Review of Nancy Drew Stay Tuned for Danger Deluxe

I realize that the software geniuses at HerInteractive originally created the Nancy Drew mystery games for girls...but, uh...even though I'm over 30, I just can't help myself! Stay Tuned for Danger is completely amazing! It'ssuch a thrill to pretend you're Nancy Drew and try to think like a masterdetective. There's endless puzzles to solve and clues to look for. Butwatch out for mind-boggling twists, turns and surprises--they'll keep youoccupied for hours! You truly have to see the dynamite 3D graphics tobelieve it! Each room you enter is designed and decorated with exquisitedetail. You'll also love the music and captivating dialogue between thecharacters. Beware of only one thing: you may get hooked! Everyone willLOVE this game! (I'm trying to tear my husband away from it as wespeak...he's been playing the game now for 8 straight hours!)



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Review of Rock Band 2 Double Cymbal Expansion Kit

Second Update 12/16/2008: UPS just dropped a package from Mad Catz.They didn't fix my broken cymbal, they sent me an entirely new package, cymbal, mounting hardware and all.

No note included saying what was wrong, or anything, just a new cymbal.It looks like it's been handled, which probably means that someone tested it out to make sure it worked right, before they sent it to me (or that it's a refurbished.)

I tried it out, and all seems well.Kudos to Mad Catz for the excellent customer service.Their site says 4 to 6 weeks, and it only took 12 days from drop off, to return.I'm psyched.
Update: After playing for an hour or so this afternoon, it's evident that one of my cymbals is defective.It's sometimes registering two hits, instead of one.I called Mad Catz, and the guy I got was super friendly, extremely understanding, and set me up with an RMA.He said the website suggested 4-6 weeks, but realistically, it's more like 2 to 3.I'll update again when I get the new cymbal to see if it's working properly.I'm glad I didn't just try returning it to Amazon to get another, they appear to be completely sold out everywhere I've checked today.Glad I pre-ordered mine 3 months ago.

My three pack finally arrived last night, and I was psyched to get them.Ever since they were announced, I've been excited about them.The way I assumed they worked, was actually different than how they do work.More on that later.

First, some images, to show how freaking cool they look:

The whole kitHi-Hat CymbalRide Cymbal

The cymbals certainly give the drums the look of a real drumkit (okay, at least a real electronic drumkit,) but how do they play?

They take some getting used to, that's for sure.I just got them last night, so I'm still in the adjusting phase. But right from the get go, my wife said "You look like you're having more fun."Which I totally was.It felt like I was playing more realistically than I had without the cymbals.

When I first bought the cymbals, I assumed that they would just act as extenders of their respective colors.So when you'd hit the blue, it made whatever sound the blue one should at that specific point in time. As Rock Banders know, the drums pretty much all double as cymbals or drums, depending on the part of the song.I was pleasantly surprised that the new cymbal pads are dedicated as cymbals.So, if you hit the "ride" cymbal, it makes the ride cymbal no matter what.Same for the hi-hat, and crash cymbals.

It may throw your brain off, when you hit the cymbal when it's a tom-tom in the game, and you hear the wrong sound, but it won't break your streak, or count against your overall score.As long as you hit the right color, the sound that the game makes doesn't matter.

My favorite thing about the other game, you know, that one I returned already, was that there were dedicated cymbal pads with their drumkit.The Rock Band 2 drumkit, with the Mad Catz add-on cymbal pack (a measely $29.99) is 100% totally, absolutely better than GHWT's, hands down.

The game is more fun when playing drums, with the cymbals.It's more realistic, and more creative.I especially dig that during the "Overdrive fills", you can be a lot more musical with the drums, with dedicated toms/cymbals.If you're a die hard drummer for a Rock Band band, you absolutely need to spend the $29.99 to get these cymbals, pronto.



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Review of Guitar Hero World Tour - Stand Alone Drums

I bought the GHWT full band set and those first generation drums were not of the best quality. Although they worked okay at first, they eventually stopped working properly. The bass pedal was plastic, felt flimsy and I damaged the sensor pad inside of it within 2 days.I recently bought the stand alone drums and they seem to be a little bit better. The cymbals seem to be much sturdier. All drum pads and cymbal pads are covered with a nice smooth skin that feels good and sounds a little bit quieter than the original rubber drum pad material. This drum kit is really accurate so far. Its sensitive enough and I haven't had any crosstalk issues yet (crosstalk = when you only hit the orange cymbal, the red pad also registers a hit).

My only complaint is that the same plastic crappy pedal is used in this kit. It doesn't feel too sturdy, but it has withstood a pounding by my fat and heavy size 11's.Red Octane did improve the bass pedal sensor a bit by adding the same skin material as the pads and cymbals. It looks like it is some kind of protective layer for the sensor pad underneath it. I think I am going to buy an upgraded electronic bass pedal so I can feel more comfortable bangin that thing with my fat feet. That will also give me the option to have some double bass action.

The kit comes with some cheap balsa wood drumsticks. I suggest sticking with these sticks, because heavier sticks will probably destroy this set with moderate pounding. I can bang on the set as hard as want with these sticks and because they are so light, I don't feel like I am going to break the set.

Overall, I am satisfied with this new drumset. I have had it for about a week now and it's still working well. I just hope it holds up for a while this time around.



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Review of PSP AC Adapter

this AC adaptor has 5V 2A DC output, it also can be used on Dell and HP pdas (with plug adaptor)
works perfectly
I also use it with Dell X50 charging cradle (for charging extra battery) when not charging PSP



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Review of Piano and Keyboard Method V2.0

Potentially, a computer could really help a person learn piano. However, most of this product's features fall short of helpful. The midi preview of each exercise and tune is useful for anyone who cannot read music at all, but nothing you could not get with an audio CD. The animated keyboard is just a distraction. The course includes occasional video clips, but they add little. At least one potentially useful feature, the musical accompaniment, is actually broken, at least on Macintosh. If you turn on the accompaniment, you won't be able to hear your own playing. There is a volume adjustment control for it, but it does nothing. The company is aware of the problem, but they still advertise this feature, and keep shipping the product.
The program runs in a cramped little window. A menu command lets you make it full screen, but it just lowers the resolution of your monitor, making the contents of the window larger, but blurry.
I would recommend a book and audio CD (like the Alfred's All-In-One, level 1 piano method) over eMedia's Piano software.




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Review of PSP Invisi-Shield

There's no instructions included, so you have to use your head, but treat this thing as if it was the screen itself.

Only touch the edges, and paste it on in one long uninterrupted stroke. You remove the little "peel here" thing, and it's sticky on the other end.

The way I did it was to align the upper left and lower left corners, and then stick that small side down and let it drop on the rest of the screen. I ended up with no air bubbles, and only tiny bits of air around the edges, which is completely unnoticeable. Before applying the sticker, I made sure to clean the PSP with monitor wipes (sold in Staples, anti-static, anti-fog, no alcohol). I now have a permanent, crystal clear PSP screen. Combined with the Logitech PlayGear case, it turns my PSP from a sub-par, fragile, fingerprint prone, easy-to-drop device, into something truly god-like for public transport.

This product is highly recommended, but once again - be careful with it. You only get one shot to apply it right. (As with many things in life - sucks, doesn't it?)



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Review of Guitar Hero World Tour - Stand Alone Guitar

I own the corded Guitar Hero II guitar, the wireless Les Paul from Guitar Hero III, the Rock Band 2 guitar, and this guitar from Guitar Hero World Tour.I've played these guitar games starting when Guitar Hero II came out for the Xbox 360.I play both GH and RB pretty equally and love both games so I'm not here to put RB or GH down like a fanboi.

By far this is the most responsive guitar of them all.Strumming is quick and effortless and just feels right compared to the other guitars.I'm so used to the responsiveness that when I play with other guitars it puts me at a disadvantage and I mess up more.

I also prefer how this guitar--like the other Guitar Hero guitars--have slightly raised buttons for the frets (the colored buttons on the neck) as opposed to the Rock Band guitars which are sunken.It's much easier to slide up and down with the GH guitars.

At first I thought the slider button was a stupid gimmick, but after I learned to keep my left hand on the regular frets and use my right hand (that I usually strum with) on the sliders it is a lot more fun.I actually look for songs that feature the sliders now.It really adds to the "rocker experience" when you're tapping the slider bar.

In the end, I recommend this guitar just for the simple fact that it feels better playing in your hand.I've had it the 1st day Guitar Hero World Tour came out and I've never had any problems with it.I'm not saying there aren't any problems, just saying for me this instrument has been solid and a joy to use.



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Review of Drum Rocker Premium Drum Set

For the serious Rock Band drummer, these drums bridge the gap between the video-game plastic drums and a real electronic kit.Each 4 pads and two cymbals (a third can be added, sold separately) can be adjusted, tilted, moved, and spread apart to feel more like playing a real drum kit.

PROS:
-Spot-on accurate with no missed notes or any kind of crosstalk between the parts
-velocity sensitive in Rock Band 2
-wide range of positioning of all main parts
-good build quality and solid for $300 e-drums (except *)
-assembly was quite easy, albeit intimidating and lengthy with the numerous parts (between hour and 90 minutes)

CONS:
-HATE the *kick pedal... noisy and cheap feeling.
-velocity doesn't have much dynamic range between light tap and hard bang -- minor point
-somewhat noisy, especially the high hat yellow cymbal
-customization/positioning can lead to confusion and frustration

On that last point:there's a reason the stock Rock Band drums are positioned the way they are... the 4 pads close together makes it easy to play the game, especially for non-drummers.This kit allows moving all the parts around, which is nice for creating the feeling of playing a real drum set -- but once back in the game, it becomes harder to play.Plus, adding cymbals makes additional (albeit optional) targets that take getting used to, so there some "swing and a miss" to overcome.Having a closed high hat cymbal "yellow" to the left of the snare pad "red" is cool to play crossed arms, but during the game yellow is always to the RIGHT of red.Also, the reach to hit "open high hat" on the blue tom is far from yellow cymbal, and it doesn't feel quite right.

There is a learning curve to get used to, and it takes a couple hours of playing and adjusting to get everything just right.Once all the parts were where I wanted and I replaced that awful kick pedal (a high-hat controller on other kits!...minus 1 star) with a Pearl "Omega Pedal" (mini to 1/4" jack needed), this kit becomes INSANELY FUN in Rock Band 2!!!!





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Review of Rock Band 2 Standalone Drums

So my rockband 1 drum kit has been through the wringer.A broken pedal, dented pads, and cracking legs ... the thing is showing its age.When I picked up the wireless drums I was hoping for a decent step up in quality, and Harmonix delivered.

Big changes: pedal, drum heads, and teh unwired.

The drum pedal comes with a stock metal plate, so you won't have to go to pedal medals to pick one up for yourself.Unfortunately Harmonix only half ... uh ... "did" it since the hinge, which is another notorious break point in the design, is identical to the rockband 1 pedal.Based on it's appearance the RB2 pedal is identical to the RB1 pedal, with only the inclusion of the plate.Don't expect wildly different performance, and if you really want to avoid a headache go ahead and purchase the pedal medal hinge replacement now to take care of the pedal's only weak point.All in all though, the metal plate is a significant improvement over the pure plastic of the RB1 pedal.

The drum heads are waay better this time around.They seem slightly larger, but don't take my word on that, and are made of a different material.Sticks have a really nice bounce off of the surface, and there are inner and outer rings to help you hone in on the center of the pad with every hit.The outer ring is slightly harder, more rubbery, and the inner ring has a shiny surface that has a very elastic feel to it.Playing on these, whether just tapping or really tearing into them, is a much better experience.You don't have to work so hard to get your sticks to bounce which is nice, and the *thwack* of drum on pad has been seriously quieted.The pads are easily the nicest upgrade, and you should have a great time hitting these things for at least a couple of years.

These drums are also wireless, which pretty much means they behave just like any other 360 d-pad.Nothing more to say than that.

Another reviewer pointed out that the sticks included with this kit are genuine Ludwig sticks, which is a nice bonus.Oddly my RB1 set came with some pro-mark 747's, which are slightly heavier and, to me at least, have a slightly better heft because of the weight.If you've been playing with the RB1 revision one sticks, which feel like they're made out of balsa wood, then you will love the Ludwigs.On the other hand if you have revision two drums with the pro-mark sticks you'll likely want to stick with them.

As noted elsewhere Harmonix didn't exactly reinvent the wheel with the RB2 drums, but all of the little improvements, and in the case of the drum pads a BIG improvement, make the drumming experience much more fun.The game itself is fodder for another review, but if you're a RB drummer you should do yourself a favor and pick this kit up.Honestly, you will not be disappointed.



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Review of Wii Wing Wireless Controller

It comes in one of those horrid "you need a scissor to open, and cut yourself from the plastic" plastic packaging that inevitably scraped my hand, but luckily didn't draw any blood.

The package contains the controller (obviously), a small wireless adapter that attaches to the bottom of the Wii-remote (where the nunchuck's cord would attach), a pair of non-rechargeable AAA batteries, and two big-sheet manuals rolled into little bundles (each has a different set of languages).

Pros:
+ Controller feels solid (no squeeks or give).
+ Small remote adapter frees you from the cord you'd otherwise tether between the official classic controller and the remote.
+ Buttons layout (including "trigger" buttons by index fingers) is the same as the official classic controller.
+ Buttons layout played fine with Megaman 9 (virtual console game), with each color pair (right red button and blue buttons) both replicating remote's buttons 1 & 2, so you can use whichever pair you like.
+ Can recharge if using AAA NiMH batteries (not included) via mini-USB cable (not included).
+ More comfortable to hold than the standard remote.

Cons:
- Only two controllers can be used at once (wireless adapter and controller only have two pair settings:slow blink and fast blink).Meaning, only up to 2 people can use Wii Wing Wireless Controller, while players 3 & 4 need to use an official classic or standard remote.
- Didn't work with Tetris Party (virtual console game).
- Buttons feel a bit mushy, but it's a personal preference.
- Lag!It MAY be psychological, but when playing Megaman 9, there seemed to be a slight lag (0.5s) in pressing a button (eg. jump) and the game actually registering it.

Conclusion:
If quick reflexes isn't a defining factor (as in platform-jumping games) this is a great controller for classic games, which are typically purchased and downloaded via virtual console.However, if you play split-second reflex games like Megaman 9 or often play Tetris Party, either stick with the standard remote (using the standard rubber sleeve) or get the official classic controller.



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Review of Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim

The sequel to Cyberlore's original "Majesty", released in 2000, "Majesty 2" is a Fantasy Kingdom Simulator by a completely different studio that attempts to uphold the standard established by its predecessor. In some ways, it succeeded; in other ways, it could not.

Majesty 2 places you in the role of a king ruling over a fantasy realm. As with Majesty 1, you control the realm indirectly; you can hire heroes and cast some spells, but most of the work of the realm is carried out automatically. Once you've hired heroes, you can influence them with reward flags; placing bounties on monsters, or marking certain areas for exploration. Majesty 2 also adds two new flags - a timed "protect" flag that heroes will guard until it expires, and a "fear" flag that warns them to stay away from an area.

The economic system is taken from Majesty as well. Tax collectors are sent out from your castle to the various guilds and markets of your realm. Places for heroes to buy weapons and items are the most prosperous; heroes will go out, slay enemies, and then return laden with gold to spend it on upgrades, and thus bring it into your kingdom's circulation.

Heroes on the whole are similar, too, with a few differences. Warriors are your basic tanks, armed with sword and shield. Rangers carry bows and are the main explorers. Clerics heal allies (though you get them much earlier than you did in Majesty, which is a little unbalancing). Rogues are easily influenced by money, though their design is different than Majesty - they use knives instead of crossbows, which means that they're not particularly helpful in a fight due to their low health. Wizards are powerful spell-slingers, but are weak at low levels.

One difference with heroes is that they can be upgraded to a different temple-based class. This is roughly equivalent to hiring paladins, barbarians and the like in Majesty; all it really means is that in addition to hiring these warriors directly from the temple, you can choose to upgrade a lower class into a higher one - keeping experience, but leaving items behind. Another difference is that you can organize heroes into parties in Inns. Parties will hang out together, thus ensuring their group safety. Finally, at the end of every scenario, you can choose one hero to designate as a "lord". Lords can be brought from mission to mission, keeping their experience, gold, and items. This adds some element of connection to the game, and you can get attached to your more powerful characters if you use them enough.

The main problem with the game, though, is that the campaign is relatively short and there is no real Free Build mode. Majesty had a mode where you could set various options and just play on a random map; Majesty 2 lacks that feature, but has a few pre-made scenarios. However, since the free building was the main source of replay value in the game, this difference is a major problem with the game. There were so many different options in the original that the outright removal of the feature just seems silly.

The graphics are unpleasantly outdated. Stylistically, it looks somewhere between Warcraft III and World of Warcraft; lots of cartoony armor and stylized buildings. However, the actual effects and textures aren't that great, and it's not a particularly fun game to watch. Two years ago it might have been acceptable, but now it just looks outdated. It doesn't look distractingly bad, but it doesn't look good, either. You can't really arrange your town - buildings can't be rotated - so there's no joy in making a prosperous city since it's all a giant mess of structures.

Most of the voice acting is pretty bad, with the exception of the Advisor, who is actually the same voice actor from the original Majesty. Many of the lines of the heroes in the game are the same as the original game's, but because of the bad voice acting it just seems like a shallow attempt to appeal to the original's fans. The music is nice, but forgettable.

As a whole, Majesty 2 is kind of fun, but not good in its own right. The low production quality and the lack of random maps really upsets it. There's multiplayer, but it uses the archaic Gamespy Arcade for internet play. Honestly, it feels like it should have been released four years ago; as it is now, it's really just disappointing.

6/10.




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Review of Nintendo DS Lite Black G-Pak Organizer and Travel Case

After pouring over the reviews on Amazon, I decided to take the hit and pick this up at a local GameStop (Target and Walmart don't carry it).I was worried about games not fitting in the slots, as other reviews said, and I wanted to actually see this thing before I purchased it.Firstly, let me make this very clear--THIS PAK EFFECTIVELY HOLDS 27 DS GAMES AND 6 GBA GAMES.Yes, the product info says 30, but the stitching on the reverse side of the DS game holder ruins 3 of the slots.Otherwise, this thing does everything it says it will do.Mine holds my DS Lite, charger, and Guitar Hero controller in the bottom, all 23 of my DS games (something I couldn't find anywhere else), and my 4 GBA games (I was tired of storing these separately too).I keep styluses (styli?), a cleaning cloth, and earphones in the front zipper.I don't have any trouble getting the games in or out of the other slots (minus those defective 3) and I am really satisfied with the case.I haven't been able to find anything else with this much capacity or for even close to this price.Plus, if the whole minus 3 slots thing really bothers you, you could easily fit those little plastic cases that hold 3-6 games in with the DS or the front zipper.There is also room for 2 extra DS or GBA games on the shoulder strap if you have more than the compartments allow for.I suppose you could also put your DS games in the GBA slots if those aren't full either.Trust me, this is well worth the money.Even if those few slots aren't big enough, there is PLENTY of room in this case. I'm glad I bought it so that I can finally organize my games!



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Review of Pink Notebook Mouse Kit

i used a million batteries with my wireless mouse so i opurchased this one.i love it soo much better.nice sleek design that is great with travel.



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Review of SteelSeries 5H v2 Headset (Black)

Let me start by saying I have a big Head - Fitted caps give me a headache after 5 minutes IF I can find one that fits my head. That being said these headphones fit me great and seem to be very good sound quality. The microphone seems to perform well (I've had no complaints from my cohorts)

Overall a great headset, especially for the price.



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Review of Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote

I put a great deal of interest in my purchases. With a lot of extra down-time at work and an internet connection, I find myself reviewing EVERYTHING before I buy it. And only after I am very impressed and convinced by many positive reviews will I take out my credit card. But this product, the Microsoft XBOX360 Media Remote, was one exception having read many bad reviews and deciding to purchase it anyway. Let me tell you...

This remote is PERFECT if...

1. You would like one, easy-to-use remote to control both basic TV and an Xbox 360 that doubles as your DVD player.
2. The only buttons you would need for the TV are: Channels, Volume (TV speaker/output control only), Numerical channel input, Muting, *INTPUT SELECTION* (yes, it CAN switch between your TV's inputs), Return (to toggle between 2 TV channels), and Power.
3. You do not need specialized/advanced buttons found on a OEM remote or advanced learning remote for the TV.
4. You do not need to control a A/V receiver, DVD player (other than XBOX 360), or a digital cable box (Tivo, DVR, etc.)
5. You are on a budget but would still like a quality remote.

If you can say yes to all or most, then don't hesitate to grab one of these remotes. You will be completely satisfied. Especially with immediate access to the tactile DVD buttons versus the 360's annoying on-screen DVD navigation. For this feature it is almost worth the $30 alone.

P.S.
I also own a Logitech Harmony 880 for the living room which I highly recommend for anyone not fitting into the catagory mentioned above.



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Review of Sennheiser Binaural Headset with Xl Ear Cap (CC 550)

I recently purchased this headset for use at work.I am on the phone most of the day and was looking for a really high quality headset.I also work at home and have a server rack in my home office, so the ultra noise cancelling was something I was interested in.This headset definately performs.The sound quality is fantastic, as well as what the person on the other end hears.

The only thing to watch out for is that this headset comes with a Sennheiser quick disconnect plug, so in order to plug this into anything you will need another cable in addition.I got both the modular plug for Avaya phone and a 2.5mm adapter.

One of my favorite things about the headset is the comfort.It is very light and yet still feels quite durable.The adjustments work well, especially the mic boom.I have never used a headset with a boom so easily adjustable.

Overall, this headset beats any I have used for an office telephone, and is a good choice if you work in a noisy environment.I have used a plethora of Plantronics headsets, and they cannot come close to this performance.



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Review of ArmA II

The previous reviewer sounds like a bit of a disgruntled BIS fanboy, which is a shame.I avoided the original ArmA because it just didn't quite "feel" right in terms of controls, but this one is a keeper.Certainly not for everybody - it is extremely unforgiving (one shot kills); there are certainly performance issues, though I have resolved all of them through patient tweaking; the radio system still sounds robotic and generally awful; the AI still has some annoying advantages, such as being able to see through cover like grass, while you cannot; and so forth.

Despite these problems, I keep coming back to ArmA II.There really is nothing quite like it, well, anywhere.Playing a co-op mission with your friends is totally engrossing.The sound effects are generally excellent, the ability to move your head independently of your body is incredibly immersive, the graphics are very nice, the sheer scope of the game is tremendous.

As long as you know what you are getting into - a very hardcore and unforgiving milsim with some rough edges - I recommend this game.If you are used to, and want more of, the Call of Duty series, you should probably stick with that type of game.



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Review of Darkest Of Days

The game isn't horrible, but simply a huge let down. If you browse gaming websites or magazines you've no doubt been hearing about this for a few months. It seemed like an awesome idea;you travel through time fighting some of the 'darkest' battles in history, using not only historic weaponry but futuristic tech as well. Basically, there are a few major issues that I took with the game. First, the graphics look quite dated, despite utilizing new Nvidia PhysX technology. But after seeing the sheer number of 3d characters on screen (as high as 300 according to claims, but I would guess I saw around 50-150) you can understand the use of 'dated' graphics. And, honestly that wouldn't be an issue, I love the idea of having that many characters on screen because in theory it would add to the feeling that you are these battles. But, in my experience I never felt like I was in one of these bloody historic battles. Which brings me to my second point...the AI. The game seemed to really skimp in this department. Just running and gunning you may not notice it, but there are times when you can 'sneak' up behind an enemy line...but what happened when I did that was I saw many poorly rendered soldiers just standing there. They weren't shooting the opposing force (which was right in front of them) and they weren't shooting me! In fact they weren't doing anything and if I would shoot one (seemingly helping my side) another soldier would come out of nowhere and instantly fall into place, exactly where the last soldier was. This fact made the game feel like my efforts weren't worth anything and useless. I think the horrible AI could have been overlooked, along with the graphics if soldiers didn't instantly replace the soldiers you killed. Another example of the same issue is when I was sniping soldiers on a ridge. Each soldier I shot was replaced in less than 1 second, by another soldier, and in the exact spot. So, I could leave my crosshair in the place and keep shooting soldiers as bodies piled up. It seems like when you kill a soldier the replacement should take a little longer to come in, or should not fall into the exact same place. Another issue I had was the huge 'open-world' complete with historic maps. That feature seemed worthless most of the time as the game places fences, etc in your way so that you have to stay on a certain path.

All in all, the game is decently fun but don't expect much. The idea is cool but there are much better FPS' out there.



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Review of Xbox 360 Air Cooler

Very strong and has a separate power supply so it will not mess up your 360 and will not void the warranty.
A bit loud but it's worth it.



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Review of PS2/PS3/PC Ferrari GT Experience 3-in-1 Wheel

I recently purchased a PS3 and downloaded a bunch of racing demos.I fell in love with racing games even though I did not care much for them before.I decided to purchase Need for Speed Pro Street.This racing wheel works perfectly with that game, and my experience with racing games is even more heightened now.I've been so hooked on them, and cannot wait until Gran Turismo 5 comes out.

If you own a PS3 and looking to buy a racing game, possibly Gran Turismo 5 when it comes out, this racing wheel will work perfectly with the PS3.It has all the buttons on the six axis with the exception of the left stick and right stick.The gas pedal is R2 and brake pedal is L2.The two gray levers behind the wheel are R1 and L1.There are also two extra buttons, R3 and L3, which I have not used in racing games.The beauty is that you can re-assign all of these buttons to which ever you like, and you can set the sensitivity of the wheel.

For $50, this racing wheel is well worth it.It does the job correctly and does not put a hole in your wallet like those logitech wheels.If you are into racing games, I highly recommend this.It will definitely enhance your racing experience.



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Review of Dsi AC Adapter - Black

There are not many AC adapters for the DSi which support a 240V power supply. Even this one I had to wait for a while to get. This adapter can be used to charge the Nintendo DSi by connecting to the USB port of any computer which makes it a very useful feature.
Another nice feature I found about this adapter is that when connected to the power socket and either the DSi is not plugged in or the DSi has been fully recharged, the adapter makes a small sound (kind of an alert) which indicated that some attention is required.
It also works finely with a 110V power supply.
On the overall this is a very good replacement power adapter for your Nintendo DSi.



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Review of Logitech Xbox 360 Wireless Guitar Controller

I love Rock Band (RB) and play it with my friends often. We're very happy with MadCatz wireless 2-strum bass, but haven't found a nice upgrade replacement for the guitar. With an entry price of $200 and no chance to test it out in a store (and no reviews), I took a chance & pulled the trigger on this beaut.

First, it's a gorgeous, balanced and a substantial piece of equipment.I was wary not to dent the walls or my friends while walking around with it.The strum bar is perfect! (no noise, quick spring-back)I also love the hidden and easy location of hitting the back button with your strum hand (something RB guitars have never done well), as well as the hidden start button below the whammy bar.It's not full-size, but is substantially larger than the regular plastic guitars that come with Guitar Hero (GH).In fact, I fell in love with everything about this guitar... except the actual fret buttons.

The fret buttons are the exact same size as those that come on standard GH guitars, but they're further up, so your fingers are at more of an angle to hit them. The wood fret board is much wider/larger than the plastic versions, so it's also much harder to reach around to connect with the actual buttons. This is where RB buttons are much easer to hit, though I personally prefer the protruding GH buttons in general, for this piece, they don't work. In fact, several times, without removing my finger from the buttons, it would not register a chord depending on which part of the button was being pressed. Instead of my scores getting better over time, they were always lower. It may be something others can learn to adapt to, but it was a deal-breaker for me (after 7 hours experience) and I have to send it back. My friends had the same problem - we all loved the look, feel, strum & design of this guitar, but the fret buttons failed us.

So, what could have been so wonderful (a 5-star love affair), is being sent back (down to 3-stars). I'll patiently wait for the next upgrade installment (deep purple color, please!) and continue to play on my multitude of puny plastic toy guitars until then.


[For background as we all have personal preferences, my current favorite controller is the GH-3 guitar (got it with Aerosmith). The RB standard controllers are good for bass, but their strum bar & back button locations don't compare. I played GH 5 & RB Beatles while testing this controller.]




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Review of Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2

For several years I have bought, owned, played and loved the Dynasty Warriors franchise. I love it's simplistic jump into the madness style of gaming, which can understandably get boring to some. Taking out legions of enemies with a massive sword never gets tiring. On the other hand I have also been a fan of Anime for years and the various Gundam Saga's are at the very top of my favorite's list. So this game should generally be a wet dream for me as it is a mix of two, shouldn't it?!?

Sadly it is not. But don't get me wrong this game is fun, it has the standard Dynasty Warriors style where you take on armies of enemy Gundam's all on your own with minimal help from NPC (non player characters) allies. The greatest and most thankful change is this game has a grand total of 62 playable Gundam's compared to the first games 19 playable Gundam's. Each Gundam has different attributes and weapons meaning a different fighting experience 62 times.

The all new Mission Mode has you searching for various items to upgrade your Gundam's or helping other Gundam's out to improve your relationship in game, or destroy them in order to create new rivalries. The Official Mode is just like in Dynasty Warriors: Gundam meaning it follows an engaging story line that tosses you into the front lines of galactic war fare. There is a Versus Mode but I haven't used it much seems pretty standard friend vs friends stuff. There is also a gallery with ALOT of information and amazing imagery for the games Gundam's.

The stages take place within the Universal Century timeline, covering the stories of Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ and Char's Counterattack although they primarily follow an all original plot. Battles take place on various different planets and in space. Also the voice acting is top notch with some very good rendition's of the original characters from the Anime's.

All that said the game got boring very quickly. For a few hours I thought I was in heaven but then I realized the AI for the enemies is just weak. There is no real challenge here, even the bosses are push overs on the highest difficulty. Most of the enemies (and their are hundreds on screen at once) just stand around while a select few attack, this is rather boring, I would rather they all came at me furiously wanting to destroy me. This alone kills the experience and is honestly a real shame cause this game could have been amazing had the AI been more responsive.

The controls are kind of weak as well, they are very simplistic and easy to use it just seem's way to easy even for a Dynasty Warriors game. Hit one button once and you can take out anywhere from fifty to one hundred enemies with one attack.. Just a bit over kill in my opinion. Also I did notice that some of the larger (and yes their are some massive) Gundam's are far less detailed then their smaller counterparts.

All in all a great game, if you rent it. Fan's of Gundam will be impressed with the extremely varied selection of Gundam's and the close ties to the stories of the original animes. Dynasty Warrior fans however stick to the original series, it has far better AI compared to this game. Overall I was truly hoping this would be THE Gundam game to own as it's various cinematic videos before launch made it seem. However with this style of game the AI is EVERYTHING and the lack there of completely destroys the atmosphere. Truly a shame and hopefully the programmers will fix this massive issue if we get a third installment, otherwise this series has official been a failure of epic proportions.

With my review I include a video that showcases some in-game fighting and shows you just how lax the AI truly is. I will also upload a few Screenshots taken from around the web. I truly hope that my review helped you in your decision on whether or not this game is worth the full price. If so please click 'yes' below and thank you for reading. Below is the full list of playable Gundam's taken from Wikipedia.

-Mobile Suit Gundam

* RX-78-2 Gundam (Amuro Ray)
* MS-06S Zaku II Commander Type (Char Aznable, Lunamaria Hawke)
* MS-06S Zaku II
* MS-06V Zaku Tank
* MS-14S Gelgoog Commander Type (Char Aznable, Johnny Ridden)
* MSN-02 Zeong (Char Aznable, Lahlah Sune)
* YMS-15 Gyan (M'Quve)
* RX-77-2 Guncannon (Kai Shiden, Hayato Kobayashi, Sleggar Law)
* MS-07B Gouf (Ramba Ral)
* MS-07H Gouf Flight Type
* MS-09 Dom (Black Tri Stars)
* RB-79 Ball
* MSM-07S Z'gok Commander type (Char Aznable)
* RGM-79 GM
* RGM-79G GM Command

-Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam

* MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam (Kamille Bidan, Judau Ashta, Roux Louka)
* MSN-00100 Hyaku Shiki (Quattro Bajeena, Beecha Oleg)
* RX-178 Gundam Mark II (AEUG Colors) (Kamille Bidan, Emma Sheen, Elle Viano)
* RX-178 Gundam Mark II (Titans Colors) (Jerid Messa, Kacrikan Cacooler, Kamille Bidan, Emma Sheen)
* RX-160 Byalant (Jerid Messa)
* PMX-003 The O (Paptimus Scirocco)
* AMX-004 Qubeley (Haman Karn, Lahlah Sune)
* RX-139 Hambrabi (Yazan Gable, Ramsus Hasr, Dunkel Cooper)
* PMX-001 Palace Athene (Reccoa Londe)
* PMX-002 Bolinoak Sammahn (Sarah Zabiarov)
* NRX-055 Baund Doc (Rosamia Badam, Jerid Messa)
* RMS-099 Rick Dias (Quattro Bajeena, Apolly Bay, Emma Sheen, Amuro Ray)
* GM II
* MSA-03Nemo
* RMS-106 Hi-Zack (Jerid Messa, Kacrikan Cacooler, Sarah Zabiarov)
* RMS-108 Marasai (Jerid Messa, Kakrikan Cacooler)
* RMS-154 Barzam
* AMX-103 Gaza C (Haman Karn)

-Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ

* MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam (Judau Ashta)
* AMX-004-2 Qubeley Mark II (Black) (Elpeo Puru)
* AMX-004-3 Qubeley Mark II (Red) (Puru Two)
* AMX-107 Bawoo (Glemy Toto)
* AMX-107 Mass Production Bawoo
* AMX-004G Mass Production Qubeley
* AMX-106 Gaza D

-Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack

* RX-93 Nu Gundam (Amuro Ray)
* MSN-04 Sazabi (Char Aznable)
* MSN-03 Jagd Doga (Gyunei Guss Colors) (Gyunei Guss)
* MSN-03 Jagd Doga (Quess Paraya Colors) (Quess Paraya)
* RGZ-91 Re-GZ (Chan Agi, Amuro Ray)
* RGM-89 Jegan (Hathaway Noa, Chan Agi)
* MSN-02 Geara Doga
* MSN-02 Geara Goga (Rezin Schnyder colors) (Rezin Schnyder)

-Mobile Suit Gundam F91

* F91 Gundam Formula 91 (Seabook Arno)

-Mobile Suit Victory Gundam

* LM314V21 Victory 2 Gundam (Uso Evin)
* ZMT-S33S Gottrlatan (Katejina Loos)

-Mobile Fighter G Gundam

* GF13-017NJII God Gundam (Domon Kasshu)
* GF13-001NHII Master Gundam (Master Asia)

-Mobile Suit Gundam Wing

* XXXG-00W0 Wing Gundam Zero (Heero Yuy)
* OZ-13MS Gundam Epyon (Milliardo Peacecraft)

-Turn A Gundam

* SYSTEM-99 Gundam (Loran Cehack)
* CONCEPT-X 6-1-2 Turn X (Gym Ghingham)

-Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny

* ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam (Kira Yamato)
* ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice Gundam (Athrun Zala, Lacus Clyne)
* ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam (Shinn Asuka)

-Other Suits

* Musha Gundam (Gym Ghingham)
* Musha Gundam Mark II (Katejina Loos)


Again thanks for reading.



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Review of Xbox 360 Air Cooler

I got this bad boy a couple of days ago and it works well for me.My elite is loud and thought this would quiet it down but i was wrong so i know have the fans running from inside the 360 and the 3 fans this cooler comes with.

The only thing you have to know is that its a manual fan cooler and you need to turn ON the fans and if you don't, then it just blocks the airflow to the 360 and cause it to overheat.The switch is below the power adapter on the right so you know where to reach to flip the switch.

The good thing is that it does not block anything else that would associate with the 360 like the power cable, wireless adapter and HDMI cable



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Review of 1701 A. D.: Gold Edition

I am so glad that the Germans are in love with this type of game, otherwise we in the US would be totally deprived of some of the most engrossing, rewarding, and FUN gameplay I have ever experienced.I have not stayed up until 5 am playing a game in 8 years, and indeed I was wondering if I was even the type of gamer who could get into a game that much anymore.I was wrong.For a person like me, who's not interested in the combat aspect of most strategy games, and who is much more interested in turtling a base to their exact preference, this game is a boon.



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Review of Nintendo Wii Fit Balance Board Premium Anti-Skid Green Silicone Skin Sleeve (Balance Board NOT Included)

I don't like the footprints with the big bumps sticking up on this mat, it is not comfortable if you are shoe-less and even with shoes it seems to get in the way.



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Review of The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack

I've been playing Sims 2 on the PC since it was introduced and own all 3 upgrades. Now, I've bought everything available for the Mac to play when I travel. Frankly, I wouldn't want to play Sims 2 without Nightlife.

Dating is the most important capability Nightlife brings to the game. I find it tedious to build and maintain relationships with the base game. Dating lets you monitor both sides of a social relationship, and also tends to focus the participating sims on each other. This makes it easier to build strong relationships and to fulfill high-value wants and earn aspiration points. If you have lots of aspiration points, you don't have to resort to cheats to maintain needs or to keep sims from aging before you want them to. The first thing you'll want to do for any sim you play is to give them at least one strong dating relationship so they can top off their aspirations when they need to. Let's face it, it's easier to face going to work when you had a little hot romance the previous night.

The essential dating tool is a car. Now you can go out or drive to work in your own car. Picking up your date in a hot car immediately improves the date score. But the real reason for owning a car is that if two sims are seeking initimate reactions and a car is on the lot, chances are they'll want both WooHoo and WooHoo in Car, which nets you double rewards for a single interaction. If you have a car, a little time on a date can quickly make the sims' aspirations go platinum while building up lots of aspiration rewards that let you buy Energizers, Elixer of Love dispensers, and Thinking Caps. With those, you can make your sims accomplish almost anything you want.

Chemistry is a new Nightlife feature that can be a lot of fun. By defining Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs for sims, chemistry simulates what we all feel, greater attraction for some people, less for others. NPCs have their own Turn-On's and Turn-Offs, but can specify them for sims you play and change them when you want. When you let sims function autonomously, chemistry works with memories and other attributes to make their interactions more complex. When you control the sims, it's easier or more difficult to establish friendships and romances, depending on the chemistry they sims feel for each other.

New with Nightlife is the ReNuYuSenso Orb, which lets you change sims' Aspirations as well as their Turn-Ons and Turn-Offs. With the Orb, a sim can start out with a Family aspiration and change to a Knowledge aspiration when the kids are in school. In other words, your sims deepest desires can change as they mature. I use the Orb a lot.

Nightlife includes Downtown, which provides a many more destinations the sims can travel to, including restaurants, clubs, and bowling alleys. Sims 2, even with University, is a bit dull in terms of social destinations. You'll find dating a lot more interesting in Nightlife. You can also send sims on friendly outings. Outings are more challenging than dates since you're managing interactions between more than two sims, but they enable your sims to meet strangers and start building relationships with large numbers of people. When your sim is invited out on an outing, they'll arrive at a destination with several friends, some of which are likelyk to be strangers. If your sim is on a career path that requires lots of friends, outings can make it much easier to get the friendships started. (I still miss some of the things you could do in Sims 1 parks, such as sailing boats. In Sims 2, parks are pretty dull places by comparison.)

In summary, the emphasis of Nightlife is on sim's social lives. Relationships are richer and the range of social interactions is much more extensive. I'd hate to play The Sims 2 without Nightlife.



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Review of X-Plane v 9.0

I have purchased every Microsoft Flight Simulator since FS '98, and have found each one to have it's own unique quality. So when Flight Simulator X came out, I was eager to see it's contribution to my ever increasing world of flight simulation. While I enjoyed it, it was not as promised. The DX10 feature was the biggest let down, as even on max settings it looked nothing like what we were promised. Oh, it looked okay as flight sims go, but it lacked the real punch I expected from a Microsoft Flight Simulator.

The flight physics are still adequate, set to maximum realism it can be fun, even. However, I still felt something was lacking. So, in a fit of boredom, I purchased X Plane 9. $[...]? "Well", I thought, "we'll see what we can get out of a flight sim that costs a third less than FSX standard."

I installed the program on my PC. It took about 30 minutes to install the primary program, and about 10 minutes to install the North America/Europe scenery disc. That's right, scenery on separate DVDs, and it's all worth it.

I started up the program and configured my graphics settings. Just for a hoot, I set them all to maximum settings. 4X Anti-aliasing, Ansitropic filtering, 1680x1050x32 resolution, turned on the rain and weather effects, and started it up. It loaded in about 20 seconds, which was 3x faster than FSX, and the opening shot was enough to catch my breath. It was superb. I'm not talking just nice resolution, the realism was astounding. Everything looked and moved like I was actually flying through a real world environment. So I flew around for a while, and the handling feels better. It responds more like an aircraft would whether it be rainy, sunny, windy, what have you, the plane behaved accordingly. FSX had done this also, but it was only mediocre compared to the flight physics this program was employing.

I wasn't won over yet. I wanted to see if I set FSX to the exact same specs, how it would respond.

Firstly, FSX doesn't have the same detailed customization as X-Plane 9. You have about half those settings. However, what I came to see was whether FSX could produce a visually stunning image as X-Plane 9. I set everything up, maxed out, as best as I could. There weren't as many visual options either for FSX as there were for X-Plane.

After I mimicked the settings for FSX as I had for X-Plane, I started up the simulation.

I was disappointed. FSX didn't do too bad, but when I tried to take off, I was rewarded with frame skips and stuttering. FSX couldn't reproduce the visuals and physics without cutting it's own performance. This was supposed to be the power of DirectX 10? Pfft. At max settings in X-Plane, I had seamless flying, with rain and thunder, lightning, drops splattering the windshield and shearing up the side, off the wings, too. Unlike FSX where you just see gray colored lines and a reflective runway as if it were wet.

I will state one thing, however: If you like using your keyboard, you can in X-Plane, it's just a little tougher to use. X-Plane does mouseflight (which is neat once you get the hang of it) and Joystick control, which I highly recommend. You will find a more satisfying experience that way.

I am now an X-Plane fan, and unless Microsoft can give me their performance, physics and detail, I'm not sure if I'll even be interested in their next release. Who knows. In the meantime, I'll be flying X air. ;)

~Pastor J



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Review of Wow Pen Joy Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse Red By Ergoguys

I bought this mouse hoping it would ease the pain in my pinky from my "normal" mouse.It did, but it transferred the pain to my thumb and the bone at the base of my palm.All in all, I consider it another tool in my arsenal against repetitive stress pain, but it wasn't the cure I was hoping for.



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Review of Xbox 360 3-In-1 Power Kit

I'm new 2 da hard core gaming world so I feel dumb when I say that I really didn't know this produt exsisted at first. now that I have it it is awesome and saves batteries. I love it!



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Review of Playstation 3 ezJam S10 Wired Guitar

I bought 2 of these guitar controllers so I could play GH 1, 2 and 80's that I have for PS2 on PS3.I bought them from the ezgear company and the guitar only worked on GH 3 for PS3, I couldn't get it to work with any of the 3 other GH games I had for PS2, so I e-mailed ezgear from their website and asked them if there was something I had to do, or am I doing something wrong?They e-mailed me back stating they are changing their website because this guitar does NOT work with any of the PS2 GH's on PS3!I was kinda upset because this was the main reason I bought THEM!It worked fine on GH3 for PS3 and I am stuck with them since they WOULD NOT take them back! Even though they made the error!

So, my conclusion simply is, if you want or need a second guitar and like wired instead of wireless, yes this is a good guitar and haven't had any problems with it on the GH3 for PS3, but I gave it only 3 stars for the mis-leading!Pretty bad when a company makes a huge error in marketing like that and doesn't even offer to take their product back.Even on the box it is printed "works with PS2 guitar hero games on PS3"!



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Review of XTREMEHD2M Toslink Opt Aud Cable

I had bought a couple of cheap Optical cables before I bought the Xtreme.When I tried the cheap cable it would not work unless I backed it out some from the socket on my Cox box.I ordered the XtremeHD2M and it worked out perfect.XtremeHD2M has all my business now. (not that they will get rich off me, after all how many optical cables doe a person buy in a lifetime?)



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Review of Theme Park (Jewel Case)

I originally bought this game for a 486/66Mhz computer.It ran in a DOS prompt, but I could never get my game to save.Worse yet, I tried running it on a newer 400 Mhz machine and the game ran too fast.It was as if the entire game was running in double fast forward.The game has little value if you can't run it.

The game itself is fun.ThemePark is the predecessor of Sim Themepark (aka Themepark World), which in turn is the predecessor of Sim Coaster.The graphics are pretty much the same, except you can't walk around your park like you can in the other two.You can still ride all your rides, but the number and theme of the rides is far more limited than in Sim Themepark and Sim Coaster.

Overall, if you want to run a themepark, buy Sim Themepark (Sim Coaster isn't much different, and Sim Themepark is cheaper) or Rollercoaster Tycoon.Both are worth the money, and they will actually run on your computer.



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Review of Sid Meier's Civilization 3 Complete

In my opinion this is the greatest strategy game of all time. You start off with one city and watch it grow and flourish into a country/civiliazation. The game features enormous depth along with the brilliantly simple interface which allows the player as much control as he/she sees fit.

I've played the PC version and I'm happy to say that the Mac version is identical. Runs great on my Powerbook G4 and Tiger.



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Review of Cake Mania: In the Mix!

I have been playing Cake Mania on the computer for quite some time and I LOVE it. So I was very excited when I saw it was coming out for the Wii. I received it about 2 weeks ago and have played it for about 4 hours total. The graphics are nothing like they are on the computer. I have trouble seeing what the customers are ordering as some of the shapes look almost identical, especially when you get into the double layer cakes. It's harder to click on things, and in your chain of actions, you can only set one thing down before you have to wait to set another down. It's still an entertaining and adicting game. I just prefer the computer. I hope they come out with a 2 and 3 for the Wii, and do a better job on the graphics.



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Review of PlayStation 3 Logitech Vantage USB Headset

This headset for under 20 bucks is great.

Here's a couple of points to some of the bad things I've seen here..

1. It's not small.My head is 7 1/2 hatsize and that's pretty fair size.It adjusts bigger than I need.

2. The mic does only reach your mid cheek, but that's the way you want it.The days of needing the mic to reach around in front of your mouth are over.How do you people think blue tooth phones pick up your voice from up by your ear?LoL at folks.. technology people.. keep up.

3. It is plenty sturdy.It's not made of metal though.I've had mine for 5 months or so now and it's in the same shape as I bought it and that's with me and my 2 kids using it.

4. I play Burnout Paradise every night and my setup on the Ps3 is constantly among the best sounding.Period.

5. The mic again.. it doesn't touch your cheek unless you adjust it too.It's got a flex rod and can easily be bent anyway you want it.Away from your cheek or on it.lol again at this complaint.

Overall, I'd say this headset right now is the best option for the PS3.I've tried some wireless headsets and just wasn't happy with the quality, so I bought this on to use till I found a better solution.. now though, I quit looking.I'm happy with this headset and don't see the need to look further.


Will it stand up to a temper tantrum trowing child, smashing it on the ground after getting pwn'd in MGS?Probably not.My kid broke my 250 dollar Sennheiser's when he couldn't beat "Raining Blood" on Guitar Hero/extreme.Now he's the lawnmower hero.



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Review of Wii Dual Charger Station

This is OK; I don't like that you have to remove the protective sleeve and the handle.Also don't like that the Wii has to be turned on in order for the remotes to charge.It's OK; there are (presumably) better chargers out there.



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Review of Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Dragon Quest (previously known as Dragon Warrior in the US) has always been one of those games that I had to have. When I was a kid, I got the first through a subscription to a magazine, and I was in love ever since. Though as basic as a game can get, there was something addicting about the monotonous walking, fighting, and leveling up. In two, three, and four (four in particular), they attempted to bring more detail to the story lines, and succeeded just enough not to ruin the normal, DW game play that RPG lovers have come to love. Then, we missed five and six, and had to wait for the ugliest PlayStation game ever released in Dragon Quest VII. It was fun, but it seemed dated from the release; the graphics were only barely better than the old Super Nintendo.

Then, Enix, the long-time publisher of Dragon Warrior, merged with Square, and thus Dragon Quest VIII was born. I worried, at first. Was Square going to dilute it with all those Final Fantasy cut-scenes, or were they going to take away the simple battle system that's in every DW game?

The answer: NO. Everything is there that was in every other Dragon Quest game; dungeons, constant fighting and leveling up, struggling to buy all the new items, seeking out all those rare items, getting lost more often than not, a simple, point-a-to-point-b story, and that same battle system. It's all here, but with one major edition: extraordinary graphics. Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball creator, and long time designer for Dragon Quest) was able to fully show his skill in this game.

This game is excellent to play, as well. Not only for its nostalgia, but for the actual game play. It's still addictive, but even more so since the world itself is now rendered in 3D and huge, making it a lot to explore, and exploring it is worth it as it has numerous things for you to find all over the land-map. Finding these things are important, because they've added a new feature called the Alchemy Pot which requires you to use two or three items to make one are item. Also, its fun meeting some of the new characters, and hearing the interesting ways they are voiced.

For anyone old enough to remember the first Dragon Warrior, and for anyone who actually understood it, I recommend this game. I also recommend this for anyone who loves RPGs but hasn't yet experienced one of the genre's roots. Dragon Quest VIII is a great edition to the Dragon Quest library, and an instant classic.

ADDED NOTE: I've just recently finished this game, and I must now say that my impressions were vastly ignorant. This game, from start to finish, is pure excitement, never diluted by long, dramatic cut-scenes, with an emphasis on the game play. The ending, without spoiling, was surprisingly interactive and incomplete, though I have had a chance to complete it. It also isn't nearly as serious as those other RPG endings. It allows you to laugh at the characters despite enduring the nearly seventy hours of game play and storytelling involving the end of a world. And the replay-ability is decent, with an entire extra quest and area to explore after saving your game following the credits. Now, I'd recommend this game because it is clearly the top choice in its genre (RPG). It's a great prologue to the up-coming Final Fantasy XII or Kingdom Hearts 2.



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Review of Centipede

When I bought this game, I thought I was getting the classic arcade version of Centipede that I always enjoyed playing. But this is a tricked-out 3D version that shares only the name with the original Centipede.I loaded it on my computer, played for about 15 minutes, then never went back to it.Forgot how much I disliked it the first time and loaded it on another computer, then remembered why it was sitting on the shelf.If you are looking for Centipede like you remember it from the arcade game, this is not it.



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Review of SteelSeries Ikari Laser Mouse (Black)

Unlike other gaming mice i've owned, the Ikari seems to add all the best features and leaves-out all the annoying ones others like to bundle-in.

I finally have the right balance of physical and software controls I've been wanting.I'm not sure who develops their drivers and technologies, but I feel like I have more accuracy and the mouse aims exactly where I want it be, and not where the computer thinks I'm aiming at.

The grip is made of a great material, and ergonomic layout is perfect.

Seems like every LAN and event I go to, SteelSeries is there or donates prizes . . . that's how I found-out about them.Nice support of the gaming community!Seems like others never give back, then try to copy SteelSeries' innovations (but fail).



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Review of Acronis Disk Director Suite 10.0

This is probably the worst software I've used in years--probably in the last decade.If you are using old operating systems or old hardware, you may be fine, but with XP64 or Vista on the latest hardware, it repeatedly corrupted my hard drive partions rendering them not only unbootable but generally unrecoverable.Another bug is that my wireless mouse would only work during the first welcome/splash screen of the boot CD but not the actual utility once it loaded.I had to hook up a PS/2 mouse.Even that didn't work all of the time (like when I had a 2nd drive plugged in).

Aside from the hardware problems, it plain destroyed partitions and corrupts MBRs.I'll give you some examples.Resize NTFS cluster sizes renders Windows completely unbootable and corrupted.Changing drive letters renders the system unbootable.Setting a partition active corrupts the drive.Performing operations on an external USB drive completely corrupted the drive, and I couldn't fix with any other DOS/Windows utilities that I had.I had to fix it on my Mac!Note that you cannot clone a drive or partition.You can only copy a partition which assigns the wrong drive letter and as noted above you cannot correct without losing all the data.Many operations require multiple reboots for each step involved and some steps fail/crash.Sometimes, it would set the wrong partition active.Finally, copying partitions from one drive to another failed inexplicably and crashed about 1/2 the time. The only operations I was consistently successful at were trivial operations like partition resizes which Vista does natively anyway.Operations that I could do in their "demo" (it is NOT a trial) are fake.They could not be performed using the real software which was the latest version.Please note that my system is otherwise stable and all the native Vista disk utilities/operations work flawlessly.I have used disk utilities like Partition Magic, Norton Ghost, Drive Image, etc., for decades so I am not a newbie.

The final reason for 1 star (zero if I could ), I purchased this direct from Acronis via Digital River.Their support is horrible (basically auto-replies) if they ever respond.Despite having a 30-day money back guarantee, you will never see your money again.This product sets new lows in the already shaky computer hardware/software industry.



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Review of Wii i.GLOW Wireless Controller

UPDATE:

Do not buy for the Wii.I'd change this to a 1 star rating if I could.After 2 days, the c-stick stopped responding to smash attacks in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.I had to return it.

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If you're not too picky about Gamecube controllers, then the iGLOW will be just fine if you're looking to play GameCube or Virtual Console games (that use a GC controller) on your Wii.It has a good feel to it, with good build quality and an interesting paint job.Syncing is easy enough, pressing a small button on the top of the receiver, then pressing a "Connect" button on control.There is also a turbo button which you can activate by pressing the turbo button and your button of choice simultaneously.This way, you can turbo the "A" or "B" button without affecting the "X" or "Y" buttons.

However, it goes downhill from there.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl plays "OK" using this controller, but the lag and insensitivity of the buttons and stick put you immediately at a disadvantage against a wired Gamecube controller, and especially against the super sensitive Wii Classic Controller.

The iGLOW itself is heavier than a wired Gamecube controller.Its A-B-X-Y button matrix is a bit closer together than a standard Gamecube controller, but I didn't have a hard time with that.(If anything, the throw distance between the "B" button and the C-stick is shortened.)

Those looking for rumble will be disappointed since that feature is not included in this controller.Those who don't care will not miss it.

Upon flipping the on/off toggle on the back, the iGLOW lights up a blue color via LEDs inside the controller.One particular LED near the D-pad points straight at you and is rather irritating.I haven't had the controller long enough to comment on battery life but I doubt the LEDS help in that department.Definitely get a set of rechargable AAA batteries (even though the manual says not to use rechargables.)But hey, that's why the called it iGLOW, right?

Overall, the controller is usable.I'll keep it since I need a wireless Gamecube controller, but for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I'd rather use a standard GC controller or a Wii Classic Controller.



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Review of Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift

Pros:

+Deep, strategic combat
+Loads of customization
+Crisp, detailed graphics
+Fantastic artwork
+Great music
+More incentive to obey the law
+It overall greatly improves on its predecessor on the Gameboy Advance

Cons:

-Forgettable storyline
-There are some ridiculous laws
-No control over the camera in battle
-Battles can be unusually sluggish
-Tacked on Stylus Controls


In 1998, Square released a game called Final Fantasy Tactics on the original Playstation.In 2003 we finally saw the follow up, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.While the original game gained a strong cult following, Tactics Advance had a love/hate relationship with many gamers.With that in mind, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is very much in tune with its predecessor on the Gameboy Advance.If you enjoyed Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, you'll more than likely enjoy this one.If Final Fantasy Tactics Advance wasn't your cup of tea, then Tactics Advance A2 doesn't do much to make you like it.It sticks to many of its conventions and in turn, suffers from many of the same problems.It's problems, however, don't have as great an impact, and that overall helps Final Fantasy Tactics A2 be a better game than the Gameboy Advance outing.

Final Fantasy Tactics A2 focuses on Luso, a school student who is geared up for summer vacation.Unfortunately, his lazy ways have made the teacher want to straighten him out and instead of beginning his summer vacation right away, Luso is sent to the library to help clean it up.While he's there, he stumbles upon a book where the pages are blank.When he finally writes his name in the book he's transported to the world of Ivalice where he'll meet up with a clan who agrees to help him find a way home.Essentially, your main goal is the same as the first Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, to find a way home.The story isn't all that great.It's fairly forgettable, as a matter of fact.However, where Tactics A2 falls in story, it makes up for in gameplay.

Throughout the game, you'll visit pubs which will display missions for you to undertake.Once you select a mission you'll have to go to the location and carry out the duty.When in battle, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 plays like most other Strategy RPGs.You'll send your warriors into battle, move them a certain number of spaces and execute attacks against the enemy.Battles can, at times, be a little sluggish.Even the simplest battles can last for a half an hour at most, but the amount of strategy needed is pretty deep.As is the game's job system which can really put a spin on how easy or difficult a battle can be.

The job system is easily the best part of the game.You can choose a wide variety of jobs.Warriors, Mages and Summoners alike.The job a character can choose depends on their race.For example, a Viera can't become a Soldier.You'll unlock more jobs based on how many abilities you learn for other jobs.Abilities are learned through a character's equipment.This is both good and bad.It's simple to gain ability points, all you have to do is finish a battle.However, learning abilities is a slow task.While most can be learned in one or two battles, the fact that most battles will take a while to finish makes learning abilities take a little longer.Additionally, once you start needing 300 or 400 Ability Points to learn an ability, it's that much longer.Along those lines, since it goes based on your equipment, it's not always a good idea to go into battle with the best equipment.In terms of strategy, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 emphasizes it more so than most Strategy RPGs out there.A slight hiccup in your jobs or abilities can cost you a battle.The strategy involved in the game is very in-depth.

Another feature that returns from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is the judge system.In every battle there are certain laws you must obey.To compensate, however, the judge also lets you have a privilege that will boost certain stats like strength, agility, etc.Breaking a law doesn't have nearly as harsh of a punishment this time around.If you break the law you lose your privilege and you can't revive any fallen characters.You'll want to follow the law as much as possible.Doing so can net you some bonus items, some of which are rare.The judge system works better in Tactics A2, but it still suffers the same problems.There are simple laws to obey such as not using a specific spell in combat, but there are still some outright ridiculous laws to beware of.In one battle, for example, it was against the law to miss the enemy.

The game also lets you use the stylus if you want.While the stylus controls seem like a perfect fit, they'll often slow you down.It's to the point where the stylus controls feel more tacked on than anything else.

Visually, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is breathtaking.The battlefields are very well designed and colorful.The sprites are detailed as are the characters portraits.The spell animations are also pretty good looking, vibrant and colorful. What's even better is the games overall art design which is nothing short of fantastic. If there was anything to fret over, it would be that the game is isometric 3D and not fully 3D.This means that the camera stays fixed throughout the entire battle.You can't rotate it or anything and that'll become a problem when your characters get bunched up and you can't see them.The top screen is used to display the turn order by showing the sprites.It's detailed but the sprites also looks a little pixelated when they're enlarged on the top screen.Nonetheless, Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is an incredible looking game.

In terms of music, most of it you'll have heard before.Much of the music you here in Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is remixed from either Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, or Final Fantasy XII.Most of it is good music, although if you didn't really like the soundtrack to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance or Final Fantasy XII, you probably won't find this one to be too memorable either.

In the end Final Fantasy Tactics A2 is a better game than Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, but still doesn't manage to be as memorable as the original Final Fantasy Tactics.While it has a forgettable storyline, it's deep, strategic and engaging gameplay will keep the player immersed for hours to come.



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Review of SimCity 2000 Special Edition (Jewel Case)

SimCity 2000 has been around for awhile, but don't let that hold you back from buying it, especially at this price. Although not as graphically beautiful as SimCity 3000, it is considerably more playable and almost as detailed. In addition to the ability to design and build your own city, something that can be endlessly fascinating, there are several interesting scenarios good for an hour or two of play. Also, this game is well worth your consideration if you have an older computer. It runs beautifully on everything from a 486-66 up.

If you haven't played SimCity 2000 yet, you owe it to yourself to check out the game I firmly believe was Maxis' finest creation.



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Review of Naki Instinct DANCE PAD REVOLUTION - Dance controller - Sony PlayStation 2

When I first became addicted to dancing games, specifically Dance Dance Revolution, I went right out and purchased a game for the Playstation, along with a pair of Naki dance mats.And for the first few weeks, I really had a lot of fun playing.

Then, I got better.And the pads got worse.As I moved up to harder and faster songs, the mats started sliding around significantly on the carpet.They stopped responding fast enough when I had to step on them quickly.I started to become annoyed with them very quickly, and haven't touched them in months, preferring to play on arcade machines.

The mat is sufficient for a beginning player.But the problem is that no player will stay a beginner for long, and the mat doesn't have the quality to be truly useful for more advanced players.There's also a very significant engineering flaw with the mats - often, you'll step on one of the arrows, and your foot will overlap one of the corner buttons.And when that happens, often no other button on the pad will respond until you've stopped stepping on the multiple buttons at once.When you're playing on a faster song, it becomes very easy for this to occur, and suddenly the controller is not registering steps that you're making.This is not a flaw in the Playstation either - the standard controllers work fine in this situation, and higher quality dance mats don't have that problem either.This is simply a huge engineering flaw in these pads.

So I'd recommend that you stay away from these mats, and find ones of higher quality if you plan on seriously playing dance games on your Playstation.They'll cost more, but they'll also last a lot longer.



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Review of Wii Game Software Stand

I BOUGHT 1... BUY AT LEAST 2 IF YOU HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT OF GAMES...1 HOLDS 12 GAMES..STURDY AND ATTRACTIVE WITH WII LOGO ON THE SIDE...YOU CAN KEEP STACKING THEM OR IF YOU JUST HAVE 12 GAMES OR LESS, SET IT ON YOUR DESK, SHELF, OR TABLE AS IT IS SMALL ENOUGH..FOR THAT MATTER I GUESS YOU COULD STACK LOTS OF THEM ON YOUR DESK...I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WOULD BE STANDING TALL ON YOUR DESK INSTEAD OF THE FLOOR...WHERE EVER YOU PUT IT ITS USEFUL, ATTRACTIVE, AND WORTH THE MONEY...






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