Baseball Mogul 2004 Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been playing Baseball Mogul since it first came out a few years ago.I typically play a 100-season marathon (which takes several weeks), and I've done this for each issue of the game, so the following thoughts are based on several hundred seasons of play.
This is a very original and addictive game.You are the general manager of a major-league baseball team, and you control the team's future, handling minor-league development, free-agent signings, trades, and so on--even the lineup and pitching rotation.(The only things you don't control are the managerial decisions on the field.)The prospect of controlling your team for several decades is genuinely exciting, and this game provides that fantasy opportunity like no other.
However, there are some persistent problems with this game, all of which are known to the programmers, and so much time has gone by since the original release that by now they should have fixed the flaws.For me, that reduces what would have been a five-star game in 1998 to a four-star game in 2004.
Within the space allowed for this review, I can't get into everything, so I'll just give an overview:
1.The computer often makes mistakes when awarding wins and losses to pitchers, as you can readily determine by reading the box scores.There's really no excuse for that.For that matter, box scores are annoying, because the statistics are not presented in the standard form that any baseball fan knows (AB-R-H-RBI).
2.Players' careers are too consistent in one sense, and not consistent enough in another sense.On the one hand, a player's career is quite predictable: it's very unlikely that a first-rate player is going to drop off the radar screen all of a sudden--something that really does happen to baseball players (just think of Chuck Knoblauch).So it's too easy to determine which young pitchers are likely to end up in the Hall of Fame.However, you can't predict at all HOW they are going to get there, because their year-to-year performance appears to be almost completely random.You'll find one guy hit .330 in one year, then .258 in the next, and so on.That happens too often in this game.Also, pitchers in this game are substantially more consistent than hitters, but in reality the opposite is true.
3.Batting averages are too low and ERA's are too high.In a given season, this is only a slight problem, but it becomes clearer when you look at career perfomance: you will almost never find a player retire with a .300 batting average or ERA under 3.30.Even with today's scoring inflation, there are still pitchers like Pedro Martinez who can be counted on to have ERA's well below 3.30 year in and year out.And you'll NEVER find a player Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs, with moderate power but a batting average over .300 year after year.They just don't appear.That's not realistic.
4.There are too many power pitchers who retire with 4000+ strikeouts (and an incommensurate 3.90 ERA).And another oddity: stolen bases are too rare, and the success rate is much too low.I've seen players with 25 SB and 40 CS in one season!You'd think the manager would have told that fellow to stop running in May.
5.The awards voting is not realistic either.Too many shortstops win the MVP and Rookie-of-the-Year awards (and too often you'll find a rookie with a .195 batting average winning the award).Closers NEVER make the Hall of Fame, which is absurd: I've had closers with over 500 saves who didn't get in.
6.Some of the realities of dealing with players need to be worked into the game.The no-trade clause, for example--in this game, you can just ship out an old star anytime you'd like.You can't do that in real life.Signing free agents is too simple, and there is nothing like arbitration.
7.This new version allows you to build your own stadium (a nice improvement) but the mechanism is unrealistic and absurd: you have to pay for your stadium in one lump-sum payment, so you have to save up for many seasons before you can afford it, and for some reason if your ready cash exceeds a certain threshold (around $300 million, I've noticed), your revenue inexplicably starts to suffer.There has to be a way to pay for your stadium by taking a mortgage.
8.This version also allows you to start playing at any year from 1900--but if you start at 1900, there is a bug in the program that will cause pitchers to have ERA's around 10.00 (and Elmer Flick will win the Gold Glove at every position).The makers know about this.Why haven't they fixed it?

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Product Description:
Baseball Mogul 2004 puts you in charge of the roster of your favorite team, and challenges you to turn them into world-renowned baseball champions!Start your own baseball dynasty in three different eras -2003, 1953, or 1903 Full-screen multi-window interface for easier gameplay and team management

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PlayStation 3 Review

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(More customer reviews)Necessary disclosure: I do not own this model but do I own the 60GB model, recently upgraded to 320GB. I am also very familiar with the latest 80GB model (which is basically this one with a larger disk) because one of my neighbors has one and I am the neighborhood's unofficial and unpaid 'computer' consultant :). I did some research in anticipation of us purchasing a second unit because I promised the kids "their own" if their grades were going to meet a certain standard.

As compared to the 60GB model (see this model's pluses and minuses and what all PS3s have in common):
______________________________________________
+ Less expensive (I paid $599 for my 60GB PS3)
+ 266% more storage
+ Improved power efficiency
+ Dual shock controller (rumble)
+ Bundled Drake's Fortune and Pain voucher for a PSN download
+ Amazon Blu-ray movies promotion (buy 4 movies from list and get $100 off through end of 2008)

= Wireless Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet network connections
= Bluetooth for controllers, keyboards, earpieces, etc.
= Controllers charged via USB wires
= Free, unlimited access to the PSN network, including online play
= Full PSOne compatibility
= Blu-ray player
= DVD player
= CD player
= HDMI, component video (component wire included but no HDMI cable)
= Surround sound
= Internet browser
= Allows for installation of third-party operating systems such as Linux
= Disk is easily upgradeable without voiding warranty
= Quiet operation

- No memory card interfaces
- 2 USB ports vs. 4 USB ports on the 60GB
- No PS2 compatibility
______________________________________________ STORAGE and STORAGE UPGRADE:
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This model comes with an 160GB drive. This is nice because, based on my own experience, 160GB should be sufficient for a few years of use for as long as you don't plan to purchase lots of movies from the PSN store or download to many full games - if you are thiking about storing movies on your PS3 disk, consider upgrading to larger storage. However, unless you believe that Uncharted + Pain are worth the extra $100, you may be slightly better off buying the 80GB model for $100 less and then upgrading.

To give you an idea of the amount of storage you may need on your PS3, I recently checked the status of my 320GB disk and I found that I had 198GB free. That means that, one year after purchasing my (then) 60GB box I was using 122GB already. The space is taken by family pictures, a little music, lots of demos, many 'disk' games that dump gigabytes of data to the disk to improve performance, many videos the kids are making with the 'Eye' camera, game saves. I suspect that 'Home', when it becomes available, may require a few more GB's for its own use so 320GB may be what you need if you don't want to constantly worry about deleting old stuff before you run out of space.

If you are on the upgrade path, $80 would buy you a 320GB drive. I used the Western Digital WD3200BEVT 320 GB Scorpio Sata 5400 Rpm 8MB 2.5 inch myself but that was back in June/July and I paid about $150 then; you could get much larger drives for less now. 500GB drives are available for less than $100 and you should try to get one of those if you are planning to store lots of videos. One that I tested would be the Western Digital 500GB Scorpio Blue SATAII 5400RPM 2.5IN 8MB Bulk/OEM Hard Drive WD5000BEVT which replaced my laptop's 60GB little drive and I helped a friend upgrade his own PS3 with. The nice thing about upgrading your disk is that you are also going to be left with a perfectly good 80GB or $160GB drive which you can place into a cheap enclosure, and the StarTech AT2510U2 InfoSafe 2.5-Inch USB/SATA Hard Drive Enclosure worked for me. I am using the free leftover drive as a backup device for family photos.

Upgrading the disk is (relatively) easy and you can find a lot of advice on the Net. Search for "PlayStation 3 Hard Drive Upgrade (HOWTO)" for videos that should help you decide if you are comfortable with upgrading. If upgrading is the first thing you do (before installing games or uploading personal files), everything becomes very easy because you need not worry about backups or restores. I upgraded my box in a couple of hours WITH the backup/restore steps.MEMORY CARD INTERFACES:
-----------------------
The lack of memory card interfaces is annoying but you can get around it. Copy your stuff to a USB drive or flash drive and... problem solved. You can then upload your things through the USB. It's somewhat inconvenient but it's no big deal. USB PORTS:
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My old 60GB model has 4 USB ports and I am using all of them. One for the PS3 Eye (camera), a second has a wireless keyboard dongle, the third is where the racing wheel plugs in and the last one I use to charge controllers. Of course, you can and you WILL be able to live with 2 slots but it is likely that you will be doing some plugging/unplugging if you begin adding peripherals. One way around it is to get a USB port multiplexer. Another solution is seek Bluetooth peripherals (wireless) if you can find them. Bluetooth keyboards, for example, are available.PS2 COMPATIBILITY:
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This model does not support PS2 software. Since the original PS2-compatible PS3's are hard to get, this has to be accepted as reality. I assume that Sony, after polling existing and future PS3 users, found that most users don't need PS2 compatibility. Soon after we upgraded to a PS3 my kids were playing Kingdom Hearts and Destroy All Humans but I haven't seen them doing so in quite a while. It is nice to have PS2 compatibility but its lacking would not stop me from buying a PS3.

PSOne GAMES:
------------
The PS3 has full PSOne compatilibity. Lots of them are available for download at the PSN store. They are quite inexpensive and some of them are still fun to play.SUMMARY:
--------
- If you like Drake's and you do not consider upgrading, buy THIS model. In fact, you should buy this model regardless of Drake's because you are likely to be unhappy with an unupgraded 80GB model - like I mentioned above, I am already using over 120GB and this is BEFORE Home.
- If you are planning to upgrade, you're better off with an 80GB model selling for $100 less because you can use the $100 you save to buy yourself Drake's for about $40 and use the balance to help pay for your disk upgrade.
- Get yourself a USB port multiplexer if you need more than 2 ports
- Transfer your photos to flash drives to get around the missing memory card interfaces
- Or or, even better, get the Playstation 3 Media Hub+ for 2 extra USB ports AND a card reader
- Keep your PS2 if you have one and still wish to play PS2 games in the future.
- Enjoy your new PS3.

_____________________
Note: I am not taking off one star for the lack of PS2 compatibility. I understand that Sony must compete on price and make a profit and times are tough. However, I simply can't see why Sony cut the number of USB ports from 4 down to 2 and this explains why this unit gets 4 stars instead of 5. This is a relatively significant inconvenience and I can't see how it would cost Sony more than a dollar or 2 if it provided 4 ports instead of 2.

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Product Description:
As DVD playback made the PlayStation 2 more than just a game machine, hefty multi-media features make the Sony PlayStation 3 an even more versatile home entertainment machine. Features such as video chat, Internet access, digital photo viewing, and digital audio and video will likely make it the central component of your media set-up. Still, it is first and foremost a game console--and a powerful one at that.
Under the Hood
The PS3 features IBM's "Cell" processor and a co-developed Nvidia graphics processor that makes the system able to perform two trillion calculations per second. That's approximately 320 times more calculations per second than the PS2. Along with the traditional AV and composite connections, it also boasts an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) port, which delivers uncompressed, unconverted digital picture and sound to compatible high-definition TV and projectors. The system is capable of 128-bit pixel precision and 1080p resolution for a full HD experience.
PlayStation 3 is a powerful gaming and home entertainment machine. Blu-Ray is the New Way
Sony's PlayStation 3 games are encoded onto the Blu-Ray disc media format, which can hold six times as much data as traditional DVDs. This increase in capacity, combined with the awesome power of its processor and graphics card, promises mind-blowing games once developers have learned how to fully harness the new console's power. The PS3 will also support CD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R formats.


Use a variety of hand-to-hand combat moves to neutralize enemies. View larger.

Explore an exotic locale to find the hidden treasure. View larger. In addition, PlayStation 3 system software update version 2.20 and up includes BD Live support. With this you can now play discs that support Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 (BD-LIVE) and you can also connect to the Internet while playing discs that support this format so that you can obtain additional features. Features that are available vary depending on the software in use.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is included with this Sony PlayStation 3 bundle pack. The game begins with a 400-year-old clue found in the coffin of famed explorer, Sir Francis Drake. The clue sends modern-day fortune hunter, Nathan Drake, on a quest to find the fabled treasure of El Dorado, leading to the discovery of a long forgotten island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The expedition turns deadly when Drake's party becomes stranded on an island and hunted by modern day pirates. Outnumbered and outgunned, Nathan must fight to survive and unravel the terrible secrets of the mysterious island.
Adventure, Mystery, and Exploration Abound
Using maps and ancient artifacts you'll uncover clues and unravel mysteries that will reveal a forgotten island a lost treasure. This uncharted world is alive with intrigue and mystery, and you'll revel in the amazing graphics as you explore exotic locations and traverse through living jungles and 400-year-old ruins. Drake's not all on his own -- his companions and allies play an important role in the adventure through cooperative gameplay mechanics, gun play, and exploration.
Action-Packed gameplay
Your abilities will be tested, challenge after challenge, as you struggle to stay alive by any means necessary. Thrilling high-speed chases over land and water and terrifying gunfire will keep you on the edge of your seat. And if that's not enough, you'll need to employ an array of hand-to-hand combat moves to keep your enemies off balance with haymaker punches and running drop-kicks.
Charming, exciting, and adventure-packed, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is an excellent addition to this Sony PlayStation 3 game console bundle.
What's in the Box

Game system with 160 GB HD, Internet-ready built-in Wi-Fi, and 2 USB ports
Dualshock 3 wireless controller
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune game
Voucher for downloadable PAIN game
Free PlayStation Network membership

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Fire Emblem Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a big fan of Nintendo's Intelligent Systems; who wouldn't be after Paper Mario, Mario Kart Super Circuit, Advance Wars 1 & 2, and Metroid Fusion? Their latest game is Fire Emblem, a long running series in Japan making its first English debut.
Comparisons to Advance Wars are inevitable - turn-based strategy game, grid map, and little groups of units battling it out. At the first play, it may feel too similar to some gamers, but differences emerge making Fire Emblem a completely separate interpretation of how to make a tactical strategy game. The RPG elements included in Fire Emblem provide depth and character without sacrificing simplicity. Characters only use one type of weapon and no armor. When characters reach a certain skill level, they can advance to a new class (i.e. knights to paladins) which allows the character to use another type of weapons, further extending their usefulness. The weapon types follow a rock-paper-scissors approach, or in this case, swords-lances-axes. There's three types of magic that interlock in a similar manner. While the outlying mechanics are simple, when facing down various enemies in the battlefield, maneuvering your squad to get the right match-ups is a challenging and ultimately pleasing puzzle.
One of the notable features of Fire Emblem is frail mortality of the characters. When characters die in a level, they cannot be brought back to life and do not return for subsequent battles. Exit stage left, thank you for playing. Fire Emblem tries hard to keep the player as honest as possible by transparently saving after every menu selection. If you try to cheese the game by turning off the GBA right as a character dies, when you turn your system back on, you'll be treated to the same death scene each time you load your game. The only way to save your characters from death replaying the entire level- levels can span 30-45 minutes, and restarting can be a serious sacrifice to save a less favored character.
To further burden the decision of whether to let a character die, characters that end up along side each other develop support relationships that provide bonuses when they fight together. It takes a long time to develop these relationships and the bonus are worth the effort. A death of one of a partner in one of these relationships seriously effects the other's effectiveness, therefore it becomes even more difficult to allow one player die.
While the rigid approach the game takes to standard save/reload cheese may come off as annoying, it does much to make the game world more vivid to the player. Characters are almost as close to living things as could exist in a videogame format. You become attached to them because they can be so fragile and you think seriously about the consequences of leaving a weakened party member exposed to enemy forces. (In a brilliant turn, the game allows some characters to rescue other characters and pull them from dangerous situations.)
That said, the scenarios are entertaining, well scripted, and have a wide enough amount of variety to keep the player on their toes. Some levels feature fog of war, indoor battles with doors and breakable walls, anti-magic wells, or special requirements like defending a certain character. My favorite levels are ones where your group of a dozen soldiers has to split up and accomplish different tasks, almost in a Mission Impossible-style. Deciding who to bring on the mission, how to divide them up, equipping them correctly, and synchronizing the battle so that everything falls into place is supremely satisfying.
There's nothing that an experienced gamer hasn't seen before in Fire Emblem, but I've never seen those components stripped to their essence and combined in such a elegant matter. Fire Emblem is the only console strategy game that can be compared favorably to Advance Wars, and that's all the praise I need to give.

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Product Description:
Fire Emblem challenges you to fight for your birthright -- the throne of a nation!

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Super-Sized Fun Pack Review

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(More customer reviews)If you are just a run-of-the-mill computer 'gamer' who enjoys a good match of solitaire or playing fun sim games like Sim City or Zoo Tycoon, then this 4-pack of games is a good choice, especially for families. While the graphics and altogether dynamic gameplay are not incredibly astounding, they are eye-catching and this is a great pack if you play games with friends, or if you enjoy to play against the computer.
Clue, Life, and Monopoly, are all board games-come-computer games that are colorfully done in cartoony 3d graphics.The gameplay is much like that of the boardgames with some cute interactive features and of course, a simulated 3d environment.Clue is a detective game where you have to figure out whodunit, in what room, with what weapon.I believe you can also play this on the internet with other friends through mediums like MSN messenger (copyright and all that jazz).Its got a darker feeling compared to the other games, and is well done but a bit confusing for younger players.Life is simple, you go through the "stages of life" after college, where the luck of the spinning wheel can make you a millionaire winner or a ho-hum average worker come retirement.Monopoly is much like the classic property buying game iwth a number of different gameplay options and cool graphics.
Finally there is the game that alone makes this pack worth it.Rollercoaster Tycoon, the best simulated theme park creator in the world, is based on a simple concept that you won't be able to stop playing.Be warned now its addicting.Basically htere are scenarios that you have to beat (as well as expansion packs you can pick up), such as "Have this many guests in your park" or "Generate this much through ticket sales".Its a really great game and both challenging with out being annoyingly hard.
All in all I would recommend this pack to families or people that like playing a game occasionally with out wanting to spend lots of money.

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Product Description:
Super-Sized Fun 4 Pack (PC CD-ROM), Product #25178J

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MULTI-OUT AUDIO VISUAL A/V CORD CABLE TV CONNECTION Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been looking for a SNES for Years. I finally found one and needed the cords. This cord is awesome and should fit any newer tv. AWESOME!!!

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Product Description:
USE THIS CABLE TO CONNECT YOUR SUPER NINTENDO SNES/NINTENDO 64 N64/GAMECUBE GC TO YOUR TV AT THE RED/YELLOW/WHITE AUDIO/VISUAL PORT! THE MYSTERIOUS MULTI-OUT CORD THAT YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!

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Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love Review

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(More customer reviews)Its more about your relationships with the other characters, but this is a great Japanese strategy/dating sim. Im glad they decided to port this to the Wii. The art is wonderful, the characters likable, and the game in entertaining for the most part. Note that action isnt the focus of this game so much as character interaction.

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Product Description:
Sakura Wars: So Long My Love is a single player strategy role-playing game (SRPG) and the first game in the popular Japanese Sakura Wars franchise to be released in North America. The game features both an exciting and fast-paced mech/air battle system and a unique, sim-based storyline. This in-depth storyline allows for character interaction that plays a major role in the progression of game action as interactions with various characters in the game can ultimately change the story content and even the final outcome.

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Sidewinder X6 Keyboard USB Port Review

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(More customer reviews)I got this keyboard to replace my G15. I have had both G15s so this is my third gaming keyboard.In general the keyboard is very nice, but I suggest consider what game you want it for.I purchased the keyboard for Warhammer Online, to help me with the extreme number of keys that need to bound for your abilities.

The first thing to be aware of, is the macros are driven by software driver.There is also a deficiency in the drivers that do not allow the macros to execute in games that require administrator mode in Vista.I know, I know this probably isn't a deficiency in the driver but in the game software.All I care is it doesn't work in Warhammer unless I disable User Access Control (UAC).Also this is a result of the decision to support macros via driver.

Also the num-pad switching position is nice, but I haven't found a use for it.If your hands must always be on the a,w,s,d for moving, then the number pad is too far out of reach to reach easily.I have yet to come up with a creative, and trainable solution but am going to keep trying.There has to be gold in there somewhere.(The num pad can be made to be all macro so I will probably start down that route.)

OK Those are my negatives,the positives:

The keys press firmly and nicely.The volume knob is very nice. And the dual lighting on the keyboard is very nice.I have a hard time finding these keys but I figure that is just a training issue, but the alignment feels different (I hit ~ a lot when going for the 1 key).

It goes very nice with my MS Gaming Mouse, although I have not found any particular synergies.The Macro keys on the left are nice but I still find them hard to get to with a pinky if I'm required to work my movement keys.

So all in all, a very good keyboard with a few issues with my play style and/or hand size (I have long fingers).I would give it 5/5 if weren't for the driver issue that interferes with my play patterns.

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Product Description:
Ready for the next dimension in gaming performance, custom tuning, and action? Then grab on to the Microsoft SideWinder X6 Keyboard-the powerful companion to the Microsoft line of award-winning SideWinder gaming mice. This breakthrough keyboard incorporates a host of powerful features, including a detachable key pad, in-game macro recording, a full media key set, automatic and manual mode/profile switching, two-color dimmable backlighting, and much more. Plus, at the touch of a button, it doubles as your high-performance keyboard for everyday computing.

Get 25% OFF

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Street Fighter Anniversary Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)OK, quick summation of what this is: It has two games. One is Hyper SF2, which contains all five incarnations of SF2 rolled into one. The other is SF3: 3rd Strike, which is a separate and unique game that was overlooked by most gamers because of the advent of 3D fighters like Tekken. It also has the Street Fighter animated movie, for what that's worth (not much in my view but you might disagree).

Hyper SF2 is just as excellent and playable as you remember it with only two problems. One, as other reviewers have mentioned, is that the AI opponent is very cheap/hard (and it only uses Super SF2 characters). The other is that most Xbox/PS2 controllers do not handle the special moves well. You're not limited by character version; that is, you can pit Original SF2 Dhalsim against Super SF2 Guile. That's 50+ character variations, and while there's not much difference between them, there are a few minor instances of imbalance.

I really like SF3 because it's unique. The parry system is gutsy and helps remove most imbalances (only Yun and Yang are too fast). The characters are well designed, and the animation is the most fluid out of any 2D fighter ever. Sure, the last boss is too hard, but the single-player is not the selling point of a fighting game.

In both games, I found online play pretty laggy, and had to wait a while to find someone to play, which was disappointing. I think that it's way more fun to bring people together physically to play these games, like they used to gather around the arcade machine.

My only other complaint is that they could have included Street Fighter Alpha here, too, but didn't. The PS2 now has the Alpha Anthology, but for those looking for SF Alpha for Xbox or GameCube, your best bet is Capcom v. SNK 2 (but NOT the crappy Capcom Fighting Evolution).

If you like fighting games, get this one. I recommend also getting the SF Anniversary controller (they're $15 and work great with all fighting games) to maximize the control tightness. Then get your friends over and party like it's 1990.

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Product Description:
A combination of two Classic Fighting Games!Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike and Hyper Street Fighter: 2!

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Wild Arms Alter Code F Review

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(More customer reviews)Well after nearly ten months of Agetec's delaying since February, we finally have this awesome remake of the original Wild Arms that started, and for some rekindled, our love of the wild west. I guess I have to say this was worth the wait. This game is beyond words. Everything you remember from Rudy, Jack and Cece's adventure in 1997 is back with incredible sound, graphics, music and battle system. Even better are Rudy and Co.'s abilities, which have been finely tuned for more features.

Storywise, this remake covers the original WA in its entirety without skipping any finer points. Also, tons of sidequests have been added (including the return of the Millenium Puzzles we all loved so much from WA3) along with the original's sidequests. Rudy and his friends have been given a serious anime makeover and let me tell you, the visuals are stunning. All of WA's music has been seriously revamped for this game and once again, Michiko Naruke does not disappoint. I'd swear that girl must have lived in the times of cowboys and six-shooters to make this kind of music.

The new features are quite a plus. Rudy and his friends no longer have equipment but rather only skills. If you remember WA3 and its Skill System, this will be instantly familiar to you. Of course, there are differences, such as acquiring several levels of the same skill to completely master them (for example you need to have all versions of Silver Harp to block Sleep 100%, meaning you need to collect Silver Harps 1 to 4). The battle system's newest highlight is the Bonus Rate, which uses a multiplier system similar to WA3's to increase EXP. Once again, it's different from WA3, so heads up on this one because it's a bit more complex this time (you don't get a bonus for skills activating anymore). Also, battles are oriented in very interesting style that mixes WA1 with WA3: during regular battles, you run around like you did in WA3, but during boss fights, you stay in the traditional WA1 party formation.

The characters: Rudy, Jack and Cece are now joined by people you will remember from the first game to assist them in combat: Dr. Emma, Calamity Jane and her butler Magdalen, along with others. The battle system utilizes the same Swap Out system from WA2 since you can end up with six people. Their abilities have been tweaked a bit:

Rudy's ARMS: Rudy uses his Hand Cannon ARM as his regular weapon now and can upgrade its parameters at ARMS parlors (much like in WA3). Although, be careful here since similar to WA3, Rudy can only upgrade 15 times and if you want to reset a parameter, you won't get your money back. He doesn't get new ARMS from treasure chests either, but rather cartridges that he can add to his cannon to fire off awesome attacks. Also, Rudy has to defend to restock his ammo which also copies from WA3. On a final note, Rudy doesn't have to restock his ammo for his special cartridges at an ARMS parlor, he only needs to rest to refill those.

Jack's Fast Draws: Jack has a lot less MP than he did in WA1 to use his draws. Not to mention, he has to use the draws to level them up and reduce the MP cost instead of using Secret Signs to reduce it. Because his draws are expensive and there are no more Magic Carrots for refilling MP, you will be spending a lot of time building them up.

Cece's Crest Magic: Traditionally, nothing much has changed here except a few spells have had their ranges tweaked to affect the whole party rather than cast on one ally at a time. Cece's newest feature is that she can regain MP every time she bops an enemy with her wand.

One thing to note is that everyone only has one Force power (their unique original one except for Cece whose Mystic ability has been passed on to Calamity Jane) and only Cece can summon Guardians now. The visuals on the Guardians are jawdropping to say the least though and of course the elemental gems are back as well.

With this game, you are looking at a merge of elements and gameplay factors from the previous three Wild Arms games set into the remake of the original WA, resulting in a huge and addicting game that certainly beats out the earlier months of poor RPGs (such as Suikoden 4 and Radiata Stories).

I HIGHLY recommend this to all fans and followers of Wild Arms. This game will keep you busy believe me. You should definitely get this game, especially since we are all eagerly awaiting the U.S. version of Wild Arms 4th Detonator.

Although beware gamers, due to the rather poor job that was done on the game (many bugs and such), it has been discontinued in the U.S. Hopefully, you can all find a copy.

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Product Description:
In 1997, Sony wowed the Playstation RPG masses with Wild Arms which featured an involving storyline, affable characters and slick battle techniques. While the game itself was great, the graphics were..less so. Sony revisits the original Wild Arms with a remake which redoes the entire game with shiny graphical sheen and updated game play.In addition to the three original characters - Cecila the pri

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Mario Party 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)Far superior to mario party 1. I think my wife and I enjoy playing more than my 6 and 11 year old. Unlike the first Mario party you aren't penalized any coins for losing mini games, which makes it lessdissapointing for the kids. The new boards are original and fun to play(with the exception of mystery land which is like running around incircles). Buying the special items adds an entirely new dimension to thegame and allows players to really use strategy to win. I also appreciatethat no mini games require spinning the joystick. No more unsightly handindentations
By far the best Nintendo game to date.

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Product Description:
Every good game deserves a sequel, and the addictive, quirky Mario Party 2 certainly fills the bill. This multiplayer party title combines the gameplay of a traditional dice-based board game with several brief action-game segments, including updated versions of 20 of the best offerings from the original Mario Party. There are also 44 entirely new mini-game challenges that pit players against each other as they compete to collect the most stars. Owners of the original Mario Party will be comfortable with this game from the get-go. Each player rolls a virtual die to advance through various board games, including pirate land, western land, space land, mystery land, and horror land. Several hidden adventure boards can be unlocked as players advance through the game. Each player aims to gain the most stars and become a superstar at the end of the game. Various mini-game challenges and booby traps await gamers as they land on some strategically placed spaces on the board.

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WWF: No Mercy Review

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(More customer reviews)This game is a great game for the N64 videogame console. It has a lot of modes such as Ladder Matches(Single Player and Tag Team), Survival Mode where you battle against 100 opponents in an effort to go 100-0, A Steel Cage Match and the Main Mode for the Single Player. The career mode allows you to choose wrestling for 7 titles including World, European, Hardcore, Womens and more. Angles play out with-in the mode depending on whom you choose to align with or go against, attacks can be set up against you in backstage areas or interferences can help you if aligned with somebody. The Smackdown Mall is another extensive feature as it allows you to gain points upon completion of matches and Title victories and lets you access hidden wrestlers, extra costumes and more. A slight word of caution though, when having 4 wrestlers on screen the game can slow down a little bit due to the amount of activity happening at worse. It's bearable but it may turn some gamers off. Another word of caution is that the game tends to lose information unless it's saved. Therefore, any Created Wrestlers or Championship Mode games may be erased if not saved after every match or every creation. This may just be a glitch in the game or it could be an error looked over by Asmik but it's a precaution. However, not all games have this glitch so it's unknown if the games will be called back(Like Perfect Dark) and the bug will be fixed.

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Product Description:
WWF No Mercy picks up exactly where Wrestlemania 2000 leftoff--it uses the same wrestling engine as its predecessor, only with morewrestlers, more match types, and other additions that will make hard-corewrestling fans devilishly happy.
For starters, there are 65-plus wrestlers, including old- and new-schoolers,tossed onto carefully copied sets like Wrestlemania and SmackDown. There arealso new backstage areas, like the sharply detailed bar, which incorporates apool table for optimal slammage.
New matches, such as the ladder match and guest-referee match, offer numerouspossibilities, like using the ladder as a springboard, or ignoring pins whentaking control of the official. Weapons also abound, and now these items can behurled around, even from the floor to the ring, where they're likely to hit aclueless opponent. A story mode adds tremendous replay value to this one, givingplayers the option of turning good or bad, with a variety of consequences thatare based on that decision.
As stated, the game plays just like Wrestlemania 2000--meaning the samedegree of slowdown and questionable artificial intelligence. The slowdownparticularly hampers the game when many wrestlers take the ring at once; itseems that this title pushes the Nintendo 64 to the limit, as far as on-screenaction goes.
But the game's good points more than outweigh its bad, and, all told, NoMercy will satisfy wrestling fans who are looking for a taste of theirfavorite male melodrama. --Robb Guido
Pros:

Overwhelming number of wrestlers, complete with special moves
Excellent novelty matches, and plenty of weapons for clobbering opponents

Cons:

Big-time slowdown when the action starts to heat up in the ring

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SeaWorld Adventure Parks Tycoon 3D Review

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(More customer reviews)My mom bought SeaWorld Tycoon for me when I was around nine years old and to be honest I never could build an efficient SeaWorld park all by myself. A few years later I completely forgot I even owned this game so I decided to give it a try, and while yet I'm a bit too old for this game it's still an enjoyable experience nonetheless. If your kid is confused he or she should probably go through tutorial's to help them learn how to play the game, there are many category's to select from and you have a budget. But if you think your good enough to build your own SeaWorld Park go into sandlot mode, you can build whatever you want and it's almost limitless at the way you can build it. I find it a little addicting trying to make your park the best it can be and when I finished mine I was quite pleased. There are three locations to choose from, Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego and the difficulty does increase from sandlot one to three. In all there are over a hundred buildings like restaurants, amusement rides, animal exhibits and shows, gift stores and so on to build. And if you want your park to be successful you do want to take time making your park look nice, visitors will judge you on the beauty of the park, the price of certain rides and the cleanliness of the park and you have a one to five star rating. And it's also fun just hovering above the park seeing the visitor's buy items and watch shows from buildings YOU created. You can also train animal shows (it's really not much fun) you can adopt animals and learn some facts about them or just go on a giant shopping spree to make the biggest park ever.

I do have some complaints though, first of all the visitors can be IDIOTS! I built the main attraction from the game Shamu Stadium and it was almost directly in front of the entrance and yet I still got a complaint from guests that there were no animal attractions and shows, and I had already built numerous other animal attractions like the Aquarium and the Dolphin exhibit. This quote is directly from the back of the box, "see through the eyes of any parks' patron, see shows, ride roller coasters, and more!" It honestly wasn't impressive, the humans look atrocious and the 3D images are very pixilated, but it is a little neat walking around a park that you built. And one last complaint, at first the games frame rate ran smoothly but the more you build the slower and choppy it becomes, it wasn't to big in a annoyance to me but it still could be a bit of a bother some times.

This game is recommended to kids younger than ten but if you have a lot of time on your hands, and I mean a lot of time on your hands an older kid may want to give it a try.

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Product Description:
That's right, the excitement of building and managing the World's Largest Adventure Park is back. Featuring all new 3D environments that put you right in the action.

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Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (Jewel Case) Review

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(More customer reviews)THIS GAME FRICKIN' ROCKS A$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Abe's Oddysee is a video game about a slave/worker in a meat factory on Oddworld, and you have to help him escape form his evil boss, Mullock. It's got a CRAPLOAD of obstacles and puzzles and devices and other places and characters you get to solve, work, visit, and meet! It is very challenging, especially having to get through the dogs and Paramites (*shiver*) and Scabs. THEY WILL KILL!
I haven't actually beat the game yet, but my cousin got me cheats that get me to different levels of the game! You'll become TOTALLY ADDICTED to this! :-D

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Product Description:
This software is BRAND NEW. Packaging may differ slightly from the stock photo above. Please click on our logo above to see over 15,000 titles in stock.

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Crash Bash Review

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(More customer reviews)Ever since the debut of Nintendo's "Mario Party", the multiplayer party genre is suddenly popular. Now the PlayStation's mascot, Crash, is jumping onto the bandwagon with "Crash Bash". It's the first game developed without Naughty Dog, who created Crash's first four games; instead, it's developed by Eurocom and Mark Cerny. For a first shot, Eurocom has done a great job with living up to Naughty Dog's legacy.
You can play as one of eight characters: Crash, Coco (Crash's sister), Dr. Neo Cortex (Crash's enemy), Dr. N. Brio (Cortex's rival), Tiny, Dingodile, and Koala Kong (Cortex's henchmen), and Kangorilla (a new character). There are also some secret characters, including Ripper Roo (a psychotic kangaroo in a straitjacket) and Penta Penguin.
There's a total of 28 different games to play. One example is a game where you ride on polar bears and joust each other while trying to avoid falling off of the slippery, swaying iceberg on which you're battling. In another, you bounce on pogo sticks and try to make the bricks of the platform you're bouncing on a solid color. There's even a game where you drive through a maze in a tank and blast each other with missiles and mines. Some games, though, are variants of classic games, such as air hockey, racing (although in this, you race in bumper cars rather than go-karts), and standard fighting, e.g. throwing TNT at each other and using your special 'power', etc.
The game allows for 1-4 players, and offers so much fun, you'll get addicted instantly. You'll definitely enjoy it!

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Product Description:
1-4 PLAYERS CRASH AND HIS FRIENDS ARE BACK IN A KNOCK DOWN DRAG OUT ARENA RUMBLE. GET READY TO RACE RUMBLE JUMP THROW AND BATTLE IT OUT.

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The American Girls Dress Designer (PC) Review

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(More customer reviews)This software gives you insight to the lives of the six original American Girls and lets you design and print out their clothes in paper doll style. It also comes with six paper dolls for use with the clothes that you print.This program was useful for studying different periods in American History, but sadly it is not at all compatible with Win XP or Vista.

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Product Description:
You're the designer!Dress the American Girls in clothes you create yourself!

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High Heat Major League Baseball 2003 Review

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(More customer reviews)While i was very dissapointed with last years high heat, this years version surprised me (and yes i do actually own it). Gameplay and graphics are much improved and the announcers voices were crisp and clean. I was also surprised to see that the rosters were also as up to date as they could be (i.e. Juan Gonzalez on Texas). This is also not an "arcade" style baseball game, stats are pretty accurate like real MLB is and you aren't hitting hr's every other ab. So all in all it's a pretty good game, 4 star rating for a lack of "franchise mode", but do you really want to keep playing after 162 games anyways? Buy it and i think you'll be surprised in a good way.

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Product Description:
With its satisfyingly realistic gameplay firmly intact, this year'sentry in 3DO's High Heat series cements its status as arguably the best videogame baseball experience available. Graphically, it's better than ever, but whatsets High Heat Major League Baseball 2003 apart from the competition isits attention to the little things that make it more believable and fun to play:hits that are random and rarely appear to fall in the same place twice; scoresthat accurately reflect the caliber of the opposing pitcher; razor-close playson the base paths and at home plate--the list goes on. Add in wide-ranging,customizable player skill levels and game-tuning preferences (everything frombatting and throwing power to error and injury frequency)--not to mention theyear of fine-tuning under 3DO's belt after working out the kinks in lastseason's inaugural PS2 run--and it all adds up to a rewarding experience forbaseball gaming purists.
That's not to say the game is perfect, as witnessed by graphics that could stilluse some work to fully exploit the PS2's capabilities. Especially lacking arethe dugout and crowd animations that at times resemble lifeless gray masses.Certain stadium skylines also lack depth, particularly in night games (tallbuildings behind the stadiums look a lot like their blocky counterparts fromlast year's version). But these are minor gripes when all is said and done. Allthe vitals are still there: season, playoff, and exhibition modes (no franchisemode yet, however); home run derby; batting practice; and, new this year, thetwo-on-two showdown that features a one-inning battle pitting pitcher againstbatter. And while the game's rosters are nowhere near what they'll be on openingday, the create and edit player features will ensure that everybody's favoriteteam can be as accurate as the real thing. --Larry White
Pros:

Unparalleled gameplay realism
Improved graphics
Innovat





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Logitech PS3/PS2 Wireless Drum Controller Review

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(More customer reviews)The first set I got had a lot of trouble with double hits on the cymbals and the occasional cross talk, but I got a replacement shipped to me from Logitech and after playing for a couple of weeks it shows no signs of developing the same problem.Since my set now works well, I've changed my rating from 2 stars to 4 stars.

Pros:
Easy initial setup, takes about 15 minutes.
Adjustable.
Doesn't take up a huge amount of space and can be folded.
Full 5 note lanes in Guitar Hero.
Pads seem pretty durable.
Wireless.

Cons:
Cymbals don't have any vibration dampers like felt, it is hard plastic resting on hard plastic.I've verified using the music studio that I occasionally get double hits and even cross talk (hit the yellow cymbal and the orange goes off as well).
Cymbals have a fixed set of angles, which simplifies setup but limits adjustability.
Louder than Ion Drum Rocker, probably about the same as Guitar Hero World Tour set.
While it is adjustable the compact size limits pad placement.There is only about a extra inch of space between the pads for them to moved side to side.The cymbals have to be in the center, there is not enough space on the bar to move even one cymbal outside the drum pads.
The connecting wires are thinner than I would like, probably not a problem for the pads and cymbals, but might be for the foot pedal, which can easily be dragged when moving the drums.

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Product Description:
The Logitech Wireless Drum Controller lets you unleash your inner rockstar. Fully adjustable drum heads and cymbals positioned to fit your reach and suit your style, helping you play faster and better.

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