensors and it turns out the problem was with the leg sensor. It deteriorated over the month to the point where it was unusable (kept losing the sync). I contacted Amazon and got a new set (they just shipped me an entire new package w/ everything else included as well) and everything works much better. Seems as if there is a potential QA problem w/ the sensors but if things aren't working for you outright, I recommend trying to work with Amazon to exchange for a new set and see if that doesn't work better. Everything is -muchbetter with a good working set of sensors (although there are still some instances where it seems to have problems registering your movement).

For the workouts themselves, I am in phase 3 of 9 week program. To those folks who started on Hard and said it wasn't challenging and/or there was too much time between exercises, I tip my hat to you. It's at the point where I cannot push myself 100% without artificially pausing between exercises or even during exercises.

So far it seems like the workouts are cardio/plyometric based. Everything so far looks to be geared towards general endurance and lower body explosiveness.

If you lift for size or are focused more on upper body workouts, this probably won't do it for you. You can customize your workouts with respect to what you want to improve and while I haven't played with it, without doing free weights, I don't see how you can significantly improve your bench press for example.

A side benefit I want to mention is that since the exercises are more plyo-based (short and explosive), it seems to serve as a pretty good dynamic warmup. On the nights where I have a hockey game after I workout, I am not too tired to play and in fact, I feel pretty good from a looseness standpoint. Next day is definitely a full recovery day though. Not sure how well it would work for other sports though.

Other useful features:

* A journal where you can log things like, hours slept, glasses of water consumed, other activity you may be involved in. This is more for your personal benefit as the game doesn't really provide any feedback based on trending of the data (at least not that I've seen). It'll give general advice as you make your entry but that's it.

* Ability to configure the music playlists. Most useful if you have ripped and downloaded tracks to your PS3 but I haven't tried it yet though)

* Sync with EA Sports Active website to share results.

In conclusion, I definitely see the utility of this. I think it's a great innovation and hope that EA continues to build and improve on this product line.

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Its funny that it ended up this way but its true.

The PS3 version is the best version of EA Active 2.

The Wii version you are forced to hold the Wiimote.

The 360 version you are forced to use Kinect including all the current growing pains of the system (situps on the floor hard to see, menu navigation, etc).

The PS3 version does NOT use Move and instead gives you an extra armband making it actually the overall easiest to control version.

As far as the actual software goes whichever version you get the workout is VERY well done. Impressive and a lot of fun actually.

If you want exercise you should seriously consider this product.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Tue, 6 Jan 2015 22:47:00 -0800

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This is not a game to review until you have completed it. As I moved deeper and deeper into the game, my opinions began to deviate from my first impressions. Many times, it seems that once you play for two to three hours in a game, you get a basis for what the entirity will be like. This is an exception. It's a lengthy game. It's a game that you probably shouldn't take a month long break before picking it back up because it can be difficult. But it's a game that will reward you for playing, by getting better and better until the end.

Graphics:

Backgrounds are stunning. Character models are very detailed as well. Often the game's camera will pan out allowing you to view a large area. This is primarily the platforming portions of the game. But it will definitely cause you to stop and look at the scenery from time to time (especially when you get to the castle). You do not have an option to adjust the camera angle and 80% of the time, you won't need to. However, there are times that you will seemingly be whipping the screen not knowing where the enemies are. And it did cause me to die a few times.

Audio:

Am I playing Lord of the Rings? Most of the tracks made me think that I was in a battle for Middle Earth. The chanting and orchestrated music are very similar to the LotR movies, which may or may not be a good thing. Personally, I felt some of the tracks were way overdone and intensified for no apparent reason. It was especially awkward as I walked through a serene forest with no enemies AT ALL to have the music start blaring, trumpets, choir and all. My heart stopped as I thought I was about to be killed by some unknown demon, but what? Nothing. Must have been the wind. As I progressed through the game, the music toned down and became a bit darker and softer. It became more Castlevania-like, but still not what you might have expected. There are a few Easter Eggs in the game where you will hear some classic 8-bit tracks and those were definitely welcomed. The voice dialogue was well done. Patrick Stewart did a good job narrating and playing the part of Zobek, an ally of yours. Robert Carlyle's (Gabriel) voice sounds Scottish which is cool, but seemed a bit subdued at times. I ended up having to turn the voice tracks up to hear him speak. No spoilers, but the last boss fight and ending's dialogue were top notch. I wanted to beat the last boss twice just to watch the ending again.

Gameplay:

There is a balance between Uncharted-like platforming, Tomb Raider puzzle solving, and fighting a plethora of enemies. There are dozens of types of enemies, ranging from the easy Mummy to towering Titans. There are also two ways to fight in this game. I personally enjoyed the classic whip-slashing action. However, a good bit of the game's bosses involve button timed events, which are fun, but stressful. I died mostly during these fights and a few times, it sent me back to the start of the battle and I was flat out frustrated. The most enjoyable aspects of the game for me involved Uncharted style climbing. It felt just as fluid as Uncharted (with the exception that you can only climb certain things versus virtually everything in Uncharted). Jumping from platform to platform is somewhat flawed and can be irritating, but that is not too often as you are mostly climbing and swinging.

Replay Value:

As you progress in the game, you are rewarded with different abilities. These abilities make replaying one of the games previous levels much easier and fun. There will be items/upgrades that you can't get in your first play through of a level, but after gaining a new ability such as double jump, you realize you can now go back and acquire it. That leads me to how the game is structured. There are twelve chapters in the game, with multiple levels scattered throughout each chapter. You can go back and play any level over again on one of four difficulties. Upon completing a level, you also can go back and beat its trial, which is an added challenge. Try to 110% the game(one thing to note: You can't 110% the game until you beat each level on Paladin (the most difficult) difficulty. However, you can go back and replay the levels on Paladin with your upgrades intact, making it manageable). Konami has also thrown in some Easter Eggs once the final stage is completed as well. You can slightly change the appearance of Gabriel but I won't say how.

Closure:

I was very pleased with Lords of Shadow. I am a Castlevania fan. But I never enjoyed the 3-D games. The N64 and PS2 games were awful to me and pushed me towards having a 2-D bias. However, this game has rebooted the series nicely and has set itself up for a sequel. While the majority of the game is not reminiscent of what we've come to love, nostalgia is still there with one-third of the game being related to the Vampires and the castle (clock-tower, garden maze and all). The new ideas are very welcomed and create a game that is not dependent merely on one's nostalgia, but stands on its own as a fun and exciting action game. Were there times where I was bored? Maybe in the first three chapters. Where there times where I was frustrated? Maybe playing a timed event boss battle for the first time. But was the game fair and balanced? Absolutely. If I were scoring the game, I would give it a 9.5 for a great, 20+ hour action game with a few camera glitches along with some repetitive action scenes and music. A must have for any Castlevania and action game fan. Feel free to ask me any questions, as I am nearly 110% complete with the game.

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I would need to clarify that I am not a long standing franchise enthusiast. My first and only Castlevania aside from this was SoTN. I never held a candle for the Belmont clan (pun intended) or for the franchise, aside from how awesome SoTN was. So in that regard, I am biased.

Moreover, this game is NOT perfect, so let me get the bad out of the way:

1. Camera angles. Very pretty, very engaging, very cinematic. And they have made me die a lot. Reminiscent of the Resident Evil franchise pre-4, and MGS3, static camera angles are...a love it or leave it issue. I like them. But to be honest, they can be a hindrance. Not being able to see a 2 ton Worg about to swipe me out of existence can be a setback.

2. Difficulty curve. I'm playing this on normal (I didn't want to breeze through it, but I didn't want to not get through the game either) and so far, I have lost my cool a few times. I want to call the difficulty curve merciless, but that's unfair. It is steep, though. This game will be quick to punish button mashers. There is an element of strategy in this game, having to switch around strategies according to enemies, cycling through combos, and cycling through shadow or light magic... it keeps you on your toes, and I would daresay that it is a characteristic missing from some of the titles that this game is compared to the most (such as GoW and DMC. This is just my opinion, maybe someone will argue that both franchises do have an element of strategy in their hack and slash, and I totally missed it. I welcome any disputes on the matter)

Those are, to me, the only scratches in an otherwise polished game. And I hesitate to call them a real detraction from this game.

This game is presumably a reboot of the franchise, which works for me, as I never had an attachment to the previously established canon. You are Gabriel Belmont (the name, taken from the hills from his childhood. Bel mont. Had never put those two together) He was an orphan taken in by the Brotherhood of Light, and was married to Maria ( I forget the name now, I hope this is right). Maria was slain, so far in my playthrough, under mysterious circumstances, and so he set forth to exact revenge.

The story set up, I will admit, is a bit shallow. But the game has been accused of being light on story telling. I would have to disagree. That the story telling was relegated to sequences at the beginning and end of each stage is not the most organic way to tell a story is true. But in this particular case, the way the story is woven, namely as a fairy tale of old, I think it works. There is much to be said of the voice acting and narrating on Patrick Stewart's part. At first the story is a bit too ' in medias rex' , but soon enough the blanks are filled out, and the intrigue builds up. I keep hearing the ending is phenomenal. We shall see.

The presentation, I will say, is not pushing any envelopes, but it is setting a mark for what action games can accomplish. The look of the game, albeit not groundbreaking, is simply awe inspiring. I had never seen a prettier snowy medieval landscape. The style and the aesthetic lends itself well to the sort of gothic undertone that always accompanied Castlevania games, but this time, in a grander fashion. The desolate, the desperate, the god forsaken aspect of some of the more European settings is simply entrancing, whereas some of the more fantastic settings, such as enchanted forests, forgotten cities and crypts break up the monotony of just seeing castles and towers for 20 hours without seeming out of place. The rain effects are some of the best I've ever seen in a game. The soundtrack is, I will say, among the best I've ever heard on a game. I don't know who Oscar Araujo is, or what he composed before this track, but he is now on my radar. It has a certain quality that aims for grandiose, while at the same time remaining memorable, and just works so well with the story telling. Fans of the series might be a bit disilussioned, because it's nothing like the Castlevania theme. I've read the original theme is hidden somewhere in the game. Haven't heard it yet.

The voice acting is top notch. I thought Robert Carlyle was a bit of a strange choice for taciturn Gabriel Belmont, but he's grown on me. My main issue was the accent at first. I always thought he should have a French accent, or, I dunno. Mr. Carlyle makes it work though. Patrick Stewart makes game text intended to narrate the bulk of the storyline sing. I have no idea how he does it. Some people are complaining that it's too similar to Oblivion. I don't see it. These samples of acting are better, in my opinion. Jason Isaacs is in the game as well, but I haven't bumped into him yet.

The gameplay itself is the strong suit of this game. The control scheme is one of the best and most intuitive I've yet to find on an action game. I wondered if they would do this thing where you can control the whip with one analog stick, but that would lend itself to disaster, in hindsight. Mercurysteam made it simple: jump, area attack, direct attack, secondary weapon. Done. It seems restrictive, but I assure you...there's something about less is more, that just makes this set up wow you. The camera will sometimes work against you (happens to me anyway) when trying to time a block for a parry, but other than that, the control is great, and the whip mechanics are pretty much near-perfect. The whip is a seriously underrated weapon in video games. Seriously.

A lot of people are, again, comparing the action to GoW or to DMC. Back when Dante's Inferno came out, I played the demo first, and did not enjoy it, precisely because it felt like GoW: Renaissance style, and I couldn't shake that feeling that the game was so similar. I will admit that there ARE similarities, but the way the similarities are implemented just keeps the game feeling fresh: in GoW, you will fight multitudes of enemies at once, or a reduced number of stronger enemies at the same time, and depend a lot on dodging out of the way, and blocking in time, and absolutely brutal chain combos. Kratos is just set up that way, with the ability to keep hitting enemies throughout hundreds of hits. The chains, even though in principle are whiplike, in a sense Gabriel however will be confronted more often than not against enemies that will require more reaction than proaction I think in a sense this sets it apart, a BIT, from GoW. The platform actions of the game are somewhat less polished than the fighting, but the game never really veers into parkour action, and it is being compared more to Uncharted. I can see the similarities there, save for the presence of the whip which put Gabriel in far more acrobatic situations than Nathan Drake. Eventually you start acquiring new abilities (such as the ability to dash, and thus, do a long jump) which will break those similarities up somewhat. Some of the boss fights are comparable to Shadow of the Colossus. These are very similar, I can't say that there's something that sets Castlevania apart, save for the use of the whip to scale up the titanic bosses, but the similarity is not a bad one, in my opinion: Shadow of the Colossus was a great game, and I don't think that its brand of action had ever been repeated to say that now that Castlevania made use of the similar sequences is cliche.

Overall, this game might be a sum of other action games, and in a way, it's true. The parts that are being summed up into this game however, do not feel segmented (ie, I never felt " oh, now I'm playing Uncharted, oh, now it's Shadow of the Colossus). It always feels like playing Castlevania, and the feeling is quite epic.

Buy Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Now

So far this game has caught me off guard. This is not an exact clone of "God of War." Although the gameplay is very similar, the style and atmosphere are completely different. Rather than greek mythology you have gothic monsters and settings. I'm personally enjoying this more so than I did "God of War." I like the werewolves, vampires, and ghouls much more than I like medusas, cyclops, and cerebus. Also, so far this game seems to be more difficult than the "God of War" series. You really have to make use of that dodge button. But as one reviewer already said, don't worry it's not nearly as difficult as "Demon's Souls." I'll be updating this review once I finish the game. But so far I will say that it's turning out to be a great game. Easily as good (if not better)as god of war.

Oh yeah, and don't listen to those couple review websites who gave this game a 7.5 out of 10. So far I'm saying this game deserves no less than an 8.8 out of 10, although by the time I'm finished I'm betting that I'll feel it deserves a 9.5 out of 10. Yeah its gameplay is similar to god of war, but what game doesn't draw inspiration from other games? Practially all FPS games are alike, but you don't here people crying and complaining every time a new one comes out... do you? And practically all sandbox games are similar to the GTA series, but once again no one seems to care. Castlevania is doing nothing different here. They are using a winning formula (God of war) and improving on it. Just like "Halo" used the exact same first person perspective from "Doom" but made improvements on it. Bottom line is we can't expect every new game to reinvent the genre. Ok enough of the preaching. Anyways, so far I recommend this game to anyone looking for a gothic adventure.

****UPDATE: I wanted to share more of my feelings about this game now that I've progressed a bit further. I'm now beginning the 4th chapter (I know it's not that far, but I'm in college full-time and I'm busy with work). This game has me hooked so far. Amazing boss battles (and lots of them), great soudtrack, awesome action gameplay, it's all just great. I've just finished the land of lycans (werewolves) and now I'm heading into the land of vampires... very excited! This is one of the best games to come out for a while. If you like action games and gothic themes then you owe it to yourself to pick this one up, it's amazing so far. I will conclude this review once I finish the game (not sure when that will be since I'm so tied up with school, I hardly have time to play).

********Review Conclusion: Ok I have just completely finished this game. Castlevania LOS was a great experience all around. I would personally rate this game a 9.2 out of 10. It has a good blend of action, puzzle, and platformer. There are tons of different monsters to fight in this game, extremely varied. I don't think I've ever played a game with so many boss fights. The music here is beautiful, and at times I stopped playing just to listen to it. This game really does feel epic, and Gabriel Belmont is a character that I was rooting for the entire time. Also, I wanted to remind you that if you play this game make sure that you wait for the credits to roll when you beat it. After the credits are done rolling you get a good idea of what the sequel will be like (and it's going to be pretty crazy). Now I can hardly wait for the next Castlevania game.

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Castlevania Lords of Shadow is simply put not a Castlevania game. Yes there are nods to the previous series but this is a reboot not a sequel. That shouldn't scare anyone away though as this is a great albeit flawed beginning to a new saga.

First we'll start off with the presentation. The graphics and music are top notch. The diverse and beautiful environments look amazing. The graphics are only topped by the sweeping musical score that adds a lot of intensity to the action. There is however one complaint that I have in this department and that is Patrick Stewart. I love him as an actor but he added way too much drama to his character and it was way too over the top. I hope that he can redeem himself if he is in any more games in the franchise.

The gameplay overall is solid. Yes it does play like a God of War clone but the core combat is without complaint. You unlock new powers and combos as the game progresses to keep your interest in the combat. Though it does lack variety the first few hours as the game developers kept most of the cool weapons and combos for later in the game. You have two rage modes that can be used at any time and are replenished by killing multiple enemies in a row without being hit. One of them fills your health bar with ever crack of your chains and the other simply does more damage.

Another main part of the game play is platforming. The game seems to copy Uncharted here and does it pretty well. Yes there are times when you don't know where to jump to and others when you can't seem to land on a platform correctly. These times are not that frequent but the platforming is certainly not that responsive or intuitive at times.

The Boss battles while epic are mostly your run of the mill block, dodge, and counter attack type of gameplay. If you think that sounds bad wait until you hear what the other type is. There are four or five bosses that require you to crawl on them and hit critical areas to take them down. Now this is pretty common in GOW style games but the enemies shake ever ten seconds and you have to hold the R2 button to stop from falling off. It gets really frustrating when you have almost beaten a boss just for them to knock you off and you have to do that last part over again.

The puzzles in the game range from fun and challenging to ridiculously hard. I had to look up a few myself and I normally stay away from walkthrough guides. Sometimes they simply don't give you enough information to complete the puzzle unless you use trial and error. In the end most of the puzzles feel like a road block instead of a fun distraction.

The final piece of the puzzle is the story. The game comes out of the gate quickly and you invest in Gabriel's plights, but then after the first few hours the story really drops off and not much character development is made until the final chapter. When I read about this game I thought this was going to be its strength but it turns out to be its biggest weakness. Yes I loved the ending and I wanted more after the game was over but the middle section of the game was downright boring at times and I had trouble keeping interest. As a result Gabriel was not really that developed as a protagonist, and I hope that they change that in future installments.

Overall Lords of Shadow was a fun 15 hour campaign, but it also left a lot to be desired. The story was never really that strong and the game play was not brilliant or original enough to completely save the game. If you like GOW or hack and slash type games then pick this one up when the price goes down. It is a fun game but without a story to keep you hooked I had trouble staying interested.

Rating 3.5/5

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What is supposed to be a reboot of the beloved Castlevania series will leave fans confused and maybe a little angry. Disguised under the Castlevania title is a different game entirely. Lords of Shadow doesn't feature any of the common gameplay mechanics or a story you would expect from this series. What you will find is a decent action adventure game with beautiful visuals and a generic storyline.

Lords of Shadow introduces Gabriel Belmont, a member of the holy order known as "the Brotherhood of Light." The Brotherhood are sworn to protect the innocent from an evil darkness that is a constant threat to the world. Gabriel sets out to destroy this evil, but also has a more personal missionto kill the ones responsible for the death of his lover (where have we heard this before?).

After about five minutes of this game you will no doubt ask yourself "Where the hell is the castle?!" Well, there isn't one till the very end!!. Lords of Shadow is set in an open world environment with level to level progression and doesn't allow a free roam map exploration (Metriodvania) like previous games in the series. The game does encourage backtracking to reach previous unreachable items once you upgrade your skills, but I found the benefits of doing so are not worth the time.

If you've played any of the God of War titles, the fighting mechanics are more or less the same. Gabriel is equipped with a chained cross weapon that will extend with light and heavy attacks. Killing creatures will gain you experience points used to unlock new weapon upgrades, combos and magic abilities. Even with all the combos unlocked, I found the best way to kill mini bosses and small creatures is by spamming light and heavy attacks while using the roll ability to evade enemies. The magic system is broken down into light and dark magic, with light magic being heals and dark increasing your melee damage.

Marlyn Manson?

Boss encounters vary some are extremely fun and others are just stale. This game features a lot of mini boss encounters in which you must use the environment around you to defeat them. Bigger bosses (just like Shadow of the Colossus) have you climbing around to hit weak spots on their body while they try to shake you off. These fights would have been more exciting if we hadn't experienced similar encounters in so many other games. I was also very disappointed with the last boss, SATAN! Not only was it not Dracula, but I couldn't help but laugh that he looks like a singer in a heavy metal band that isn't wearing any clothes!

Lords of Shadow features some of the best graphics I've seen in any game. Developers did a spectacular job creating a dark environment with such high level of detail. Each level will feel entirely different from the last, ensuring your eyes wont be bored through level progression. In addition, climbing on walls and using your cross as a grappling hook was an enjoyable addition to the game, this really made me appreciate the level design and architecture used in each level.

Captain Jean Luc Picard

Lets not forget the appearance of Patrick Stewart as Zobek, Gabriel's Brotherhood companion who is also the narrator though the game. Stewart does a great job with the narration but gets a little melodramatic with his acting.

If you're a fan of the old Castlevania titles, I wouldn't suggest this game. You wont find anything related to the franchise other than the games title and the family name Belmont. I would suggest this title if you enjoy action adventure games such as God of War or Shadow of the Colossus. What this game really lacks is identity. Developers did a great job with level and graphic design but failed to take any innovative steps with the gameplay. Castlevanias' 3D titles have been severely lacking. I hope in the next installment they go back to the 2D landscape with castle exploration that made the original Castlevania what it is todaya CLASSIC.

Presentation: 7

Not associated with other installments of the franchise but a fun action adventure title.

Graphics: 9

Stunning visuals with some frame rate hiccups.

Sound : 7

A great performance by Patrick Stewart but a little too melodramatic.

Gameplay: 6

God of War gameplay with Shadow of the Colossus Boss fights.

Lasting Appeal: 7

A very long game that encourages backtracking for unlockable treasures.

Violent Score: 7 (out of 10)

more over yonder.

Logitech ChillStream Gaming PS3 Controller for PS3 Gamepad

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Tue, 6 Jan 2015 09:14:00 -0800

Customer Ratings:
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Sale Price: $22.97
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i recently bought this controller due to the fact i always wanted a fan cooling controller and needed a second. I had read the reviews and yes, it does NOT have a PS button which is a serious issue for some. For me, i just keep my bluray remote and use it that way. the fan is great, 2 settings(low or high). it is also corded... with a very short cord. if you are planning on getting this, i recommend getting a usb extender (male to male) as i did, unless you play games four feet from your tv. other than that it is a great controller, the trigger are a plus for me as they are more of a "buttom" and not a trigger. all in all a good buy.

Clive Barker's Jericho

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Tue, 6 Jan 2015 06:43:00 -0800

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Sale Price: $25.99
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I wanted to get this game since I played the demo and it's a lot of fun. The graphics and voice acting are above average, the story is entertaining, and dialogue is a little cheesy, but it's bearable. The best thing about the game is the different supernatural powers that the team members have. Some are more efficient to use than others, and you'll probably use your favorite 2-3 members for most of the game (most likely Church, who uses a one-hit kill sword, and Delgado who uses fire and a minigun). The weapons are usual FPS machine guns, pistols, snipers, etc. Each member has their own personality, which helps keep the game fresh. The ultimate rental. I don't suggest buying it due to lack of multiplayer and a short campaign. Squeamish people, STAY AWAY!

EditedI haven't been able to play this game in a while, but I picked it up again recently. I haven't gotten too far into the game when I reviewed it, but having played it furthur, I have found many faults that I didn't notice before. The main and most frustrating one is the lack of any sort of intelligence whatsoever from your teammates. They rarely use cover, and when they do they use it incredibly poorly. They usually stand in the same spot all clumped together in a group firing at the same enemy while ignoring the other ones. They never back away from enemies that are charging at them, not even the ones who explode when they get near you. As a result, they are CONSTANTLY dieing, making you revive them constantly. This becomes even more frustrating when the squad gets split up since you have to pay extra attention to make sure that those guys don't die. One part of the game is so excruciatingly difficult that I have almost given up on beating the game. Which is a darn shame since I'm loving the wacky storyline.

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I played Jericho for the PS3 and bought I because I enjoyed the demo and was despirate for a FPS for the PS3.

The good:

Its fun

Difficulty settings are appropriate

Graphics are cool

Controller is easy to learn

The bad:

At times too dark to see your surroundings

Short

Game favors some characters with certain powers

Not as interactive as other next gen games (can't jump or pick up items)

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The only flaw this game has is that there is no multiplayer or co-op options. Otherwise the game has great graphics, an intriguing story, and awesome weapons and powers.

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When I started this game I went in with a bad attitude from the beginning due to all the bad reviews. The game starts off a little slow but as you go on it gets better and better. I'm done with the game and I liked it a lot. Make your own decision about the game.

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The main reason I purchased this game is that I am a huge Clive Barker fan! I've read all the Books Of Blood, Hellbound Heart, and Cabal. Hellraiser was the first horror film I found to be simply beautiful and grotesque at the same time. It was hard for me to stay away from the graphics of this game. Only, when game play started... it was not your traditional FPS.

Jericho doesn't disappoint with it's beautiful design! Each and every detail int he characters and playfield have been detailed to an unreal degree. This makes the game beautiful to watch and gawk at. The levels and missions are short... leaving even the busiest gamer time to fly though a mission before heading out Friday night, going to the office, or even the family guy, playing with the kids. Only, some missions require more thought than others....

Let the frustration begin...

Your Squad has a multitude of skills... each one will need to use them among different points of the game. Generally, I avoided playing Father Rawlings because he's a healer and can heal from a distance... My issues? Sometimes you need to use these skills and there is little hint to when! ie. I fought a Lichthammer for 20 minutes before I thought of using Church's blood to bind her... as soon as I did that the fight was over. So 20 minutes of nothing! I could have spent 40 doing it, having no idea. Same with huge beasts in another level where once again Church was needed. Seems Church, the character I like to play second least, is constantly needed to do things.... yet there is little hint to the need of the character. This is frustrating.

Next.... and the most annoying thing that made me want to sell this game the minute I started to play... (along with other reviews) The squad is downright dumb! Each one gets killed much too easily... and it happens often. I spend more time healing my crew than I do fighting monsters. Especially with the suicide bomber monsters. Frankly, there is nothing more annoying than watching someone play a game and never getting to try it out... that's the way I feel on certain parts of this game. I run around healing people more than I get to destroy monsters because the darn squad will jump out like it's a surprise birthday party for the enemy and never take enough cover. BTW, having a crouch button would have been nice! They have multiple levels with debris you can hide behind but what good is it if you stand up to get shot.

Needless to say I give the game a 3 only because it's been the most beautiful horror first person shooter I've ever seen. Final note... some of the fun of a FPS is exploration. Also, picking up items or power ups, secrets, ect... Not in this game. There is no way to explore. Only one way to go. No open roads or ways to get lost. You have a driven linear path!

If you're a Clive Barker fan or like horror to the extreme this is a must but be ready for frustration. It's very unorthodox of other FPS and you'll be healing your squad allot instead of fighting. Just remember that the levels are short enough that redoing them from a check point isn't so bad. I like to collect games of this nature but, I'm not sure I'll hold onto this or not. I love the graphics and violence but, I think this game is going to drive me to need medication. It only needed a few more things to make it a 5 star game!

3 Stars, for great graphics and some fun...

6 AXIS DualShock 3 Wireless Controller for PS3 Playstation 3 Orange

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Tue, 6 Jan 2015 04:36:00 -0800

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i wanted an orange ps3 controller but sony doesnt make them so i got this, it shipped fast and it works great only thing was the 4 buttons on the right were very colorful instead of the black with a small letter if u can overlook tht or switch the buttons with a sony controller (which i did) then the controller looks exactly like a sony one no difference that i can tell

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After having the four year old "wash" three brand name ps3 controllers and all three kids fighting, we opted for a cheaper alternative for replacements. Now they all have their own color and they work exactly the same as the name brand Sony controllers!

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Its just like the original controller that comes with the PS3 but its ORANGE! And i love orange! It works great and looks great its the perfect controller for me

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Rocksmith Guitar Bundle

noreply@blogger.com (swing set) — Tue, 6 Jan 2015 03:21:00 -0800

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Hello! First off I want you to know that I have been playing guitar and bass for nearly forty years and I am a pretty good guitar player. I have over twenty guitars and five basses, and all of these instruments are of high quality.

The first and most important thing I want to inform the reader is that the guitar included in this package is very poor quality. A friend of mine bought this Rocksmith Guitar Bundle for their twelve year old son, and called me over to help them with the guitar because they could not keep it in tune. Well I worked on it and changed the strings and the guitar just would not stay in tune no matter what I did. I talked with a few other people who have bought the same item and they are having the same issues with the guitar. So the very first lesson any person needs to learn about playing the guitar is buying a good guitar, one that will stay in tune so you can start to learn to play. The guitar included in this bundle would not stay in tune for more then thirty seconds of playing before it went out of tune. Now I am not saying you need to go out and drop $3000 on a Gibson Les Paul, but plan on spending $500 to $600 on your first guitar. With that money you will be able to buy a good Epiphone or Fender guitar, that will stay in tune for you. Of course if you can afford to buy a really good guitar, please do, because you will find it easier to play and it will sound very nice.

As for the my review of the Rocksmith guitar game, I would give this a million stars if I could. It is by far one of the finest teaching tools for the guitar that I have ever seen. Like I said before above, I have been playing for forty years, and I was able to learn and improve my playing from this wonderful game. The game adjusts to your skill level and allows you to work on your weak areas. The only thing that I did not personally like about the game was the selection of songs and this is probably because of my age, but there are a few classic gems included.

So, I say do not buy the bundle with the guitar included because it will just frustrate you and hinder your learning. I do say buy buy buy this wonderful game and go buy a good guitar and enjoy!!!! Most important of all, learning to play the guitar or any instrument takes a lot of time and practice. Nothing good ever comes easy!

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The game is good but the guitar is bad. The guitar may look all nice but it's really a cheaply made guitar mass produced for the game. After just 2 usage, less than 10 hours of playing, the nut supporting the output jack on this Epiphone Jr. came off as I unplugged the tone cable. What good is an electric guitar when the output jack is jacked up? Had I known the guitar would fail, I would have never purchase the guitar bundle and would have got the game with tone cable bundle instead. I would have saved about $100 by saying no to this guitar bundle. 5 stars for the game; 1 star for the guitar.

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I have played the game three times since it arrived, and I dont ever want to put it down. Like all guys, I have always wanted to learn to play the guitar and now I am! I love how it adapts to how well I play and allows me to learn at my pace. Bottom line, get this game. Totally worth every penny!

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My bro got me this game for Christmas. I didn't get the bundle that came with the guitar though because I didn't want him to spend too much money on me, so I decided to purchase a cheap guitar. Based on Amazon reviews, I decided to go with the Dean Vendetta XM Solid Body Electric Guitar, Mahogany Finish. It was less than $117 when I bought it, but I think it's even cheaper now.

The finish is more of a dark brown colored than a natural wood color, but it still looks, sounds, and feels, pretty good. I guess just purchasing the game does give you some options as to what guitar you want to pick up, so if you are deciding on the bundle, but don't like the guitar, just buy the game and shop around.

As for the game, it's pretty fun and addicting. I'm just a beginner, so I'm having a hard time figuring out if I have to use certain fingers for the string or fret. Since I just started, it seems that I can sort of do everything with one finger and move it around. This is probably not the best thing to do, but I'm sure there will be more lessons and tips to help me properly position my fingers. I'll update this review again as I get further into the game, but I have to say that playing a game with a real guitar is pretty awesome. I had an old electric guitar that I never played because I didn't even have a good foundation or lessons. At least now I feel that I'm getting some where. It's even better that it's a game because it just seems more fun to play with music and it feels that I'm actually learning something along the way.

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*THIS IS A REVIEW FOR THE GAME, NOT THE GUITAR. I ALREADY HAVE A GUITAR, SO I HAVEN'T TRIED THE BUNDLED ONE.*

Before getting into my review, here is an important tip:

AUDIO LAG!!! If you are experiencing audio lag, the problem is the HDMI cable. You need to run the audio from the RCA (red and white) cables through the tv, headphones, or an external stereo/surround sound system. Doing so will fix the annoying audio lag problem I'm sure most people will experience. So if you buy the game, don't forget about this tip!

Here is a little background about myself to support my experience playing the game:

I am a musician and I've played guitar for a number of years. However, I've always played basic rhythm guitar. I never got around to learning scales, solos, power chords, ect... only regular chords for rhythm.

Now for the game. I have only played it for about 2 hours so far, and I am really enjoying the experience. I'm a pretty busy person, and I often feel guilty when playing video games because even though I do enjoy playing, I feel like it eats up time I could use for more productive activities. Finally, I have a game that I don't have to feel bad about playing for hours on end! I am a worship leader at a church, so guitar is part of my job. Not only is this game fun to play, but I can see how it is going to help my abilities on guitar grow tremendously! The interface is similar to Rockband or Guitar Hero, but the developers did a superb job at modifying the familier interface to work well with a real guitar. It may feel awkward at first, but stick with it, and you will get it. After a few songs, I felt like I was playing Guitar Hero, and it was mind boggling to think I was playing a real guitar. Considering I already have experience playing, the game felt oversimplified starting out, but it was still worth playing to get a feel for the interface. It didn't take long for the game to start getting a little challenging. The game adjusts on the fly to how well you are playing, so don't worry what level player you are. If you have never played guitar before, it will keep things simple for you. If you are an expert on guitar, it may take a little longer, but it will adjust to your skill level. There is so much to say about the game, but I'm limited on time. I just wanted to get a quick review out for anyone considering the game so that you can know this is a game worth buying. If you have any desire to learn or improve on guitar, BUY THIS GAME!! If you have a hard time getting motivated to practice your guitar, BUY THIS GAME!!! If you loved the Rockband and Guitar Hero games, then BUY THIS GAME and quit waisting your time on a plastic toy!!!