Product Description

MODEL- 20061VENDOR- KONAMI FEATURES- DDRMAX 2 Dance Dance RevolutionThe dance revolution rolls on with DDRMAX2 for Sony PlayStation 2,packed with the ultimate mix of hit American songs. Gamers will be up on their feet and dancing all night long with new game modes and the return of past favorites including "Work Out" mode and "Edit"mode where gamers can count calories and customize dance moves androutines.* DDRMAX2 Dance Dance Revolution Partial Song List (Not including Hidden Songs): "A Little Bit Of Ecstasy" - Jocelyn Enriquez"AM-3P" - KTz"Break Down!" - Be For U"Busy Child" - The Crystal Method"Celebrate Nite" - N.M.R"Conga Feeling" - Vivian"D2R" - Naoki"Days Go By" - Dirty Vegas"Destiny" - Naoki feat. Paula Terry"Do It Right" - Sota feat. Ebony Fay * New game modes and graphical interface featuring music videos * Customize dance steps in Edit mode and exercise in Work Out mode * Links with previous games for special features -- SPECIFICATIONs ------------- ESRB Rating : E for Everyone Genre/Category: Family System: PlayStation 2 System Number of Players : 1Compatible Peripherals: Nice electronics is your source for everyday low prices on theKonami 20061 - DDR Max2 PS2 and all other Konami Video Game Acc ... Read more

Features

• Customize dance steps in Edit mode and exercise in Work Out mode
• Links with previous games for special features
• For 1 or 2 players
• All-new exclusive songs, licensed songs and dance hits
• New game modes and graphical interface featuring music videos

Reviews (122)

one of the better games.
This game is amazingly fun and addicting. I started playing 2 or so years ago, and i'm still playing it. It will only take you a couple of weeks to reach Heavy Mode and maybe a month or 2 before you can beat MaxX UNLIMITED.
To play this game, you step on the arrows on the dance pad corresponding to the arrows scrooling up the screen. Some songs are exceptionally fast (320 BPM: MaxX UNLIMITED), others are really slow (140 BPM: So Deep). The fast ones may seem impossible to read at first, but after some time, it'll be easier to read than a picture book.
Personally, the hard songs are really easy over time. Believe it or not, i have "AAA"ed MAX 300, MaxX UNLIMITED, and The legend of MAX, and im one of the best players in Ohio.
And by the way, if you go to buy the Japanese version of MAX2 or Extreme, have fun with PARANOiA Survivor MAX (Hardest song in DDR history) ;)

Much better than seditary gaming!
I love this, I still don't understand how anyone can actually do the advanced levels (seems impossible to me).The thing that I'm not sure about is if it will save info for 2 players?Overall fun and a good workout for body and mind and spirit.

"Patrick Swayze Would have been proud of me"
Last Friday, my aunt Chris and uncle Chris (no joking they have the same exact name; on a side note though, for laughs I like to call uncle Chris aunt Chris, lol)came into town to go to some formal dinner of some sorts with Mom and Dad. I was supposed to go to 9 Mile with Lyle and look at guitars with him but Mom and Dad said I had to baby-sit Chris and Chris's 12 year old daughter (my cousin) Trisha.

She was kind of spoiled but that's what happens to most only children. Anywho, she brought over this new virtual reality game for the PS2 called Dance Dance Revolution 2. Whereas the point is to stand on these pads and, you guessed it dance. Lyle ended staying over to keep me company while bratty Trisha played with her High Brow toy. She ended up having two of those virtual reality pads so two people could play. When she offered, Lyle immediately stated, "NO WAY, those are strictly for girls and Asian guys", I quickly followed his lead to save face with him (he was a little irritated that we had to skip guitar browsing, so I didn't want to push it).

Around 10:30 Trisha went to bed so Lyle and I watched Black Dog (a great Patrick Swayze movie, by the way), Lyle went to bed right after the movie ended, but I told him I wanted to stay up a little bit to practice my harmonica. After about 15 minutes when I thought he would be a sleep, I kind of betrayed him and turned on Dance Dance. I played and it grew on me really quick. Before I knew it, I was dancing like my feet were on fire. After about twenty minutes I thought how fun it would be to go head on head with someone else. Since I dared not to wake up Lyle or Trisha, I had an ingenious idea.

What I did was I boxed in the second pad with the couch, loveseat, and chairs, then I tied a bog biscuit to a string and hung it from the light fixture above the pad. Then I woke up Morris (my dog) and did a quick grappling bout with him to riel him up. When I found him ready enough I put him in the furniture enclosure and showed him the dog biscuit. The match was on! We played straight for about a half-hour. I danced like there was no tomorrow while he jumped up and down trying to get the treat that was just inches from his grip. In the end I pretty much annilatted Morris, I think he only beat me like once.

In conclusion, Virtual Reality is finally starting to show some promise. It's been a long road for it. I just hope the world can show the future generations of virtual reality the tolerance and acceptance that Morris, Trisha, and I have.

Now at the Review writing section it asked me 2 questions.The first was "How much fun is this game?".Well thats easy.It is a Tuttleman approved 5 stars of fun.The second question was "How do you rate this game overall?".The problem is that I could never admit to Lyle that I actually liked this crazy contraption.Do you know how many cool points I would lose if Lyle knew I was (for one night only) a solid-gold lord of the dance with feet of fire!?ALL OF THEM.So I'm rating it 1 star over-all, just in case Lyle asks me what I rated it.That way I won't technically be lying to Lyle.Later.

DDR Rocks!
This game is fun, addicting, and healthy for you! DDR Max 2 is well worth its price. Although most of the songs in it are not all that common, the music selection is still pretty good and I would recomend this game for any beginners in the world of DDR.

It teaches you the basics and also allows you to choose harder options for those of whom are already hooked to the arcade version.

AWESOME
this is one of my favorite video games, you have fun and get fit at the sme time! I would recomend this for everyone who loves to "get down." ... Read more

Product Description

A massive demonic invasion has overwhelmed the UAC's Mars Research Facility leaving only chaos and horror in its wake.

As one of only a few survivors, you must struggle with shock, fear, and an all-out assault on your senses as you fight your way to Hell and back, in an epic clash against pure evil. ... Read more

Features

• Struggle with shock and fear as you fight your way, in an epic clash against pure evil
• Incredible, advanced 3D graphics and physics, with surround sound and real-time dynamic lighting
• Compete in vicious multiplayer action where you'll use light, shadows, and a totally dynamic world to your advantage
• The most intensely realistic and visually stunning game yet -- with the look and feel of a computer-rendered animated movie

Reviews (46)

Doom 3
This game is one of the best games i have ever played. It has great graphics. Envoirnments. And alot of other great things. i would recommend this game alot. But Not if you are younger than about 12 to 13 years old. This game has very high levels of blood and gore. I am 12 years old and my parents only let me buy it was because i made a big deal with them. In this game you kill zombies monsters. A lot of the monsters are very gruesome. another reason not to let young kids play this is because it is so scary! you will be walking along and a demented zombie with half his head blow off and is on fire will just apear out of no where. what really dissapointed me about this game is that you don't have any duct tape so you have to switch between your flash kight and your gun. and the fact that the levels are so dark. so you can hardly see anything but thats why its so scary. There is also some gore like you will be walking along and there might be a arm leg or pelvis on the ground. but i do have to admit the body parts do look fake. Sortof rubber like something you would get for halloween. But overall this game is very great. And if you are 12 or 13 or older this game is a must have. but if you are not the wait will pay off. GREAT GAME!!!!!!!

Simply disturbing...
I'll just keep this short and simple--I've been a Doom fan since the beginning and the old versions were creepy, but as for this version...the title of my review says it all! Make sure you have a loud sound system with surround sound, turn the lights off, and get ready for your hair to stand on end!

Just one final note--many complain about the flashlight, but I think it adds an element of challenge to the game...how fast can you grab your weapon before you get pummeled?!?

Wha? What? Was that a woman crying?!?
Single Player*:

Doom 3 is avant garde in the sound and lighting department. The strange sounds you hear bouncing along the piped walls seem to get more frequent the more time you take. You have no idea if they are in the distance, if they are right in front hiding in some unlit place. Hell, you hear them. A rattling corpes falls , dangling from the ceiling, it was this the rattling noise, nothing more, nothing less. Next noise and you might not be so lucky, cause the service lights of the complex just went out. Should you hold your favorite artillery in the dark or hold your flashlight to see your way through? Balance it out, perhaps, switching mindlessly between light source and twitching trigger finger.

This is Doom 3 and it's a perfect upgrade of what I'd expect the Doom 2 classic to be today. The graphics and mood are built with as much realism I've ever seen in a game. Things pop out from dark corners and lunge through opened doors, making you jump back more than once.

The controls in the game utilize the XBox R-type controller perfectly. The D-pad allows you to assign direction (^V<>) to your favorite lead/plasma/rocket/soul stocked wrist cronies. This allows for quick access. The concept of quick access is driven further with the incessant need to switch flashlight/artillery.

The single player story is told through dead people's PDAs. Pick em up (they're not using 'em anymore) and find access codes and tales of their experiences in their UAC Depts. It's an interesting way of telling a story that's been told before. I enjoyed this medium.

Online Co-Op*:

This is a great addition to the game, one that any XBliver will be very happy to have. Grab a buddy and go through the game together. I haven't solved the game in this mode, but the levels for Online Co-Op seem to be a little fewer and/or peared down from the single player game. It's a fun experience especially with a friend.


In closing, Doom 3 is a great dark masterpiece. It's very reminiscent of the old Doom games you remember from PC, seeing upgrades of your enemies and all that. You'll also remember that the enemies will come right at you, head-on, in a rather dumb sort of fashion, meaning they lack state of the art AI. That's a reason I chainsawed a star away from being a 5 star title. Don't expect flanking or running and hiding on the vermin's part. They come right at you. Many times this makes you jump back.

*The reason I structured this way is because I found the Single Player game the best experience of Doom 3. Don't cheat. Single Player meaning no spectators in the room and lights out. Stereo sound if you have it. The game is less atmospheric if you are talking to someone in the room or joking with your XBox live buddy at how fat his ex-girfriend is.

It's Doom, For Better and For Worse
I make it a habit of renting games before buying them. If the game's truly worth it, I'll gladly pay the "extra" fee due to renting it first. I rented Doom3 for the Xbox, and here's my spin on it.

Pros:
- graphics are superb and very atmospheric. It's downright creepy at times.
- Excellent, atmospheric sound, and perhaps some of the best sound in any current console game.
- Good overall translation from the PC to the Xbox. Considering what the original PC specs for the game are/were, this says a *LOT*.
- FPS gameplay translates well to the console controller. Very responsive and intuitive.
- Cooperative play adds a fantastic dimension to the game. It's nice to go Demon hunting with someone else tagging along blasting bad guys as needed.
- Collector's Edition comes with Doom I and Doom II. It's worth the extra $10 for those alone, as getting those games to run on Win XP is almost impossible at times.
- A nod to id for trying to put some sort of story to it this time. A weak story, mind you, but a decent effort nonetheless. I especially like that it's the guy's first few days at the place, meaning he's none too sure of what goes where yet. The PDA feature is nice, as it eliminates the days of yore where you wandered around pulling levers for no reason.
- It's the same ol' Doom, atmosphere, zombies, demons, extremely tough boss battles, and all.

Cons:
- It's the same ol' Doom where monsters pop out of boxes in the wall...behind you...in the dark. Why can't the monsters enter the area in some manner other than a "secret" panel, say morph through the wall somehow and maintain some level of invincibility during said morphing? And the monster-behind-you-in-the-dark paradigm is a bit stale for today's games. I know it's part of the atmosphere, but it seems to be an afterthought in design to me. Maybe I'm just jaded after playing Halo/Halo2, Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, SW: Republic Commando, and others.
- Repetitive gameplay: Despite the attempt at a story, it's still go through level, monster pops out behind you, blast monster, find code or whatnot, exit level. The technology exists to do oh so much more, demonstrated by those games mentioned above.
- Equipment Usage: In the future we can travel with regularity to Mars, where we have colonies established. We have harnessed the power of plasma into weaponry, and have put supercomputers into projectile launchers. But, either due to bad supply chain management or ineptitude, we can't find any duct tape to tie a flashlight to a weapon. Nor do we have Night Vision Devices (NVDs). It's a research station where excavation takes place, and yet *no one* has mining helmets? We failed to carry forward any personal system for producing light other than the flashlight that can't be tied to anything. Missed opportunity to address this, or even add a touch of humor here. Other elements are explained in the PDAs, why not this? It seems like another afterthought to me, and more work could have been in other areas to maintain the creepiness. I understand completely the emphasis on "atmosphere" for the game, but that atmosphere could be just as easily imparted by other elements. Having to recharge a pair of NVD's for example, would lend just as much atmosphere to the game. I suppose so much horsepower went into the graphics that there was little room left to do anything else.
- Underutilized story elements: The PDA is great and all, but it's underutilized. It would be interesting if you got a certain amount of info and are then given a choice; manipulate building functions through the PDA to get out faster, albeit without as many weapons or whatnot, or go through the building popping monsters, risking much more harm, but getting better weapons at the end. Why doesn't it have a comprehensive *map* of the place on it?? It can download video and security clearances no problem, but it doesn't have a map???
- Linear gameplay: To be totally fair, this is a problem with a lot of games now, so maybe I shouldn't be too harsh. One of the endearing things about Halo2 was the ability to play as members of both sides of the conflict. I think the Doom series could benefit from some fresh thinking in that regard; letting you play as various characters who eventually meet up at the end, (or not, depending on character played), then you're given a choice as to which character to play to go after the bad guy, for example. Randomization of the levels and the like, a la Diablo and Diablo II, would breathe some modern life into the series as well...and add to that creep factor every time you played.
- (Xbox version) Paltry cheat codes: Yeah I like using them and will freely admit it. I especially like unlimited ammo cheat codes, because, well, they're fun to use *after beating the game*. If I *wanted* a real life shooting experience with limited ammo, I'd *join SOCOMM*. The PC version has an unlimited ammo code, but the Xbox version doesn't. It does however, have invincibility, the single most boring cheat code ever invented. WHY?!?!?!

So color me so-so about Doom 3. Will I buy it? Good question. Doom fanatics already have the PC and Xbox versions, love both equally much, have the board game already, several action figures around the desk, and really don't care what I have to write about it. The Collector's Edition is intriguing; knowing that I could simply insert the disk into the Xbox and play Doom and Doom II all over again without having to write some batch file on my PC to manage virtual memory or whatnot is a value added benefit. I may wait until it goes down in price, say closer to the end of the year or whatnot.

A big disappointment
When i was but a lad, this kind of thing would have been a great game to play. But now as an older wiser gamer i can see through that kind of thing. By that kind of thing, i mean cheap thrills, which this game has plenty of and will use often. After playing this game for about an hour or two, you will begin to see that if you see a dark corner or hear a "SSSSSS" something is there or coming. And odds are you will shoot in the direction of the sound or darkness and almost 99.9% of the time, there is something there that you will have just killed. That's how i went through this game, and in the end i just didn't get enjoyment out of it. After finishing the final level, i really felt like i wasted my time playing it because the challenge just wasn't there. If you must play this game, do it for the graphics and rent it. Save your money. ... Read more

Features

• Add new characters, new maps, and exciting new levels with online content downloads
• Includes Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge (Rated T)
• Track your stats and rankings against others with your own unique ID number -- the GamerTag
• Get connected anywhere people are playing Xbox games
• Talk up your skills and challenge your buddies with the Xbox Communicator, then strategize for future games

Reviews (15)

The greatest online invention ever to hit consoles!!!!!!!!!!
This is the greatest thing I have ever seen. Xbox live is a great way to take your gaming online because it works with numerous amounts of games and is something you can never get bored with. A little too much, but every penny is worth it. The new revolutionary way of communicating over the internet is phenomenal. People actually talking into a headset together while they are playing.

More features about xbox live is the fact you can create a gamers tag, which is just any silly name that pops into your head with also an optional voice sensor. This allows your voice to sound anything you want it to. It is the coolest and funniest thing alive.

The people online are very friendly and helpful, but sometimes you get those people who do not give a dang about rookies. People who just bought this item; stay absolutely away from Halo 2 for right now. The people in the multiplayer matches will slaughter you in seconds. Take it from me. One minute the enemy is vanished and the next minute they are wacking you over the head with their gun.

You have the choice of a yearly renewal or monthly. Im not sure how much the monthly is, but the yearly is fiftly bucks, which is well worth it.

There is only one slight problem with xbox live. If you do not have internet connection from the room you are playing in, then it may become costly. You would have to get a game adapter, a wireless modem, and a bunch of other connections. This alone boosts the price up to somewhere you cannot afford.

All in all, this product is fabulous and recommend it to people who feel lonely playing with AI all the time. Isn't time for another challenge. Maybe someone that is actually real and can be more of a challenge.

You decide.

This RULES but bundle with a new game already, PLEASE!
Before I get to all the good stuff.It would be nice if XBOX bundled with a different game already!!!We all have that game, we all need another headset, we all need to renew.So bundle with a new game!(I realize this needs to be said to XBOX not Amazon, but they probably read these reviews.)

XBOX Live is the greatest thing that ever happened to video games!You will find your self not even finishing games because online play is so much fun and addicting.No matter how sophisticated developers make the ai, it can never compare to human intelligence and challenge.After playing online you will go back to the game campaign with new skill.Xbox live adds an infinite amount of life to games.Some games have a much more advanced Live experience then others, ie. Halo2 with matchmaking and ranking systems, that really adds to the experience and playability.

Guarantee...You will spend way too much time playing Live!The house could catch fire and you will not put the controller down.You will find yourself thinking about yesterdays matches while you should be thinking about your work/school.You will be so wired, sleeping is just not an option.Your sex life will go down the tubes, unless she plays Live with you (let her win, and don't tell her she sucks.)You will forget you have kids.Dinner, what for?What day is it? Yes this will happen to you.

Be aware (in all games) for cheaters and those that taunt, swear and spray racist comments.This is a problem with the Human race not XBOX Live.Some people can really get carried away and ruin the experience for all of us.

The Reason For Buying Halo 2
Now I got xbox live back in 2003 but I never really saw a reason to use it
In November 2004
I recived a package in the mail
as soon as I opened it I screamed at the top of my lungs HALO 2!
I started to play it and it was so fun
but there was something missing
something that didnt feel right
And as soon as I could put my finger on it I knew what it was
Xbox L.I.V.E. (Livin In Virtual Ectasy)
I rushed and found my microphone and all of my stuff
and the rest is history
Now alot of people says that halo 2 story mode was pretty bad
and right away u have to know that
theyve never played xbox live
with xbox live
ur halo 2 experience is
complete
the friends list is in all live games
but it doesnt work as well in other games
than it does in halo 2
buy it
and ull see the reason
why xbox rules
1

Great deal, but get a better headset
I just bought this package for my first experience with X-box Live.I love the network (although the level of discourse isn't always that high).The inclusion of a $20 game (Crimson Skies) was a great addition to the one year subscription.While some might complain it's an older game, being new to the X-box, I'd never played it.

The only complaint I had was the headset.I find it very hard to wear.It's hard to keep it behind my ears when I'm wearing my glasses.Because the wrap-around portion is one size fits all and extends back so far, I can't sit back in a chair with a headrest without knocking the headset off.Just generally I'm not impressed with the headset.

must get it!!!!!
Oh my god!!! i have been wanting xbox live now for some time, but had never played it. well i just played it at my friend's house and it is great!!! 10 thumbs up!!! I must get this!!! But mostly because Halo 2 was really fun! ... Read more

Product Description

DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil continues the terrifying, intense action of DOOM 3, the fastest selling 1st person PC shooter ever, with an all new storyline featuring new missions, characters and weapons, including the return of the id signature double-barreled shotgun.Supported Video Cards:ATI Radeon 8500 ATI Radeon 9700 ATI Radeon 9800 ATI Radeon 9500 ATI Radeon 9600 ATI Radeon 9000 All Nvidia GeForce 3/Ti series All Nvidia GeForce 4/MX series All Nvidia GeForce 4/Ti series All ... Read more

Features

• Single- and multi-player action for ages 17 or older
• Fight back against a demonic invasion of a Mars research facility
• First-person shooter game with real-time dynamic lighting and shadows
• Realistic physics; revolutionary new 3D graphics engine
• Cinema-quality visuals; surround sound; ever-changing environment

Reviews (13)

Not good.
What the hell are you guys talking about? This expansion is terrible. Firstly in the first game you were in a never-ending maze of pitch black corridors that all looked alike. Here, you are in a never-ending maze of pitch black caves that all look alike. But caves are even more boring than metallic corridors. I mean at least the Id guys had to use some textures in the first game. But the guys who did this must have said "I know, lets make it easy on ourselves and only use 1 texture - ReddishBrown to simulate Martian sandstone." Secondly, in the first game you were constantly hit with childish horror-house tactics, eg. you walk into a room, 2 nasties appear in front of you, then the door locks behind you, the lights go out so you can't see a thing and have to fire wildly into the dark, while at the same time you hear that corny "evil" laughter - hehehehehe. Well here, you get exactly the same thing. But for me the worst thing in this expansion is the way they have filled it with platform style "obstacle courses". I hate those. They only put those in games when they've run out of ideas of what to do next. And there are a lot of them in this. You know the idea, where you've got to run before a descending wall crushes you but it is perfectly timed (even with that slow-down-time thingy) so that it takes you 8 attempts before you get it right. Annoying. That kind of thing belongs in Tomb Raider, not Doom.

They learned a thing or two...
I was personally quite pleased with the first installment of Doom 3. Some low points existed, however, for me. Like the whole 'flashlight' gripe about the fact that this is the distant future and you can't even have a flashlight on your gun or helmet like they've done already so many years ago! That was just silly. And obstructive to game play as well. They addressed that here. Sort of an apology for such a ridiculous fumble. Next is the fact that while there was an assortment of 'baddies' in the first game, too many of the same-ones were thrown at you of a few sorts, while others were barely even used. This games addresses that as well. You get a nice array of new demons to kill while a few of the lesser used ones were re-introduced into this program. This program is a tad shorter than Doom 3 in my experience. But, that's O.K. with me. Too much of a good thing can go sour. You revisit a few of the locales from the first installment. But, not so many that it feels like exactly the same game. The extra weapon was nice. Familiar when compared to the weapon in Half-Life 2. But, executed very nicely. The ending was very weak. However, i personally believe that they are making room for another add-on in the near future. So, Valve did one-up the original in a lot of ways, but the fear factor is a little bit lost. As the sounds and environments feel similar to the first in an atmospheric way. So, if you've played the 'hell' out of the first, you get a 'been-there-done-that' kind of feeling when you spot another demon in the dark. But, this did have a few moments for me where i had to stop it for a short while. It can get intense.

Double-barreled Savior
I liked Doom3, maybe a little too dark, but my eyes adjusted.This expansion pack wasn't much of an expansion, way too short even for $20!Living in the boondocks and all it probably took me longer to drive to the store buy it, get home and install it than it took for me to beat it, that just blows in my book.I didn't mind the fact that it was pretty much the exact same game because I really did like D3.I find it entertaining running around and mindlessly blowing $hit up.The one part that really saved D3 ROE was the fact that they made up for ID's slip - no double-barreled shotgun!What the hell, it was a great step up in Doom 2 and that crappy version they made for N64, I thought it was a guarantee that we would have been able to use it for the newest addition to the Doom family, but no.I mean come on, it's become a staple in ID's games since Doom 2, why the change?Maybe I'm flippin' out too much about a fake shotgun, but I'm sometimes like an autistic child, I'm very easily amused and upset (I'm going to hell for that one).Bottom line if you are willing to pay $20 for another 5 hours of Doom 3 go for it, otherwise the changes aren't that significant where you won't be able to live your life if you miss it.On a side note, if anyone knows where I can get a mod to use the double-barreled shotgun for D3 e-mail me or post it here. (johnkleineider@northwesternmutual.com) No complaint e-mails about my autistic crack, thanks.

I call that Resurrection of Crap
So, they did manage to squezee out an expansion pack for the DOOM3. I just finished the game today and I have to say that I am utterly disappointed.
First of all, let's talk about the original doom3, with all the poor ratings from mags aside, my personaly experience is poor. There's no doubt that the graphic is surperier, however most times you wont' even get a glimps of the glory, the entire set is way too dark for a video game, at some places even with the "never dying" flashlight you still can't see your own fingers. The story line is pretty simple, no something you would expect from a newer generations of hardcore games, especially from veterian developers such as ID software. I think they focued way too much on the details on the graphics of the games instead of develop a well ploted classic, and may I remaid you that you can't see the nice graphics most of the time!!!
Second of all, the expansion pack. To start off with, I think the game really did finish last time with D3, oh crap, the bad escaped at the end. What's gonna happen? He's gonna come back and cause another Hell return. That's where the expansion pack start. Needless to say, the plot was dry and boring, (IT'S EVEN DARKER THAN THE FIRST ONE). So you go through all these elevators killing monsters mostly from the first one. with the addition of one common one that throws plasma lightbulb instead of fireball. WOW, what an improvement!!! GUNS?? usually the expansion pack come with many new and improved gears and toys to crunch your thirst for blood. The D3 ROE comes with a new "shotgun" that has double barrel and ... wait, that's it! yeh, sorry to disappoint yall, but that was it. Oh yeah... You can't just give us royal fans just one gun for the expansion pack right? Let's borrow an idea from another game HL2, the grabber, you can grab and throw back! How original! For people who hasn't played HL2 before, this might just work as ID's IDEA.
Last but certainly not least, the ending, I can't say too much about the ending, but i can tell you this much, I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT IS DONE when it's done. short and simple, no thinking or other mind twisting strategies, there's isn't even a goshdarn final clip. I mean come on, even the lamest movies have something blow up at the end. THINK ID! THINK!
Ok, i gave it 4 stars from graphics when you can see them, 0 for darkness 'cause what's the point of rating if you dont' know what you are looking at? 1 for storyline since there's really not much to it. and 0 or -1 for the ending. Man, I just can't believe i wasted time for this Resurrection of crap. (try it if you want, if you are really bored)

Resurrection of Blandness
During the writing of this review I'm experiencing the same creative block that the developers obviously experienced when upper management told them to squeeze an expansion out of their rectums. Unlike them, however, I will not resort to stealing random ideas from other games (mainly the grabber, ie the equivelant ofHalf-Life 2's gravity gun) and covering the mess with lots of eye candy and dim lighting. ... Read more

Product Description

Namco (10024) Katamari Damashi PS2 ... Read more

Features

• Simple play controlled with analog sticks only; no buttons to press
• Dimensions change drastically as clumps grow; 2-player battle mode
• For 1 to 2 players
• Ball-rolling and object-collecting gameplay with quirky, infectious humor throughout
• Insanely cosmic animations; wacky musical stylings; royally contagious storyline

Reviews (98)

Roll with a goal!!
Upon hearing about this game, my knee-jerk reaction was that it would be the most boring game in existence.I mean, seriously, how fun can it be to roll around a ball, picking up various items along the way?!Apparently more fun than anyone anticipated (judging by others' reactions and ratings)!

Other reviewers have been doing a great job describing the goal of the game; that of rolling around a sticky ball (katamari) and picking up progressively larger items.Once you get the katamari a certain size (as determined by what mission, stage, level you're on) the King of the Cosmos turns your katamari into a star or constellation.

What many of the reviewers seem to have missed is the goal of each level.The overarching theme is to make stars and constellations, in order to restore all of the stars to the sky.However, each level has specific nuances.For instance, when trying to make the constellation Taurus, the goal is to pick up the largest cow you can find.Additionally, you may want to try working on making the constellation of Gemini.In this level you need to try and pick up two (a pair) of each item.Your score is then calculated for however many pairs you have.

The game is fantastic, simple (in controls and purpose), but still challenging... with time limits to produce a certain-sized katamari.I do not own this game, and have only played it once, but I guarantee that I will be purchasing this game in the near future!It's a great game.Give it a chance!I think you'll like it!

Humorous, infectuos and weird
So, you are pint sized prince who rolls katamari, a ball that everything sticks to. As things stick to katamari, ball grows and larger are the objects that you can merge with katamari. Almost all levels are time trial (I dislike time trials) and you have a size ball must reach, so you roll around and learn what levels look like in order to make katamari grow faster. All levels are medium or easy, except Poland.

Game is logical, which we haven't seen in a long time, and it is really attractive: imagine rolling 5 cm big katamari to pick up nuts and batteries in the beginning of the level and , after some time, rolling katamari big enough to pick up people, cars, buildings, and , finally, clouds and rainbows.

There should be a sequel soon, and I'd like to see levels that are different visually (Saudi Arabia looks like Russia). Some levels could have special restrictions, like it is forbidden to roll people, some levels should have interesting geometry, let's say sliding down the street or possibility to roll down the roller coaster. It would also be nice to have more levels with large katamari, and more levels in general.

The main reason game got 4 stars is camera...but, BUY! Game is weird but also really fun to play!!!

????????????? But FUN!
the developers of this game were obviously on an overdose of every drug ever created! This is the wierdest game i have ever and ever will play in my entire life! But in a good way . . . the game actualy has shadow of brilliance combined with block and and solid objects. The game however is VERY fun! which makes me wonder about drugs . . . (just kidding, drugs are bad!)all ages will find a whimsical joy in this odd, fun, and blurry brilliance. Its a bragain, u have no excuse!

Fun, Fun, Fun!
This is a great game for anyone, no matter the age.
If you can use the Playstation controller, you can play this game.

Plenty of others have given good descriptions of it, so I just wanted to echo a 5 star review.

If you have kids, you will be playing right along with them, I'm sure.

Tripped Out
I first played this game at a buddies house and was hooked on of all things, the tunes.Basically this game is like the others have said - the stars are gone and it's the son of the King of Cosmos' job to put them back to the sky, and re-create the constellations.So, the son goes to earth and with a ball called a Katamari, he rolles up anything from ants to skyscrapers so that a giant ball of stuff they can be elevated into the sky and turned into stars.

The thing about this game that's so addictive are the little challenges to it and finding different things that you missed the first 4 times you rolled on a level.You wind up enjoying watching others play it because you look at the details of all the objects that are around you in the game - and how impressive it is!(the amount of detail)The gameplay to this is simple and fun - one of my friends likened rolling the ball to driving the Warthog in Halo 2; not so bad of an analogy.But that's all you really need - you don't use the buttons really or anything else; just the analog sticks, which make it a game that almost anyone can play and enjoy.

Definitely recommend it.I enjoyed the game and the tunes in the game were cute if anything else.Try not to think too much of the 'plot' of the game... there really isn't one although there is a small story to carry along which is more of a gag for the tripped out herb heads.But this really is a pretty easy game that you can just pop in, take your mind off things, and play.I guess my only gripe would be that it wasn't very long at all... even though I wound up playing it for about 3 hours straight when i got it.Check it out! ... Read more

Product Description

Working with award-winning science fiction author Orson Scott Card, GlyphX Games has created a gripping storyline that will thrust gamers and readers alike into an incredible intergalactic saga.In Advent Rising, players make decisions that effect not only what they experience in the first game, but the entire Advent trilogy.Storyline:In Advent Rising, a common legend pervades the galaxythat of a powerful, highly intelligent ancient race that will one day deliver the universe.They ar ... Read more

Features

• Single-player game play presented in stunning, cinematic format;
• Switch between 1st and 3rd person point-of-view;
• Built using next-generation Unreal technology, integrated with the Karma physics engine;
• Unprecedented collaboration with Hugo and Nebula award-winning author Orson Scott Card on sweeping storyline;
• Develop amazing superhuman powers;

Reviews (6)

Technical problems keep it from being great
Advent Rising was announced a few years ago as the first in a trilogy that was epic in scope.It has all the workings of a great project as well.The original story began in the director's mind and he knew it would be such a grand story that he enlisted the help of notable sci-fi scribe Orson Scott Card to help work the script.Card worked on the script, getting the dialogue right and also assisted with the overall story.On top of an excellent author, they employed an orchestra and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to perform.All of these should spell out to be a recipe for sucess.And it does, sort of.

What holds this game back from glory are the myriad of technical issues.To begin with, the game is beautiful.Graphic-wise, it reminds me of Halo 2.Halo 2 had no loading after the initial load and the graphics, while nice, suffered at times from having to be rendered quickly.The same goes for Advent Rising.In fact, while you are watching a cutscene, the game is busy loading the next sequence.What this does is put a tremendous strain on the engine.If the engine is strong, it shouldn't pose much problem.But, unfortunately, this sometimes spells disaster for Advent Rising.

The first 40 minutes of the game did not give me a great first impression.During the training sequences, the game locked up three times.I had to replay the same sequence about 4 times to get through it simply because I did something the game didn't like and it froze.The game auto-saves onces you hit certain check points and if you have to reset the game, you're starting back over from the beginning of the checkpoint.Things became much better as the game progressed and I don't remember the game freezing again.

Added to the lock ups, the game stutters when there's too many things going on at once.I don't mean when little things are happening, I mean when you have a squad of 3-4 people on your team shooting at 4-6 enemies and there's two drop ships coming in and launching missles that explode with huge flames.When that happens, the game's audio begins to "click," the frame rate drops very noticeably and things become a bit annoying.But again, this only really happens when there's a ton going on.

Unfortunately, more technical issues abound.Namely in the sound.With the beautifully orchestrated music pounding, the screams of people fleeing certain destruction, the explosions, the lazers tearing apart buildings, you'd expect to have a lot of sound.Unfortunately, in the cutscenes the sound tends to be muted.To give you an example, on my surround sound receiver (which the game supports by the way), I usually keep the sound at 10-11 for a decent, full sound that doesn't also piss off my neighbors.For this game, generally I have to have the sound on at 16-17 and it's still muted.I know the reason is probably because the game is loading the next scene and the engine is faltering because of it.

A love it or hate it device is used for targeting.Called "flick targeting," you use the right stick to change between your targets, effectively "flicking" it in their general direction to lock onto them.For those who use their right stick to change the camera constantly, like me, this can take some time to get used to.But, if you can train yourself not to change the camera as much will find it works pretty well.Where it can get into a problem is when you are trying to run from the enemy to get to cover.When this happens, and you try to reorient the camera to find some place to run, it can become frustrating to continually lock onto targets.Also, when you receive your power to levitate objects, this becomes even more of a hindrance as you not only lock onto enemies now but also moveable objects.Click the right stick (R3 button) helps with this problem because it releases the camera but it still causes moments of annoyance.Honestly, though, it's a great system to handle more than one enemy at a time.

At the heart of the game, past all of the technical problems and targeting woes is a great story.The beginning of the story with the Seeker's attack of your home world reminded me of what Halo 2 was missing.Here we saw devastation on your homeworld, we fought on the homeworld and it generally stressed the feeling of your world at risk.From there, it's an epic event after epic event as the seekers cause untold problems, a few plot twists occur and a few deaths propel our protagonist toward his goal.It's a great story and the dialogue is terrific, bring to mind movie quality.The voice actors are a charm to listen to, and there are a couple funny moments.Card's influenced can be seen everywhere.In fact, I was waiting for the main characters to break out in a discussion of Varelese and Ramen in terms of aliens (read the Ender's series if you didn't get that).

For all that's good in this game, and there's plenty do not get me wrong, I feel semi-disappointed.This game has been pushed back countless times.Mostly, it's been pushed back to help fix the frame rate issues, and other technical problems I've noted.And so when the game was finally released I was shocked when the very things that made it miss release date upon release date were still causing problems.What is most annoying is that we are this far in the Xbox development cycle and bugs abound.We are currently waiting for Xbox 360 to come out and countless games have been made that are more beautiful and less buggy than this game.It's disappointing to see that even this far into the Xbox life problems are still occuring.Maybe the game was too grand for the Xbox and should have been an Xbox 360 launch title.Whatever the case, this game is really good, regardless of the problems.If you can overlook the technical issues above, you will find not only a good game, but a good game with a heart.And that's hard to find today.

A Fun Epic Sci Fi Shooter ,Flawed But Fun.
Advent Rising is a third & first person shooter that is a fast pace Sci-Fi Epic like gaming experience that is best desribed as a star wars/halo2 mix. But Advent Rising is still a unique game in its own right. You play in 1st & 3rd person which can be changed while playing. There are about 11 different weapons ranging from ballistic to the alien variety & they all have great response,sound,& power. You are able to equip & fire from both hands by using both triggerssimular to halo2 ,&most weapons have alternate fire modes. You can perform Melee attacks & will get advanced melee's as you progress in mastery levels 1-5.The Mastery Level is a reward system ,as you use a weapon or power you will automaticly gain level ups such as more damage or better accuracy,also it'll open up alternate fire modes on special power & weapons you can gain up to 5 levels on all weapons & powers.You eventually will aquireSpecial Powers simular to force powers in star wars games. These powers include LEVITATE ,which gives you the ability to levitate enemies & shoot them in mid air ,also liftinanimate objects &you can also throw enemies off cliffs, SURGE which is a type offorce push to damage enemies & if you hold trigger for a stronger surge blast,NEGATE which gives you the ability to make a shield & its advanced stages you are able to put up multiple sheilds ,4 when maxed out,alternatly you can carry a shield ,AEON PULSE which gives you the ability to shoot pulses from your hands in which damages the enemy, TIME SHIFT which gives you the abilty to warp time & attack enemy at a great speed which causes alot of damage to enemy,it basicly looks like a quick sprint into the enemy ,kinda like a running charge at a blurring speed,& finally SHATTER which you can shoot ice shards, which look more like blue spheres on screen, & its advanced stages can freeze an enemy. All Weapons & Powers also have (alternate) modes of fire & powers in which becomeavailable as you advance in mastery levels 1-5. All powers use energy but as you gain mastery levels you will use less energy.You automaticly are awarded the power ups as you fight or use powers,you can look in your weapons & powers menu to see there effects.You have different vehicles to drive that resemble halos warthog, & there is an enemy alien tank that looks quite good. The land vehicle (scythe) 4x4 ,is very responsive & has verystrong boost power. You can also operate anti-air turrets when available.For the most part your on foot.This game is a pure 1st & 3rd person shooter with an added very helpful force type super powers, these powers arent thrown in just for fun or looks you'll definalty use them & need them alot, I found myself prefering to use the force type powers more & morein the later stages ,because in Advent Rising the more you use anything the stronger it gets with the mastery level up system.You can equip a power to one hand & a weapon to the other hand for an endless array of good combinations ,or you could just use the powers ,whatever works for you.The graphics are good & they get better as you advance in the game, but I do have a "S" cable so keep that in mind.Overall Advent is a very fun game ,but could use some polishing up on a few things. The targeting system is a little herky-jerky .You use the right analog stick to change & hone in onto targets . Adversly you also use the right analog for the camera pan & tilt. Things makes things a little unbalanced when in a firefight as sometimes when you are trying to look into a certain direction the targeting ring will lock onto a different target than you intended. But I had no serious problems that hampered my game experince with the targeting system . I think it would have been better to have a cleaner smoother targeting system or even a free form target system like most first & third person shooters have. But you can adjust the Targeting systems sensitivity in the options menu.There is also alot of slow down when the screen gets full & on one occasion the sound got messed up. But even with these game flaws Advent Rising is still a very fun shooter with nice level detail which is 95% linear but still very EPIC movielike in design. I noticed there are some simularities to halo2 in the design of some of the levels in Advent,with vast open spaces & the like.But dont let me mislead you Advent shouldnt be compared to HALO2 .Id say Advent is a loose mix between a star wars type game & halo2. The cutscenes are nicley done with Greatstory content & good voice acting & there are a ton of clips to be seen. Advent gameplay is good but when the framerates slow down ,which is often,is gets stiff. And the camera could be a little smoother,but your still able to see in (3-d) all directions like other 1st & 3rd person shooters. But even with all of these flaws Advent is still a very fun shooter.I beat the game on Normal difficulty in 3 days ,the story was very good ,just make sure to watch the entire CREDITS because at the end there's a surprise Boss battle with another ending & it definatly opens up for the sequel. You have 4 difficulty settings Easy,Normal,Hard,& Ultra. Its a fairly challenging game thats not too easy ,& not too hard ,but you can change difficulty while your playing to suit your needs.Its a very good start to a game series ,hopefully with some fine tuning ,sequels to this game will take note of gamers comments & improve on it. In a nutshell Advent Rising is kinda like watching a very good Epic movie storyline while you get to partake in being the star.Advent Rising is a fun overall Sci-Fi gaming experience regardless of its flaws. Definalty Worth Playing.Im looking forward to the sequel.

Advent Rising- The Beginning of a Legacy
Advent Rising is the first in the Advent Trilogy. This is a great start for a franchise that is sure to have people talking for a long time. The game does have it's glitches, but they seem small and unimportant compared to the game's great aspects. I am really suprised by the low scores that have been given by IGN, GameSpot, etc. I think this trilogy will be a compelling, original experience, that will have it's fair share of glory before it is through.

First, I want to state that Tommy Talarico Studios has done a phenomenal job with the music. The music was what really brought together the whole experience for me. When the humans started to be attacked, I got a real sense of tragedy that only great music can deliver. Throughout the entire game, I was drawn in by the simple, yet effective, melodies. Advent Rising has some of the best audio of this year.

The next thing I want to talk about is the story. You play Gideon Wyeth. The younger brother of renowned captain, and playboy, Ethan Wyeth. The story is that you and your brother are to escort an ambassidor onto an alien shuttle, so that your races can become allies. The aliens, who are called Aurelians, warn you that the Seekers are coming to destroy the humans. The story draws you in so quickly, that you will find it hard to put the controller down, even to go to the bathroom. Some of the cinematics are very long. Advent Rising compensates for this by letting you pause during the cinematics, and letting you skip them, or restart it, but I digress. Back to the story. Very early in the game, you are faced with a tough decision. Both your brother Ethan, and your fiance Olivia are injured. You can only save one. It makes little difference in the end who you choose, but I found the outcome very sad.

Next comes the gameplay. This game is very interesting, because it is kind of a Third Person Action Shooter RPG. Let me explain. There are a variety of elements in the game, that keep it diverse and fun. The RPG element comes into play, when you have used a weapon or ability so much, that you become more proficient in the skill. Later in the game, you learn from Kehlem, an Aurelian, how to levitate objects. You gain different unerthly skills throughout the game, which you can become more proficient in.

Overall, Advent Rising is amazing. It is an original, fun, and extraordinary experience. The stunning visuals, beautiful music, and compelling gameplay, come together to deliver a refreshment from the same old games. This is a sure contender for game of the year. Advent Rising is the first in a trilogy that will take the gaming world by storm.

Good Game, but has a few bugs
I am a 24 year old gamer and feel this game is truly unique.It is nothing like Halo except that you are human killing aliens.The game is beautiful constructed and the storyline is captivating--it vaguely reminds me of star wars.I recommend at least renting this game if not buying it.

The only problem with the game is that at certain times your character jams.For example:You use one of your super powers and you float into the air, but then never come back down.It can be very frustrating.Plus the aimng system is very touchy and at times you lose where you are shooting.

With all said, It is a great game and should not be over looked.Rent it at least.

A little buggy, but tons of fun!
I was mesmerized by my first glimpses of the game and had been waiting patiently for Advent Rising to come out.I was overjoyed when it finally hit the shelves, but became bit worried when when I read a few reviews before the fact, and found their verdicts to be mediocre at best, poor at worst.Undaunted, I bought the game to see for myself, and personally, I wasn't disappointed.The storyline, which pits humankind as a race of myth, destined to save the universe against the Seekers, a race that is bent on destroying them(and written by the great Orson Scott Card, no less) keeps you riveted, wondering what is going to happen next; the music is a top-notch orchestral work of beauty, and the gameplay is fast, intuitive, and pulls you in. However, the negative points will severely turn off some more nitpicky gamers, in that there is a major bug in the realm of frame rate.Some areas of intense battle slow down severely, and subtract from the experience.
Also, there is a problem with the targeting system in that it is EXTREMELY tricky and twitchy, switching from one enemy from another at the drop of a hat, and losing sight of the main character in intense combat moments.This can be frustrating, but like the frame rate problem, can be overlooked.Also, the sheer amount of obvious work and love put into the game makes up for these problems.
As it is the first in a planned trilogy, those problems hopefully will be addressed in the later games.All in all, Advent Rising is a game well worth its money, and plagued by overly harsh reviews.I say give it a try; if you're a bit nervous about it, rent it first and see.Aside from the framerate and targeting system, the game is a masterpiece, and like other reviewers have said, NOT to be compared to Halo.If its two major problems had been addressed properly, however, I believe that reviewers would have been kinder to it.But it is a game not to be snubbed for its shortcomings.It's tons of fun and a worthy addition to anyone's Xbox library. ... Read more

Features

• New songs, including exclusives for the U.S. and licensed songs.
• Special "Work Out" mode allows you to have fun getting in shape.
• Get the arcade experience with the specially designed dancing pad.
• Over 100 minutes of dance music plus brand new game modes.

Reviews (17)

Great game and workout!
This is my first time ever playing ddr. I have read several reviews on how people got into shape playing this game because it was so much fun and addicting. They were right! The only complaint I have about this bundle pack, when I bought it, the salesperson said it came with the eye toy. I was sooo disapointed to find out it didn't. My sister works in a music store where they sell the bundle pack, and she also thought that it came with the eye toy due to misleading advertising. In the fine print it says sold seperately. The makers of this game need to make it more clear that it does not come in the pack.

Good exercise! Tara's review
I got this game today. It did not cost me much. My brother and I had to pay thirty dollars each. Anyway, I like this game. It's pretty fast. I have not been to weight loss mode yet, but I heard it's cool from the other reviews.
Hope you enjoy this toy.

Some good, some bad.But fun overall.
I play dance games a lot.I own all the console games and think this is one of the better mixes for PS2.I'll go over the pros and cons catagorically...

Graphics:The graphics are nice for a PS2 DDR game.However, I have been playing DDR Extreme in the arcades for a couple years now and the graphics are not the same.If you go to Japan, this is the same overall graphics as DDR Festival.

Music:The music is top notch despite several cover songs that were used in Karaoke Revolution.

Scoring:The scoring is now back to the way 5th Mix in the arcades handled the points.This would be ok if this game didn't have the Extreme moniker on it.

Gameplay:Gameplay is excellent, but I have a gripe in the song selection menu...Non-stop and challenge modes are available, but are always selectable in the song selection menu.In other words, you can play everything up to your last stage and STILL choose to play a non-stop or challenge course.In the arcade, challenge and non-stop mode are available at the difficulty selection screen for good reason.

For the normal person who is just getting into the DDR craze, this is a good stepping stone.For those who are hardcore DDR players, this is still a good investment.You may be just a little let down however.

Never Bored
I got this gift as a Christmas present. I play it just about every single day. There are so many different modes, characters, and songs that you can unlock. You have fun while playing, excercising, and dancing.

When I play I don't even seem to notice the time. The dance pad is excellent, and still is in the condition it was when I opened it. I've had no concerns with this product what so ever. It's very entertaining to have a couple of friends over and challenge eachother.

The songs are great, and there are so many different sorts to choose from. There are slow, fast, extremely fast, and medium song melodies. If you're stuck inside on a rainy day or something, and you still want to excercise, play this.

It even has a Workout mode where you can keep track of your weight, and what it seems you've moved to after each session of DDR.

Overall, this is one of the greatest games.

Great exercise!
After playing this game at a friend's house, my son wanted it so bad he paid for it with his own money.He plays it almost everyday and it has become a great form of exercise for him. This is one video game that I really enjoy watching him play! ... Read more

Product Description

The U.S. Army has received a distress signal from Area 51 where a viral outbreak has just shut down the research facility. A small Hazardous Materials unit led by specialist Ethan Cole is sent to investigate. As Cole, players will delve into the mysterious confines of Area 51, discovering a deadly mutagenic side effect of the virus that controls the minds of those infected, as well as an ancient alien colony buried beneath the facility. ... Read more

Features

• Play as HAZMAT specialist Ethan Cole investigating a viral outbreak
• Use both human and alien weapons to control the chaos and contain the outbreak
• For 1 player
• First-person shooter
• Explore five levels set in the U.S. government's most secretive and secure military facility

Reviews (14)

spend hours killing everything in sight
I bought the game a couple of days ago and I can't put it down, I've played through hours of battles online and see no end anytime soon. Good game.Also, can we please stop comparing everything to HALO, I'll admit, the first HALO got me to buy the XBOX after years of owning a PS2.But the 2nd HALO was garbage and offered nothing new. This game is great in single player mode and online and honestly offers more fun.But that's just my opinion.

The Truth About "Area 51" (Xbox)
"Area 51," the FPS redux of the arcade blast fest of the same name, is fun and addictive - two qualities that are certainly necessary in any good FPS. However, it is also, in a word, anticlimactic.

In "Area 51," you take on the guise of Ethan Cole (straight from the Generic Hero Name Generator), a soldier voiced by the "X-Files"' David Duchovny, as he and his team are sent into the legendary military facility known as Area 51 to investigate some strange occurrences there. Suffice it to say that Ethan and company get more than they bargained for, and have to shoot hordes of aliens and genetically enhanced baddies to ultimately win the day.

"Area 51" owes the usual debt to "Half-Life." The setup is similar, it goes without saying, but the infamous underground base and namesake of the game do provide some unique thrills - even if they're not fully capitalized upon. The level designs too often involve lots and lots of flip switching and button pressing, but otherwise do their job admirably. Still, although the top-secret setting provides ample opportunity to theorize in a fantastical way about what kinds of things that are truly taking place there, the game makes it feel quite familiar, like pretty much any other generic sci-fi corridor crawl, complete with bloodthirsty mutants and evil extraterrestrials. There are too few moments of sheer inspiration here - which makes one sequence, a sardonic discovery that the first American moon landing was faked, all the more memorable when it occurs.

Enemies suffer from this same sense of "been there, done that, shot that a million times before in a million other shooters." That said, there's more than a little something to be said regarding the gameplay, which is fast, furious, and ultimately compelling. Weapons, while mostly boilerplate (not surprisingly), pack a real wallop that is too often missing in the genre of late, and taken in effect with some very good rag doll physics make for action that is truly tasty. Given that this is an action game through and through, that's certainly high praise, and makes the game recommendable on that point alone.

Halfway through the game, the player character develops mutant super powers that further inject some sense of variety, allowing him to slow time, hurl vampyric parasites that can restore his health, and ultimately turn his enemies against each other. Whether or not this mutant element of the game is essential from a design perspective, it nonetheless adds flavor, and at times these abilities (particularly the parasites) are extremely helpful in dire combat situations.

Production values are another high point in "Area 51." As previously stated, the graphics are easy on the eye, and don't come with a high price attached. Despite the onscreen action there's never any discernable slowdown, and load times between missions are exceptionally brief. Also worthy of mention is the professional voice work, done by the aforementioned Duchovny (whose recognizable brogue makes it easy to settle into the conspiratorial setting despite the character's blandness), Powers Boothe (underused here as Major Bridges), and Marilyn Manson (whose alien, "Edgar," is the stand-out). Unfortunately the sound effects wrapped around these things can be a bit tinny at times, and, on a few occasions, quite annoying. Weapons discharges have a good sound to them, though, which helps make up for this.

It's unfortunate that the storyline running behind the scenes here is so unremarkable -- except perhaps for its remarkable ability to confound and confuse. It's a convoluted mess chock full of loose ends never properly tied. Perhaps the biggest flaw in "Area 51," however, is the anticlimactic finale, which comes and goes without much ado - so much so, in fact, that I had no idea I had reached the conclusion until I got dumped back onto the menu screen. Given that the single player campaign is fairly brief, this is a real disappointment.

All in all, though, "Area 51" provides an enjoyable FPS experience while it lasts, which unfortunately isn't long enough. Even so, the quality of the action at hand nullifies many of the game's faults. Well worth checking out, when it's all been said and done.

Three Stars.
Area 51 is standard FPS that plays decent .I beat the game in about 4 days .Its not too hard of a game. AREA 51 just doesnt come close to matching the quality of HALO2 . The graphics in area 51 are good but not great.Sometimes I noticed there was a haziness type effect to the game. The best part of the game is when you get to the alien ship & see the greys , the look of the game takes a turn for the better but its not until 3/4 into the game. If your a fan of the X-files you (might) like this game more for the investigative factor in this game ,because your supplied with a scanner type device that scans journals,people,experiments,etc. to give you clues & info on secrets in AREA 51.Also David Ducovny voices your player throughout the game. The storyline is pretty standard AREA 51,alien virus etc. & you eventualy can morph into a mutated human with certain abilities. You can transform at any time once your infected. The mutant/virus helps towards the end in the final stages.When you finaly see the GREYS alien (the ones with big eyes) its looks pretty kool and you can shoot/kill them. So people who are into x-files & anything related to that type of show might like this game more or less.But it realyjustplays like a standard FPS that you probably should rent because you will be done before the rental is due.I agree with some of the other reviewers that HALO2 just raised the bar too high for this game too compete. 3 stars for AREA 51 ,Rent First.

ehhh....
I agree with the reviewer that said this game is like a mix between Halo and Half-Life, but like that reviewer said it doesn't really come close to either of those.Even if it did, you might as well just play the originals.

The first type of enemy that you fight is very similar to the flood in Halo, i.e. big zombie like creatures that run straight at you and sometimes shoot at you along the way.With them are the little mutated spider things that look almost exactly like the ones in Half-Life.After that you fight against human (or human-like) soldiers that have about average AI, and they are also almost exactly like the soldiers that you encounter later on in Half-Life.

The controls, weapons, voices, etc, are average at best.The graphics are very good, but it seems like any game that is coming out now has outstanding graphics.

What annoys me the most about this game is that it is advertised as being a battle against aliens, but all you really see in the game are parasite infected zombies and human soldiers.Definitely a let down.

Overall:just another generic shooter.Not horrible, but definitely not great either.

Original is better!!!
I have played the demo but not the real game and it stinks!
Worse than original(the original OWNS!!)
Guns are definitly ripped off from halo 2
and did I mention the original owns? Nothing can beat the original Area 51 (by the way, you can buy the original for ps1)!! ... Read more

Product Description

SanDisks Memory Stick PRO Duo is half the size of a standard-size Memory Stick PRO media and it offers the same technologies including high speed data transfer, built-in MagicGate, and high capacities. The Memory Stick PRO Duo is the ideal solution for the most portable devices such as pocket-size digital cameras and with the use of Adaptor, it can be used in all PRO-compatible devices. ... Read more

Features

• Save your game levels, listen to digital music, play your favorite video, and download and store game cheat code characters and game skins
• Utilizes exclusive MLC memory and controller technology developed at SanDisk
• Meets all MS specifications, and is guaranteed compatible

Reviews (1)

Don't buy this for PSP
First off to start I am not a kid, I did this because I didnt want to go through the crap of writing a normal review. I bought this stick for my PSP and bought a memory stick reader with it. When I put the stick in my PSP it acknowledged it, yet when I put it in the reader and tried to put music on it, Sonicstage said that it wasnt compatible. I tried changing my music system from Sonicstage 2.0 back down to Sonicstage 1.5 but to no effect. To have something to compare it to I tried putting music on the 32 mb card provided by the PSP and it worked fine. My computer acknowledges the memory stick, but says it doesnt have any memory on it. For those of you looking for a better deal than the more expensive sony cards, if you have a PSP just go with the sony cards ... Read more

Product Description

Nintendo (DOL P GALE) Smash Bros. Melee GC ... Read more

Reviews (1001)

There's is Hope!
The Gamecube, ah the Gamecube. It's good, but not good enough, but hey, that's just my opinion. I did not want a Gamecube, I did not! But I decided what the heck, I loved the original Super Smash, so I bought The Super Smash Bros. Melee. Oh my god! this game was so good, I loved it, My PS2 seems like nothing compared to Super Smash. It's a great game, and it has such a huge lasting appeal or replay value.

Gameplay: The controls are suprisingly easy, if you can button mash, this is your game, if you're not so good at controls, you need some practice. but very easy.

Graphics: C'mon, you know you like them, kicks the PS2's graphics outta the the park! And they run very smoothely. The only problem is how you can run right through people, but who cares! (8/10)

Entertainment: What do u think? So much, with the BIG variety of characters, nice variety of levels, multi-player, you know, a lot of entertainment is to be had. (10/10)

Replay Value: A lot! You'll never want to stop! Okay, you will, but you'll want to fit it into your schedule every day, yeah, it's that good!(10/10)

Difficulty: C'mon, if you think it's hard, you won't have too much luck on hard or very hard mode. (9/10)

Overall: Sure this game has it's flaws, but what game doesn't?! It should be 19.99, but it's so good, it's still 30.00, and it's a Player's Choice! Buy it, it's really, really worth it!
(9/10, overall score) (not an average)

Finally, There's hope for the Gamecube!!
- D C

yay^_^!
this game is a MUST HAVE for people with gamecubes!!!!!
it has prettyful graphics,cool 1P modes,(except adventure,without giga bowser-_-;)
theres lots of characters,25,way more than the original.
u can collect trophies!like almost 300!!!!!
SONIC AND TAILS R NOT CHARACTERS!!!!!!!!!!don't listen to them!!!!!
kirbys the best char!!!!!!!!!
P.S:a super smash bros. is coming out for the new Revolution!!!:O
P.S.S:how can a game with jigglypuff be rated T?!?!
Starfishie"Star"^_~

...WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE THINKING?
Why are you reading these reviews?
This is one of the BEST GCN games out there.
Just BUY IT.

- Kolby Manning

Oh, and P.S. - fire dragon99, you loser.There is not a PS2 version of this game! Stop living under a soundproof ROCK!Why would Sony publish a game LOADED with NINTENDO characters?And if the game did exist, there is no way that it would be "A lot better."PS2 Sucks and ruins games. Just go play your little PS2 nonexistent SSBM.And get a spell checker.

Sweet.
This is a great game. The first time I played this game was actually at "TOYS R US" and then I played it at my friends house. I liked it so much I begged my parebnts to get it for me and eventually they did!!! I play it all the time!!! I have all of the characters. I enjoy playing this game with my friends and kicking their butts!! I love this game.

The Greatest of All Nintendo Games
This game excels in every area, and does not require a multicategory review to prove it. The sequel to one of the best video games ever, this is a monumental achievement.
This game shows exactly why everyone loves Nintendo.

Well, it used to be that way.

Sony and Microsoft are celebrating over their triumph over the powerful Sega Dreamcast system, and glad that it'll probably never gain the strength to once again be a major force in video games. Now the two supergiants want Nintendo out of the picture, too. Gamers look more and more for graphics and action rather than new ideas, and since Nintendo does the latter, it won't survive long.

Sad to say this, but Nintendo's on its way out.

Here's a list I made predicting the future of games:

1.) Nintendo will die sometime during or after the next console generation. It will not be taken over by Sony or Microsoft, who will consider its games "kiddie" and "worthless".
2.) These game genres' popularity may change:
First-person shooter: Increase
Fighting: Increase
Racing: Stay the same
Platformer: Extinct
Puzzle: Extinct
RPG/Strategy: Decrease
Sports: Stay the same
3.) Future consoles will move their focus even more from games to features, such as DVD, Internet, "Home" systems, etc.
4.) Sony and Microsoft use their mighty money powers to create a monopoly for themselves.
5.) These ESRB games will:
EC: Extinct
E: Decrease
E+10: Decrease
T: Stay the same
M: Increase
AO: Increase
6.) Game systems hit a level of "Maximum realism".
7.) Game mascots (ex: Mario, Crash Bandicoot, Mega Man, etc.) will no longer exist; all characters will be realistic people.
8.) Second Great Video Game Crash will occur somewhere from 15 to 25 years from now when consumers lose interest.
9.) Sony and Microsoft in their ultimate clash; unsure if Sony or Microsoft wins.
10.) Sony and/or Microsoft easily overpower all third companies with new consoles. This leads to less variety in games and consoles.
11.) After the Second Great Video Game Crash, neither Sony nor Microsoft may be able to save the industry they've destroyed. No third companies will help, as they will have been wiped out long ago. There will be no Nintendo to pick up the industry once again, as it had in the First Great Video Game Crash of 1983 with its NES console. No telling what happens at this point.

For all those of you who play only Nintendo, buy all the Nintendo consoles and games that you can, as they'll disappear forever only less than a decade from now. If I was asked, however, which game to get first, I might recommend this one. It'll be a treasure for the ages. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

NES
Widely considered the best system of all time. Has hundreds of great games, including Metroid, The Legend Of Zelda & The Legend Of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Final Fantasy, Super Mario Bros. 1, 2 & 3, and countless others. I highly recommend this system.

Nintendo Sweeps the table on Video Games!!!
Nintendo Really did well on this system
This system has some of the best classic games I can think of including: Super Mario Bros. #'s 1, 2, and 3. RBI Baseball. Tetris, Zelda, and a ton of other games. This system is also very family friendly. No really grphic violence or stuff.

Educational games are also availible. (Younger Kids LOVE Ernies Shapes and Grover's Numbers). Some games teach good hand eye coordination and shooting skills too, just get the famous classic Duck Hunt, and buy the NES Gun.


No matter what your age, NES has classics for you.
The system itself is a work of art too. 2 controller plug-ins ( I Think I heard that there was some way to make that 4 plug ins). Good for many hours of family fun.

There are some cons though:
-The RF Modulator (The thing that connects the NES to your TV)
is pretty hard to figure out ( There is something that you can buy to make AV outputs for you Nintendo, but that is normally not included with it).

-The cartridges have the tendency to get a lot of dust in them. (Fix this by blowing in the bottom of the cartridge)

- And it is a little hard to find good support for it too. Although a lot of times you can fix it with a little brainpower.


But altogether I would recommend this awesome Nintendo to anybody, any age.

4 1/2stars altogether

- The classic, the best, the only
-- Brandon about the NES

Nintendo NES is Still the Best
The 8-bit NES System takes you back to a simpler time.A time when graphics weren't overwhelming and violence wasn't as prevalent in video games.(Yes, of course there was some, but not to the extent of, say, Grand Theft Auto and it's ilk.)The games are easy to comprehend and play.They're also easy and cheap to find at thrift stores.All you have to do is clean them up and pop them in.Many web sites offer PDF downloads of the manuals/instructions as well so don't worry that you don't get the game mint in the box.The system and games are easy to maintain.Anyone with a phillips head screwdriver and a q-tip with a dab of rubbing alcohol can keep games and system clean and blink-free.New 72 pins can be easily installed for under 10 bucks - then your old system will play forever.I particularly like the Role Playing Games and the ability to save games for future play.Super Mario Bros. 3 is by far the best (and one of the toughest) video game ever created.Enjoy it!Relive your youth or show your kids what video games were like "back in the day."

I love it
I'm only 13 and my grandma has the NES system, but i'd rather play that than play my x box. There are some great games for that system. Like star trek next generation, kirby nightmare indreamland, RBI baseball. techno bowl. i love it. i'd trade my xbox for that system any day. im really 13

you need this for duck hunt alone
duck hunt is probably the best game ever but then you add in the other titles from this system and you have to get this system. man i loved duck hunt ... Read more

Product Description

Area 51 is the only action-packed 1st person shooter set in the U.S. governments' most secret and secure military facility. Take on the role of Specialist Ethan Cole, a hazardous materials specialist sent in by the U.S. Army to investigate a highly volatile biohazard situation. ... Read more

Features

• For 1 player
• First-person shooter
• Explore five levels set in the U.S. government's most secretive and secure military facility
• Play as HAZMAT specialist Ethan Cole investigating a viral outbreak
• Use both human and alien weapons to control the chaos and contain the outbreak

Reviews (8)

Blasting Illegal Aliens Has Never Been More Fun
I didn't expect much from this game; I thought it would be a poorly manufactured bunch of crap like the "Run Like Hell" PS2 game that was coughed up months ago.I was wrong.

Overall, it was well designed and fun to play.There were lots of checkpoints and the on-screen arrows of my next destination was extremely helpful.I only wish my actions could've determined the fate of my compadres.In the beginning, I could let them do all the fighting while I hide in the corner like a sissy and save my ammo.I didn't use my mutant abilities that much, as it didn't really appeal to me.The difficulty level went from easy, to fair, to ridiculously hard in the missions where you fought the Grays.I almost quit playing because it just seemed unfair to take on countless enemies.Persistence was the key, along with a little luck.I give it 4 1/2 stars!

The most amazing graphics i have ever seen in a game
This is probably the best first person shooter to come out for ps2. I like this better then both halos. Its fun, scary, challenging, and crazy cool. And o yea did i mention the graphics they are very nice, and are much better then halos graphics. I wouldnt reccomend this for little kids though, it has tons of curses and is very gory one guy gets his head ripped off and they show it. Overall i think it is an amazing game if your thinking about getting it GET IT.

Area 51 is creepy, fun and addicting
This is one of the best FPS games I've ever played (Halo was the best). The only thing I don't like is that the game is kind of short. It's pretty long, but still short, I love games that take a long time to complete so it mught be just me.

The one thing i love is that the blood stays the whole time and doesn't disapear, it's so much more realistic. The gore is great. It's not overload, but when you hit something blood comes out, so it's just perfect, not too much, not too little.

THe people who do the voices are great. David duchovny sounds exactly like he would if he were actually the guy in the game, and Marilyn Mason is the creepy voice that Edgar has.

This game is also creepy. There's a lot of dark places, so you use your flashlight often. The only bad thing is when you reload in a dark place, your flashlight is hidden by your arm and you cant see if youre in a big battle. the scariest thing is when you walk around a dark corner and an enemy jumps down from the ceiling.

THis is one of the funnest games ive ever played and the storyline is creative and is intriging.
BOTTOM LINE: BUY THIS GAME!

Great concept, good game
I have long anticipated this titles release, and i wasnt dissapointed that i paid about 50 dollars for it before i even rented it. For the playstation version, which i have, it has great graphics, especially in the campaign mode. There are a few problems, some of which can be easily fixed. You are started with an inverted view, meaning you move up when you press to go down, which is easily changed in options. Next, it takes the longest time to get online because you have to go through multiple downloads and sign-ons. When you get online, there is relatively no lag, but there is an odd points system that makes little or no sense at all. There are some really interesting game modes, my favorite being the last human mode where you try not to be mutated by the "chosen one" and his victims.

The campaign however, is the best part. It isn't short by any means because i can normally beat them in most games in a few weeks. Even at easy, it is fairly challenging. It has a well thought out plot line, very well thought out. It has very well placed check points and easy combat interface. The campaign will stretch your mind and poke at your problem solving abilities as there are many places that need further examination to pass on.

There are a good diverse group of enemies, each type being harder and appearing at specific levels in the game.

My ratings

Combat interface
9/10

Storyline
10/10

Multiplayer (up to 8 players)
6/10

Music and graphics
9/10

overall
8/10

A must for FPS fans
Well where do I start?Just like the game there are so many fun twists and turns that it's hard to pick out a good spot to start talking about this game.Anyway the storyline is your HazMat Specialist Ethan Cole, who is with HazMat Team Bravo, sent into the treacherous Area 51 compound to find out what exactly happened and why did HazMat Team Delta go missing.Once you step into the base things go from bad, to worse, then to just downright ugly and hellish.

I am a huge FPS and shooter fan, and have played the original Area 51 and Area 51: Site 4 arcade machines.When I heard Midway was coming out with a FPS Area 51 game I couldn't wait.As soon as I got it and popped it into my PS2, I was immersed from the start.The graphics are jaw-dropping and the fluidity of the character movements were just downright smooth as hell.The action is far from lax too.From the get go you're thrusted into the mayhem that the mutated inbatitants of the base throw at you.Mutants, leapers,and later on in the game Cloned Human Spec Op soldiers, come at you out of nowhere at the most unexpected moments of the game, thus making you stay on your toes and making your finger hover over the R1 button at all times.Bottom line:You just never know when something will come at you from around the corner of a hallway.

The plot and the story of the game itself is great also.Conspiracy theories, plot twists, and sudden changes in the game that will shock you will keep any gamer from putting down that controller, yes it is THAT good.I can't say much about it because I don't want to spoil anything, but I can surely say that you will always be surprised at what occurs during the game as you make your way down through the base.In Area 51 you'll always want to find out what happens next.

Of course, no FPS is complete without a set of AI controlled teammates.But sometimes those teammates hamper you more than help you.In Area 51, these teammates actually give you cover fire, shout at you where enemies are coming from, and actually shoot to kill and not just weaken enemies for you.

What about controls?Controls are a snap to learn and easy to use.Nothing too complicated here.

The voice acting is an excellent point too.David Duchovny plays the role of Ethan Cole real well, giving the gamer the impression that yes Cole may seem like a soft-spoken HazMat specialists, but can sure prove his worth during battle.And Marylin Manson compliments Edgar real well.I feel that Manson does the job right by voicing the creepy looking Edgar and giving the game a chilling feel everytime his character speaks in the game.

Overall I love this game and the action is second-to-none and I feel that this is 50 bucks well spent.If you're a FPS fan or a fan of the Area 51 series, I highly suggest you buy this game.You won't be sorry, and chances you won't leave your PS2 until you finally complete the game.

... Read more

Product Description

The legendary Metal Gear series comes to the PSP in METAL GEAR ACID.Experience a whole new gameplay system that focuses on deep tactical strategy with an entirely new Metal Gear storyline.As the role of top-secret agent, Solid Snake, players will make calculated decisions to plan out their infiltration strategy and accomplish the mission in a turn-based style of game.Through the use of strategic battle cards, players are given different abilities and stealth tactics to achieve the missi ... Read more

Features

• Entirely new Metal Gear game and story developed for the PSP
• Use over 200 strategic battle cards to accomplish the mission, including weapon, action and character cards
• Purchase new cards to enhance your infiltration strategy and discover new cards as you play
• Different card decks give you new abilities and actions unique to the theme of the deck
• Experience a deeper level of tactical espionage using a turn-based strategy system

Reviews (37)

Like Putting money in Acid.
I am a HUGE Metal Gear Solid fan, and I have every Metal Gear Game.I thought woah a new Metal Gear Game.So I got it, I didnt want to play it for an hour.It is reduced to a card game,a pethetic card game, and the story lines take you about 50 minuts.This is mostly reading, not a game.

Metal Gear Ac!d, A different Direction
I am a huge fan of the Metal Gear Solid series, the three titles are easily my favorite PS games, so when I picked up AC!D, I was certainly hoping for something similar. I knew the game was turn based and used cards, It was still something quite foriegn to get used to. The other thing that disapointed me was the lack of cut scenes and voice acting, although I understand the PSP just can't muster the power for them all. Even with my initial disapointment though, I was suprised to find how fun this card based game was. Be warned though, there is quite a learning curve. The first true mission took me easily 30 minutes, but from there the level completion times lowered. It's strangly addictive, to the point where I take it to school (I'm currently a Highschool student) and play it during the passing periods. The "cut scene" animations (they're drawings with subtitles) are extreamly detailed, and very impressive. Overall, this game is certainly a good fix for any Metal Gear Solid fan, or for anyone who wants an action/turn based game.

Metal Gear Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactic meets Metal Gear meets Yugio. Everybody out there who have played the previos Metal Gear games will probably shy away from this title simply because it's a card based stragety/stealth game. The game is turn based, you must use your "cards" to move around the levels, use weapons, and interact with the environment. The gameplay itself is sometimes difficult and some of the missions are really, really, long. On a ligher note Snake is the main character, and you can customize your deck with over 200 unique cards to choose from. the starter deck give your about 30 cards to start with, but as you progress your deck allowance increases and you can buy cards, and unlock cards by finding the hidden packages in the levels. Wi-fi multipler is a plus to, allowing you to pit your deck against your friends and to trade cards.
In conclusion this game is a new unique look at the Metal Gear world. I would only suggest this for hardcore Metal gear fans, and tactics junkies might enjoy this as well.

Good not perfect
when i first heard that metal gear was coming to the psp i was exited like every metal gear fan was when i played it i was expecting the same gameplay from the old games,but they turned into an rpg sort of despite that the game was good but if they kept the gameplay the same it would have been perfect so i would reccomend this game.

A breakthrough in genres?
You must understand that this game is COMPLETELY UNLIKE the fast-paced, nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat action that has defined the series and revolutionized the stealth genre.

If you are expecting a handheld version of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, you will be sorely disappointed.

However, if you enjoy the strategy of card-game mechanics like Magic the Gathering, and like the idea of mixing this smoothly with a turn based strategy like Final Fantasy Tactics, all with the standard stealth gameplay the Metal Gear series is famous for, then you'll find the recent iteration quite satisfying.

You have a "deck" you build before each mission which you draw from during gameplay.You "hold" 6 cards that each contain separate actions which you can "play" to perform the actions you would normally associate with the Metal Gear Franchise.You draw 2 cards from your premade and shuffled deck at the beginning of each of your turns.Management of the cards becomes more and more important as the game progresses and you are rewarded with new and "rare" cards which become available to your deck-building if you perform missions stealthily (not being spotted) or efficiently (not having to kill anyone) or quickly.Also packs are scattered and hidden in many locations which encourages exploration.

Enemy soldiers pace the playfield which is mapped in a grid as you dodge their patrols.They do this in "turns" which cycles through until it is your "turn" to act.You can flatten up against the wall and "knock" to draw their attention to make movement around them easier.You can "crawl" under vehicles or through crawl-spaces to avoid detection.You can set traps with Claymore mines, toss grenades, fire silenced Socoms, perform special attacks with rare character cards.200 cards in all allow for a wide spectrum of strategies for you to custom build your decks.

Time management becomes crucial as you spend "time points" (strangely called "cost") for the time needed to perform the action noted on each card.Some of these cards provide time management support which reduces the demand in time that each card's action may take.There are cards which also increase the number of actions you may perform on each turn, but will leave you wanting to draw more than 2 cards quickly if you're not careful.

The 2 player option allows you to WiFi challenge a buddy in a strategic, stealthy, card-based face-off to the death.

If this sounds tedious to you, steer clear of this game!This is not the game for you!

If you enjoy Turn-based Strategies and enjoy card-based mechanics and deck-building, you will really enjoy this game! ... Read more

Amazon.com

After the incredible success of the life-simulation game, Sims 2, gamers have eagerly devoured a variety of Sims 2 expansion packs. Get ready for another addition, with the after-dark installment--The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack--intended to send your Sims on an epic night out.

Enjoy the hedonistic side of life while you cruise the nightclub scene.

Play your cards right, and you could meet the Sim of your dreams.

Get busy with the DJ station, one of over 125 new objects and items.

Right out of the box, your characters will be ready to hit the town and all the swanky spots. Whether they're cutting a rug until the morning light, flirting with the opposite sex, or getting nowhere throwing gutterballs at the bowling alley, the Nightlife expansion pack will deliver an unforgettable night on the town. With Nightlife, you'll have a better opportunity to discover the chemistry between Sims. Will two people click or clash? Is there a future beyond the night or is it just a steamy affair? If you're ready to add a fun, romantic, splash to your Sims simulation, then look no further than Nightlife to lift your spirits and start the party.

Your Sims' romantic attraction is now based upon personality, life aspiration, and zodiac signs. After you size up a mate and determine likely compatibility, try to throw your Sims' love life into the red zone with new, romantic social interactions such as the longing gaze, the slow dance, or the dramatic dip kiss. If you've done well, success might bring your Sims a romantic gift. Strike out and your Sims might just get a pile of hate mail.

Ahh, hedonism. Choose the all-new Pleasure Seeker life aspiration for your Sims and live vicariously through your characters. Deliver these Sims all the blissful amusements the world has to offer--hot dates, fancy parties, fine dinners, hot tubbin', and more--these Sims know how to live it up. Be careful, though!These pleasure-seeking Sims are terrified of pain, embarrassment, and effort, so anything outside of the realm of "PARTY!" is probably going to deliver quite a blow to their fragile egos.

Partying doesn't just happen. Looking good and hooking up with the right person takes work. Whether it's a girl's night out or an important, romantic date, your Sims will need to get dolled up and dressed to kill for their epic evening in the all-new downtown area. What's the mood? With all the new choices, they can mellow out in lounges, kick up their heels at hipster nightclubs, enjoy candlelight dinners at fine restaurants, or hit the bowling alley with the guys. No matter how they feel, Nightlife has something to offer.

Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack has tons to offer to help your Sims live it up in fun and style. The pack delivers over 125 new objects and items, including a DJ station, a photo booth, a karaoke machine and more. With all the choices your Sims should be ready to impress. Plus, there are loads of exotic new Sims to mingle with or even date, such as vampires, hot waiters and others. So get out there, have some fun and find romance--even if it is just for a night. ... Read more

Product Description

Koei Corporation (00141) Dynasty Warriors PS2 ... Read more

Features

• New playable characters.
• Enhanced battlefield stronghold system challenges your strategic decision-making in the midst of combat.
• More characters per screen for an added challenge.
• New fighting moves and attacks.
• Reduced fog and improved draw distance to show more detailed backgrounds.

Reviews (10)

A droning and lifeless series continues
Koei has made several games for the series Dynasty Warriors, 7, if I remember correctly. The games in the series and Koei's new Samurai Warriors series have all been very fun games. However, so many games in this line have been made, the series is becoming stale.

The entire game is some linear button-smashing killfest where you run to enemies for them to attack you, such horrendous AI. You fight along an army, however the soldiers rarely attack and are quite stupid. It is impossible for your allies to really do anything and to win the battle, you seriously have to design some quick, blitzkrieg battle 'strategy' to kill the enemy commander by cutting a thin line in the enemy troops. True, killing masses of enemy drones around you is fun, but it just gets old rapidly.

In each series, there is a sort of graphic improvement and is a large factor in my favor of a game. There is a better storyline for your character, another major factor for me. There are also many bodyguard options, that is rare for this series. You can also learn some history from the events which this game is based on, but there are several inconstincies in the story and I found it much better if you want this information, to buy a cheap book, this story is popular in China.

Still, this game is a complete disappointment. The sound is awkward, the gameplay is old, and there is little the preivious games did not have. Someone who continuously buys the games in this series and still is addicted to this game has a very weak taste in gameplay.

Dynasty REPEAT
DW. 2, 3, 4, all great. But this is the same hack n' slash gameplay we've seen! I'm sick of this game! I could buy DW 4 and save some damned money!!! I'll leave it at this. It's like watching the same movie over and over and over and over and over and over and over again! The camera angles sometime get annoying. If your a DW fan, pick it up, otherwise, this game isn't going to turn you into one.

More dumb fun, but a bit hackneyed now...
CAVEAT: I love the DW series, having purchased all of them (even the original for PS1). I love this game as well, although it seems to be the most shallow of the bunch.

48(!) characters join the fray this time as you once again take control of a personality of the time of the Three Kingdoms and do battle with your nemeses. Each character has their own storyline, complete with events seen only in that character's story (this is a plus, as it was quite tedious to fight through each kingdom multiple times in order to see all the characters in DW4). Weapons no longer need to be upgraded (another plus), and orbs are now rare items found by playing on hard mode. A "chaos" mode has been added, and it is NOT for the faint of heart (the difficulty is more like Very Hard mode in DW3:XL, as opposed to DW4:XL, but no one drops any meat buns!). The graphics are much better in this installment, and True Musou is actually more valuable than Musou in this game.

However, this game suffers from the same slowdown issues as the previous games (which is really unforgivable now, as this is the same game engine that has been used for six previous installments of DW). The siege weapons are even more useless here than in DW4 (unfortunate, since I thought that this could add a bit of depth to the strategy portion of this game). The camera is incredibly frustrating (not as much as, say, Samurai Warriors, but it's still pretty bad). Character balance is rather poor, though not as bad as previous installments (Lu Bu and Zuo Ci are incredible, Zhang Jiao and Meng Huo are horrible, the rest are OK). While large battlefields are nice, the game is frustrating until you obtain a horse saddle (another rare item).

All in all, I love the game. Why 3 stars? Well, I'm trying to diminish my bias. The fact is, if you are a fan of these games, you've probably already purchased this. If you didn't like the others, you won't like this one. And if you have never played a DW game before, this is probably the best of the lot. Still, I would have enjoyed a bit more originality and variety in this one (really, it plays exactly like DW2, which is five years old).

Huge leaps and bounds, major improvements in gameplay.
I had most definitely not expected this.I had a love/hate relationship with Dynasty Warriors 4, and Dynasty Warriors 4:Empires was so bad that I popped in for two days and then sold it off.Dynasty Warriors 5, however, seems determined to correct every flaw about the two above games and the results are surprisingly impressive.

DW4:Empires was a stinker to me because of endlessly respawning enemy generals, a tiresome "stronghold" system, worthless allies, and an inability to build up your fighters since they start at Level 1 at every new game.Much to my delighted surprise, all of the above problems were fixed.

PROS:
- The gameplay is now a hybrid of DW4 and Empires where enemy generals stay dead when you kill them (thank heaven), checkpoints and supply bases can be realistically captured without having to wait at one location for 10 minutes to defend it against endless enemies.The system of taking down enemy supply bases works very well; you actually see a marked turning of the battle in your favour as you proceed.
- No more levels where you kill a dozen enemy generals only to have a single, artificially enhanced enemy reinforcement pop up next to your commander to ruin your game.Your commander is no longer a dummy that can die with a poke.Obviously, this allows you to do more fighting and less running around saving your allies' butts.
- Fighter training is back (which was impossible in Empires), though a little more difficult than before because now your weapon doesn't go up in levels at the same time the character does; you have to find these weapon items while playing the levels, and the quality of weapons you find is proportionate to the difficulty of the level.Tougher than DW4, but manageable, and the system is logical enough.
- The biggest surprise:Allied AI became far, far superior.DW4 players will remember this hyper-annoying situation where if you slaughter every one of the enemies except their commander, your allied soldiers will run towards the commander like idiots, not attacking, and pushing the commander around so much that you can't get at him.That is, happily, history.Allied generals are now almost as skillful as enemy generals, and your bodyguard (now only one, rather than a team of eight at once) is now very helpful, aggressively attacking, healing themselves and you, getting you out of jams.About time!
- Happily, they kept the control system from Empires so that now you can fully control where your combos face.This was like a breath of fresh air.Now if you miss a hit, it is indeed your own fault, and not the computer messing you up.
- Marginally better voice work.Some of the changes in voice actors were for the worse -- Zhou Yu, Cao Cao and Lu Bu had good voices in DW4; now they sound silly.And new character Xing Cai is abysmal, sounding like a six-year-old reciting bad dialogue.But the overall quality of voice work has improved, with fewer stiff deliveries.Diao Chan, Yue Ying, Sun Ce, and Lu Meng all sound far better than before, and Jiang Wei's character lost that horrible accent and is now quite nice to listen to.
- Improved graphics.Seems like they added some shadowing, and the look is now more textured, a little grittier.
- Improved map design.You still have to do some running around, but aside from the labyrinthine "Battle of Chen Cang" level, no more levels like that insufferable He Fei map from DW4, where you had to run along the length of the map six to seven times to beat the level.
- The "peons" -- enemy footsoldiers -- are more numerous and less hard to kill.The later soldiers in DW4 were so hardy they were tiresome to fight; no such problem here, at least at Normal difficulty level.

CONS:
- No more duels.I personally don't miss this feature, but I know that one of the top requests from DW4 players was the ability to challenge computer enemies to duels.Instead of refining the duel system, they've dispensed with it altogether.
- No more customized officers of your own design.This was one of the more fun aspects of Empires -- gone with the wind.
- The new Musou Mode will not be to everybody's taste.Now, instead of choosing a side and having all of the officers of that side available to you, you choose a character who has a specific story arc, and you can't swap fighters midway.There are advantages to this -- more varied storylines, deeper gameplay -- but the downside is the inability to switch characters, and now you *have* to master every single character to finish the game.
- Enemy generals do an insane amount of damage.It's just not fun in any context to face an enemy that can take half your life bar with one single combo.It's nice that enemies do less of the "block you to death" trick, but to have to pay for one mistake with half your life bar is excessive.It doesn't ruin the game, but it mars the enjoyment.
- Cao Pi, Pang De and Xing Cai are all pretty unappealing as new characters.Cao Pi's moves are pathetic, Xing Cai is slow and unremarkable (terrible voice, too), and Pang De looks like a nameless general.It's as if they ran out of character-design ideas.Ling Tong's nunchaku are neat, but why not have a character use a mace ("liang ya pang", or "wolf's tooth club"), a whip, a quarterstaff, or tri-sectioned nunchaku?
- Character balance has actually suffered.The new weapons system, where each weapon has a "weight" rating which affects how fast you attack, actually skews the game even more -- the fast, powerful characters become overwhelmingly strong (Jiang Wei is almost unstoppable with the new weapons system), while "alternate", more joke-like characters like Zhang Jiao, Xu Zhu, and Diao Chan are now nearly feeble -- the slower characters are crippled by heavy weapons, short-ranged characters get overwhelmed by the increased number of peons, and slow-moving characters will get pummeled by the insidious enemy AI.They should have given these harder characters a little something to balance the odds.

Overall, this game has successfully restored my faith in the series.It was more appealing to pick up than DW4, and leagues above Empires in design and gameplay.Highly recommended for fans of brawler games -- not perfect, but the best example of this game series I've seen and played yet.

A better DW
Despite comments about this being the same as the others, sure it is the same idea, but it has many changes.Look at how small the characters are in DW 4 and how dark the environments are.In DW 5 the characters are huge, and the environments are not only interactive but the landscape is much brighter.The fog is lifted so you can see far far away.The castles are amazingly detailed, as well as the surrounding environment.Character stories are all based on their own experiences.Some have many battles others only a few.Lu Bu fans will be amused by his story, but let down by the shortness of it.Each player can use the assorted items, orbs, harnesses, and even a tiger, that you find...And each officer gets 4 weapons to choose from. Thats right, no more leveling up your weapon, you must find them.The weapons even come in light, medium and heavy.This controls the speed of your swings.Also, the new evolution combo system allows for high number combos.Your bodyguard is but one person, not 8.He/she can be any of several types of guards, with different special skills earned by fighting.You can have 8 guards in stock, but only take one with you.After missions you sometimes can hire new guards, too.Combos are a little different from DW4.Some characters have newer moves.Characters... You must unlock them as always, forcing you to be every single person.I got Lu Bu from doing Sun Quan, go figure.The music is the same as always.Also, if you are given a task, and choose to do something else the mission changes somewhat.Oh, and the maps are much bigger than in DW4.Good luck if you dont have a horse.The AI appears to be smarter.There are forts and gates in this one.Gates are the usual, but forts provide many different things and you must bring them down as well.New to the series is musou rage icons which super power your character, and double musou with your bodyguard.That is something that is a must see.You can clear 100's of enemies with that. Cons are that you do not have a create an officer mode, or bodyguard.Good- graphics, gameplay(2 player in all modes), and new story delivery.Aside from the best DW.. DW3, this beats the pants off DW 4.If you like DW, get it, if you are new to the series(where have you been?) you will not be disappointed. ... Read more

Product Description

Lex the BookWorm feeds on words. Feed him by linking letters to form words and he'll feed you big points! Lex is a hungry guy, though, feed him to many short words and he'll send down burning letters that could set the entire library on fire! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Loads of great fun!!!!
I found this game at an online game site and HAD to have it as soon as it was available to purchase!
Lots of fun and I am admittedly addicted to playing this game whenever I get in front of my computer.
The animation with the dragon is cute and so amusing that he is an inspiration to make bigger, difficult words just to see him react.
This is one of the best word games that I have played. School age children and adults will all enjoy this educational and fun game.
I highly recommend everyone to purchase this addicting, enjoyable (and educational) game.

Bookworm is weird person!
I really like it. I play it online game at bigfish game site. I really love it. I am going to get one for me!. I really like cd-rom version because it great than download. MICHELLE

Great Fun, Addictive and Educational! High Marks All Around!
I am addicted to Bookworm and need to acquire more willpower, fast, to limit my daily gametime. I find myself spending hours playing, late evenings especially, and, (blush), sometimes at work. Trying to accumulate a high score - my personal best - like at the Olympics, is the most addictive part for me!! I used to play Scrabble on the PC and loved it, but Bookworm is by far the better game - I think. I have limited myself to no more than an hour per day, OK sometimes 2 hours - but that is time used to build vocabulary and other skills, rather than watch one of my favorite TV programs. See how easy it is to rationalize? Actually, Bookworm has helped to improve my Scrabble skills also. There's almost an entire dictionary of possibilities stored on the CD.

The concept of Bookworm is simple. One needs to make words by linking adjacent letter tiles. The more complex the word and more difficult the letter, (z, x, q, like Scrabble), the higher the score. Short, or low scoring words, cause fires to start with letters at the top of the PC screen, the library wall. If a word is not formed from the burning tile letters before they reach the bottom, then the game explodes - kaput! The higher your score, the more burning tiles appear. Thus the level of difficulty increases. Also, the longer one plays a particular game, thus using up a variety of tiles, itbecomes more difficult to find either vowels or consonants. Scoring then becomes even more difficult.

There is a leisurely paced Classic Game, and no beat the clock option. I personally prefer this one. It gives one time to really think and look for many-lettered words. Then there's the Action Game, where you have to beat both the clock and the burning tiles. Since one is more inclined to go for short words when the clock is ticking, there are more burning tiles here. It really gets the adrenaline going! There is also a Save Game option which is terrific. Once I begin to score in the high numbers, which can take a while, I get tired, and am able to save the game without losing points, and can come back to it another time. The players' high scores are saved in the Hall of Fame, so it is easy to compete against yourself or another player.

The book worm, Lex, (from lexicon), is a funny and bizarre creature who makes weird noises, supposedly to encourage the player to feed his endless appetite for words. When a particularly good word is formed, he belches! I enjoyed this feature for all of five minutes, and then turned down the sound. However, I think kids would love this vocabulary tapeworm. And Bookworm is perfect for children and adults alike. The game is from Activision. It is fun and educational and I highly recommend it. The CD version is more complex and has many more possibilities than the free download found on the Web. I tried the download before buying the game.
JANA

Always on the look-out for word games .
This game can keep me occupied for hours . I'm sure it improves memory , vocabulary , etc., but most of all , it is just plain fun . Although it is not really pertinent to this review , I am 65 + and have been a Scrabble fan for years . I now prefer 'Bookworm Deluxe'. P. J. Kale

BookWorm Deluxe - Excellent!!
I bought the online version before the CD came out...It is the very best word game I've ever played!! I'm also 50+ and I believe this game is great for all ages to improve memory, spelling and learning definitions of some words I've never heard of before. The worm is so funny when he starts to shake and sweat when the red, burning tiles get too close to the bottom. I HIGHLY recommend BookWorm Deluxe. It's everything it's advertised to be and MORE...it's also hard to stop playing!! You will love it!! ... Read more

Product Description

Star Wars Battlefront ... Read more

Features

• 20 different soldier types from the Rebel Alliance, Galactic Empire, Republic Clone Army, and Separatist Battle Droids
• More than 30 weapons including blaster rifles, rocket launchers, and thermal detonators
• For 1 to 16 players online, and split screen mode for offline multiplayer play
• Action-shooter game that lets you relive your favorite Star Wars battles
• Battle in more than 12 environments across 10 diverse planets

Reviews (87)

FINALLY!!!
Thankyou!We finally get a game that has the battles from the movies new and old and are able to play any part or role in them including driving the vehicles involved in the specific battles.The only thing that brings it down is the somewhat redundant battles that aren't in the movies that don't have any vehicles, which is the greatest point about the game, other than the fact that you can pic virtually any main soldier character other than ewoks :'(.I just have to say that the greatest thing about the game is of course Hoth.
A Brief History of Contemporary Hoth:

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire -
Flying a snowspeeder and shooting AT-ST's, probe droids, and AT-AT's was exiting the first time, but going back to this version is sort of dull.

Star Wars:Rogue Squadron -
The music was better than SOTE, and so were the graphics and overall quality of the level.Again, you are the lone wolf having to take down all AT-AT's and AT-ST's alone.This one was hard at first.

Rogue Leader -
Finally a team effort has been brought into the battle of Hoth.You can command your squadmates and the overall feel of the battle is more hectic and like the movie as people on the ground join in the fighting as well.

Rebel Strike -
If you've played Hoth in this you know what I'm going to say.This was the goofiest thing I've ever seen.Being Luke running around on the ground is how it happened in the movie, and it was a good effort to mix it up a bit, but it's very tacky.

BATTLEFRONT -
Finally, Hoth from every possible viewpoint of the battle.You can be rebels, or the Empire which is by far the coolest.The first time I piloted an AT-AT I couldn't believe it.I was stunned.The AT-ST's are also quit good, and I must say very intimidating from the rebel's point of view.The Taun-Tauns are pointless other than for speed, and the Snowspeeders are cool too, since you can sit in the back and let the pilot fly and shoot lasers.VERY COOL

My only complaint is the levels without vehicles and the fact that there aren't many levels.
Also, the Geonosis battle isn't as hectic as it was in the movie, and on XBOX i expected people to be running around everywhere, but it seemed sort of quiet.

The Kashyyyk duo is the most pointless thing ever also.

Stay Calm!!!!!!
People dont worry!!!! you may think this game sucks with no space battles no plyable jedi, weak enemy A.I. and all that but when Battlefront II comes out, all that will be fixed. But the thing is you must unlock the Jedi to play as them!

great mulitplayer game for a firstperson shooter lover
i thought this game was great and has the best splitscreen play of any firstperson shooter i have ever played. I couldn't find any downsides to the game and all the reviews i read on it were good. For Splitscreen you choose one of the huge and detailed maps to fight agianst youre friends. on single player you can capture planets, fight lots of the battles from the movies, or just hop right into a battle on any map as the Cis, Republic, Empire, or Rebels. I wouldn't get this game if you only have one controler or don't have xbox live. The only real downside to this game was VERY minor. Jedi are impossible to kill. Also during the battles you reincarnate as a sniper, rocket launcher guy, machine gunner, pilot, or a unique charecter that varies throught the missions such as a guy with a jet pack or a wookie.You can also get in tons of different vehichles and planes that vary from map to map. Overall i would give this game two thumbs up.

P.S. (Don't buy this game if you ABSOLUTLY HATE the Star Wars theme)

best game in the world
I dont care what other people say about this game this game is the best. I rented this game at first and I begged my mom to buy it. I have this game and it has good vehicles, soldiers, turrets, ships, and i would reccomend it for any person who likes star wars. I cant wait for battlefront 2 to come out!

the coolestgameever
This game is cool and has its ups and downs. The pros are that when you die, you can come back in the game by picking another soldier or the one you just picked, use specialties for your army, fun stages, cool vehicles, and good weapons. The cons are that you can't play as a jedi or sith [can pick this for a specialty and a jedi or sith will assist you ], you can't pick up dead enemy's or allies's weapons, and you only can comand 2 soldiers [also some times they ignore your comand]. Its still fun and is still cool so get this game. If you listen to your friends when they say this is a bad game then excweese me but this game is great. The xbox live is awsome as well. If you want to make sure if its fun or not rent it. For the star wars fans, buy this as soon as possible. "Also there is a couple more than 12 stages." so listen to me man, if you don't then "what ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!" ... Read more

Product Description

Citywide blackouts stock exchange sabotages electronic hijacking of national defense systems this is information warfare. To prevent these attacks, operatives must infiltrate deep into hostile territory and aggressively collect critical intelligence, closer than ever to enemy soldiers. You are Sam Fisher, the NSA's most elite black-ops agent. To achieve your mission you will kill from close-range, attack with your combat knife, shoot with the prototype Land Warrior rifle, and use radical suppres ... Read more

Features

• DEADLY AGILITY: Incredibly complete and fluid variety of moves including athletic moves, stealth moves, stealth kills.
• REAL WEAPONS OF TOMORROW: The most complete arsenal of weapons and gadgets from the knife to the experimental Land Warrior System.
• AS GOOD AS REAL: Never see before graphics technology offers the best visuals ever seen on any console yet. Advanced physics engine allowing rag doll physics, particle effects and perfect interaction with the environment.
• ULTIMATE CHALLENGE: Intelligent A.I with personal attributes, natural behavior where NPCs are aware of there environment and remember past events.
• AMAZING REPLAYABILITY: Totally open level design with multipaths and optional secondary objectives.

Reviews (12)

Best PS2 game!
This game is awesome! The single player game's levels are challenging and expansive. All of them have multiple pathways and let you go into the missions with recommended weaponry, stealth weapons, or heavy weapons. On most levels, heavy weapons are your best bet. The AI is very smart. One example is when you disable a light, some enemies will use a torch or flashlight to try and find you. Another great improvement is the ability to save ANYWHERE! This is a great feature and makes it much easier to complete levels. The game also has co-op gameplay, where you and a friend team up to complete levels. When playing co-op, just make sure your friend is good at the game, and if they aren't good at it, make sure they can follow directions. Because if 1 of you dies, its failed mission. Now down to the core of the game: multiplayer online. The multiplayer is why i rated this game 5 stars. It is amazing! You can either be a spy or a mercenary. When you're a begginer, i recomend being a mercenary, because it's much easier to kill spys. When you are a spy, you have to jump on mercenaries or sneak up behind them and brake their neck. Mercenaries just have to shoot the spys. Overall, this is a mustbuy if you like the stealth genre and have a PS2, Xbox, or good PC. If you have a gamecube, but not a good PC, you dont know what your missing with the multiplayer mode.

i love this game
i think this is the best splinter cell game in the universe.The graphics arent a good as the xbox's but its pretty much the same game.

GREAT!!!!!
I love this game and heres my pros and cons
Pros
Now assault mode
More moves like neck break and more weapons of lethalness
Fun to play
Bashing doors open and knocking out the bloke on the other side
Graphics (Most realistic PS2 game)
Tense gameplay
Cons
Hacking computers, keypads whatever is difficult
This is a must buy for anyone except under 15s because theres a horrible torture scene in mission 1, theres strangling, neckbreaking, drowning and blood if u look closley when killing and swearing but not too much only s**t and son of a b*tch and it is difficult. So buy buy buy wether u like it or not. Splinter Cell is now for run and gun fans becuse theres 3 modes u can choose when starting a mission which are stealth, assault and Reddings reccomendation (Reddings repleaced Brunton from Pandora Tomorrow). So theres something for everyone here. I wont be buying anything else for a while because I'll try to finish it 9 times (Mixture of the 3 1st then just stealth mode and then assault mode). I feel like owning a PS2 for just the following games
GTA Vice City and San Andreas
Splinter Cell Pandora Tomorrow and this
Killzone
50 Cent Bulletproof and The Warriors (When they are released)
Buy this and all the games mentioned above but wait a while for 50 Cent Bulletproof and The Warriors because Warriors is out end of the year and 50 Cent Bulletproof around same time I think. Thank you for reading this review and I hope u found it useful in helping u with your PS2 game choices.
Gangsta man

Incredible
Splinter Cell Chaos theory is an incredible game. It is a stealth game. The focus is light and dark: hiding in the darkness and sneaking up on guards thtanever heard or saw you. You can use non lethal attacks like punches, knees, or choke-holds, or lethal attacks like neck snaps and throat slits. The graphics pushn the ps2 to the limit: many cutscenes can be mistaken for movie scenes. Do not believe any bad review you hear. There is also a co-op mode and an online, spies vs. mercenaries, mode. The level design, sound, and story are great.

Graphics-pushes the ps2 to the limit. 9.9=4.95
Gameplay- stealty, light and dark, play 9.6=4.8
sound- good msuic, but nothing spectacular 8.5 4.25
fun factor- if you do not enjoy stealth games, you will after splinter cell chaos theory 9.5=4.75
note: the game is very hard

Mediocre Version
I own the X-box version of this game and it is incredible. I rented the play station one just for fun. I knew it wouldn't come close, but I just wanted to see how it stacked up. This game is of very mediocre quality by to days standards. The first splinter cell that came out for PS2 is better than this one. The PS2 Chaos Theory sort of looks like an early prototype of the X-Box version before detail, texture, high quality graphics and nonlinear mapping were put in. If you don't have the X-box though, it's still a pretty fun game, so I'd recommend at least renting it. ... Read more

Product Description

Square Enix (90309) Star Ocean: Till End Time PS2 ... Read more

Features

• Execute synchronized attacks coordinated with other characters to attack enemies
• Lush, fully polygonal graphics, cut scenes, and an orchestral score create a magnificent environment
• Contains all the features of the Japanese Director's Cut version
• Set in SD 772, the hero Fayt Leingod searches for his family and loved ones
• Move through fullly 3-D battlefields and control three characters simultaneously

Reviews (29)

I like this game!
My Maria is Still at level 30 and the rest of my party members are levels 40-55.I am up to the Shrine of Kadden on Disk 2.I Like this game because it is cool.

A tremendous disappointment and the worst Star Ocean ever...
It seems that Till The End of Time has garnered much praise by reviewers. Why? I don't know. Star Ocean: TtEoT is the one of the biggest RPG disappointments I've played for the PS2.
I'm a pretty hardcore RPG fan, but after exhaustively playing everything in the PS2 RPG world, I was on my knees begging for a decent RPG until the good RPG's begin release in June 2005. I stumbled upon Star Ocean and fondly remembered the Star Ocean for the SNES, a remarkable adventure, so I picked it up. At the beginning, I was amazed with the game's setting. It takes place in the distant future between federations of planets and insane technology, which you would think would lead to a good story and environments. Unfortunately, I spent 95% of the game in dungeons that seemed to come straight out of Diablo.
Back to the beginning, I noticed one thing immediately: the characters are flat as cardboard. They are complete stereotypes of RPG's, and react the same exact way as their stereotype dictates. Don't expect any character development, you're looking at the wrong game. The game's story and dialogue is altogether amazingly cliche and lame, with the typical selfless teen hero and his girlfriend who hangs with him everywhere who need to save the world from a terrible force. Awfully familiar, isn't it? If you've ever played an RPG, you've played this game.
What people consider the saving grace of Star Ocean is the battle system. In a nutshell, it's real time and you can switch between your characters as you attack the enemy. Unfortunately, you can't even see all the enemies on the map from one viewpoint, and the other is too far with the camera to properly battle. To add to the problem, the Comp controlled characters are iddiots and require almost nonstop attention to keep them from dying, because dying is permanent until you can get to a heal point.
What really kills the game besides the story, the characters, the somewhat glazed graphics, the stupid AI, and the somewhat unpolished feel is the save system. There are not nearly enough save points. Probably about 2 for the entire game. The dungeons in this game are huge and unmapped, as in YOU explore them and YOU map them out. The dungeouns are huge and littered with enemies. Because of the difficult battles, huge dungeons, lack of save and healing points and unmapped dungeons, I had to run back to town often to save my characters from certain death and to get healing products. If they had just approached this like they did FFX, where the map is clear and linear right in front of you, and there are plenty of save points which also act as healing points, this game wouldn't have been nearly as frusturating, but after dying from the umpteenth time due to no save points, I completely lost interest.
What could have and should have been a great game falls completely flat. Unchanging stereotypical characters, a terrible story, frusturatingly large dungeons and lack of saving/healing points, terrible AI and a general lack of polish relegate Star Ocean to a disgrace, a game not fit to carry its series' name similar to Final Fantasy 8 or Sword of Mana. I guess I'll have to wait Till the End of Time to play a good RPG.

Star Ocean
This game was not as good as the second one. since the dungeon designs looked same, the battle system was not that fun. still the story makes up for it and the background visuals.

Star Ocean is full of Five Star value
The game has excellent graphics (though sometimes they may look a little off...) and the story is also very good. The characters are pretty likable, and depending on which characters you prefer depends on which ones go with you til the end of the game. Depending on your relationship with them can also change the ending. The game has a ton of cut scenes, but I have yet to find one cutscene I didn't like. BUT, the switch from the "easy" level to "normal" is a hard one-I felt like there was a huge difference in the monster's power. Overall though, it's still a great game.

it's official
i got a chance to play this game when i first played it in my friends house. it wasn't the best rpg ever made. but the gameplay is worth playing and the graphics are nice. ... Read more

Product Description

Game Storyline: The Mario Party series returns with more of everything. In the single-player Story mode, Brighton and Twilaotherwise known as the sun and the moonare embroiled in a bitter feud over who's more impressive. Its up to Mario and his party-hearty cohorts to settle the spat and restore order to the cosmos. Multiplayer Party mode features more than 75 all-new mini-games and six game boards.Characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Daisy, Wario, Waluigi, Boo, Koopa Kid, Bowser, ... Read more

Features

• Clash with your friends in party-rockin' mini-games like Mowtown, Catch You Letter, Astaroad Rage and Cashapult.
• A new day and night system gives game boards and mini-games a split personality! Boards transform, characters emerge from hiding and mini-games change dramatically depending on the time of day.
• The game comes with a Nintendo GameCube Mic. Now you can control some furiously fun mini-game action with the sound of your voice.
• Faster movement: Speed around the board! Now there's less down time between turns and mini-games!

Reviews (59)

Party Buzz
Nintendo has really been making some of the biggest strides with oneof the most beloved mascots of all time, Mario. Since his breakout in the 1980's, he has been the most popular characters to have ever made it onto the video game scene. While many games and their systems have all come and gone, the variety Nintendo has pulled off with this plumber has been absolutely amazing. That also has gone the same way with the Mario Party game series as well. It has really made the feelings of mini-games, and the use of interactive boards as a popular tool for all games alike, and the latest in the series makes that case ever more known than before.

Mario Party 6, for the Nintendo Gamecube picks up a better game than it was earlier. This has a amazing amount of video games to try out, and play to your heart desires. There are also several great modes like the welcomed Party Mode, for fantastic multi-player action, and a solo mode that you can play to unlock fantastic games, and try games that you've never played before. The graphics are beautiful, and really live up to the game very nicely. There are so many kinds of games to play, like Odd Card Out, Catch You Letter, and other great games. The system also includes a microphone which is really only useful in 5 games in total. The controls are also really very easy to pick-up on with all the games, and a little bit of practice as well. Yet, it is not really worth it for just one player, so get a partner to join in on the party.

Mario Party 6 is really one of the best Nintendo Gamecube games out there right now. This is purely a must have for all gamers alike. I really suggest this one if you are a gamecube owner. It is just a very fun and challenging game.

Graphics: A

Sound: B+

Control: A-

Fun & Enjoyment: B 1/2+ if you're playing solo; A if you are playing with somebody else

Microphone: B+

Overall: A 1/2-

Best of all time!
Who could'nt like this!?!?!!?!?!???!!!?! This is one of the greatest games in history of gameing. People who say these are just copies.. come on,we all know that most are copies,yes. But people say this is a copy too,heck NO! THIS IS WAY DIFFERENT! NEW FEATURES!FOR YOUR INFO,FREAKIN 1 STAR DUMMYS,YOU MUST NOT HAVE BRAINS! The game boards are faster then ever,oh did I mention there's now daylight saving time?!?! That feature is so cool! There's one new character to unlock. I'll tell so you will buy this,Toadette,the musshroom girl. Ya know wha else is new 1 star folks,there's a microphone! The games on the Miocrophone are so addicting!!!! So,buy this and enjoy 80 new mini games and fun. Or enjoy being bored on the NGC for the rest of your life.

Best Mario Party of the 6
I found 6 to be the best of all of them. Once Mario Party moved to the GameCube console, it was pretty poor. 4 was just bad. 5 was better. But 6 has all of the best aspects of the previous games. The capsules are much better than 4 or 5. You can either get them for free or go to a Capsule Shop and buy them.The boards are interactive and changing. the day/night change adds an interesting side. you save up stars to buy secrets and taunts. and the mini-games are of course awesome.

Reminds Me Of Mario Party 1
So after having Mario Parties 1, 2, 4 and 6, I'd have to say that 6 is one of the best yet.

But before I go into that. Anyone who has the very first Mario Party knows that it was different from all the others- it wasn't just wandering around the board collecting stars. There were different ways to collect stars on each board (Yoshi's Tropical Island only had two star spaces, and the spaces switched when someone landed on a ? space; Mario's Rainbow Castle was a race to get to the castle when Toad was at it instead of Bowser; Peach's Birthday Cake always had the same star space, and you could plant flowers around the board to get stars, et cetera). Mario Party 6 seemed to be a much more exaggurated version of what the first one was meant to be, and a much better one at that.

Towering Treetop is a perfect example of how Nintendo isn't weakening on their boards. This one was beyond fun. Sure, it was just wandering around the board collecting stars, but it was one of the most creative, and I loved the atmosphere. At the top of the tree is a mini-tree that, when you land on his space, gives you coins during the day and takes away coins at night. Near the bottom is a space that you can land on to try to make the tree sneeze, causing all the players to fall down a level. You can also ride flower-like planes that randomly fly you anywhere on the board, and oh, there's so much that I love about this board!

E. Gadd's Garage seems to be the popular favorite that everyone likes. I can why- it's full of scientific inventions that can turn the game upside down. There are three teleportation inventions around the board. If you land on the space, you have the option to teleport to the next one, which is somewhere else on the board. There's also a missle where you can shoot orbs around the board at a cost. And then there's the gigantic fan that sucks coins from other players. This is the last "searching around the board for stars" board that there is on Mario Party 6.

Faire Square is a perfect example of how Mario Party 6 has much different boards than other Mario Parties. Faire Square is a little town square that has many games around it. There's the coin slot machine which you can earn coins with, and there's the space that takes coins or stars (depending on the time of day) from everyone and everyone randomly chooses a plant. The plant that grows the farthest wins the prize. Oh, and then there's the game where you can choose to give up one of your stars to make it into two stars (or three stars at night!). But you have to follow the hat that contains your star, or else you'll lose it! During the day, stars always cost the same thing- 20 coins (the star is always in the same place, and you can always buy up to five stars at a time, if you have the coins). At night, the star price is either 5, 10, 30 or 40 coins! This can turn into a really good deal or a real rip-off. Yes, Faire Square was definately one of the better boards.

Unlike other boards on Mario Party 6, Snowflake Lake (my personal favorite) is more to the player's advantage at nighttime, and here's why. There are huts around the board where you can pay a chain chomp to ride around the board to steal stars from other players (each player starts with 5 stars, and there isn't a star space). During the day, you pay 20 coins to roll only one dice that decides how many spaces you ride the chain chomp for. At night, you can pay 10 coins to toll one die, 20 coins to roll two, or 30 coins to roll three. What a deal! And also at nighttime you have a better chance of stealing other player's stars, because freezy's block the path that runs to the inside of the board (chain chomps only run alone the outer path of the board, and since it's hard to get out of that path because of the freezies, you have a better shot at stealing stars). Also, the little lake at the center of the board is fun. If someone lands on a happening space near it during the day, there is an ice skating competition, and you get to skate around getting coins. At nighttime there is a snowball fight, where you get to throw snwoballs at your rivals to steal their coins.

Castaway Bay has the same exact layout as Mario's Rainbow Castle from Mario Party 1. You wander around the board hoping to run into Donkey Kong who'll sell you a star for 20 coins, and every time someone passes the star space, Bowser takes Donkey Kong's space, and every time someone passes Bowser's space, he'll steal a star or coins from you, and then Donkey Kong will replace him, and the process goes on. I found Castaway Bay to be the hardest board on Mario Party 6. It's nearly impossible to get stars easily, and it's just as hard to keep them.

Clockwork Castle (the unlockable board) is probably the best Mario Party board I've ever seen. First of all, it's a chasing game. The board is a castle, where Twila and Brighton live. You wander around it trying to run into Donkey Kong, who'll sell you a star for 20 coins during the day. At the end of the turn, Donkey Kong rolls a dice or two and runs around the board. At nighttime, however, the movement of the board gets reversed, and Donkey Kong turns into Bowser, who'll steal a star or coins from you if you bump into him or vice versa. There are warp pipes around the board that you can use to teleport to another side of the board.

The mini-games are quite fun. The snowboarding game is cool. My personal favorite is Lift Leapers, which has the exact same concept as Super Mario Bros., except it only has four levels, and the first person to reach the end wins. Granite Getaway is a game where you're running away from a giant boulder. I found this to be very hard the first time I tried it. Oh, and there's also a game where you mow the lawn, and a golfing game, and there are all sorts of very fun mini-games on Mario Party 6.

Yes, Mario Party 6 has probably the best mini-games I've seen yet, it has the two best Mario Party boards I've ever seen, blah blah blah. Mario Party 4 was my favorite, and it more than likely still is. Here are the reasons why.

What happened to Donkey Kong? I loved him! He was an awesome character. Now instead he only gets a space. Replacing him are Boo, Toad, Toadette and Koopa Kid. Boo and Toadette are fun, but really. I still miss Donkey Kong.

Another thing- orbs. Who came up with the idea of orbs? They're different, and they add a different plot to the game, but I miss items still. They were a lot more managable and easier to use.

The boards are much much smaller, especially Castaway Bay. You can roll less than 30 spaces and bam! You're already at the end of the board. Very sad.

And those are the only reasons I can think of of why I like Mario Party 4 better than 6.

6 has many different things about it- different styled boards, the night and day time factor, the 3-D boards (you know, climbing, hopping, jumping, sliding down things that are much funner to watch than a person simply walking around a flat board), and of course, the mic. The mic is fun, but it doesn't really change the game in a major way.

Also, I heard someone say that it took an hour to play a 10 turn game. ... Huh?! I can play a 20 turn game in an hour, just like all the other Mario Parties I have.

If you're a fan of Mario Party, get this! This is probably the most solid one yet, mark my words.

Same game.. different look.
What started as a quirky, interesting use of Mario and all his iconic friends on the N64 has turned into an annual bash, which is now in its sixth year. On the surface, Mario Party 6 seems to offer some of the biggest fundamental changes the series has ever seen. But this is really just a fresh coat of paint on an old building.As always, Mario Party 6 is modeled after a board game, of sorts.Much of the other changes that Mario Party 6 makes to the Mario Party formula are largely superficial.
Whether you've worn out your last copy of Mario Party or are just looking for a light, accessible multiplayer experience, number six is a fine pick. Alternately, if you have yet to be charmed by previous Mario Party games, this one isn't likely to change your opinion of the series. ... Read more