Roller Coaster Tycoon Expansion Pack: Corkscrew Follies Review

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(More customer reviews)This expansion is more than an addition to the original Rollercoaster Tycoon game, it's like a whole other game. Besides the original features (see my review for RCT) this game includes 25 new scenarios, new rollercoaster types, new attractions (rides, ride enhancements, stalls, andshops), new colors and painting techniques, new landscaping items, newlandscaping themes, more entertainers, and more.
That may seem like a lotof new things, but it's less than it seems. That's why I gave it fourstars. Another game: almost all of those things have to be earned in oneway or another. Like you have to get the rest of the scenarios by startingwith the first five new ones (like the original game), and you have toresearch the attractions, themes, entertainers, etc.
Another cool featureis that you can have almost all the rides play music. There are a lot ofthem too (like rock, techno, gentlle, horror...) and it really adds a lotof life to the park, to you and your guests. As a whole (the RCT and theexpansion) this game is a sure winner. But Corkscrew Follies alone is notthe best or the biggest expansion for RCT, but it's sure worth ahard-earned twenty bucks.

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NBA 2K7 Review

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(More customer reviews)Smooth as silk fluid gameplay and animations are the stars of this show.Decent Next-gen graphics that cannot be fully appreciated unless on high-def.Those who say otherwise, must be kidding.There is no way the original Xbox or PS2 could handle such renderings. Renderings,animations, shooting and dribbling styles are practically personalized for every player.Each character looks remarkably like their real life counterparts (in a somewhat cartoon-like fashion) with a few scary exceptions mentioned in other reviews found here.It looks like a souped up arcade in the tone of graphics and powerful fluidness that plays strictly like a sim.And this is where the game falls on its face if you are coming off of Live.

The controls at first chance seem unnatural, clumsy and backwards.Pulling off jukes, crossovers etc is not controlled by the right-stick and who knows why. Instead the signature 2K Isomotion (fancy dribbling) as they like to call it is handled by holding down the right trigger (the one you are already using for running, turbo) and using the left-stick (yes, the one that you are already using for movement). Jabbing the left stick around in specified directions while holding the right-trigger will cause your player to perform crossovers, jukes and other various ankle breakers.

However, if you are like me and you are coming off of Live -- you'll continually find yourself going to the right stick to pull off such moves.Which instead shoots the rock as the right-stick is assigned to the shot-stick (isomotion for a variation of Js, post-ups, lay-ups and dunks).Imagine how frightening this can be at first for former Live players.I'm dribbling down the court with Nash, I go to pull a cross over on my opponent to give me some space to make a run yet instead (accidently hit the right stick) I fork up a brick well beyond the arch.Left astonished and with my pants down, the D grabs the easy board and goes for the fast break on the return.I want to stomp on my controller into pieces before the end of the first quarter of my first game.

Now, don't get me wrong -- the shot stick actually starts to make sense after a few disastrous plays but comes with a heavy learning curve.One that is very awarding when succesful and even more so if ever truly
mastered. But it'll take some time.Your first drained three with your favorite star (ie Nash for Cash)feels like an overwhelming accomplishment in itself.Remember, this game is a sim and a strict one at that.If you are looking for the easy ride and mediocre learning curve, look elsewhere.

This is the golf of NBA video games;Frustrating, demands devotion and will kick your a__ as soon as you think you have it figured out.But with great challenge comes great awards and that couldn't be any truer here.Each play down the court will have to be well planned and executed; this game leaves little room for error.The days of 2nd nature, almost thoughtless gameplay have been throw out the window.Live fans will shreak in horror as I have and will want to run the otherway. Give 2k7 some time, patience and little bit of effort to grow accustom to the controls and you may find this game more awarding than any other you played before it.The shot stick is very intuitive and maybe too much so for its own good.The days of one button for every type of shot are long gone.Yet realize the shot stick allows you (the player) to almost fully control exactly what your player executes that is very dynamic to each scenario.Instance:Take the ball down w/ Nash (ofcourse), I cross-over dribble (pushing the left stick in the opposite direction of my ball hand while holding the right trigger), open up some space, I lead pass (w/ the B button) to Marion who jukes left and spins right (Isomotion glory) and drives to the hole.Shaq comes to meet the drive to the hole, I pump fake with Marion (quick jab on the shot-stick) and throw a behind the back pass (Right trigger + A button) to Stoudemire who throws down a power dunk or reverse or cocked slam (fancy) based on which direction I throw the shot-stick while holding the right trigger. Or I could go for the layup by moving the shot-stick w/o holding the right trigger.Or throw it back to Nash, pull down on the shot-stick and release at the peak of his jump for the tri-facto.

Case in point, the controls are difficult to master but enable endless possibilities and that is where all the thrills and fun of this game come from -- but not without painful frustration to learn them.

Notes: Isomotion can be tough to chew, getting used to the left-stick to both move and perform isomotion jukes, dribbles will never quite feel like 2nd nature.Dunks and lay-ups are way too difficult to pull off,
I love the variety and options but missing easy buckets happen too often.Free-throws are intuitive as you use the shot-stick (pull down and release at the verge of forward momentum for a perfect shot, every player has his own unique style for shooting free-throws).

Update: You can use the X button for shooting, easy buckets in the paint, layups and dunking.The dunks, layups and post-ups are more straight-forward than fancy or controlled but if you want the sure-shot bucket in the paint, its usually best to go with the X button than over-complicating the situation with the shot-stick.The shot-stick comes in handy for tri-factos or mid-range jumpers as holding the right stick and then releasing at the peak of the jump feels more natural.It also comes in handy for wide open fast breaks when you want to devestate your opponents with the windmill, power slam, cocked slam or various other fancy dunks.The shot-stick is also useful if your in a scenario that calls for the reverse dunk/layup, tear-drop or various post-up moves (ie hook, fade).

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Product Description:
MODEL- 39060VENDOR- TAKE-TWOFEATURES- NBA 2K7 Xbox 360 Voted best current and next-generation NBA hoops franchise by both press and gamers NBA 2K7 will continue its legacy of dominance this year on the hard court. The highly acclaimed Shot Stick -voted one of the best innovations of 2005 - returns with more responsive controls and new mechanics to master. Combined with incredible graphics including new sweat technology details and animating hair revamped post game and hundreds of new shooting passing and dribbling animations NBA 2K7 is poised for another run as the number 1 rated NBA simulation.* My NBA: Plays more like the real NBA than ever before with new player and team tendencies updated camera perspectives and new animations. * Real NBA Coaching: Take control of the floor with improved coach settings new team playbooks and on-the-fly substitutions. * 2K7 Soundtrack: Tribe Called Quest Mos Def E-40 Jurassic 5 and manyothers. * New Passing Control: Innovative new system allows pass fakes post passes and other ways to hit the open man. * The Association: Take total control of the deepest franchise mode in the business now with multiple team franchise 3 team trading progressive fatigue and season awards. -- SPECIFICATIONs ---------------------------------------ESRB Rating : E for EveryoneGenre/Category: SportsSystem: Xbox 360Number of Players : 1On-Line Compatible: No

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Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom Review

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(More customer reviews)I want to start this review with a disclaimer: I don't know a lot about game programming, so if you want a technical analysis of the game, this isn't the review for you. I do know that I like it though.

I would say that this game is on a par with Sierra's other city building games-Caesar III, Pharoah, Cleopatra, Zeus, and Poseidon-but with one new feature: you can play it online with your friends. If not for that feature, I probably would've only given this game 4 stars. The graphics are pretty cool but I've been having a hard time with the toolbar. The icons all look the same to me. The warehouse icon looks like a trading post icon that looks like a mill icon, etc. I suppose I'll get used to it. I remember not liking that about Zeus at first either, but that one eventually became my favorite.

The other interesting thing about this game (I say interesting because I'm not sure I like it yet) is that feng shui is very important to your people. In the other games, if you could place a building in a certain spot you got a green footprint, if you couldn't, you got a red footprint. In this game you get red, green, and YELLOW footprints. If you get a yellow footprint over the spot you want to place a building on, you can still put it there if you want, but it decreases your feng shui rating. And the less harmonious your feng shui, the less your people like you. So you really have to think a lot when you're building your city.

I'm not sure that this game is Sierra's best city building game yet, but it's still fun to play and I would recommend buying it. I would also recommend getting Acropolis, which is Zeus and it's expansion pack Poseidon in the same package.

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Product Description:
In Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom, you are transported back in time to when emperors reigned and China was the greatest and most resplendent power on Earth. Epic in scope, Emperor spans seven dynasties and more than 3,000 years of Chinese history--from China's preimperial Xia dynasty circa 2100 B.C. to the Mongol invasion of the Middle Kingdom under Genghis Khan in A.D. 1211.
As emperor, you will build housing to attract immigrants to your new city. Then the city's workers and farmers, administrators and soldiers will be yours to command, and you will have the work force you need to build a provincial city into a great metropolis. At your bidding, legions of workers will toil to erect walls strong enough to keep the barbarians at bay. Under your banner, armies will march forth to do battle with the enemy. Trade and commerce will flourish, and an army of tax collectors will collect the taxes due. Schools and clinics, palaces and gardens will embellish the city you have built and proclaim your benevolence to the world.

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Pharaoh Review

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(More customer reviews)Where, oh where to begin?I dug Caesar III to the point where it caused me to lose sleep and affect my health.Being a huge fan of Egyptian history, I was salivating for months while Impressions developedPharaoh.
I was not disappointed.The graphics, while not your latest3D-Accelerated Zing-Boom flavor, are slick and very nice to look at.Thegameplay is all we remember from the Citybuilding series, plus a bunch ofnew surprises.There are many differences in the way you build a Romancity vs. an Egyptian city, and it's refreshing to see that Pharaoh goes foraccuracy in the little details.This is a detail-oriented game, after all. Floodplain farming, the lack of groundwater in the desert and monumentbuilding are some of the interesting differences between Pharaoh and CaesarIII.Management of religion is improved somewhat, though I still findmyself constructing "temple row" somewhere out of the way just tomake sure all the gods are equally appeased.
The biggest stumbling block,ironically, is also Pharaoh's greatest triumph: the accurate and detailedprocess it takes to build monuments.You don't just say "Oh, I wannabuild a pyramid" and plunk it down.No, first you must build theinfrastructure; guilds must cut and lay stone, peasants must prepare thebuild site and haul stone.Carpenters must build ramps, etc etc.Theprocess of building a pyramid is excellent, and most fun to watch... whenit goes as planned.
Unfortunately, the damn things take FOREVER to build! You may have met all your victory requirements for a given mission fourhours previous, but you're stuck waiting for that Pyramid to build. Sometimes carpenters just don't come build the ramps, and your stonehaulers are left stacked up waiting to deposit their loads (that stuff getsheavy after a few months!).
Game lengths aside, Pharaoh is as fun andaddicting as any strategy game I've played, and the city-building style isalways a refreshing change from the "Gather>Build Units>DestroyEnemy" formula that most RTS games employ.In Pharaoh, if you don'tmake your city work, or plan, or listen to your people, you'll be oneunhappy city manager.
This game rocks

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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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