Review of Wii Fit Energy Pak

I liked this battery pack's charging set up immensely.Convenient.Easy to use.Charged nicely and holds a reasonable charge.

BUT once I started doing the 20min and longer free step/run activities a real major problem materialized.

While using this battery pack, I experienced frequent communication interruptions between the balance board and the game console.Suspicion is it happens because of a combination of the battery case being located under the left foot contact area and the battery pack only having 2 contacts within the battery case instead of the 8 that AA batteries have.

When I switched back to AA batteries the communication interrupts vanished.

The product concept is good but the design flaw of minimalizing power connections in a high impact device makes the Energy Pack entirely unusable for anyone using the balance board for more than 8-10min events.



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Review of PSP Store & Protect Kit Blue

This is a very good case to carry ur psp but there r some bad things about it that i do not like. It is handy to carry ur psp but it does not have many holders for the games and if u fill all of them up and zip the case it will crack all of ur games. That happend to me so i had four broken games and one that worked but not all the time. So i had to buy a whole bunch of new games and i did not put them back into the case. The little round case broke off of the bigger one so i did not use it that much. The white game holder only held two games and two memery cards which i did not use. This is a good case but not for games.



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Review of Bratz Girlz Really Rock

This game is really cute.Though not as exciting as the other PS2 Bratz games.But still fun.Favorite part it the minature golf.Adults have fun with that one too!Playing the instruments is a really cute feature as well.



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Review of Think Fast Bundle with 4 Controllers

Bought this gift as a family gift and it is GREAT!The kids and adults just love it.





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Review of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006

This game, especially now that the original Xbox game is $29.95, is complete robbery. The Xbox 360 version sports only 6 courses compared to the 11 courses on the original Xbox and this version is filled to the brim with bugs.

For example, when playing a tournament, on the final hole, the putting line will mysteriously disappear (this actually happens countless times throughout the game, but interestingly enough, I've noticed it appears most often when you're about to finish a round). Also, as you make your last putt, the announcers will often say "That's a tie atop the leaderboard!" or "That's for a share of the lead." when you've actually won the tournament. Announcements will also come late, for example, when you're putting and the announcer calls out that you're 170 yards from the hole. Top that off with the fact that their putting advice isn't just useless, it's often totally wrong.

The online version of this game is using EA's own front-end, as they have in the previous TW games. If you haven't experienced how bad it is, consider yourself lucky. Game drop-outs (which are tallied on your personal Xbox profile) are far more likely EA's fault then a sour player. EA even taunts us by directly telling us that the only way they're going to update their 4-question online FAQ is if we send them a question "wrapped in cash preferably twenties."

EA has never offered additional courses for download. There is no "download" menu item in the Xbox Live menu of this game, and I will personally fly to EA and buy every member of the TW06 team a copy of this over-priced, over-rated game, if they ever offer even a single course. It simply won't happen because they don't care.

This game has a "fall-behind, catch up" feature, so bad that, if you're winning the tournament, Tiger Woods will come out of no-where on the 3rd day and score an impossible round. For example, he shot a hole-in-zero (yes, you read that correctly) on a par 3 to catch up to me on the back nine. He'll also take the lead in the tournament. The reason this is done is so that you can do "head to head" against Tiger. However, it also ruins any course records you've worked hard (and fairly) to earn.

The final nail in this game's coffin is that the system "cheats." And by that, I mean that the controls on the system will mysteriously pull (left or right) or push (over the green) your shots when you're too far in the lead, or making an early gain at the beginning of the higher tournaments. If you want an example, try making the exact same eagle approach shot in one of the major tournaments when you're ahead and behind. If you're the leader, you won't ever hit the green, if you're the leader, you'll never hit the green, if you're a few shots behind, you'll -amazingly- land near the pin.

For the price of this game, you should really go out and play a real round of golf. You won't be giving lazy developers any of your hard earned money and you'll be playing at a far nicer course than EA has virtually created.



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Review of Ninjatown

I have been trying this game out for about a week now and it has exceeded my expectations.It takes a formula that has been proven to be a lot of fun (tower defense) and improved it.

First of all, they made sure that you do not just jump from level to level without purpose.There is a good amount of dialogue before each level which had me laughing out loud on several occasions.There is no way not to love these characters!

As for gameplay, it starts out very simple.You may wonder how it will hold your attention, but no worries there because there is something added to almost every level, either a new kind of ninja that you can use to fight Mr Demon's minions, a new enemy to face, or one of several other surprises.

Difficulty is not an issue for anyone from the casual gamer to the hardcore.Later in the game, as the levels get much harder, the casual gamer may rely on the easy mode (offered after you lose on a level twice) and the hardcore gamer has the challenge of going for an "A" which is the top grade you can get for stopping all of the enemy in their tracks.Although I had many "A" grades early on, I am mostly settling for a "D" now to get through the later levels.This will keep me coming back for more and more even after I beat the game.

Average level is about 10 minutes, good for gaming on the run as well.

As I already own Pixeljunk Monsters for the PS3, another tower defense game, I was not sure how much enjoyment I would get out of this particular version of the genre, but it did not let me down.Highly recommended!



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Review of Nintendo DS Lite Dura-Case - White

The Intec Dura case stores your Nintendo DS Lite, 6 games, and an extra stylus. The case is Hard and durable on the outside and is soft and impact absorbing on the inside. The DS and games fit snugly in the case so there's no dangerous bumping about on the inside. It is sleek, stylish and has the best protection of your DS available. Intec feels so strongly about this case that it comes with a lifetime warranty. I don't know of any other DS cases that offer that. The Dura case offers you the best protection and functionality in carrying games with you.



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Review of DS Lite Action Replay

I bought two of these for my two kids for Christmas, and each one works perfectly.The boys were so stoked being able to max out their Pokemon on Diamond and Pearl!Whoever said "cheaters never win" obviously didn't use an Action Replay DS for playing Pokemon Diamond.Really was money well spent.As another reviewer put it, they were the Kings of the DS!Given that, I want to try to address some of the complaints I've seen about this excellent product.

I easily installed the software on my computer (Windows XP operating system -- I can't address it's compatibility with Vista or Mac), and easily updated said software by clicking on the "update" icon.Updating the codes on the device itself wasn't as intuitive as I originally thought, though, and I initially couldn't get it to work because my computer couldn't "see" the device.Yes, the instruction booklet could be written more clearly; however, anyone that has more than a nodding acquaintance with computers shouldn't be put off by what is an all-too-common complaint with computer components:poorly written instructions.After I *carefully* reread those instructions it was obvious what my problem was.The Action Replay DS must be inserted in the Nintendo DS (with the cable attached to the device and plugged into a USB slot on your computer) and the Nintendo DS must be then powered on for your computer to "see" it and to enable you to update the device.I'm guessing the small amount of power trickling through the USB connection isn't enough to enable the thing to work, but whatever the case is, you have to have it in a powered-up Nintendo DS for it to update.If your computer can't find the driver for your Action Replay DS, just tell it to search the internet for it and it'll find it for you (it'll find something called "NDS" something or other), then just tell it to install it.

Once you've established connectivity, if you use the software to do a "quick update" it will delete all the codes currently on the Action Replay DS and attempt to replace them with all the codes on codejunkies.com for the Nintendo DS.What you'll find is the hackers at codejunkies.com have been busy writing new cheats for new and old games since your Action Replay DS was packaged.The end result is they have more codes than your Action Replay DS can hold, thus, when you get about 80% of the codes loaded, it'll give you a message along the lines of "update canceled, memory is full" and will stop updating the Action Replay DS.Since it takes several minutes to get to that point, I recommend you only update the codes for those games you actually have.Just peruse the codejunkies US list, and drag the folders for the games you want to the main window, and the software will replace the existing data (if it already exists on the Action Replay DS) with the new data.There are other ways to manage this, too, and I'll leave it to you to read the instructions to find out.

In any case, I'll bet you ten bucks that 99% of the complaints for this are from people who didn't follow the directions.It's OK to complain when something truly doesn't work, but it just makes you look foolish when you didn't even follow the written instructions that came with the thing.Besides, other than smashing it with a hammer, jamming a crayon in the cable socket, or cutting the cable, I'm not sure how you could "break" this thing.Of course, 7-year-olds are prodigies when it comes to breaking things, so I guess I shouldn't speak so fast.Anyway, I hope this all helps someone out there.



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Review of Dead Or Alive Xtreme 2

Disappointed.

That pretty much sums up my feelings about this game.

I don't usually write reviews, but I felt I had to say my bit on this title.

It is a very pretty game.
I'll give it that, but little else.

DOAX2 = DOAX1 + better graphics + novelty features - in person multiplayer - some reason to play the game

Let's see... we have the new eye candy mini games.
Neato if you love button mashing madness.

We have the new Jet Ski race.
Big yay there.
It's an entertaining diversion, but nothing overly special.
Got old for me quick.

The new casino games are ok.
I spent more time playing in the casino than anything else.

We have ONLINE multiplayer now!
Woo Hoo!
Now you don't have to worry about making real friends and inviting them over!
You can just play with whatever random person is out there on the net.

We have online multiplayer at the expense of the offline two player game.

That pretty much kills the game for me.

One of the biggest components of this game and the previous title is going about gathering all of the bathing suits and other goodies for the various characters in the game.

With the old game, whenever a friend came over to play a two player volley ball match, you could show off the various outfits you had acquired, make inappropriate comments about the ladies, whine about losing because of the control scheme, and enjoy your company in general.

With the DOAX2, there is no offline multiplayer game.No local two player mode.I guess the people who made this game figured that the players who would play it didn't get out enough to know any people in person, and those they did know they only talked to over a crackling headset.

Well, that wasn't the case with me and my friends.
Between rounds of Halo and Soul Calibur we'd pop in DOAX1 for a change of pace and everyone liked it.

That was the part of the game I really liked:
The social aspect.

That made me want to collect all the different outfits and items so I could show them off, and hear my buds comment on them. It gave me a reason keep playing the single player mode (which in no way had an elaborate storyline).And I enjoyed it.I really did.

DOAX1 was a gem.

And while DOAX2 has a pretty face, there is nothing shining behind the eyes.

All in all, even with the online bit, you are still alone, just playing with yourself.



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Review of NCAA Football 2005

As I said in the title, this is not a review. I just want to save like-minded people some time, and summarize what makes 2005 different from the 2004 title.While this isn't platform specific, the biggest upgrade this year is for the Xbox, as EA and Microsoft have finally settled, and online play has finally arrived via XBLive.I'd like to not assign stars at all, but Amazon doesn't allow for pre-release non-reviews.So I'm assigning 5 stars based on NCAA 2004, and the promise of the following new features.

That aside (despite it being a huge issue), the following changes come directly from EA Sports announcements.What follows is verifiable on their website or with a few well-placed Google searches.I present it for convenience.These 'pre-release reviews' that always pop up for titles might as well serve a real purpose, besides of course the all-important "tHIs gAme iS dEFiNaTEly (sic) gOInG tO RAwK!!!" proclamations.But I digress, the summary follows, I intend to keep my personal commentary to an absolute minimum;

GENERAL GAMEPLAY IMPROVEMENTS:
- Big hits:The option to take a chance on really plastering another player.Increases the chance of a fumble or dropped pass, but also the chance of you whiffing on the tackle.
- Improved run blocking and new run animations:No more getting stuck against or behind your own linemen.Good offensive lines now open better holes and routes.
- Home Field Advantage:The bigger the stadium, the louder the crowd, the greater the impact.Pumping up the crowd carries more meaning and response.Visiting teams have to fight an uphill battle against the environment, based upon the strength of the home team's stadium and crowd.
- Interactive Timeouts: You're now given a choice on which group to coach, it can directly address ratings and composure levels depending on those of your team captains.You can now "ice the kicker" with timeouts, as composure is an issue for all players.
- Match-Up Stick:Player ratings (in game) can now change based upon the individual's ability to handle pressure.You can now check composure and mismatches pre-snap.
- Custom fans:Set up your own 'crazed' fans with a variety of options, accessories, appearances, etc.To add to the college gameday atmosphere, and...
- Custom celebrations:Choose to play a mascot, fan or player animation, decide between mild and extreme.
- More "user" stats:User pick tracking was well received, now more stats are tracked in this form in your record book.

DYNASTY MODE IMPROVEMENTS:
- Roster expansion to 70 (according to the producer, although 75 has been reported elsewhere).It's been down at 55 for years, which has been a source of frustration for those who enjoy dynasty mode.
- Top 25 Stadiums tracking:In dynasty mode, you can build home field advantage where there was little or none before, the top 25 places to play are tracked.
- Team Captains:As part of a deeply enhanced dynasty mode, you can now name captains.
- Program integrity:Dynasty depth - keep tabs on your players, you can now suffer academic issues and/or team rule violations.You choose how to discipline, and you can now actually lose scholarships, television exposure, and post-season play if you don't run a clean program.It also speaks to;
- Player transfers:You can now lose athletes to transfers if they're unhappy, and feel like they should be seeing the field more.You can also have players from other programs request a transfer in if you're not deep at their position.
- Recruiting pipelines:You can now build your presence outside of your immediate geographic region.
- Improved scouting:You can now unlock prospect attributes without offering a scholarship first.
- Better defined offensive/defensive coaching strategies:Speaks to play-calling, simulation and recruiting.
- Accurate conference schedule rotation.
- Athletes:You can now recruit a kid just for his athletic ability, and define or switch his position on the roster later.If you have a QB who would make a better FS or WR, you can switch him, and he will progress according to his new position, not the old.
- More/improved Sports Illustrated stories, magazine covers and insight throughout the season.
- More trophies.Added support for the Rimington and Doak Walker.28 bowl trophies, 49 rivalry trophies.
- All-Conference teams.To supplement 1st and 2nd team All-American tracking.

ONLINE PLAY IMPROVEMENTS:
- Opponent scouting:They've added a new scouting report that allows you to check any player's (online) tendencies. You can look at their favorite playbook and formation, as well as look at how much they no-huddle, call hot routes, and audible.It's meant to try and cut down on the number of games wasted to opposition that cheats or otherwise plays in a manner you're not interested in.
- Quick tournaments:4 or 8 player tournaments built right into the online system.
- Even team mode:An option that will allow an even playing field, regardless of the `real world' strengths and weaknesses of two programs/teams.
- Improved leaderboards.
- Minigames.

That's all I've come across so far, but it's a factual aggregation of information, all directly from the source.Either Electronic Arts, and/or Rod Moye the producer via an interview on EASports.None of this comes through third parties, or speculation.Given that, this looks to be one of the biggest leaps forward this franchise has enjoyed in some time.Particularly for Xbox fans as they finally get online play, but really for everyone.But enough, I now return you to your regularly scheduled, "tHiS gAMe iz dA bOMb!" 'reviews'.



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Review of Bangai O Spirits

More of what you'd expect if you own the Dreamcast or N64 versions.The first thing you'll notice upon playing the game is the improvements to weapon types and gameplay, especially the dash ability.Soon after, you'll notice that this game is extremely difficult, bordering on frustrating.Overall, it is very challenging at first, but once you learn what you're doing it isn't as bad as it seems.The challenge level on this game actually makes it more addicting than fun.It's hard to put down.Unfortunately, most of the levels are extremely short.Don't be surprised if you beat all 150 levels in just a few days.If you're a veteran of this title, it won't take long.I'd have to say that this installment in the series is slightly more difficult, and also slightly less fun.But for a hand-held, this game plays just like a console, with the exception that there are simply no massive levels.If you're a fan, you'll soon get over the difficulty level, and find yourself playing over and over to achieve new high scores and times.If you get extremely bored, you can resort to using the level editor, but personally, I haven't found the need for that yet.



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Review of Monopoly - Here And Now

Monopoly - Here and Now is a great update of this classic game. The game is easy to play and fun for solo players or a group. There are a variety of options and players can customize the game easily. Lots of fun.



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Review of Fallen Earth

I bought the game on Steam so have had it for about a week.I will say, I wasn't expecting very much from this game.The appeal here is of course going to be for those who enjoyed Fallout or any other post-apocalyptic movie or book.To say that it is a rip off of Fallout though is doing the developers a huge injustice.This is one of the most original MMOs I have played.Crafting is very important aspect of the game - every single item in the game can be crafted down to your horse, motorcycle and car.Factions are also a very important element, you win or lose faction points based on your quests - not all quests are related to factions but many are.

Down to the gameplay.The game is more action oriented than most where you click and wait to kill.Characters can use their weapons in first person or traditional third person viewThe tutorial sequence could be better, at first I was pretty confused by the controls and it took me a lot longer than just a play through the tutorial to figure them out.If you can sit through learning the controls for an hour or two though you will definitely begin to enjoy this game.

Other reviewers mention the performance of the game.I for one had no performance issues other than in the main city (my specs: AMD 720be, ATI 4870x2, 4GB DDR3 RAM).The main city was a lag problem on the first public weekend but the developers quickly fixedthe issues.Of course you might have some slow down in the main cities still because there are hundreds of players in but that is to be expected.The game rarely crashes too.I should also mentioned, right now I am playing from Europe.

Sure - this game won't be a WoW killer, it wasn't supposed to be.It doesn't have the budget or the marketing power but if you want a creative MMO that is a little bit different.This game is far from a WoW clone and you will enjoy it if you give it a chance.

5/5 for Fun Factor
4/5 for Overall



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Review of Thrillville: Off The Rails

As a 14 year old I got the game and the concept of being able to run around your park and ride the rides and play the games sounded like a really neat concept unfortunately i was terribly dissapointed. Firstly one of the main problems with the game is that managing your park requires no work at all, all there is to the game is playing the minigames and the roleplaying aspect of it. Unlike other similarly based games such as rollercoaster tycoon, this game provides no challenge in making your park a success, you dont need to manage your finances, you dont need to maintain guest happyness and you dont need to manage your staff in any way at all. The financial part of the game is terribly easy because without even trying you make money, even if you were trying to make your park a complete faliure i dont think it would be possible unless you made all your attractions free. It doesnt matter if your guests are happy or not because THERE IS NO EXIT TO THE PARK! and the number of guests in the park doesnt matter anyhow. and managing the staff doesnt matter because like i said the guest happyness doesnt matter, and rides hardly ever break down.
Besides the park manager part of the game there are severe limitations to the parks, each park has three areas in it, in each area you can make 2 rollercoasters at the pre determined rollercoaster locations, and each area has two small areas where you can build other attractions, the parks start with rides and coasters in them, and you cant remove any of the large annoying scenery to make more room for your park and rides, there is no way to buy more space which really makes little sense, and the whole game is not about running a park, its about "thwarting globo-joy".
Then there are problems with the game itself, firstly many of the "minigames you can play are either no fun, or dont work properly" also the keypress recognition is terrible! I could press the spacebar twenty times to open the menu without a single thing happening! As you can probably imagine that makes the games worth playing a lot harder to play.
then there is the "off the rails" aspect. Supposedly you can make the rollercoasters do jumps, well if you can i certainly havent been able to. Also one of the things that was going to make this game interesting for me was that you could just let the track end and send the coasters flying into the crowds and make a huge explosion(when you are a 14 year old boy that is a large part of the appeal) unfortunately i found that when you make a coaster whos track doesnt end, all the people are ejected out of the coaster, magically sprout propellers, and float gently to the ground. Meanwhile the car of the rollercoaster has some how appeared back at the launching station insted of ploughing into the crowds. Also the coasters have no physics applying to them, none of them have lift hills, they are just "launched" up a 500ft vertical track (as if thats going to happen on a real roller coaster) despite what i do to try and make these coasters not have enough speed to get up a hill and start rolling backwards into the next train (this was my next attempt to cause some explosions) but amazingly in thrillville there is no such thing as physics. miraculously the rollercoaster went up an 80 degree hill that went about 100 feet high at around 2MPH! who comes up with this, seriously!


All in all i think the concept of the game is great! but the game itself is poorly designed, poorly executed, and the objectives and storyline need some serious help.



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Review of Nights Journey of Dreams

Has it really been over a decade since the release of Sega's original Nights?Hard to believe, but yes, and what's even harder to believe is that it took Sega all that time before coming out with a follow up to their cult smash.Anyway, Nights: Journey of Dreams is here for the Wii, and the game is a very fun follow up to the original masterpiece, and despite it's flaws, is a blast to play.If you've played the original Nights, you'll feel right at home here with the flight-based gameplay, wonderful soundtrack, and brilliantly realized level designs that populate the Nights universe.The game's artistic style is by far it's greatest strength, giving Nights an undeniable charm that is hard to top.Where Nights disappoints is with some of the Wii-mote controls, which come off as too cumbersome, but this can be fixed thanks to the fact the game supports the Classic and Gamecube controlers.Where the game also falls is with some of the on-foot platforming elements, which just aren't much fun at all.Not to mention that just like the original game, Nights: Journey of Dreams is too short.It won't take you long to get through the game, and once you do, as before, you'll be begging for more.Despite it's flaws though, Nights: Journey of Dreams is one of the better third-party Wii titles to see the light of day this holiday season.The charm of the presentation makes it worthwhile for children, and the addictive gameplay makes it worth playing for older gamers with fond memories of the original.For those longtime fans of the original Nights, you'll be pleased to see many references and homages to the original game peppered throughout Nights: Journey of Dreams, but the game doesn't do this enough to put off new gamers either.All in all, Nights: Journey of Dreams may not be as memorable or as close to a masterpiece as it's predecessor, but it is a very fun follow up regardless, and worth checking out for gamers of all sorts.



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Review of Valhalla Knights 2

I am something of an RPG freak, and as far as Valhalla Knights 2 goes, I was definitely satisfied. There are elements from the first Valhalla knights that are improved upon, such as extended character customization, which really helped make this game a win for me.

PROS
- The story was interesting and I was intrigued from the beginning. Though this is a dungeon crawler and there is lots of grinding involved, there is a coherent story also.
- The graphics are great for a PSP game. Everything looked crisp and clear on my screen.
-The battle system and subsequent battles are fast paced and exciting, but there is also an element of strategy involved. For you to be successful in battle, you can set up your character's formation, equip them with various different equipment. This is done before the battles actually start however. The game gives you ample time to prepare and countless enemies to gain experience from.
-The amount of customization is fantastic. There are hundreds of different weapons and armor types, the more powerful ones discovered as you become more powerful. You can also customize your class. You choose one class to start with (Fighter, Mage, Priest, Thief, or Monk) but you are not limited to this one class. In fact, you level up faster if you choose more than one class. For instance, you can choose to start as a Fighter and then when you reach level 10, choose to be a Monk and you'll start over at level 1 BUT still have the level 10 hit points and stats.Lastly, VH2 gives you the option to customize your characters appearance and race. For each different race, there are a selection of hairstyles and face types to choose from.
-The game is definitely not too easy. Items have to be analyzed before you can equip them or sell them, and the enemies become more difficult as you gain more experience.
CONS
-The only place you can save is at the hub town. This is easily remedied by pausing the game and then turning your PSP in sleep mode.
-There are no warp gates back to the hub town, which means to reach an area, you have to pass through the areas before it. However, once you fulfill your given quest, you can use the item ESCAPE CARD which takes you all the way back to the hub town's save point immediately. The escape card is available at the hub town's armory.

Overall this game is a great choice for those who enjoyed the first Valhalla Knights and love a good dungeon crawler.




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Review of PSP Slim Component Cable

I like this cable for the PSP.It is cheaper than Sony's offerings and it is both a composite and a component cable.There is a switch on the cable that lets you switch between composite or component.

I have tested the video output on both a 4:3 tv and a 16:9 hdtv and it works just fine from what I can tell.If you have a lot of movies on your PSP it really adds value to your PSP because you can watch your movies on the go, or on your TV.

I also recommend the 16GB mark2 memory stick pro duo card for your PSP.




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Review of Matias Ifold Stand - Black

I was surprised to read the review that notebook computer slipped off the stand.Both a Lenovo T60 and a Macbook Pro stay on my Ifold stand.



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Review of Magna Carta 2

Some may be turned off b/c of the game's cliched story of love and war, with an amneasic character who sets out for revenge, but i love the story. The graphics are amazing, in par with the best looking next gen games to date. The battle system is also very fun and complex, without being difficult to learn. I think all RPG fans should play this game. It is a masterpiece!



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Review of Flower, Sun and Rain

From the same people who brought you Killer 7 and No More Heroes, this game is very similar in style and humor, but not in game play. Flower, Sun, and Rain can be best described as a 'point & click' adventure, with puzzles that must be solved to advance.

When I say this game isn't for everyone, I mean that this is a very hard game to play, as in the game almost wants you to stop playing it, as in most of the puzzles involve reading comprehension, repetition and basic math skills. IGN even said that you have to be masochistic to play this game, and I actually have to agree, but if you go into this game expecting to be challenged mentally then within lies one of the most interesting games I have ever played. The story is funny and confounding, and it was hard to put this game down.

You should also know this game is a port from what I believe was the original PSX release, but with touch screen add-on and an updated HUB and save features, so the graphics are dated, but done in a stylized way, so they are still interesting to look at.

Basically what I'm telling you is that if you love Japanese story telling and want to be challenged mentally (and almost physically) than definitely pick this game up for the $20 sale price.



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Review of Nintendo Wii HD component Cable

I had Wii running in 480p 16:9 without problems using this cable.I had decided not to buy component cables previously because I figured the it wasn't worth spending $30 on component cables if the Wii doesn't support 720p or 1080i anyway.Well, the difference isn't worth that much, but its definitely worth the $3 I got these thrid party cables for.The image quality has improved dramatically.Its not HD, but compared to composite cables @480i the difference is night and day on all the HDTVs I've seen using this.The main downside is that it really makes jaggies and other graphical errors jump out, but that will depend on the game that your playing.Here are some things to note:

-This cable is shorter than the stock cable that came with Wii.The pictured cable [that one that I recieved] is 5 feet 6 inches.The stock cable is around 8 feet.

-Theres no way to seperate the left and right audio connections from the component video ones.This matters if you have an audio reciever apart from ylolur TV.Same problem with the first party cable.Buy an extension L/R audio cable and theres no problem

-The packaging says the phrase "compatible with 1080i/720p HDTV" all over it.No its not.Well, the cable may be, but the Wii can't output either, so its misleading.

It works.Its $3.Reccomended.



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Review of Wii Steering Wheel & Remote Pad

It depends upon you or whoever is using it, I prefer the basic remote myself, alot less confusing!



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Review of The Sims 2: Open for Business Expansion Pack

i thought that this was a good game to play, it was fairly inexpensive and you get to make a living off your own store, that you either get to run, or work at, instead of sending your sim away for the day then to come back with a pay check... you actually earned the money that you recieve. I think that some things are really annoying though, because you end up spending much more on your employees and such, and barly make any money at all cause no one will buy your items if they are too expensive, so you have to have another job inorder to make enough to live. And the days go by so fast, you barely have any time to run the store, in between your sims other needs such as hunger and hygene etc.. Also, the customers get mad at really stupid things and end up never coming back and give your store a bad reputation. When i was playing, one of my lawn decorations (a flamingo) was tipped over, and they kept going into histerics about that, or if your trash is full they get really annoyed.
this also is very entertaining though because you are able to run a restaurant, a salon/hair dresser place, an entertainment spot, and pretty much any type of store you want. you can sell anything that is available in the buy mode. this expantion pack also comes with a lot of new objects, clothing, and hair styles, which are fun to use, such as costumes they can wear, a lot of shelving to put goods on, etc.
over all i think that this game was fun, being able to run your own business, but there were a few things that could be better.



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Review of Real Pool (Jewel Case)

This old man just got a new Dell computer and wanted a pool & billiard game since I've played most of my life. I also play in a BCA league. After I got use to it, I found it very helpfull & it had most of the games I wanted. Just a lot of fun when I need to get away from the grind of daily life. Thanks; Wm.Frank Anders



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Review of F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

FEAR:2, the long awaited sequel to the original Fear Trilogy (not really a trilogy, but there were three games: Fear, Fear: Extraction Point, and Fear: Perseus Mandate) is finally here and it doesn't disappoint. Walking the footprints of giants in the horror game genre isn't easy, especially when one of them was your previous incarnation, the original FEAR. Gladly, they got it right, and in fact, even better than the original in many ways.

First off the level design is much more imaginative than in the original F.E.A.R. There are a wider variety of environments (No more endless office corridors!) and they are all very nicely done.

Second, the shock value is as good or better than the original with new affects, startling moments, and fast paced action akin to Doom 3. Slow moments are mixed in, complete with visions of the dead, 1st person cut scenes that move the story along, and a few nice nods to the earlier game.

One of the things I liked best in the original F.E.A.R when it was released was the way the weapons worked. They just felt 'right' and meshed with the environments to create clouds of concrete dust from bullets hitting the walls and support beams, fires, etc. That's been taken to a whole new level in FEAR:2. The combat feels cinematic with you controlling the action. It's amazing. Sometimes I wanted to just sit back and watch what was going on, but couldn't because I would have gotten hacked to pieces by one of the swarming zombies coming my way...

This is a fairly short game, and replay value is average. Once you've played it for the story and been shocked out of your socks at a few places, the intensity level will be lower. However, the game play and visuals will keep you entertained nonetheless.

One of my biggest complaints with the game is that they did a poor job of tying FEAR:2's story together at the end. It will leave you with as many questions as answers, in the same way Fear: Extraction Point frustrated me.

I am a huge advocate for DRM free games. I've written many of those 1 star reviews that so many of you dislike. I will continue to write them, because I believe draconian DRM schemes like SECUrom are terrible for the consumer, and unnecessary as well. However, in the case of FEAR:2 and STEAM, I actually am coming down on the side of STEAM (to an extent):

1. Steam is DRM, but it isn't malicious like Securom and does not enforce limited installations on your computer. It does not take root level control of you computer, and does not attempt to disable other software, nor does it potentially screw up hardware profiles for CD/DVD drives. It is in short, about as benign as I can imagine DRM being, and while it does have its problems (see below) it is a compromise that I can in good conscience make.

2. I already have a STEAM account and have had one since HL1 days, and have a completely satisfactory experience with it, including installing multiple games on a series of different computers over time.

3. STEAM does not attempt to control my computer. It does a simple check with the server and then releases me to play my games. In fact, contrary to common belief, you can unplug your computer's internet and play Steam games all you like once they are activated.

However, STEAM has some real negatives as well:

1. Potentially violates the "Doctrine Of First Sale" which guarantees my right to re-sell something that I've purchased. STEAM allows a 1 time transfer of the game to another account, but once it is moved, that's the end. No more transfers. I understand why STEAM does this: to prevent massive rings of gamers swapping games back and forth using their servers to achieve it, bogging up their download severs, etc... While I agree that is a problem for them, I think that limiting transfers violates my rights, and destroys the second hand game market.

2. Requires 'One more program' to be run on my computer. I'm pretty selective about what I install on my PC, and I hate being forced to have yet another program running just to access some of my games.

3. What happens if Steam goes out of business? Will I still have access to my games? How? None of that is spelled out in any documentation from STEAM or VALVE.

So basically I've come into this one with my eyes wide open. It's not that I love STEAM and think it is totally without faults. I just think that its faults are not enough to limit me playing a game as good as FEAR:2. STEAM itself has proved itself reliable in the last 7 years, and so I'm willing to use it to play a game I really, really want to play. The key distinction is that Securom DAMAGES my computer and TAKES AWAY MY ADMINISTRATIVE RIGHT, as well as ENFORCES LIMITED INSTALLATIONS. STEAM does none of those things.

Overall this is a great game. If you can't live with STEAM, I understand, and I honestly probably wouldn't get involved with it either if I didn't already own a bunch of games on it from years past, before I learned about DRM schemes and began to care about such things. Go in with your eyes open, and if you think it's worth the potential risks, the game itself won't disappoint you.



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Review of Tiger Hunt : Drive... Shoot... Destroy!

I have a dell pen 4ht with windows xp with 1 Gig ram and prosser in'06. I bought this game sometime later and have enjoyed it every time I play it. It has 3 levels of diffculity and many different levels of equpment. It can slow down some times and stall but all in all it can keep me playing for quite a while.



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Review of Mini Ninjas

Love the beautiful pictures and music, this is definitely a wonderful game, highly recommend :)



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Review of Wii 9-in-1 Sports Pack

When I bought this I was very excited to have a more realistic feel to playing the wii.Unfortunately, I found that it was actually easier and more comfortable to play without the accessories.There is nothing wrong with them, and some may like them.But I found them more cumbersome to use and so we have just put them way and use only the remote.Save your money, it really does not give a more realistic or comfortable feel.



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Review of Project Gotham Racing

One of the best racing games available on any console, Project Gotham (PGR) improves upon the wonderful Metropolis Street Racer (Dreamcast) in EVERY way.PGR is extremely challenging, visually striking, and full of replay value and many modes of play.

First, gameplay.PGR features a mix of realism and arcade-speed in its handling that is beyond compare.I gave my brother a shot at a very tight track in NYC with a Porsche Boxster.He was doing fairly well--as far as he knew--after only a lap or two.He is a casual gamer who only plays sports games, baseball and Madden.So if he can handle it so quickly and so well, then anyone can.

BUT, then there are Kudos points, which you must earn by driving aggressively and with style.This my brother would need much time to learn, how to string together a tail-out slide through cone markers while passing two cars and avoiding walls at the same time...plus coming in 1st!Manage all this and you'll earn Kudos to open up new cars and tracks, even extra play modes, helmets, etc.Real skill is needed in this game, on many dimensions.

Now gameplay modes: you may be tasked with passing a certain number of cars in a certain time limit; beating a fast car one-on-one; earning a set number of Kudos on a track in a given number of time and laps (very hard); beating a specified average time; beating a specified single time, and more!In fact, after 5 hours of playing, the game will open up an entire new game mode called Medal Pursuit (in which the focus shifts away from powerslides to absolutely clean driving to beat a best time)!So much game!

Oh, and then graphics.The game is inarguably more graphically accomplished than even GT3 on PS2.For instance, cars in GT3 generally only have "paintd-on" bodylines such as at doors, hoods, trunks.In PGR there are so many more polygons used that you can actually see the sun reflect WITHIN the modeled bodylines!Superb.

PGR is flatly the best racer on the market for those who truly desire challenge, great gameplay, awesome music (including the ability to import your own from the hard drive), incredible 60fps graphics, and longevity.You will not be getting that Ferrari F50 until you've shown some serious mettle.A must-have racer for a must-have system.



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Review of The Dark Eye: Drakensang

To start, let me say that I love traditional CRPG's. I haven't noticed many CRPG's in recent years, most new RPG's are console RPG's, ported over to the PC. But here is Drakensang, a new pure CRPG, and I am loving every minute of it.

I'm just going to list what I like and dislike about this game.


MUSIC

The music in this game fits the atmosphere, I love it. I remember when Baldurs Gate first came out, the tavern music, the wilderness music, it all fit in that game. It was one of the first games I ever played where the music fit in with the atmosphere in harmony. Here in Drakensang, the music fits. Tavern music sounds like tavern music, and while exploring the city, calm beautiful music surrounds you. Music is suppose to draw you deeper into the story, deeper into it's magic, and here it does just that. Music of the year needs to be awarded here. I would love to get a soundtrack CD for this game, and I have never wanted one before for any other game.


GRAPHICS

I don't like big flashy graphics, in fact, I hate big flashy graphics. Since Fallout 3 is popular, I will use that as an example. In Fallout 3, there are a lot of blood effects that fill the screen, there are also a lot of blur effects, and all they do is obstruct my view. I like nice clean graphics, I don't like or want all that extra flashy stuff. In Drakensang, the graphics are nice and clean. The graphics stand out and are colorful without resorting to using extra flashy graphic effects.

The clothes and the architecture of buildings reminds me of old Europe. If you have ever been to the Renaissance festival, that is what this game feels like. Colorful jesters, big muscles, big bosoms, fanciful outfits with potions, daggers, and scrolls attached. It's almost perfect.


SOUND EFFECTS

Sound effects are abound. Birds chirping, monsters growling, weapons swooshing, companion's comments, it's all there. But of course it is, isn't it? What is there to say about sound effects, but that everything is splendid. And speaking of your companion's comments, the voice acting in the game is done well. The companions you can gather to fight with you will speak and make comments about situations. You are also able to talk to them anytime you want to learn more about them. They all have their personality in their voices, easily recognizable for each.

There is one possible drawback to the voice acting. Every line in the game is not spoken. There is a lot of dialogue in the game, but only the first lines, and sometimes more, are spoken. Therefore, you will have to read many lines without a voice actor reading with you. I don't have a problem with this, I love to read!


STORY

Speaking of the dialogue, the game is full of story. Generally, there are two types of RPG's. One type of RPG has a story for you to follow with a lot of dialogue, and the other type of RPG is just action with little dialogue. In this game, there is LOTS of dialogue and a lot of story for you to follow. You can, of course, skip a lot of the dialogue if you wish, but for those that want it, there's tons of information to find out.

The game is also linear, it draws you along a path. A game like Daggerfall lets you travel the world as you please, here in Drakensang, you can only go in a certain direction. There are, of course, many optional side-quests to perform that don't follow the main quest, but have little stories of their own for you to solve for loot and experience.

I do love the story, it has pulled me in like a good book. I want to keep playing to find out what happens next, and what I will be doing next. Because the game was translated from another language, it might make you wonder if the story turned out good in English, as a lot of games that are translated have ended up poorly written. The good news is that here the story has been kept intact, the English translation was pulled off marvelously.


COMPANIONS

Since you are only able to create one character, you will find many companions to join you in your adventure. The biggest thing with companions in a story-based RPG is "Do they have background stories and are interesting?". To answer that, I have to say "yes!".

Okay, I love the companions available. In Neverwinter Nights 2, I only liked some of the companions, as I do in most games. Sometimes I can't stand them. But here, they somehow managed to create companions that I like having in my party.


CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION

When you create your character, you are offered a wide array of professions. These are the typical affair, such as a warrior, archer, alchemist, different types of mages, and so forth. There are about 20 in total, each with a male and female choice. The only drawback for me when creating a character, was that they only had one look each and they could not be changed. You can not change their hair color, their hair style, their faces, their body type, etc. For example, if you want to be a soldier, he will look a certain way with no option to change his looks. However, each class does look different. A mage might look Mideastern, while the soldier will look European. So even though you can't change your character's looks, each class does look different, and the different looks are so wide in selection, that I was able to overlook not being able to customize the look of my character. I usually prefer to customize my character's looks, but I was happy with this just the same.

There is also the character sheets. There are a lot of skills for you to raise when you level up. There are social skills, fighting skills, crafting skills, thieving skills, and many more for you to raise. I love having many skills to raise, it gives me more choices when leveling up my character. I wish more games had tons of skills like this to raise.


THE RULE SET

This game uses a rule set from The Dark Eye, it's a lot like Dungeons and Dragons. There are stats and skills, everything based on points and rolls. Like a lot of Dungeons and Dragons video games, you don't need to know the rules to play it and have fun. So you don't have to learn the rules if you don't want to. However, there is the option to let you know all the rolls and behind the scenes numbers, so if you want more information about what is going on, it's there for you.

I honestly don't know a single thing about this rule system, just like I don't know anything about the Dungeons and Dragons rule system. I am able to enjoy this game just the same as I enjoyed Neverwinter Nights.


COMBAT

Combat in the game is real-time with pause. It's a lot like the combat in Neverwinter Nights. There are turns that happen, but it all happens in real-time, giving you the ability to pause, and choose what spells and skills you want to use in combat.

I would prefer pure turn-based combat, but the combat here I am enjoying just as much. You will have to select each of your characters and order them to use their skills. The A.I. does not use their skills on it's own, it needs player intervention. But, the A.I. does attack on it's own, so your companions don't just stand there when attacked, they just don't use their skills on their own.

It feels like turn-based combat, even though it's in real-time, which is probably why I like it so much.


STABILITY

I want to mention how the game runs. A game can run slow for several different reasons. Sometimes, your computer isn't fast enough, sometimes it's a wrong driver, sometimes it's the game engine, sometimes it's something else.

I have a medium range computer. I have a few of the graphic settings turned down, and I am able to play the game perfectly smooth. I experience no choppyness at all. The game has not crashed once after playing for over 20 hours. The game is stable and it plays great!

However, I have noticed one small thing about it that I had trouble with. On rare occasions when casting a spell, the game would pause for a split second, then continue. I never did figure out why it did this. If this was it loading it into memory, or what, but other than this, I have not experienced anything else. Since it doesn't happen much, I just forgot about it.

I'm very happy with it's performance!


INTERFACE

It's a CRPG!

In other words, it has an interface fit for a computer. This is a big deal to me, because when a game gets ported over to the PC from a console, it leaves it's console interface on it. It makes it clunky and hard to use, and even sometimes annoying. I've played my share of PC games with bad interfaces too, don't get me wrong, but it's nice to play an RPG with a good interface that works.

Thanks for giving me an interface that works!


DRM

The game uses Securom for it's copy protection. It does NOT require internet activation of any sort. Securom is only used for a DVD check. So you do need the DVD in your computer to play.


CONCLUSION

I love this game. I'd recommend it to anyone, of course. But if you love CRPG's, you should give it a try. With the low price the game came out with, I don't see how anyone could refuse. I am truly in love with this game.

I even heard they are making a sequel to this game, which means more CRPG goodness. Maybe the CRPG genre isn't dead afterall?



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Review of Wii Fit Sport Cushion Mat - Very Soft

This is a wonderful product.It really helps when you do your yoga and strenghth training, and it feels nice on your feet!




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Review of Big Bang Mini

This game is a solid third-party offering for the DS.Good visuals, good music, basic, but engaging and strong gameplay.

As levels progress, you earn some temporary and some permanent upgrades, but in general, you are reliant on your own speed with the stylus for this game.Swiping the stylus for shooting, moving your piece to dodge return and ricochet fire, and navigating bonus puzzles at the end of each level.

The Arcade mode progresses through increasingly difficult worlds and levels, with a change in abilities each world.There are 10 levels per world, and each is a few minutes in length, assuming you do not need to reply.For many, you will need to, however due to the length of each level this is not a serious frustration like it would be in most other games. There are high-score, relax, and mission modes after that.

Gradual refinement and expansion of the basic gameplay as you progress, really keeps the game flowing naturally and enjoyably.

The art style is bright, but not simply for kids.Each world has a distinct image and sound, and this polish really adds to the overall experience.

There are some online functions, and local multiplayer, which are nice but not major componentsto this game.

I would definitely recommend this game, and yes, if you order from Amazon you get the attractive lenticular packaging.



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Review of Spyborgs

I remember coming home from school, throwing my backpack aside, grabbing a soda and putting on Final Fight 3 for SNES, and my best bud and I would sit there for hours of mindless punching and jump kicking. It was great. I wanna thank Capcom for bringing me back to that. I have to admit I am biased when it comes to this company, but they really do make great games *cough- except for ps3 bionic commando- cough* Spyborgs is like the spiritual successor to games like Captain Commando and Final fight. It takes the basic Beatem-up formulaand kicks it up a notch with detailed, stylized graphics, co-op finishing moves, and over the top bosses (i.e. 20 times bigger than you). Although this has been done before time and time again by the likes of Ben 10 and to some extend the recent Madworld, very few companies reach Capcom's pedigree in this area. The game started it's life more like a bad saturday morning cartoon-gone-game, and ended up being a throwback to days when games were just fun and you didn't have to thins so much about what button does what.Graphically, Spyborgs looks great. The texturing is clean, animation is fluid and the ever-changing locales keep things fresh. The selsection of 'borgs is decent. Each is different from one another to warrant a go, but I think when they started this project they intended to go with 5 total playable characters (from youtube videos I've seen). The storyline is there, even though these types of games never relied too much on story. It's alright if at times a little too exaggerated. On that note, it's nice to see decent lip-synching in the character models during the cutscenes. Controls are pick-up and play for the most part, with the player having to follow onscreen prompts at times to do specific maneuvers. Overall I had a great experience with this one. It's a hit for sure and now that companies are trying to push the limits of the Wii we're seeing great things. I only hope that titles like Dead Space, Spyborgs, and Silent hill Shattered Memories do well. If we complain about the lack of great games when they make them (i.e. Madworld, Little Kings Story), they won't be making them anymore. Show your support! Pick up Spyborgs!



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Review of Xbox 360 Charging Station with 2 Battery Packs

I love it!
1) 2 rechargeable battery packs with 1 charging station
2) Easy to understand battery charge level indicators
3) Easy place to store the controllers to keep them off the coffee table, or the floor.

Not to mention the green hue from the front makes a great night-lite.



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Review of DSi Silicone Skin

It is what it is.You do NOT want to drop your DSi in this skin!It is VERY thin and provides ONLY protection from scratches (exterior protection only).I expect it to tear fairly soon.I would wait for something a little more durable if you can.



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Review of Wii Fit Rechargeable Battery Pack for Balance Board

I bought this in a bundle from a major retailer and had a problem with the fit board only to find out Nintendo says this voids your warrenty.Right now I am having to pay postage and repairs for the item.They did show me in the handbook where it states the use of NON-Wii items voids the warrenty.I think the retailers should back the warrenty as they are selling this in bundles and I don't think everyone would know it was wrong to use it.



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Review of Nintendo DS Dragon Quest Monster Joker Screen Protector

This item is very good towards protecting th system, but it does scratch very easily.



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Review of PSP Slim Select Pack

As a new PSP Slim owner, I was in search of a decent case for traveling which would offer suitable protection for the PSP if rolling around in my shoulder bag or luggage.

The zippered outer shell is reinforced to protect from drops or bang ups, while the interior is lined with soft felt. A middle interior flap covers the PSP which lays in snugly in the bottom portion of the case. The back side of the middle flap holds 3 memory sticks and the inner top lid portion of the case has one long pocket which can probably hold no more than 4 UMD's or (not and) earbud headphones.

A nice bonus is the included headphones and screen protector. While the headphones leave something to be desired, HORI has always made some of the best LCD protectors out there. You also get a screen cloth and gimmicky little dust wiper that attaches to the loop hook on the PSP.

PROS: Hard case protection, UMD/card storage, LCD protector
CONS: bunk headphones, no exterior port access





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Review of Wii Racing Wheel

This wheel is a good tool for teaching very young players to play Mario Kart Wii.It can help young hands with stabilization and control.

However, it is not at all for more experienced players.The wheel is held steady, so you cannot do anything but turn it left and right.No shaking or vertical movement is allowed.Experienced players cannot perform stunts or tricks and get extra boosts when using this wheel.

I would recommend this wheel as a good starter option for a very young or very inexperienced player.Older or more experienced players will likely outgrow the usefulness of this product very quickly.



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Review of Colony Wars: Vengeance

This game is getting old now, I have to speak for the game because I bought it twice, once back in the day when it came out and again in 2004 for a lack of a good space shooter on the PS2.To this day the graphics hold up well and the gameplay factor is what brings you back for more. Missions range from escort to defend the base to take out the enemy base or fighters.The gameplay is hard, I mean really hard. (for easy play pick up colony wars 3).The missions are setup in fork fashion, loose a mission it changes the outcome,and completion path of the game.If you liked tie fighter or x-wing games from back in the day and you arn't to spoiled with modern graphics give this game a try.



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Review of Wii Wireless Sensor Bar

The Wii requires a "sensor bar" above or below your TV screen, so it can tell where on the screen you're pointing your remote controller.The Wii comes with a wired sensor bar that will work great for most homes.Don't buy an extra wireless sensor bar unless you actually need it.

To help you decide, it's really useful to understand how this device works.The name "wireless sensor bar" is actually quite misleading in 2 specific ways.

I at first assumed the "sensor bar" was communicating with the Wii console -- that a wired sensor bar sends communications over the wire, and that a wireless sensor bar sends information wirelessly to the console.After all, it's a sensor bar, so it must be sensing something and communicating that information, right?

Wrong.In fact, the sensor bar is nothing more than a fancy flashlight.All it does is turn on some infrared lights with specific spacing and orientation.In fact, it's your Wii remote controller that senses the infrared lights and transmits this information wirelessly to your console, which can then calculate where you are pointing the remote and display a little icon on the screen.

So, misconception #1:the "sensor bar" doesn't sense anything, it's just a little flashlight.Misconception #2, the word "wireless" often means "wireless communication", but in this case, the "sensor bar" is just a dumb device that can't communicate in any way, so the wire is just for power.

So you have 2 options:

* Use the fancy flashlight that you've already purchased, as it came bundled with your Wii, which is powered by a wire connected to your Wii.

* Buy a second fancy flashlight powered by a battery.

OK, with those misconceptions out of the way, you can make a much better choice about whether or not wireless is right for you.For example, don't fret about wireless network interference -- this device doesn't cause any.Likewise, don't worry about having a hard time setting up the "wireless sensor bar" with your Wii -- it doesn't require pairing or any extra configuration at all, it's just a flashlight.

Personally, I normally groove on everything wireless.I adore my Mac wireless mouse.I use only wireless peripherals for all my computers.I have a wireless home network.But in this case, I definitely prefer the bundled, wired "sensor bar".I have too many devices that need batteries as it is, but I was mostly bothered by the 2nd on/off switch.

Let me explain that last comment.You can turn on and off your Wii system with a single, remote controlled button click, just like a TV remote control.Grab any game controller (which of course is wireless and remote) and click the power button from any seat in the room, and the system powers itself on -- plus, that game controller is now designated controller #1.Hold the power button on the remote for several seconds and the system turns itself off -- and all the game controllers you were using are smart enough to power themselves off as well.Sweet!I vastly prefer this over the GameCube, which had to be powered on/off by pushing a button on the console itself.

Unfortunately, the "wireless sensor bar" breaks this elegance.Every time I wanted to play the Wii, I'd sit down, grab the nearest remote, click the power button -- and it would fail to work properly because the wireless sensor bar wasn't turned on.Nor was it able to turn itself on wirelessly, it's just a flashlight, it can't receive wireless commands in any way.So I'd get up, walk to this device, turn it on, and then be able to play.Turning off, same thing -- now I have to turn off 2 items instead of 1.Worse still, the 2nd on/off switch on the "wireless sensor bar" is near the TV, so you have to physically get up and walk around the coffee table, etc. etc., or just leave the flashlight on and have your batteries run down.

Yes, it's a minor complaint.But given that you've already paid for a "sensor bar" that works great, why pay extra for one that doesn't work as well?

There are undoubtedly good reasons to get this device in specific circumstances.If your screen is huge or unusually far away, or if you have a cabling nightmare behind your entertainment center and loathe the thought of adding one more unnecessary wire, you may need or prefer this device over the one that comes with your Wii.I'll defer to other reviewers who can explain what circumstances make this device useful.But for a typical living room setup, with a normal sized TV 5-15 feet away, the wired sensor bar that comes with the Wii works great.

And P.S.:ditch the coffee table, you'll enjoy your Wii more without it.



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Review of Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus

Phantasy Star Universe had a few flaring flaws in the original title: a lackluster storyline, heavy loss-rates for items and repetitive hack-and-slash gameplay.But they made up for it.

PSU AoI introduces several new features, mainly nostalgia relating back to Phantasy Star Online.The addition of PSO based clothing, areas, and timed-hits bring back what made PSO fun, and expands on it.Unfortunately, they did not fix the ratty ally AI, nor did they make it any less cheap with traps or enemies that seem just a tad faster.But the game is still fun, and the flexibility in weapons, clothing and hairstyles they have added make your Guardian completely customizable.I recommend only buying this if you play online, since that is part of the charm of the series.

Offline play does have its merits, even though the story is a carbon copy of Online's Episode 2.Also, it would've been more fun to be able to remodel your room and add more objects like in online play, but it is still solid.

Overall, I enjoyed it, and it is worth checking out, especially online.



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Review of Fallout 3 Game Add-On Pack: Operation Anchorage and The Pitt

Basically it's the DLC on a disk. It comes with a cool poster with vault boy all over it. Loses a star because it downgrades fallout 3 to v1.4 if not careful, but can easily be fixed.

(UPDATE)
It also removes the need for a disk to be in the drive to play Fallout 3! I wish i could give this game's one lost star back but amazo won't let me so this product is 5/5 stars!



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Review of Everyday Shooter [Online Game Code - Full Game]

This is a great and original PS3 downloadable game.It is a different take on the original shooter with the levels, enemies, and your shots all forming part of a guitar song.It sounds a little bit different but makes for a fantastic game.Additionally each level is a complicated strategy to master in order to increase your score and survive.

The game also features many unlockables.No matter how hard you might find the game, you can use your award points to unlock additional lives to use and try to progress in the game (a great feature I wish more games would adopt for the older and less coordinated among us).

I highly recommend this melodic and unusual take on the sometimes stale shooter genre.You will not regret it.



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Review of PS3 WiFi Key

I have Vista Home Premium and the setup is easy.By following all the instructions, it took me about 10 minutes and we are ready to do a system update on the 40G PS3.

One warning that i got while setting up.The warning was telling me to change my default gateway address to 192.168.1.1 in order to work. Dont worry.Just close the warning sign and find the setup wi-fi application again and retry it. After 3 tries, we eventually got it working without changing the default gateway.

Hope this review helps.Good luck on setting up.





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Review of Wii Home Power

I bought this so I could leave my Wii connected to our home theater most of the time, but be able to move it when we wanted.It's a power supply and it works fine.The only thing about it that is "neat" is the pretty blue light on it.It does the job with no problems.



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Review of Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires

Gameplay - 4/5
As any DW fan will notice, dw6 replaced the old combo system with the new Renbu system. You can essentially mash square and attack forever. They changed it a little from DW6, since now Renbu doesn;'t decrease overtime, and is dependant on weapon level. Also, the numerous Imbueings and Special Attacks you can stick onto a weapon add another level of depth entirely, and I perfer this to random drops any day. The combat styles range from narrow, low-body count motions to wide area base-clearing sweeps, allowing custom officers to be made as anything from a duelist to a master of one against many.

Graphics - 3/5
I noticed right off that the quality of peons had decreased from DW6. The officer quality remains the same. I noticed later that this was to cram more characters into every level. For instance, I struggled to get 500KO in DW5E before any battle ended, but here I average 1200 or so.

Sound - 3/5
I enjoy the empires feature to select your own BGM from almost any song from a previous DW game. However, the horrible Enlgish voices return yet again, making you wish for the Japanese voice option, or making you glad to set voice volume to 0.

Replayability - 3/5
Replayability is the highest of any DW to date for me. Largely due to the initially frustrating fact that officer stats do NOT carry over from one play through to the next. Instead, you get clear points, which can be used to allow carry over of weapons, horses, and starting off with bonus gold or items. Once I played through twice, I found this enhances the raplayability for me. Also, there are numerous pieces of edit officer clothes to unlock by completing missions and playthroughs.

Overall - 4/5
My favorite DW title to date. Best edit officer feature in my opinion. Love it!



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Review of Fighter Pilot 2

I got this add-on for FS2004 and I have used it a few times. Overall it's worth a few bucks, but certainly not retail price.

The detail is not "to the letter" but it was acceptable.

I had no problems installing or using it.



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Review of SanDisk SDSDG-2048-A11 2GB SD Gaming

Just to clarify -- an SD memory card is a great thing to have for your Wii.The Wii comes equipped with a small hard drive, but if you're saving game data and/or downloading a lot of virtual console games (like me) you're eventually going to run out of room--and that's where these cards come in handy.It virtually gives you unlimited space since you can just buy more cards whenever you fill one up.

That having been said, I see little reason to buy this particular memory card.Why?As far as I can tell this card is identical to Sandisk's other 2 GB cards with one exception--it's white with the word "Wii" printed on it.It's also more expensive than a typical 2 GB card.I suppose if you really want the color of your memory card to match the system you may as well spend the extra money on it, but if not why not save yourself some cash and just order a normal SD card?They're easy to find--they're used in cameras and MP3 players, among other things--and you can find one on sale without looking too hard.

I definitely recommend an SD memory card for your Wii, but there are better alternatives than this particular product.



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Review of Nintendo DS Lite Travel Kit

I did a lot of accessory searching for my DS Lite before buying this kit - sight unseen - because it had the kind of accessories I needed and the one and only feedback so far was very favorable. I hadn't been to fond of much of the accessories for DS Lite so far, but I took a leap of faith with this one hoping for the best.

I was not disappointed! The kit came in today and, even though it's not the prettiest case out there, it is very practical and offers the protection I want for my DS Lite, especially for travelling.

It comes with:

1. A two sided travel bag; one side for the NDS Lite the other for accessories. I like this bag because it has exactly what I needed. A safe singular storage area for the NDS game unit and a separate area for the accessories I usually travel with. There's enough pocket space in the accessory side for games, styli, a rumble pack, earbuds, and a cleaning cloth - which is what I usually travel with. This suits me just fine. The bag has a hook-and-loop belt strap on the back to attach to your backpack or belt. I'll likely do neither, but it's nice to know that it's there. The one fault with this bag (maybe it's just mine) is that it does not handle overstuffing very well - the zipper will separate when you try to close it. It happened twice when I was testing the bag, but it easily and securely closed again when I removed the extra bulk that was causing the zipper to separate. Between that and the ugly logo (my opinion), that makes this bag more like 4 stars instead of five. It also has an attachable wide strap/lanyard that one can sling it over there shoulder or wear around neck.

2. Earbuds. Althought I really wanted the original Nintendo headphone as my sis raved about how good they sounded, these earbuds will do nicely and easily fit in my ear. These earbuds are nicely made; certainly not your standard cheap buds I've seen out there. I'm not an audiophile, but so far these earbuds sound nice and clear. No complaints from me.

3. An extra white stylus and the comfort pen grip. The comfort pen grip is definitely a plus. The NDS Lite stylus very neatly and securely slips into the comfort pen grip allowing you to use your OEM stylus and be more comfortable at the same time. Recently I've started using my Palm stylus to be able to play NDS games more comfortably, but that will now be replace with this comfort grip pen. This is a definite plus and made me all the more happy with my purchase.

4. Car charger. I really don't know how often I'll really use this, but it's nice to have anyway. It keeps my options open. The back end of the charger glows blue when plugged in.

5. Screen protector and soft card. I already have a screen protector on my NDS Lite, so these will serve to replace them when the time comes. Soft card is for smoothing out the screen protector during installation.

6. Screen cleaner with bonus cartridge holder and wrist strap. The wrist strap was a disappointment. I was hoping for a decent wriststrap I can secure to the NDS Lite that I can wear during game play to avoid accidental droppage. This wrist strap will not fit my needs. It's not very long and barely fits over my skinny wrists. I don't see how the practicality of it. However the other items will come in handy. I'll likely keep a soft cloth inside the cartridge holder.

7. Game case. No frills here. Nice silicone fitted interior; sturdy plastic exterior. Comes an extra silicone insert for GBA games (or for rumble pack). The game case also has spots for extra styli - one for NDS Lite, one for the smaller original NDS stylus.

Overall, I'm very please with my purchase at this kit will suit my needs very well. I got what I needed and it looks handsome. So far I'm happy with the quality and the great price I got this whole kit for.



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