Command & Conquer 3 Deluxe Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Well what can I say, this game is excellent.Like all of the Command and Conquer games, the campaign mode, for all three factions, is fun and addictive.The skirmish mode allows you to extend the life of the game beyond the campaigns, but if you are like myself, you will find yourself wanting to download more maps to make things more interesting.I was very impressed with the risk like, campaign map on the Kane's Wrath add on.The only downside I can think of for this game, is the difficulty in creating ones own maps and editing the game stats.The world builder program is difficult to use, compared to the map editors available for previous C&C titles.Overall the game play is excellent, the graphics are amazing and the campaign mode on it's own, with the all star cast, makes the game well worth the money.

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Product Description:
Contains Command & Conquer 3 and Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath.An epic saga spanning two decades of war and strife; all at the price of a single title. The fate of Earth hangs in the balance as Kane and the Brotherhood of Nod struggle to overcome both the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the alien invaders known as the Scrin. The story is told through over two hours of high-definition live action video starring an all-star sci-fi cast including Natasha Henstridge (Species, Eli Stone), Josh Holloway (Lost), Michael Ironside (Starship Troopers, Top Gun), Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars, Batman), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galatica) and Joe Kucan, reprising as Kane!Welcome back, Commander.

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Nox Review

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(More customer reviews)Nox is an adventure/RPG played from an overhead third-person perspective. You can play single or multiplayer modes. You can choose to be a warrior, conjurer, or wizard. It utilizes a neat feature that blacks out anything that your character could not see from his perspective. This makes it possible for monsters to "hide" behind crates or other objects. Another neat feature is the movable objects in the game. Unlike most games in this genre, the game world contains many movable objects which, combined with the excellent graphics, give the game a realistic feel. Instead of being stopped dead in your tracks upon colliding with something like a chair or other motile object(as in most other games of this type), your character will push the object out of his way. The storyline is very involving due to the many cinimatic sequences built into the game. These sequences are done very well, and instead of completely removing you from the atmosphere of the game, these cutscenes are done simply by showing the game in a widescreen view as characters interact. During these scenes, you have no control over your charachter, which is fine, because most of the time you wouldn't want to do anything anyway.The multiplayer mode is also excellent. You can play over network or internet and there is now a downloadable multiplayer pack that adds a "quest mode" to multiplayer. The game comes with a companion cd as well, so a friend can join in without having to purchase the game themselves. Overall, this game is well worth your money and should provide many hours of enjoyment.

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Product Description:
Nox is set in a mystical land filled with discovery and deceit. Nox's lightning-fast action is fueled by a combat system that's easy to use yet gives players tremendous gameplay depth and infinite possibilities. With more than 100 unique spells and weapons, players must use their wits to create devious combinations with tricky tactics.

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Burnout 3 Takedown Review

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(More customer reviews)An email I wrote in December 2003:

"Dear Criterion Games:

I hear that Burnout 3 is going to focus on wrecking opponents.This is a mistake. It's not going to work.Why turn your brilliant, traffic-weaving Burnout franchise into a demolition derby?Change is good, but this is too much - it's now a fighting game with cars instead of a racing game.Hopefully Burnout 4 will get it right.

Regards, A Fan"

Fast-forward to September 2004.Burnout 3 is now here, and I am now sending them my sincerest apologies.I now invite them to send me a very nasty "We told you so!" response, because they've managed to not only prove me to be completely and utterly foolish for doubting them, they've made what is hands-down the best arcade racing game we're likely to play.

Criterion has managed to tap into some kind of suicidal primal instinct all of us seem to have - the urge to fly through populated streets at near the speed of sound in a sleek automobile (or firetruck), careening headlong into anyone and anything in our path.Better yet, Burnout 3: Takedown now adds the lovely feature of a dream made virtual reality: smashing into pieces that no-good idiot who dared to try and tap you into the guardrail.We've all had those fantasies, right?Now you can live em in the comfort (and safety!) of your own living room.

For those of you who are skeptical, one thing should be made clear up front:Burnout 3 is very different from the first two games in the series.You'll still race through beautifully rendered courses at brain-searing speeds, missing traffic by millimeters.But even though B3 now focuses on making your race opponents wreck in the most ghastly ways possible, the intensity and rush is still here...no, it's actually been ratcheted up to a realm of insanity no racer has ever attained.It's different, but still more than worthy of attention.

One thing Burnout vets will appreciate is the single-player mode has been greatly expanded.There are a huge number of race events - close to two hundred, ranging from single races to burning laps to eliminations to crash junctions to....well, it doesn't get old.Add a ridiculous number of unlockables (including fake headlines, signature Takedowns, forty tracks, seventy cars, etc etc) and suffice to say you could finish the first two Burnout games twice each before seeing all B3 has to offer.You still progress by earning medals - only getting golds will unlock everything - but it's no longer just about finishing first.Peforming Takedowns is essential, and well-worth it, as the game lovingly displays the mechanical carnage you create, but it's not always easy.The AI is wicked this time round, and will even gain grudges for you......and go after you.If you do fall victim, you can always choose to enable the Aftertouch, a brilliant feature that allows you to control your wrecked car, and steer it into the path of your opponents.Revenge has never been so sweet.

Screaming down a Hong Kong-ish crowded street, golden Buddha statue looming overhead, desperately trying to keep your lead when two guys in F1-type racers are inches from your rear bumper.....yeah, it's exhilirating all right.

Crash Mode returns in all its destructive glory, but now it's deeper, and larger.Power-ups litter the course - yes power-ups, ranging from temporary boosts to points multipliers.Add the Crashbreaker - in which your car becomes a literal bomb that you can detonate at any time, and we're talking serious mayhem.And oh yes - this mode can be played co-operatively now.One more thing - there's 100 crash junctions now.

The multiplayer madness continues with Road Rage Mode (whoever takes down the most opponents wins), Elimination (whoever's in last place at the end of a lap is disqualified), Burning Lap (boost as fast as you can without crashing once), and normal Single Race, and there's a lot more meat here than before.

The bad?Well, the default soundtrack can leave a lot to be desired (and turn the announcer OFF, trust me), but this is easily fixed by lovely custom soundtrack support.HINT:Causing wrecks to bluegrass is poetry in motion.EA Games - who now owns Criterion - has plastered advertising signboards all over the courses, and they're kind of distracting in an annoying way.There are also many minor details (you race in car classes now rather than picking any you want, the scoring system is different, no nighttime races or weather changes, no licensed cars (like any respected auto manufacturer would let their lovingly crafted creations get dismantled like this!), Crash Mode repeats junctions) that one could complain about, but the core gameplay is so sublime, well-done, and addictive, it's silly to dock the score for any of them.

Burnout 3 is the epitome of what arcade racing should be: easy to pick up, hard to master, appealing to everyone, unimaginably intense, and unbelievably fun.Mark my words, you're gonna see Burnout 3 on a lot of Best Games of 2004 lists -- it'll be on mine, without a doubt.

Thanks for proving me wrong, Criterion.But I need to ask - what's next?You can't possibly top Takedown....can you?

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Product Description:
Burnout 3: Takedown rewrites the rules of the road with its aggressive racing action. Get behind the wheel and experience real high-speed action. Use your car as a weapon and battle your way to the front of the pack -- by taking down rivals and instigating spectacular crashes.

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FIFA Soccer 10 Review

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(More customer reviews)I consider myself a pretty decent FIFA 09 player and immediately bought FIFA 10 when it came out, hoping that improvements made to a top-notch game would make the new game flat out amazing.After playing a few games against my real life friends and online strangers, I am not sure if I like "10" or "9" better.My biggest disappointment in the new game is that IMO, the graphics did not improve at all or maybe even gotten worse.Maybe I am imagining it but the width of the goal looks smaller.Of course, this shouldn't affect gameplay at all but it just feels like I am looking at a smaller target.The improvements in the gameplay is subtle but nevertheless clearly different with defenders having a chance against the supermen (eg. Ronaldo) of the game, making the game more defense-oriented and somewhat harder to score.Some of the differences I noticed so far:

1.Throughball doesn't work automatically unless there is a developing play where a throughball is the best play.In `09', you could just randomly throughball and somehow the offensive player would end up with the ball with a near breakaway too often.
2.Defenders are positioned much better so defense is easier to play.Also, because stars like Ronaldo can't just run away from the pack when they have the ball, defenders will have a better chance as long as they are in a good position.But the improvement in defensive positioning also resulted in heavy traffic near the goal where the play seemed a little bit clustered.At times, the phrase pinball action came to mind when it became clustered like that.
3.The view when the GK has a goal kick or instances where you have a corner, the view has changed to a more zoomed view and less overhead perspective.I personally didn't like this change due to the change in depth perception, making it harder for me to judge the players' positioning.
4.The collision physics is much more realistic and players actually bounce off each other in more realistic fashion.
5.It is much easier to bend the ball, maybe too much.On several corner kicks, I had kicks bend too much that the ball was no where near the goal almost half way between the penalty box and the half line.
6.Overall, the offensive player is forced to put together a well constructed attack and rely on crisp passing and play development more than relying on the speed and power of players like Ronaldos and the Etos.
7.The online play is smoother and when playing ranked games, the skill points is calculated after each game and displayed for you to see,showing you how the points were calculate.This was a very nice feature for someone who plays online as much as I do.

One thing that didn't change:

My number one pet peeve for '09: The number of shots hitting the goal post per game is way too much.I was hoping that this would change, but so far, the occurrence of shots hitting the goal post is still way too frequent and unrealistic.

Overall, I would say '10 is more realistic but not necessarily more fun to this veteran of '09.I definitely think '10 is a great game but I will not be getting rid of my `09' right away because they play different enough for me to consider it two different games

UPDATE: 11/5/09

So after playing for a few more weeks, I will say that I am appreciating the subtle differences between '09 and '10.I really like the new collision mechanism.It is realistic enough so that I often thwarted the other players attack by just getting in the way of the opposing team's players who don't have the ball to deny their space when there is a pass directed toward them.I have also experienced the advantage of 360 degree control as I manuever my player with the ball.Definitely a solid improvement over '09.

UPDATE: 11/23/09

A huge negative has popped up for with this game.Goalie AI.Maybe it's not even AI.Glitch is more like it.The goalie in '10 is worse than in '09.I suppose goalies making errors should be expected since a real life goalie would make can make mistakes too.But goalies have a much harder time handling shots that are directed right at them if it's low.Goalies are allowing shots that are literally next to their legs.(The animation in replay suggests that the goalie, instead of stopping the shot by moving a little to the left or the right, instead tries to squat down and tries a mini dive save on a shot.That allows the shots to go under them.
What is infuriating is that given the number of great opportunities that end in a shot off the goal post if you try to aim for one of the corners of the goal, the way the goalie allows this cheap score, it's a huge imbalance.Goalies that leap like panthers to save shots 10 feet away or sure goals that somehow the computer directs right at the goal post yet the goalie can't save balls hit next to them.What's up with that?

UPDATE: 11/30/09

I don't know what I was thinking by not mentioning this.In FIFA '09, (and I call this just plain stupid on EA's part),they didn't include a practice mode.Sure, you could pratice your skill moves 1on1 with the goalie, but that too was not that helpful because no one would play an actual match in that perspective, thus making you learn the skill moves one way but then have to make adjustments to the stick work.In FIFA '10, there actuall is a practice mode and a pretty darned good one at that.You can set the practice match to have as many offensive and defensive players as you want.You want to practice breakaways?1 offensive player vs. goalie only.5 vs. 4, 5 vs. 3.Any combination you want to hone your offensive skills.Also,you can actually practice set-pieces (FK and corners) the way it would be in the game with real defenders. By practice in this mode, I can score on about a 1/3 of my FKs inside 30 yards because I know what kick with how much power to execute.(The other 2/3 of my FKs bounce off the goal post, LOL.)If you are serious about being a good FIFA player, this practice mode will let you maximize your chances.

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Product Description:
The seventeenthoverall release in Electronic Arts' popular FIFA Soccer franchise,FIFA Soccer 10 enables gamers and soccer fans alike to enjoythe nonstop action and fun of the #1 soccer game simulation, regardlessof their skill on a real or virtual pitch. With FIFA Soccer 10,players can create themselves in game, join a club and compete againstgamers around the world in online competition. Game features includeextensive play modes and improvements, as well as multiplayer optionsincluding 7-player local multiplayer, coop gameplay both online andoffline and 2-20 player support online.

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The Sims 2: Mansion & Garden Stuff Review

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(More customer reviews)I still believe the stuff packs are overpriced for the amount of stuff they offer. $12-15 would probably be a fairer price. So if you happen to find a sale, definitely go for it.

Mansion & Gardens Stuff is by far the best stuff pack EA has offered. The three decorating styles; Second Empire, Moroccan, & Art Deco, are lovely. The flowers are shrubs are beautiful, a welcome addition to landscaping. I like how the windmill & solar panels will lower the sim's bills. The ceiling fans are a decorative object, but they do actually move so it's a nice realistic touch. I haven't noticed that they affect the temperature of the sims so they are probably merely decorative.

I love the Mansard roof pieces. It makes it so much easier to have attic space that my sims can live in without being affected by the weather. I've had issues in the past of them freezing or getting heat stroke if I had bedrooms in the attic with certain types of roofs.

Knock on wood, I haven't noticed any major glitches with Mansions & Gardens. What a relief. The grand staircases are very nice, but they sure do take up a lot of space. Your sims will autonomously slide down the banister. Usually we do not get any new interactions with stuff packs, so this was a nice surprise. Our sims can smell the flowers too.

The only thing I didn't care for is that some of the new siding is too dark and there's only a few selections. I'm not really fond of the screaming bright yellow. I wish they would have added some of the previous siding colors we've had with the new corner trim. EA could have made this a real expansion pack with more items and options and I would have been over the moon.

I'd consider this stuff pack a must for Sims 2 players.

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Product Description:
Design impressive estates and meticulous gardens for your Sims with three all-new styles. Infuse your Sims' mansion with the intricate beauty of new Moroccan designs, add a touch of retro-modern style with stately and new Art Deco elements, or build in the imposing new Second Empire style. With a host of new architectural and landscaping items to choose from, your Sims homes will look more stunning than ever!

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Logitech Cordless Rumblepad 2 with Vibration Feedback (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I had this unit for about a month, used it to play Half Life, and Need for Speed 2 Underground. Outstanding performance in both cases. I'm running a dell p4 2.GHz 512mb WinXP Pro SP2. Easy installation, no problems of any kind so far. The original batteries are still going strong. Hope this review is helpful.

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Product Description:
MODEL- 963326 VENDOR- LOGITECH INC. FEATURES- Cordless Rumblepad 2 2.4GHz Cordless Dual Analog Sticks Mac PC USB Vibration Feedback. Experience the freedom and eliminate the clutter with the Logitech Cordless Rumblepad 2. Logitech developed 2.4 GHz Cordless Freedom technology specifically for gaming -- 30 feet of freedom with no lag! With its two vibration feedback motors you will experience every turn bump dip and crash. And it feels great in your hands with its familiar button layout and all the controls you need to dominate. Includes Cordless Rumblepad 2 2.4 GHz wireless receiver 2 AA batteries User documentation and Gaming software.* 2.4 GHz cordless performance with 30-foot range High-speed data transfer for precise control with no lag.* 100 hours of battery life Proprietary power management for longer battery life* Dual vibration feedback motorsFeel all the hits crashes explosions andmany more effects.* Familiar button layout 10 programmable action buttons plus Mode and Vibration selectors and8-way D-pad.* Analog control Two analog sticks give you a performance edge with smooth 360-degree control.* Software includedCustomize buttons download game profiles assign shift-button andmore.* Quality constructionAs if you would expect anything else from Logitech.-- SPECIFICATIONs --------------------------------------CONNECTOR- USB portREQUIRES - PC with Pentium processor or compatible 64 MB RAM 20 MB of available hard disk space CD-ROM drive USB port Windows 98 2000 Me or XPMacintosh with USB port Mac OS 9 or Mac OS 10.x or higher

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Medal of Honor Heroes Review

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(More customer reviews)This game has been on my "Must buy" list for about three months now.And picking it up today was a sigh of relief, almost.

When you first turn on the game, you are struck by the music and the main menu. Once again, EA NAILED IT! Great MUSIC, and the Menu is easily navigatible.

I thought it'd be best to learn the control scheme in Skirmish mode rather than try my luck at playing online......once again, WOW! It was as if I had picked up a PS2 controller.The guys at EA got this right! There are a lot of small "shortcut" buttons that allow for all the functions that the PS2 Medal of Honor Games have. For example, double tapping the right D-pad button will automatically switch to grenades from your weapon--very handy in a heated online game!

As far as the Multiplayer, which is why 99% of people are buying this game, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!I was shocked to see that there was already 32 people online, and I jumped into a game with no hassle.One thing I love about the game is the ability to pick up weapons! This is very handy when you are regularly a sniper, but at the moment, the Bazooka that the guy you just killed was carrying looks very appetizing.

Another GREAT feature that adds a lot of strategy to the game is the Sprint function.By normal ways your soldier will walk, and if you NEED to run, you tap, and then hold the up analog stick. By doing this your character will sprint, BUT he will also lose his energy (which is represented by a meter in the lower left corner). Once he regains his energy you may sprint again.This is very much like real life, and is a healthy alternative to those other games that let you sprint continuously around maps with irregard to the fact that humans, and especially weapon-carrying soldiers DO get tired, and slow down.

Really, I can't say anything bad about the game AT ALL.My only advice would be to turn the sensitivity of the analog stick and directional buttons up ALL the way, because they were a bit sluggish when just starting.

The maps in this game, were something I didn't cover to well, but they absolutely ROCK! My favorite so far is the bridge map! I sniped 4 Nazi-Scums on that map in about 2 minutes.

Got to go kill some Nazis!!!!

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Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 Review

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(More customer reviews)First, let me start by providing my experiences with FIFA 2011. After reading rave reviews on FIFA 2011, I decided to give it a try after skipping FIFA 2010 (also had glaring reviews) and going with PES 2010. You can read my review on FIFA 2011, but bottom line is I ended up selling it mainly due to unrealistic and indistinguishable gameplay despite FIFA touting the "realistic" gameplay.

Unrealistic because you can never execute a deadly thru-pass with a top player with just one lowly defender who stood between you and the forwards running/waiting for that thru-pass. A defender would always intercept the pass unless you direct the pass to a completely open area which defeats the purpose. In real life, playmakers like Gerrard, Iniesta, Xavi, etc provide deadly thru-passes toward inside the box past 2-3 top defenders.

Indistinguishable because no matter which team you play or who you're controlling, they all have the same characteristics and speed. Messi or Ronaldo can't out run a lowly defender. The game was boring and tedious. I loved FIFA's clean presentation, soundtracks, editing capabilities, even down to customizing the chants, but it failed to deliver in gameplay and fun factor which is the core of any video games.

So I went back to PES series and my experiences have been mostly positive. PES 2011 have a much more streamlined and clean interface. You still don't have all the licenses or real stadiums but the game play is so much better and exciting compared to FIFA. First and foremost, you can forget about all your previous skills that you may have acquired from previous PES series. The new gameplay takes some getting used to, especially the new camera angle. There is no tele angle which showed most of the playing field panning side to side following the controlling player/ball. It is now been replaced with "wide" angle with options to follow the ball or the players. When you're deep inside the opponent's half trying to provide crosses, the angle is skewed much like the "broadcast" angle that you really can't see your players waiting inside the box with a quick glance, so you really have to rely on radar. However, with practice and some getting used to, it quickly became a non-issue. The gameplay is much more realistic and fluid with no "ball sticking" that plagued previous PES series. Passing now requires well timed direction and control with power gauge indicator. But most importantly, thru-passes work in PES unlike FIFA. I can pin point and execute thru passes between defenders and experience the gratification of forwards receiving them leading to a potential goal. There are definite differences on players' mobility and skills when you're controlling a top player as opposed to other players. Messi can out run and execute some deadly feints to get past a defender, Drogba can bully couple of defenders with his size and strength, and other players' real life skills are accurately portrayed in PES 2011.

Online play is more accessible now with instant game matching within Exhibition menu as opposed to drilling down inside Online menu. I did not experience any noticeable lags even with subpar network connections. The new game plan (tactics/strategy) with drag-and-drop interface is so easy and intuitive that I find myself tinkering with different settings - something that I haven't done often in previous PES. Feint settings where you can combo series of feint moves with the right stick is also a welcome addition and fun to watch.

Sadly, this game isn't perfect. There are some glitches or short-comings:

- I lost control of my players when I accidentally pressed series of buttons on my controller. CPU took over and was controlling both teams as if the game is running in demo mode. I regained full control after a dead ball. Fortunately, I've only experienced this once.

- There are some graphic "tearing" when players are near or inside the goal. They go through the goal net with some eerie effects.

- Penalty kick system should be completely gutted and reworked. I really liked FIFA's "metered" or "gauged" controlled penalty kick system.

Minor issues aside, I'm enjoying PES 2011 more than FIFA 2011 and I think it's unfortunate that PES 2011 don't get the credit or fair reviews that it deserves from the game review community. You could find a number of high reviews for FIFA but only a handful of lukewarm reviews on PES. Not that I rely on these so called professional game reviewers' verdicts dictate my purchasing decisions but still, I think it's a shame.

Pros:
1. Realistic gameplay and physics without sacrificing fun factor in soccer simulation game
2. Ease of menu navigation and game plan (tactics) settings
3. Reliable, quick and fun online gameplay
4. Does not require online access code you have to enter like FIFA

Cons:
1. The new gameplay and camera angles take some time getting used to
2. Some graphic glitches but this could be ironed out on future updates
3. Bad, inconsistent penalty shootout system

Overall, PES 2011 is a step in right direction and despite some minor issues, it's still a fun game that you should definitely experience.

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Product Description:

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is the 2010-2011 version of Konami's long-running, video game soccer franchise. The tenth release in the series overall, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 refreshes the popular series by merging the best features that earlier iterations have presented to video game footballers worldwide over the years, along with new features that will carry the franchise into the future. Combined features include: 1,000+ new motions available in-game; unprecedented control over every pass, shot, throw-in; drag-and-drop functionality for team management; the ability to map favorite moves to the analog stick; an online Master League and much, much more.

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The Lord of the Rings Battle for Middle Earth Anthology Review

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(More customer reviews)We multiplayer with and against each other and have a blast doing it... My sons and I are huge fans of the LOTR series and these RTS games are the most enjoyed and most played in my house....

... for those concerned about Vista OS compatability, we have had no issues. We solo and multi on two vista and one xp computers without any issues.

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Product Description:
Command the legendary heroes and armies of legend in Lord of The Rings: Battle For Middle Earth Anthology. Your goal is to step into a new world, one taken from the books & films. Wage all-out combat against either the forces of good or the armies of evil, controlling troops and managing resources. The fate of a continent is your hands! Includes Battle For Middle Earth I & II, plus the Rise Of The Witch-King expansion.
Lord of the Rings: Battle For Middle Earth features:Single-player story campaign takes you to previously unseen Middle-Earth places and battles -Dol Guldur, The Misty Mountains and Mirkwood Control battles with all-new enemy AI, melee combat, and flanking, adding unprecedented tactical fidelityExtend your battlefield with larger than life battles at seaCreate your own hero with in-game avatars & customized RTS unitsUnleash powerful new weapons and abilities - summon dragons, cause volcanoes to erupt, or bring down a cataclysmic lightning strikeLord of the Rings -The Rise of the Witch-King features -Lead an evil faction's invasion of Arnor, home of Aragorn's ancestors Play the new Angmar faction in skirmish, multiplayer, and War of the Ring modes Upgraded Create-A-Hero features -New roll class boasts additional weapons and armor, for more customization War of the Ring -A Risk like meta-game offering upgraded army persistence, a new siege dynamic on the Living World Map and unified territories that serve as major control pointsAll-new content from Tolkien's original stories, delving deeper than ever into the story behind the award-winning movie trilogy

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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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FIFA Soccer 11 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm a huge FIFA fan, and owner of 08, 09 and 10. I thought it couldn't get any better after FIFA 10, or at least didn't thought about possible add-ons, when I first played the demo my first impressions weren't exactly the best, yes the gameplay has improved a lot and become more real, but the actual fact is that the best thing about FIFA was it's feeling of an unreal/real football, the game speed, players movement, players passing and crossing were all really fast (becoming actually faster than real life) so it felt very competitive. This game has become more realistic reducing it's speed as a con, at least those were my impressions from the demo.

Even though I turned on the fast game speed on, the game still feels a bit slow against FIFA 10, but that's notan issue because it is the right speed (at least for me) not being too fast, nor too slow. In the earlier FIFAs you didn't have to be a gamer to be good, you just had to know about football, and that had it's pros and cons, being its pros that anyone could play it and it became more competitive, and was a blast with your friends (even though none of them were video game geeks), this new FIFA version is more difficult to play and requires more skills to be able to master it, for instance I hated when someone who never played video games before beat me up on FIFA, this won't happen now. It is a completely new gameplay and you will feel like everything you knew about FIFA is gone.

The free kicks are brilliant and very effective and easy to learn (if you played FIFA 10), the 11 vs 11 matches promise a lot and you will almost feel like you are playing a real match, the career mode didn't get any new features worth mentioning, except for the be a pro goalkeeper which is fun the first matches but gets quite boring after several matches, and the squads are all updated (in the demo Madrid didn't have Ozil for example), the crowd chants and new celebrations are fantastic and very impressive can be a huge plus for fun overall. In addition to, the dribbling feels improved and more realistic and there are even new teams to the roster, plus the new Personality+ which is great but it should cover more players and not the mainstream ones.

I only have two problems for now, first of all I hate the penalty kicks new system, it is true that in the past they were very easy and the penalty shootouts lasted hours, but now they seem to be quite difficult (at least for new players), I haven't gotten the kick out of it yet, fairly said I only have a day with the game so they might become better in the future. My second issue is that they could do a bit more with the career mode, I don't know you guys but I'm quite bored of the same manager mode from FIFA 08... Maybe they could have put something new like a story mode where your be a pro player comes from a small club to end up in Manchester or Madrid.

Overall the experience is very good and fresh, it will feel like an entirely different game though, but it can be good to change the formula a little bit sometimes. The new add-ons like the crowd chantings and be a goalkeeper are solid, and the creation centre promises a lot (I haven't mess out with it yet).

Hence FIFA 12 would have to do A LOT to improve this new version, and if you are a casual soccer fan, EA SPORTS fan or just a gamer who doesn't have any FIFA at all this could be a GREAT option. If you have FIFA 10 and don't want to spend $60 in a new improved version you could still stick with it, or trade it in for the 11.

PROs:

- Great new gameplay will make gamers feel a new experience
- Veteran gamers won't have issues adapting to the new gameplay
- The crowd chantings and celebrations are a fantastic feature
- Players look better than ever, and the field looks awesome!
- The creation centre is better than ever and promises a lot for new leagues and tournaments online
- The 11 vs 11 can be quite fun, specially if you have a lot of friends who have the game
- The dribbling, passing, crossing and shooting feels more realistic than ever
- Personality+ is a great feature and amazes a lot

CONs:

- It can be quite frustrating to adapt to the new gameplay (haven't met any case yet, though)
- The penalty shootouts aren't solid and needs more improvement
- The online connection to the servers needs to be improved (this has been a common issue with EA servers for a long time)
- Needs a new and fresh career mode
- It can be quite frustrating to increase your be a pro stats

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Product Description:

FIFA Soccer 11 is the 18th game in Electronic Arts' popular video gamesoccer series. Continuing with the franchise's unique blend of realismand innovative features that bring the authenticity to the video gamepitch that fans crave, FIFA Soccer 11 is an exciting must-havetitle for both longtime and existing fans of console sports gaming.Game features include: a roster of over 15,000 real players representedin-game, the Personality+ system which mirrors the abilities of everyplayer imported into the game, all-new passing abilities, finer dribblingcontrols, extensive customization options and more.

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