World of Warcraft Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This game is, quite simply, the best Fantasy MMORPG I have ever encountered.Having played during the entire 11 day Stress Test, I can honestly say it will probably be around even longer than EverQuest.This work of art has all the magic of EQ, without the many frustrations that finally caused me to give up on EQ (such as extreme grind, a very punitive death penalty, and being forced to group at high levels).

The graphics in WoW are awesome.Some people complain about the "cartoonish" colors, etc. I find these graphics to be very pleasing to the eye, and extremely well detailed and arranged.Guess this just shows that it isn't possible to please everyone, particularly those who go out of their way to find a flaw in other people's creations.To me, it is just right.

I won't elaborate on the basics of the game, such as the 8 races and 9 classes.Others have already covered them.Rather, I will focus on some other areas that are important to older players (I will soon be 60 years old, and no longer have the lightning-fast hand to eye coordination and sharp vision I once enjoyed).

There appeared to be no need for extremely quick reflexes in this game, but instead a player needs to use strategy and planning to avoid getting in over one's head.The wonderful hotkey bar across the entire bottom of the screen was very helpful and well thought out.Kudos to Blizzard for making such a great interface.The screen is not all cluttered up like it is in most games.

The game runs on a 24-hour clock, so it is dark nearly half the time.Blizzard wisely chose to not make the game black as night in most locations.It is possible to play effectively in caves and other usually extremely dark areas, without benefit of an external light.I thought this was a very wise decision and really enjoyed playing in those locations for the first time ever in an MMORPG.Some players complain that it is too bright.I would say to them:Turn down your Gamma control in the game if you like.Many of us do not have your young night-vision, and we are paying customers too.I think that Blizzard got this part just right.

The quest system in this game is better than I have ever seen.I actually liked doing quests, something I haven't previously enjoyed.Also, quests give lots of experience, and since they can usually be done on a casual basis, they don't require the same level of one-track focus that they do in other games I have played.

During this "way too short" Stress Test, I decided to try a variety of different characters and locations, so played the following characters:Night Elf Druid, lvl 12; Tauren Hunter, lvl 13; Human Mage, lvl 8; Human Warlock, lvl 6; Gnome Warlock, lvl 6; Troll Shaman, lvl 6.Unfortunately, I have a full-time job and could only devote about 40 hours a week to the game.The initial leveling rate is quite quick, with it slowing down a lot at about level 12.Just about right, IMO.

The game is bug-free, for the most part.It is way more bug-free than SWG is even today.I would be willing to pay a subscription now, if it would "get me my game back!".There are only two problems I see with this game:

1.Even though the Stress Test ended at 6pm Sunday evening, three days later I am still going through withdrawal and still have no desire to play on my two City of Heroes and three SWG accounts.

2.World of Warcraft is still not out, so my pre-ordered copy hasn't arrived, nor do I know when that will happen.The sooner, the better, IMO.There is no doubt in my mind that this game will be way more popular that EQ2, which I also plan to try.Hopefully WoW will arrive first.

I for one really appreciate these Reviews that Amazon has.I find them very helpful.The only problem I see with them is that there are onlyFIVEstars in the rating system.This is a shame, for World of Warcraft certainly deserves a TEN.

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Vivendi (72212) World of Warcraft PC

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Scribblenauts Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had about two weeks to thoroughly delve into Scribblenauts now, and I can honestly say it is the most original game for the Nintendo DS I have ever played, and possibly one of the best console games in the last five years.The reason for that is because it is a radical departure from every single game ever made, in that it doesn't challenge your dexterity or button-pushing skill like FPS and action games, and doesn't rely at all on random number generators or luck, like a lot of strategy games; but instead, challenges your imagination and creativity.This is a great game for any age that enjoys puzzle games, and if I had to recommend just one game for a new DS owner to show off the abilities of their console, this would be it.Having fully "completed" the levels long ago, I am still enjoying it just as much as when I first got it.

GAMEPLAY
The premise to this puzzle game is to complete puzzles to collect a "starite."You do this by using the stylus to write nouns to help you complete your objective.A simple example would be a level where the starite is separate from you by a moat.You could write "bridge" and a bridge would appear.Place it over the moat, walk over to the starite, and you've just completed the level.While that sounds very simplistic and like a boring example, that is because the solution you chose is simplistic and boring, and you will be scored accordingly.The game's tagline: "Write Anything, Solve Everything," refers to the ability to almost literally write ANYTHING.One of the first things that will amaze you upon starting this game, is how virtually unlimited the Scribblenauts dictionary is.The dictionary contains an amazing 22,802 words.While some of these are duplicates that spawn the same item (such as "computer" and "Internet"), that means that the Scribblenauts team created animations and graphics for almost 22,802 objects.With the exception of a lot of proper nouns, copyrighted objects, and graphic/adult nouns, almost ANY object you can think of can be summoned.I played for 2 days before finding a noun it didn't recognize.Need a plate of spaghetti to complete a puzzle?It's in there.What about a stapler, carpet, a zebra, a tightrope, and a button?All in there.I was amazed when I decided to try the word "harness" and it came up, since it's such a generic and specific object.Who would even think to include that?The Scribblenauts team is who.You will find yourself becoming giddy at discovering some of the objects available to you.One of the more well known is that you can summon the Necronomicon (a fictional book appearing in horror stories by H.P. Lovecraft).Not sure what to do with it?Summon a necromancer and watch him interact with the Necronomicon and start chanting.This can be particularly useful if you summoned a zombie earlier, and need to get rid of it because it is running around and turning everyone else on the screen into zombies!During one puzzle, I used a shark to get rid of a smaller fish.I the needed to get rid of the shark, but I couldn't think of anything in the ocean tougher than a shark. Out of chance, I typed in "megalodon," and was amazed when a huge prehistoric megalodon shark dropped into the water and promptly devoured it!A well-known example of creativity is a player who was on a level with zombie robots that he had to dispatch. Traditional methods were ineffective, so the player summoned a time machine, traveled back to pre-historic times and found a dinosaur, rode the dinosaur back through the time machine, and then stomped all over the zombies.I won't give away anymore examples, because I really believe your experience will be much better if you discover these objects on your own; and I strongly encourage people to avoid reading too many reviews of Scribblenauts until they've played a lot of the game, so they don't run into any more spoilers.

There are two modes to gameplay.Puzzle Mode requires you to complete some type of puzzle to make the starite appear. An example is to collect flowers for a botanist.But one of the flowers is on a cliff, one is underwater (which contains a piranha), and one is right beside an angry bee.You must now come up with object(s) to help you accomplish this. Each puzzle has an average number of objects it expects you to use to complete it. The fewer objects you use, the more points you get.Maybe there's an object you can use to take care of the bee and the piranha together.Creative thinking like that will earn you Style Points.Additionally, the less time it takes you to complete the puzzle, earns you points as well.Once completed, your points are added up and converted to "ollars," which can be used to purchase new levels, songs, and avatars.You can complete each level as many times as you want, but completing it three times with completely different items will earn you "prodigy" status and a gold star.The first time going through a level, I highly suggest completing it as quickly as possible, since this seems to give you the most points. Next, go for style, which is where you can have the most fun.The game takes everything into consideration. It knows you can summon a gun every single time to get rid of a troublesome animal that is blocking your path, but if you come up with a more creative method, such as using an item to dig a ditch, putting some kind of bait on the other side, and trapping the animal, will not only earn you style points, but points for "no weapons" as well.

There are ten "worlds."Each has two modes of play (that are completely different and don't recycle screens), and elevel levels per mode.That's 220 different levels.If you play through by trying to complete each level 3-4 different ways, that's 880 levels!They get progressively harder and require much more skill.Although I completed all of them in two weeks, that was rushed for review purposes and had I taken my time, it would have taken me much much longer.This is not a traditional DS game that has a shelf life of 30 hours. There are many more options to play this game that I will discuss below.The game's title screen is also built as a "sandbox" environment, where you can play around and spawn objects to see how they interact.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The AI of the game is really impressive.Every one of the objects you can spawn has properties associated with it for interacting with its environment and with other objects.Beavers and termites eat wood.Consequently, if you spawn these animals near wood, they will proceed to consuming it. The same association exists with a lumberjack (provided you give him a tool to work with). Predatory animals also interact with each other.A piranha will eat a minnow.A shark will eat a piranha.A megalodon will eat a shark.And yes, there are creatures in the game that will even take on a megalodon.It is amazing to me how the developers were able to come up with all of these associations for so many different objects.Your character can interact with them as well, and even create new items.I found that interacting with a honeycomb yielded a jar of honey, but interacting with a bomb was not as sweet.The artificial intelligence provides for endless possibilities with the level editor.

WIRELESS + LEVEL EDITOR
Scribblenauts has wireless features built in so you can play levels with friends.Simply exchange friend codes with people and you can share custom-designed levels. While the level editor has been overlooked in many reviews, I think this is one of the biggest features of the game.Using the custom world environments provided by the game and the numerous objects, you can spend the rest of your life coming up with completely individual and unique levels to exchange.The great part of this is you can customize the AI of the objects, and their relationships with other objects.For instance, the natural AI for a dog is to attack a cat, but you can change this so the dog is scared of the cat, or even protective of the cat.It's great to send a friend a level with a box of mice in his way, and have him remove the box and suddenly be attacked by the mice.Or have a dragon that is deathly afraid of grilled cheese sandwiches.Create a level with dozens of pirates on one side and dozens of ninjas on the other, separated by a brick wall. Remove the wall and sit back and watch as they battle to the death.As I said, the combinations and possibilities are virtually endless.You can't completely modify the physical landscapes and are forced to use the templates from the game, but you can summon thousands of landscape items (trees, mountains, sun, city hall, etc) to get around this and make your level as unique as possible.

COMPLAINTS
It would be nice if the wireless capabilities allowed for downloadable new content and levels, without having to exchange friend codes. Given the customization of the level editor, I find this to be a huge drawback.If someone creates an awesome level online, there is no easy way to distribute it to thousands of people.I also would have liked it if the game was a little more restrictive on what kind of items you could create during the puzzle phase.Maybe if it had a skill level associated with it.You could feasibly breeze through the first few worlds just pulling out a gun and a pair of wings to take care of 70% of the problems.Of course you won't have much fun doing this, but it would be neat if there was a "hard" level where you couldn't use the same object more than once in any level for an entire world.Another complaint, is that it's too easy to get rid of items you create.Anything you create can also be destroyed.While this is very useful (you can't summon infinite items, and the screen gets cluttered with more than a dozen or so), it would be more...Read more›

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Product Description:
Scribblenauts is a unique single player side-scrolling action game for the Nintendo DS that challenges players to solve spatially oriented puzzles like no game before it. In it players use an in-game notepad/keyboard, as well as the touch screen and stylus of the Nintendo DS, to conjure up solutions to the obstacles placed in the path of the game's hero. Solutions are manifested in the form of literally thousands of items--many very unexpected--that are called up and take on a life of their own, resulting in puzzle-solving that is limited only by the player's imagination.

Get creative in collecting Starites.
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Gameplay
Based around 2D side-scrolling action and word play, the premise ofScribblenauts is simple; quite literally, anything you write,you can use and reuse in the game. Players use the DS' touch-screenand the in-game notepad/keyboard to help their character, Maxwell,as he moves throughout 220 increasingly difficult levels on his never-endingquest for the star-like "Starites." But it is not as easy as reachingup and plucking a Starite. Attaining them requires Maxwell to solvespatially oriented puzzles. To do this players describe objects viathe notepad/keyboard, which in turn appear on the game screen andfacilitate the starite making its way to Maxwell. There are literallythousands of items in the game, both utilitarian like ladders, ropes,cars and buses, to the outlandish items, such as invisibility cloaks,pirates and black holes. There are time limits on levels, as wellas a limitation to the number of items that can be used per level.But regardless of these restrictions, the game is all about experimentation,imagination and endless replay value as players open their minds tothe nearly limitless possibilities that are sure to make Scribblenautsunlike any side-scrolling platformer they have ever played.

Key Features

Create Your Own Interactive Experience - Objects you write down in the game are only limited by your imagination.
Everyone Can Play - Scribblenauts features all-ages pick-up-and-play fun for everyone.
Touch-screen Controls - Easy to pick up and play on Nintendo DS. If you can tap, you can play.
Unlimited Replay Value - Use less objects to increase your score, or experiment with different objects for endless replay value. Write anything; solve everything.
Playground Mode - Play the entire game in a sandbox style right on the title screen.
Create and Share - Share levels you create with the level editor via your Nintendo DS Wi-Fi Connection.
Innovative New Title from Leading Developer - 5th Cell, the creator of the Drawn to Life franchise and Lock's Quest, has experience creating high-quality, innovative DS games.

Additional Screenshots:

Spell it & use it.
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Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Review

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(More customer reviews)Note, my opinion is based on the PS3 version while driving with Professional physics, ASM/TCS off, using a Sparco cockpit and Logitech G25 wheel.

PRICE - nearly a no-brainer buy for fans; but a little high considering it's a prologue, limited number of events and cars.

GRAPHICS - improved as expected given the possibilities of the PS3. In a way the sensation of speed has decreased, an ironic side effect of the smooth picture quality.It's easier to look further into the distance.

SOUND - really stunning, accurate, raspy, and powerful.Enormous help to the gameplay to hear unique exhaust notes for each car.Huge improvement from GT4.

CARS - there are plenty of great cars for everyone - rather than recreating hundreds of nearly identical and/or boring, useless-for-racing cars, this game sticks to the cars that are meant to go fast, and does them well.The sound and handling of each is unique and seems to be accurate.And the Ferrari F2007, once you beat the S races and earn the required 2 million credits, is just so cool to drive (even though its quick tune options are limited - you can't modify the power, weight, ride height, springs, or driving physics).

TRACKS - the Daytona trioval is a lot more interesting to drive than a super speedway like Motegi.Daytona also comes with a road course, and even though I feel driving a road course in the infield of an oval feels a bit unnatural, it's still a fun course.There's also Fuji, Suzuka, London, and High Speed Ring.Not bad.

AI - improved number and varied driving personalities, but they still defy the rules of clean racing and the laws of physics with impunity.They drive right through you as you serve your penalties (which they often cause).You'll see shortcutting, using runoff areas for acceleration, wallriding, refusing to back off even when their line is hopeless, and of course bumping and shoving you, leaving you to collect from the new array of infractions.It's getting a bit harsh, but the restart button is only a menu away.

HANDLING - if you select "standard" the cars handle pretty much like they did in GT4; if you put it on "professional" then it takes on a more realistic (i.e. unforgiving) character.Default settings are a little mushy even with cars you'd expect to be nimble, and the professional physics render the supercars (Corvette, Ford GT, Ferrari) nearly uncontrollable.After unlocking the S group and quick tune, some cars can have their downforce cranked up to get some handling back, but cars that are more about beauty than function don't have this available.Many of them remain just a tiny mistake away from an unrecoverable slide.No wonder so many inexperienced drivers crack them up (especially if they turn off the driver aids).I completed all the races (except three of the S races) on "professional" but since the AI is not subject to the same realities, you may occasionally need to set it back to "standard" in order to be competitive.

So far the game has overall been enjoyable, and much of the struggle can be overcome by selecting the correct car for each race, just as it was in GT4.

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Halo: Combat Evolved Review

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(More customer reviews)Back in the fall of 2001, I didn't want to play the XBox.I thought that Bill Gates was trying to monopolize my beloved pastime, the holy hobby of video games.So I didn't play it, that is, until my friend made me play Halo in the Spring of 2002.
My mind was instantly changed.
Halo is not just another video game, it's more of an experience that on higher difficulty levels, you don't just play, you survive.The story is well-planned and well-paced, the weapons are oh-so-cool, the digital surround sound helps to hear behind you (online challengers don't stand a chance), the music is stirring and epic, and the graphics are simply jaw-dropping.Nothing I've played in the past year has put these essential components together quite like Bungie Studios has with Halo.Single player missions are a blast, and you actually feel like you are a super-soldier fighting an alien menace on a strange artificial ring-world in the middle of who-knows-where.But playing by yourself misses the thrill of this game completely.
Anyone with broadband access can use GameSpy Arcade, download the necessary components, cheaply purchase extra equipment, and go online to show the world what you are made of.Multiplayer separates the kids from the adults more than any other console game I have EVER played.To survive, you must be strategic, yet ruthless.You must know the levels, know how to hide, know how to shoot accurately, and know how to move effectively.Once you take some time to master these skills, you feel like you've accomplished something great...
Oh, and if you have friends with copies of Halo, use the biggest room you have to link up 4 XBoxes for 16-player deathmatches (the one catch, every 'Box has to have its own TV).Trust me, nothing brings friends together like 8-on-8 Team Combat.You run to the shotgun room to take care of the weapons cache, Friend #1 runs to the Rocket Launcher for heavy artillery, Friend #2 takes up a sniper position with Active Camouflage (think Predator), Friend #3 waits at the end of the bridge with Fragmentation Grenades, Friend #4 packs a Plasma Rifle to slow down enemies and destroy their shields, Friends #5 and #6 secure medical packs for the squad, while #7 and #8 go freelance and be bait/avengers.And that's just an example of the Slayer mode, where the most kills wins.You've got King of the Hill modes, Capture the Flag, Oddball (he/team that holds the ball for the longest amount of time wins), Races and more.And it's not just mindless killing, all these modes require team strategy and underatanding of the playing field terrain.The more you know about where you are, the better off you'll be when the scores are final.
The only way this can get any better is when Halo 2 comes out in 2003.By then, XBox Live (Microsoft's online game service) will be up to full steam, and who knows what the future could hold (besides the super-cool headset microphones that let you talk to squad members)...
If you own an XBox and don't own this game, shame on you.If you don't own a 'Box, buy one for THIS GAME.You'll thank me later.

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Product Description:
Bent on humankind's extermination, a powerful fellowship of alien races known as the Covenant is wiping out the Earth's fledgling interstellar empire. You and the other surviving defenders of a devastated colony-world make a desperate attempt to lure the alien fleet away from Earth. Shot down and marooned on the ancient ring-world, Halo, you begin a guerilla-war against the Covenant. Fight for humanity against an alien onslaught as you race to uncover the mysteries of Halo.
Halo takes you deep into the future, with the fate of planet Earth hanging on your shooting skills. After a massive battle, only one ship is left and its crew is stranded on an abandoned space station. You must do whatever it takes to keep the Covenant from reaching Earth.

Experience the ultimate Halo challenge with all-new online multiplayer for up to 16 players. Take on the world in any of the 15 multiplayer maps including 6 brand new maps never before seen. Unleash destruction with incredible weapons and vehicles including brand new armaments for intense online multiplayer games. Voted Game Of The Year by IGN.com, Electonic Gaming Monthly, and Xbox Magazine.

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The Sims 3: Ambitions Review

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(More customer reviews)I got my game delivered on Friday, May 28 and was very excited to get it installed and start playing. This really looked like it would be a ton of fun and it was at first. The new town that you get with this expansion, Twinbrook, is beautiful. The EA Sims team did a wonderful job creating this new town. There are lots of new things to see (I really like the "swampy" area, it's kinda creepy and spooky). They also added several new items with this expansion and I think the new laundry system adds some more realism to the game. I thought it was kind of dumb at first but it is kind of neat to see them do laundry now.

As for the careers, I started off with the new architect career since I love to build houses. It seems more like an interior designer career to me. All of the jobs were to redo some particular room so there was very little building to do. This may change after a while but it got boring doing the same types of rooms over and over so I moved on.

Next, I tried the ghost hunter. Again, this was a lot of fun in the beginning but I soon realized that I get the same types of jobs over and over. There are about 5 different types of jobs for your ghost hunter sim to perform. These range from collecting "casper" looking spirits to investigating paranormal activity inside the rabbit holes around town. This career got boring fast too. You do the same types of jobs over and over and you only get maybe 2 or three jobs each night. I had my sim do these and he was back home way before his job time was supposed to be over. Also, it didn't take me very long to reach the top of the career.

After I had been ghost hunting a while, I got my sim hitched to a sim lady who registered as a self employed sculptor. This is probably my favorite of the careers I have tried so far. She sculpts some pretty cool looking statues after her skill gets high enough. When she first started, she was sculpting chairs, toilets, and other household items and it was pretty humorous to see these. I like that she starts out with a big block of whichever material I choose for her to use (clay, topiary, wood, ice, etc.) and I get a nice surprise when she finishes. If you want a particular sculpture,you can have your sim sulpt it if he or she has already learned to make. After my sim's skill was high enough, the sculptures sell for a high simolean price too. So, between her sculptures and my ghost hunter's salary plus selling spirits to the Science Lab, they got pretty rich rather quickly.

My sculptor's lifetime wish is to maximiaze her painting, sculpting and inventing skills so I also have an inventor's table. Most of the stuff that she has invented is useless crap that you can sit around your house as nothing more than decoration (like a bobbing llama head that drinks). She has invented the digger thing but it woke up everyone in the house when I tried to use it and then the hole only had scrap in it. The digger may prove to be interesting though from what I've seen in videos online.

The only other career I have tried so far is the stylist and I hated it. I created a stylist to be married to my architect. Each time she offers to give a makeover to another sim, it opens a new CAS window where you style the sim however they request (new makeup, new hairstyle, new everyday wear, etc.). At the start of this career, no matter what I chose in CAS, the sim always came out looking horrible. It got on my nerves so I gave up on it very quickly. I don't see the point of doing anything to them if they are just going to come out looking bad.

I haven't tried any of the other careers yet. I did get a simbot and it annoys me. The sim couple had a baby and it would always go get it out of the crib, even if it was sleeping. The baby has been pretty cranky with this thing around. The sim babies have always kind of worked my nerves anyways but they are necessary if you want to play a family but they really are annoying with this thing around unless I watch him and make him leave the kid alone so it can get some sleep. It's handy to have it do the laundry and some cleaning but it keeps breaking stuff in the house when I try to have it do upgrades. It's handiness skill is high but it always breaks whatever it's working on so I hate the thing. It just kind of gets in the way.

One thing that did surprise me and I thought was a nice touch is that as your sims progress in their careers, they will get a notification that the mayor is honoring them at city hall. If they make it there in time, they get medals, commemorative plaques or even keys to the city. My ghost hunter even received something that looks like a small graveyard. It's really kind of cool looking. I forget what it's called though. I do think that the recogonition for outstanding work is pretty cool and it was totally unexpected for me.

All in all, this EP is kind of fun but it is VERY repetitive and I can see it getting old fast. There were not very many new items which adds to the sims everyday lives. There is the laundry system, trampoline and a couple of other things though. Oh, and the "Curly" hair that you get when you register the game is horrid!

If you like the new task oriented sims that it seems we have to live with now, you'll like this. As for me, I really wish they would give us an EP that gives the sims more open activities like some of the EP's of the past (Nightlife, please!). I don't care for this new style of play that the EA Sims team keeps coming up with. I miss the days of the open ended gameplay. Sure, it got repetitive too but I at least controlled more of the sims lives than I do now and that was what I liked about it. I mean the game is called The SIMS, it should focus on SIMS and not a pretty new town or repetitive tasks that are far too easy and get way too boring way too fast. For the way the Sims has now progressed (whether I like it or not) this is a decent expansion. I can have my sims do the painting, sculpting, writing, etc. and register them as self employed and still get some fun out of it though so it's not completely horrible for me either.

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Product Description:
Your hand is steady as you fill in the deep red heart and start defining the clear letters. Your work is outstanding, a real art, but will it be enough for success? You notice the man flinch away as you start in on the arrow and finish up quickly without spoiling the overall effect. You're building a name for yourself while being paid to do what you love. Your tattoo parlor may not have been welcome at first, but it sure is making an impression on this small town. Explore the possibilities and take the path less traveled with new careers in The Sims 3: Ambitions.


New fun and wacky jobs. View larger.

Your decisions will affect other Sims. View larger.

Experience all new control over your Sim. View larger.
Synopsis
The Sims 3: Ambitions expansion pack offers plenty of new ways to make Simoleons while exploring your passion. Become a firefighter, private investigator, doctor, ghost hunter and more as you explore all of the opportunities for your Sim. Delve into every detail of your Sim's lives as you control their actions and interactions with exciting new results. Just remember, every action has a consequence and your decisions will determine whether your Sims turns out to be successful entrepreneurs or huge failures. Watch as your career choices change the town and other Sims. Direct your Sim to save the day as a brave firefighter, change the town as a billionaire high-tech inventor or barely make a living as a mad scientist. Whatever you choose, just remember - their future is entirely in your hands.
Features:

Choose between new fun and wacky jobs as a firefighter, private investigator, doctor, ghost hunter and more



Experience all-new control over your Sims actions and choices while they are working



Make important career decisions that affect your Sims' future and determine whether they will be good or evil, successful or a flop



Your decisions will affect other Sims and your town as a whole, experience the power of your actions



Earn Simoleans in all-new creative ways by inventing, sculpting, tattooing and more

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Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest Review

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(More customer reviews)We are not avid gamers in our family.But this LOTR game offers hours and hours and hours of gameplay.My 5 year old and I had so more fun working our ways through all the games quests.We do not own many Wii games, but as a house filled with LOTR nuts, this was worth every penny of the $59 we paid when it was freshly out.Not graphically violent (e.g. not blood splattering).Done in a fashion that fun and acceptable (I believe) for some younger kids.

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Product Description:
The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest is an action-adventure game for Wii in which younger players are introduced to the excitement, characters and lore of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" (LOTR). Framed in-game by the storytelling of the hobbit Sam Gamgee to his children, the game features the ability to play as the future king, Aragorn, as he fights his way through the key battles and events of the War of the Ring. Additional features include: co-op gameplay as the wizard Gandalf, multiple weapons, the ability to fight from horseback and an in-game economy that facilitates item and skill upgrades.

Story
It is now the Fourth Age of Middle-earth; a time of peace. Yet though the great battles and deeds that eventually lead to the destruction of the Ring of Power are a distant memory for most, they are not forgotten. Preparations are underway in Hobbiton for a great party to welcome the legendary Aragorn, now king of the united lands of Arnor and Gondor, and to honor Samwise Gamgee for his service during the War of the Ring. With Aragorn's visit to the Shire imminent, Sam's children are eager to learn more about this great man and so Sam, now Mayor of Hobbiton, embarks on a tale of the revered warrior, Aragorn, and the valiant deeds that transformed a Ranger of the North, into the last great king of men in Middle-earth.

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My Virtual Tutor: Reading Kindergarten to 1st Grade Review

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(More customer reviews)My three boys 5,7,7 really loved this game. My seven year old boys have the 2nd grade game and my 5 year old plays the the Kindergarten 1st gradegame. We are so thrilled that they all are enjoying these games. We are truly amazed that a learning game has kept them so interested. My Vrtual Tutor has far exceed our expectations. We can't get over how much time they are spending playing and learning "Juust Amazing" Great investment.

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Product Description:
By combining the kid-friendly Nintendo DS with a proven reading curriculum developed and tested at the University of Colorado, My Virtual Tutor: Reading makes learning reading skills fun, affordable and portable! Through interactive books, school age and grade relevant phonics instruction and fun quiz modes, your child will learn the comprehension, phonics, fluency and vocabulary necessary to become an expert reader, all while having fun with their Nintendo DS.

Gameplay

My Virtual Tutor: Reading greets your child first with a fun story in Read to Me mode, where the story is read by the tutor, accompanied by fun sounds and animations. Once the story is read, your child then accesses the story in Explore mode, which features comprehension questions which assess your child's understanding of what they read. After Explore mode, I Can Read mode is unlocked, where your child can read the story, play fun word-based minigames and even record and listen to him/herself reading aloud! These minigames offer more practice to expand reading comprehension and vocabulary. After playing I Can Read, your child can unleash their inner artist in paint mode while the story is read to them by the tutor. Once your child completes all four modes in the first book, an additional book is unlocked in their library to read and explore. These books were specially created at the University of Colorado to both engage readers and supply practice to gain fluent reading and comprehension.

At any point your child can also play phonics minigames building the skills necessary to become an independent reader. The phonics games focus building words that start, contain, and end with certain letters and sounds. These games progress along with your child by evaluating performance on the current concept then moving on once that concept has been mastered. In addition to phonics practice, our challenge mode will test your child's skills with survival-style gameplay.

After your child has explored a story and tested their phonics skills, he or she is ready for quiz mode! Quiz mode tests the skills and concepts your child has learned up until that point in the game. By answering story comprehension questions, word matching, and coloring (just for fun!) your child can unlock 20 great prizes! [Prize Pictures]
Parents can access Parent Mode at any time to track your child's progress and identify areas of mastery and areas needing more focus for deeper learning.

Key Features

Enhanced Learning – Reading as a fun activity
My Virtual Tutor: Reading has fun as a top priority. By experiencing early reading through wonderful, hand-drawn animations and characters, along with fun mini-games, your child will not only learn to read; they'll learn that reading is fun!

Successful
The game is based on the National Education Association standards for teaching literacy, and derived from a system developed by researchers at the University of Colorado. Delivered on the Nintendo DS, learning to read is made fun and portable.

Easy to Play
Nintendo DS uses the touchscreen exclusively; no need for long, wordy menus to begin and play! Your child can interact with the words and pictures in the game, and they can even paint a picture of the story while the virtual tutor reads. With the portability of a Nintendo DS, your child can learn to read anywhere, anytime!

Adaptive learning
My Virtual Tutor: Reading teaches your child new skills as they master previous ones. The activities are paced to correlate with their learning. As your child performs better and faster, the game will dish out extra challenges to keep them excited and engaged.

Self-Correcting Practices
To help develop fluency, your child can read the books out-load using the Nintendo DS microphone. After your child reads, the tutor will play back the recording and compare it to what she reads for self-correcting practice.

A Fun Reward System
Animated and interactive quizzes are introduced to test your child's retention of the skills and concepts they learned while playing the game. As your child learns to read by mastering skills and concepts, fun prizes are awarded. Your child will be eager to accumulate as many prizes as possible.

Parent Mode
By tracking your child's progress, the tutor shows you where your child excels, and where more practice is needed.
Up to 3 Users per Game

With up to three possible user profiles, every child in your family can have their very own Virtual Tutor!

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Warcraft III Battle Chest Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Every company these days has their own version of a real-time strategy (RTS) game and many aren't worth the price as they are cheap rip-offs of other popular ideas.However, if you'd like to play a game created by the company most responsible for the RTS craze, then look no further than Warcraft 3.Not only do you get the most balanced RTS game available which makes for better multiplayer competition but you also get one heck of a single-player campaign. The story in Warcraft 3 is terrific and probably better than most role-playing games.To top it off, Warcraft 3 combines superior graphics with the best artwork you will ever see in a real-time strategy game. The orcs, undead legions, humans, elves and many worlds they explore are a visual as well as strategic experience.And best of all, this game that was well worth the price when it was released is now packaged with the top notch expansion, The Frozen Throne, which is an expansion that is actually better than most regular RTS games these days.If you've never tried the Blizzard series of real-time strategy games, you're missing out.This company is pure class and even provides a free online gaming service called BattleNet that allows you to match your wits against thousands of online gamers.Whether it be releasing some of the most stable games in years or banning griefers on BattleNet that formed a childish organization whose only intention was to backstab allies in multi-player competition, Blizzard is known as one of the best gaming companies in the business, and it shows with their games.

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Product Description:
The Warcraft III Battle Chest is the ultimate collection of the best-selling Blizzard strategy games. This set includes 2002 Game of the Year Warcraft III: The Reign of Chaos as well as the recently released and critically acclaimed follow-up - Warcraft III Expansion: The Frozen Throne. In addition to all these hours of epic adventure in the world of Azeroth and limitless online fun on the Battle.net gaming site the Battle Chest also contains strategy guides from Brady Games for both titles to help players dominate the battlefield. This collection is valued at over $75.00 sold separately and is perfect for entering the epic war between the races of Azeroth and the demonic Burning Legion.Features:The ultimate collection of the best-selling Blizzard strategy gamesIncludes 2002 Game of the Year Warcraft III: The Reign of ChaosIncludes Warcraft III Expansion: The Frozen ThroneContains strategy guides from Brady Games for both titles to help players dominate the battlefieldPerfect for entering the epic war between the races of Azeroth and the demonic Burning LegionSystem Requirements:Windows 98/ME/2000/XP400 MHz Pentium II or equivalent128 MB of RAM8 MB 3D video card (TNT i810 Voodoo 3 Rage 128 equivalent or better) with DirectX 8.1 support550MB of hard drive space4X CD-ROM driveFormat: WIN 98NT2000XP Genre:ENTERTAINMENT Rating:T - Teen UPC:020626720892 Manufacturer No:72089

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Lego Battles Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First, what it's not.Lego Battles is not just another Lego shoot-em-up game for the DS.Your six year old will probably hate it, if they aren't willing to learn how to play real-time strategy games.This isn't a game where you run around shooting things.This is a game where you build cities, control soldiers, builders, heroes, etc.Is it fun? absolutely.

This game feels like Warcraft 2 for the DS, which is a compliment.It's a great RTS with Castles, Barracks, Farms, soldiers, kings, workers, etc.It has some of the more "advanced" RTS controls, things like build queues, rally points, etc., which we've come to expect from games like Total Annihilation, Supreme Commander, and others.

I have really enjoyed this game because it fills a void: the missing RTS for the DS.I've looked around, but hadn't found anything good in this genre on the DS.Lego Battles allows you to strategically build cities, plan battles, etc.My only complaint is that some of the early campaigns are very easy.I wish there were a way to increase the difficulty.That said, it's an outstanding game.Highly recommended.

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Product Description:
LEGO Battles offers players on the Nintendo DS a new kind of "build and battle" LEGO gameplay. Through six distinct story lines, players build their own LEGO bases and battle teams as they engage in over 70 different levels and create the ultimate customized LEGO squad. These unique LEGO Battles teams offer players more mixing and matching of LEGO themed characters and vehicles than ever before, ensuring maximum replayability value of the game and more fun than ever.

Battle through elements of three LEGO toy themes.

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Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As in my other video game reviews, you will find absolutely no spoilers here, so read on.

Rockstar once again have outdone themselves with their long-awaited title, but it was worth the wait!So, let's cut to the chase:

Graphics:

Awesome!This time around, you will actually tell a difference between night and day.When the night falls, you will see beautiful street lights and store signs all around you, resembling a Miami night filled with lights.

Controls:

Great news!If you played Liberty City Stories, you already know the controls, as they are unchanged.So keep playing where you left off, instead off spending hours learning the controls.

Gameplay:

What can I say...this time around, Rockstar took all the best features from previous titles and combined them here and then added some more.There is so much to do, but I will not spoil it, but believe me, you will be busy for a while.Here is a brief overview of some features:

Swimming:Don't worry about falling into water and dying by accident, just swim back to the shore!
Cops using motorcycles(this wasn't implemented in original Vice City game)
New Vehicles:Rockstar listened and included the most vehicles into a title than ever before, including water and flying vehicles.
Weapons:new weapons implemented, including a silencer add-on.
Annoyances Removed: When arrested or wasted, you can now pay a bit more to get your weapons back.
Revenues from your businesses/empires are deposited into your pocket right away at the end of the day!No more waiting a day and running to " $ " icon to get your payouts.

Sounds:

This is why this game is such a great value:You get 105 different 80's songs from various radio stations, which is about 25%-50% more radio songs than previous averages.Once again, you will be treated for sexually-oriented humor on radio shows and hilarious commercials.If you are a fan of a radio as much as you are of a game itself, you will not be dissapointed!

Bottom Line:If you are a GTA fan, you will love it.If you aren't, you will learn to love it.This could arguably be Rockstar's best title of the series.

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Product Description:
Having just made it back onto the streets of Liberty City after a long stretch in maximum security, Tommy Vercetti is sent to Vice City by his old boss, Sonny Forelli. They were understandably nervous about his re-appearance in Liberty City, so a trip down south seemed like a good idea. But all does not go smoothly upon his arrival in the glamorous, hedonistic metropolis of Vice City. He's set up and is left with no money and no merchandise. Sonny wants his money back, but the biker gangs, Cuban gangsters, and corrupt politicians stand in his way. Most of Vice City seems to want Tommy dead. His only answer is to fight back and take over the city himself.

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GameCube Console Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought my Gamecube a year ago, they were all out of the black ones so I had to settle for indigo. Anyway, this new color is arguably the best and makes the GC look a little more sophisticated and cooler. But that's just on the surface and rather superficial. I'm not writing this to convince you to get a GC based on a color, but rather what the machine has going for it.
Last year, I would've rated the GC only 4 stars at best due to the lack of great games and no built-in cd/dvd player to tide me over till the great games came along. But this year, with all the games available and coming up, to use a game machine for anything other than playing great games is ludicrous. Seriously, if you bought a next-generation game machine to mainly play your music cd's or watch a movie, you basically bought the wrong machine to play games with didn't you? But I'm not here to put down the PS2 or X-Box, just to point out why you'll be too busy playing games to worry about anything else.
Here's why it's essential you pick up a Gamecube this year if you didn't last year:
* There are more games available this holiday season than last, from ports(Tony Hawk, Madden, X-Men, college sports games, etc) to exclusives, the GC will have most of your needs.
* Nintendo carries on the tradition of fun multiplayer games: Godzilla's Destroy All Monsters Melee, Super Smash Brothers Melee, Mario Party 4, Bomberman, etc, not to mention upcoming ones like Mario Kart for GC(you know you want it)
* Powerhouse exclusives like the Zelda, Metroid, Resident Evil franchises not to mention certain specific Star Wars and Sonic games.
* Bigger emphasis on more 'mature' oriented games like Eternal Darkness, Biohazard, Killer 7, etc.
* recent announcement by Capcom that they have 5 exclusive games that seem to be more mature-oriented for the GC(check their web-site out for proof)
* Online rpg's like Sega's PSO(although on-line games are still rare and new to the GC, it is possible), excellent fighters like Soul Calibur 2, racers like 1080 and F-Zero X(Sega's doing this one!), and while Rare says goodbye Namco will take over and make the next Star Fox game, a new Final Fantasy-esque game from Square for GC, plus popular ports of games once thought exclusive to other systems like Capcom vs SNK 2, Medal of Honor, Baldur's Gate, Wreckless, Splinter Cell, Dead to Rights, Blood Omen 2, Red Faction 2, etc.
* The GC has the first major wireless controller(the wavebird) available for any system and works perfectly.
* Certain GC games can be connected to or interact with certain games on your GB Advance(i don't own a GBA so i haven't even enjoyed this aspect yet)
* Also, I've noticed the fan-noise is a little quieter on the GC and the load times are a little shorter on the games(on average, generally speaking). Plus, the durability of a Nintendo built product(one year with my GC, no problems yet; and I'm sure a few of you still have working NES's and Super NES's to back up my claim of Nintendo-made durability).
* recent announcement of a Gameboy adaptor that allows you to play thousands of Gameboy/color/advance games on your GC!!
In closing, if you thought the GC was just a toy, or just for kids, think again. Some great games are here, and some even better ones are around the corner. To be honest, I'm very pleased to see Nintendo trying harder to build up their game library(already more varied than the N64's imo) and working hard with some major companies to get some quality games(Capcom's 5-game deal, Sega's ports of their major franchises, joint effort with Namco on Star Fox, ports of rpg's and fighting games--both genres of which suffered on the N64, and the return of Squaresoft incl. an exclusive rpg).But I bought the GC mainly for their world-class exclusives that only GC owners can play. If you can go one-generation in the gaming world without revisiting Link and Hyrule, holding those hours-long multiplayer sessions of Mario Kart or SSB Melee, or finally getting your hands on the new adventure in Metroid Prime...then you have much more restraint than me.But if you want pure gaming addiction, memories, and fun, do yourself a favor and pick up a great system, at a great price, for great gaming value.

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Product Description:
The GameCube is unlike any video game system you've ever seen before! It's power and gaming capabilities will shock you!40MB of onboard memory means bigger game worlds, bigger enemies, and bigger battles can be storedStore your games on memory cards and load them instantlyAnalog AV outputIncludes special controller that connects through analog, digital or compnent video portsColor -Platinum

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Fallout 3 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I play a lot of different RPG's and was not a fan of Elder Scrolls Oblivion.I will list the pros and cons as impartially as possible so you can be the judge on what matters to you.

PROS:

-You are left to explore and find things to do and quests on your own.This game is a true RPG.You have one main quest.Everything else are side quests.

- Over 100+ hours of places to explore. and more than 100+ unique map locations.

- Tons of perks and ways to develop your character.Become a science genius or concentrate on stealth and your lockpicking ability.Invest in large guns and go into places with guns ablaze.Play the game how you want.Be good and people will love you, be bad and people will fear you.

- Replay value.This is rare in RPGs but Because of the many different ways you can play the game I see myself playing this game again to play a different type of character.

- Some people complain about the targeting system known as VATS.This game is not an FPS.VATS gives you a wonderful 1st person shooter feel with an RPG style or turned based combat.Score a critical by shooting your enemies head and it might explode.Shoot the enemy on his weapon hand and he will not be able to attack you very quickly.

- The graphics are amazing.Its a beautiful post apocalyptic mess.The detail from the stains on a found mattress or a found comic called "Grognak the Barbarian and the Lair of the Virgin Killer" are all amazing.You can tell a lot of thought went into detail.

- The voice work is nice.Almost every character talks out loud.This allows you to listen and respond instead of just watching a mouth move and reading dialog all the time.

- Enemies do not automatically level with your character.This was my biggest problem with Oblivion.Some people liked the fact that enemies would always be your level.I found it totally unrealistic.Go ahead, run your level 1 character through the Wastelands.You might come across an easy roach or a mutant with a minigun.In my book this makes the game more fun and much more realistic.

-I have read on the forums and some bad reviews here that they can not find tons of ammo.This is not Halo, Call of Duty or any other FPS.People need to take the right mindset.This is a world 200 years after major Nuclear war.Things will break, ammo is sometimes scarce, radiation is a fact of life, bottle caps are money, people trade everything and you live in a harsh world.I think some people need to watch the Madmax series just as a primer to understand the world created here.

- Instant travel.Once you have visited an area you no longer need to walk to the location.You can locate the area on your map (through the PIPBoy 3000) and select it to instantly travel.

- The PipBoy 3000 Interface works great.This allows you to keep track of stats, items, equipment, quests, notes, maps, and karma very easily.The UI is easy and it keeps all the data you need at your finger tips.

CONS:

- AI is nothing special.It's not bad, just nothing special.When I am shooting a shotgun at you, running at me with a pool cue might not be the smartest thing to do.They will sometimes run away if severely over matched (which is the smart thing to do).The AI is no worse then any other games, just no big improvements here.

- Lack of good music.You can find radio stations on your PIPBoy but I was not a fan of the music.The background can be ok but not great.Sometimes when alone in the Wasteland you want some good background music.

- I had the game crash once but not a lot of times like some people are reporting.Still unacceptable but manageable.Loading and saving times can take anywhere between 10-30 seconds which is kind of slow.

- No item descriptions.The important data like weight, condition value, and perks of the item are still displayed but full description of the items are no longer available.This is different then Fallout 1 and 2 where each item had a paragraph describing it.

Additional thoughts:

This game is rated "M".This means you shouldn't play this game with kids in the room.This isn't a Con for me but this might be a problem for all you gamer mom and dads out there.Seriously, no kids allowed.Women offer there "Services", cussing, blood splatter on the screen when you get injured, mutants hanging people on meat hooks, tons of drug use, and of course blowing peoples limbs off.Good times but not for the kiddies.

No, its not perfect but it is a lot of fun and the best RPG currently on the market.My 5 star review was based on that fact.This is the best RPG I have played since FFX (Final Fantasy X).I hope you enjoy it.

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Product Description:
Fallout 3 X360

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Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For those of you who had the old gun where the trigger was in the front, this gun is 100% better.The trigger is now in the back, and the front has a pump reload.Also, all of the controls are customizable (unlike last time).the gun is adjustable so even large people are able to keep the stock of the gun in their shoulder while looking through the scope, giving a very real feeling to the game.

The red scope is cool, and i was very excited before i tried it.It is actually sorta hard to see anything through it.To use it, you hit a button (A is the default) and it makes the screen only viewable through the red lens.However, it is very hard to see anything, making the game a little frustrating.

Also, the game in general is very hard.I kept dieing over and over and have put hours into the game and have still not beat level 1 of 12.The game-play is also just about surviving rather than hitting animals for the gold medal like the last time.You will constantly be jumped by mountain lions and wolves.The bear takes like 30 shots before it goes down.Very unrealistic in that regard.

The arcade mode is amazing though!It is very fun, and lasts only about 3 minutes.Great for when company is over and you can pass it back and forth trying to beat each others score.That part of it alone, makes the whole game worthwhile.However there is like 30 arcade modes, and you have to beat the 12 levels to unlock them all.This is proving to be very hard to do.

Still worth buying, and i do recommend the gun (the lens is not used in arcade mode).The quick pump reload is very fun and makes it much more like and actual arcade game then the older versions.I gave it 4 stars because the campaigns are a little frustrating, but if i could break it out: the arcade 5 stars, the gun 4, and the campaign 3.Buy it!

If you have an xbox or ps3, i would get that version.The gfx are much better, and the gun works the same as for wii.

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Product Description:
Suspense and intense first-person action reign in Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011, the first game to utilize the all new Top Shot Elite hunting controller. The game unfolds as a story of drama and survival as players face kill-or-be-killed scenarios deep in the wild. With the Top Shot Elite, the first-of-its-kind wireless controller that allows players to take direct aim against the world's deadliest predators, hunt and be hunted as Cole Rainsford, who has joined his estranged father on an African safari to hunt savage animals that have been terrorizing remote villages. Soon stranded, their survival depends on cunning instinct and expert skill to make it out alive.

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Mystery PI Hidden Object Collection Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I really like this game. After playing for a long time you need to give yourself a break. We play it together. Love it!

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Product Description:
Includes three complete games: The Lottery Ticket, The Vegas Heist, The New York Fortune

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Peanuts: It's The Big Game Charlie Brown Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is the second "Peanuts" video game I've found.The first, "Where's the Blanket, Charlie Brown?", I purchased off the discount rack a couple of years ago, when my older nephew was still 5, and his 2 year-old brother hadn't yet become much of a gamer.Now they're 7 1/2 and 4 1/2, respectively, and both enjoy the new game enough to fight over who gets to play it.

Based on the mostly negative reviews to "Blanket", it seems as if the designers have consciously made "Big Game" a little easier to play.We were able to get deep into the game without resorting to the help file -- without which I could never have helped the boys finish the original.There's also an expanded cast of "Peanuts" characters, including the long-forgotten Shermy and Violet.My younger nephew, who knows the main cast by sight, was rather disturbed by Violet's appearance in the game, and didn't want to interact with her when she appeared.Also a little odd are the European accents provided for Linus and Schroeder.

Game play is a little simpler than "Blanket".Snoopy doesn't need to be fed periodically.You don't have to pick up and carry items, wondering what to do with them later(such as putting a magician's hat on Snoopy's head to activate a crystal ball -- who thought that was a good idea?).The mini-games within the adventure, as in "Blanket", vary from memory challenges (playing tunes on Schroeder's piano) to hand-eye coordination (baseball-related; hope your 6 year-old knows how to throw a hard slider).These mini-games also have three levels of difficulty, up a step from "Blanket"'s two levels.

The animation is very good and Schulz-ian, and game play remains layered with solid sight gags to supplement the action.There's better use of the extended "Peanuts" cast.This release, if it finds an audience, is a solid step up from "Where's the Blanket?" and managed to entertain both a pre-schooler and a 2nd grader.Recommended.

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Product Description:
Good Grief! It's The Big Game Charlie Brown! Charlie Brown hasn't got anyone on his team and it-s up to you to help him! Join America's favorite blockhead on an unforgettable sports adventure. Enjoy hours of classic Peanuts fun as you explore the neighborhood, meet the Peanuts gang, and discover the puzzles and challenges that lead to the Big Game.

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Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I honestly have nothing bad to say about the full series of MCF games (Prime Suspects, Huntsville, etc.) but Ravenhearst is by far the best one.Beautiful graphics, fun in between games and a spooky storyline really sets this apart from the other seek and find games on the market.

If you aren't familiar with seek and find games, in a nutshell there is a picture (often a scene of a room) and you are given a list of specific items to find within that picture.Although that might sound easy, the illustrators can be very tricky in their placement of the item, so that it almost blends into the picture.It is very addictive and very fun, if you find the right game, and trust me, this is the right game.

So even if it's not Halloween and you are just in the mood for something a little spooky, try it out.You'll be amazed when you look up at the clock and realize how long you have been playing for, and how you still don't want to stop.

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Product Description:
You be the detective!Product InformationThe walls of Ravenhearst Manor have been hiding a tragic love story for over acentury. Only the pages of Emma Ravenhearst's diary tell the truestory. Hidden for years the diary was recently found -- only to revealthat the pages are missing! Thousands of items are cleverly hidden in themanor's 32 rooms. To find what you are looking for you will need anunrivaled eye for detail!What lies hidden in the mysterious walls of Ravenhearst manor?Product FeaturesThousands of cleverly hidden items to find.Dozens of challenging picture riddles to solve.Finished? Random item lists ensure a unique experience each time you play.Door surprises! Solve the riddles hidden in the pictures to unlockthe manor's secrets.Windows RequirementsWindows 2000 XP VistaPentium III 500 MHz processor128 MB of RAM100 MB free Hard Drive space4X CD-ROM drive

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Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Nancy Drew 19: The Haunting Of Castle Malloy

-Before I Begin...
My review will be spilt up into sections and have a in-depth look at that topic. If you hate reading medium/long reviews or just don't have the patience I would not continue reading, but if you want to learn the most about the product before you buy it you'll continue.

-Interface
The interface is the same as always, point in the direction you want to go in a and click. However, moving around the castle grounds is through a third person view which offsets the whole "I'm Nancy Drew!" feel. But don't worry it's only when your outside in the dark so you never see Nancy, just a figure pretty much. What stupifies me is that Nancy talks on her cellphone in the opening scene but she loses it somehow and we have to use a payphone, so there is no cell phone icon in the interface. This interface is great, the only thing that bugged me was the third person affect when outside the Castle of Malloy.
**** -Plot
In this adventure, Nancy is off to Ireland as the maid of honor to Kyler Malloy, who is getting married to Matt Simmons in a couple days. But when Nancy arrives, Kyler says that Matt has vanished! It is up to Nancy Drew to find Matt and save the wedding. The plot is good but they could have emphasized different parts more. Like the fact that Kyler and Kit Foley (Matt's best friend) were a couple before. Sadly, there is very little drama about this love triangle (maybe because all the Nancy Drew games are quite modest). Very little of the castle history is revealed as well. The fact that half the castle is blown to pieces is interesting but not much more information is given on why it is blown up. I think the basics of the plot are there, but more development could have gone into it.
***

-Characters
There are four characters, each with different personalities, in this game. However, since one is missing, there are really only three characters. The character development and interaction was dissapointing. The backgrounds of each character are very briefly revealed and only one character stood out. Your bride to be is Kyler Malloy, who recently found out her family heritage. She is sweet and kind but not much else to her, she believes that Matt's dissapearence is a prank. Then there is Kit Foley, who is Matt's best friend. Kit is in the real estate business, and unfortunately even more boring than Kyler. He doesn't have much personality and simply believes that Matt has walked out on Kyler. Finally there is Donal, an old Irishman who is stubborn and quite a hoot to listen to. He is the caretaker and believes that "faeries" have taken Matt because he is not Irish. I would talk about Matt, but you don't see him until the end of the game, which is rather dissapointing. It would have been nice to at least meet Matt in the begining before mysteriously vanishing. Overall, the characters seemed to be irrelevant to the game at all because you hardly talked to them. The game could have been outstanding if they just developed the characters more.
***

-Setting & Graphics
First off, the graphis were amazing. However, everything else was completely wrong. I found it completely crazy that the game took place in ONE NIGHT! I thought Nancy was supposed to be there for a week or so, but no. This time constraint really affected the game. It was so dark and gloomy the whole game that you could not see Ireland's beautiful landscape when outside. There was a lot of places to go, but it was completely barren! The castle had only three rooms for you to explore: the Great room, the Library, and the Nursery. And each of those rooms had very little to read, touch or look at. It would have been nice if Nancy had her own room (It is a castle for heaven's sake! It should be pretty big inside, am I right?), but apparently everyone sleeps in cots in the Great room. Did I mention the Great room has a huge hole in it from the explosion years ago? The outside grounds and the Screaming Banshee Inn are also pretty barren as well. There is virtually nothing to snoop in, no historical documents about the castle, no artwork to admire, nothing. Extremely dissapointing, I would give this section two stars but the graphics are so amazing that it gets that extra star.
***

-Puzzles/Activities
The puzzles were outstanding! Most of the puzzles were original, challenging and thought provoking. This is the highlight of the game. If you liked Crystal Skull's puzzles you'll like these ones a lot. I really enjoyed the fact that there was always something for you to do. If you ever needed a break form the puzzles, you can go to the Inn and play minigames. None of the puzzles were randomly thrown in, they all made sense. There are chores, but you don't have to repeat them everyday (Mainly because the game is all in one night). And the chores are easy, fun, and make sense in the game. Overall, the puzzles made this game, without them, I would not reccomend this game.
*****

-Scare Factor
This is a new section that covers the scariness of the game. The mood was dark and gloomy, and you would always here an erie wailing (from an alleged Banshee). The Nursery in the castle was downright creepy to be in. There were one or two startling moments, especially as the game climaxed. I think the scariness was on a good level, not to scary but not too mild.
****

-Ending
Unfortunatley, the ending was abrupt like some previous games, but what was refreshing was that there was no timed puzzles or racing through mazes. You could take your time at the end, find/question Matt and finish the game peacefully. In fact, the ending puzzles were some of the easiest in the whole game, which was a let down after all you have been doing throughout the game to win. But you might be dissapointed with how Matt vanished, I was pretty dissapointed. Since the plot wasn't brilliantly detailed or anything, the resolution could be explained without leaving any facts or problems hanging in the air.
***

-Overall
I'm not going to lie I did enjoy the game, and I will be seeing myself playing it again and again. But it doesn't give you that "wow" factor that Phantom Of Venice gave me. It seemed like it wasn't all the way developed. Potentially, it could have been the best game in the series if they just developed the plot, characters, and setting more. Hardcore Nancy Drew fans may find that something is missing, but there is plenty good in this game to buy it. I would recommend this for its puzzles and its scare factor (Perfect for Halloween night). Nancy's next adventure is Ransom Of The Seven Ships, which includes Bess & George! Sounds promising!

Add all these up and divide by 7...
4 *'s (Interface)
3 *'s (Plot)
3 *'s (Characters)
3 *'s (Setting & Graphics)
5 *'s (Puzzles/Activites)
4 *'s (Scare Factor)
3 *'s (Ending)
= 25 Stars Divide By 7 (Categories) = 3.5 = Rounded to 3 Stars

-Other Recommended Nancy Drew Games
The Phantom Of Venice
Danger On Deception Island
Last Train To Blue Moon Canyon
Legend Of The Crystal Skull

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Product Description:
Touted as the most romantic event to grace the ruined halls of Ireland's Castle Malloy, the Simmons-Mallory wedding was supposed to be a fairytale beginning, but now the groom is missing! Did a banshee crash the wedding or is this a case of cold feet? Can you, as Nancy Drew, unravel the knot of scattered clues and scary superstitions? You'll to catch more than a bridal bouquet to make this is a happily ever after!
Meet The Suspects
Kyler Mallory
A stock broker in London who lived with Nancy's family as an exchange student four years ago. She is now engaged to Matt Simmons and is excited to hold her wedding at Castle Malloy. Her grandfather, Edmund Mallory, recently passed away and named her as the sole beneficiary. He never spoke about his childhood and Kyle is just now learning about her true family history
Matt Simmons
A travel and sailing free-lance writer for magazines. Known for his dry wit, Matt loves to play pranks on others. Friendly and likeable, he had planned on getting married in the Bahamas, but agreed to change his plans to make his fiancee, Kyler Mallory, happy.
Kit Foley
Matt's best friend and accomplice on sailing trips. Kit was born in the US and is the son of a Krolmeister Inc. VP. The company transferred the family to London when Kit was young, but he never picked up the British accent. He currently works as a land developer, and he arrived early to help Matter and Kyler prepare for their wedding
Donal Delany
As Castle Malloy's ever-present caretaker, he's been watching the grounds for too many years to count. This Irish born gentleman isn't particularly fond of foreigners and he's the first to admit it. He is however the resident expert on Irish mythology and lore, which might explain his overly superstitious nature.

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