Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron Review

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(More customer reviews)As this game's lengthy title suggests, Renegade Squadron is just the latest in a long-running line of Battlefront games, which in turn owe a lot to the Battlefield WWII games. It's all about running around a virtual battlefield with different soldiers and their vehicles -- and is about as close to playing with Star Wars toys as you'll get in a video game, even more so than the Lego games. Claims that this is exclusive to the PSP are technically true, but remember that the same kind of game is available elsewhere on the PS2, XBOX, Windows, and Macintosh, in arguably better form (Star Wars Battlefront II).

The PSP already has a similar game to this, in the form of Star Wars Battlefront II (2005). That well-intentioned port pushed the PSP farther than it could go, with clunky controls, slow framerates, and local-only multiplayer, which was the kiss of death for a game primarily designed for online play. It still sold well and can be found cheaply, but Renegade renders it irrelevant. In single-player mode, Renegade Squadron is one of the first game to use the full 333 MHz of the PSP's clockspeed. In multiplayer mode, it drops to the usual 222 MHz to conserve power, but because of a few smart design choices, raw power isn't absolutely needed for a great experience.

What's new here? The biggest change is in the controls, which are greatly improved over the PSP version of Star Wars Battlefront II. When you're on the ground, you can holding down the R button to lock your sights on an enemy, letting you circle around him without losing your aim. While you're flying around in space (in X-Wing and TIE Fighters, as well as the Millenium Falcon), you can autoselect a target with one button, and pressing another will enable an autopilot to point you in the right direction. Since the autopilot follows lines of sight only, you'll still need to use your brain to maneuver the 3D objects in the space scenes. These changes are well-suited to the handheld, and while they make things easier, the tactical challenges are still present. I'd rather fight against my onscreen enemies than the controls of a game!

The other main difference between Renegade Squadron and the previous iteration on PSP is the inclusion of Infrastructure multiplayer. In other words, you can play on the internet with strangers, using a Gamespy-powered server explorer, much like the console and computer versions of the game. I didn't notice any significant lag when playing online, and there were plenty of opponents.

Other nice touches: the short (took me about 3 hours) campaign story is typical Star Wars, interwoven with events and characters from the films. You rescue Ackbar, you fake out the Emperor, and there's a lot of Han Solo fan service such as "Greedo shot first" in-jokes. Like most SW stories, it doesn't take many risks, except for the scene where you infiltrate the Emperor's home and smash up his holy relics, Taliban style. It's told with beautifully painted panels, which are partially animated (more than a pop-up book, less than a cartoon). Voiceovers and sound effects are of typically high LucasArts quality. Character customization is simple yet richly integrated into gameplay, forcing you to to choose the balance of health, firepower, speed, and other attributes based upon the needs of each mission.

If you've enjoyed other versions of Star Wars Battlefront, is this worth getting? In my opinion, the fixed controls and fully developed multiplayer makes this the best portable version of this kind of game yet. It can't compete with PC and console versions (with higher resolutions, better controls, and more robust online play with voice and keyboard support), but it's easily the best Star Wars game to come along since SWBF2. It's a great little game and if you're a Star Wars fan with a PSP, you should have it already. If you don't yet have a PSP, there's a white, slim PSP with a Darth Vader silkscreen packed in with this game, too!

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Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron PSP

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Grand Theft Auto IV Signature Series Guide (Bradygames Signature Guides) Review

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(More customer reviews)The only reason this guide gets a second star is because this guide does what it's supposed to do.It is quite helpful for getting you through the plot when you're stuck and it does contain detailed maps of the game's many extras.It also lists the Achievements for Xbox 360 and helpful strategies for Multiplayer.

I find the quality of strategy guides in general have gone down in recent years, and this one is no exception.Owners of stategy guides for the previous games in the GTA series (GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas) will be quite disappointed with this one.This strategy guide doesn't contain the expected list of vehicles that previous editions had (no pictures of the vehicles and not even a text list).It is also organized quite poorly.Most of the extras are contained within the Main Story Walkthrough (side missions, girlfriends, etc).You can't look up the extras by category.For example if you want to look up the girlfriends, one is listed on page 19, a couple on page 102, one on page 146, etc.All the other extras are listed in a similar manner.Since most of everything is listed within the Main Story Walkthrough, you always run the risk of seeing plot lines you don't want to see yet.

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BradyGames' Grand Theft Auto IV Signature Series Guide includes the following:MISSIONS: Maps and strategy for all main story missions--plus complete coverage of Vigilante, Car Thefts, Most Wanted, Friendships, Random Characters, and the myriad other activities required to achieve 100% completion.Maps: Score health, armor, and weapons no matter where you are in Liberty City. Our maps show you where to find them in every mission. Pick-ups, collectibles, places of interest--everything you need and everywhere you need to be in a dedicated map section.Secrets: Our detailed collection maps and descriptions reveal precise locations for all Unique Stunt Jumps and "Hidden Packages" in Liberty City.Multiplayer: When you're ready to take your game online, come armed with exclusive hints and tactics for all Multiplayer modes.Bonus Fold-out: This giant map of Liberty City features the locations and details for all Odd Jobs--with poster art on the other side!Platform: PS3, Xbox 360Genre: Action/AdventureThis product is available for sale worldwide.

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Pokemon - Trading Card Game Review

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(More customer reviews)In this game it is much more like reality. People make fair trades and only trade realistically. This is the best, most fun, and most challenging Pokemon game yet. Not to mention you get a free holographic Meowth when youbuy it.

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Your goal in life is to become a Pok

Sid Meier's Civilization III Review

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(More customer reviews)This was the first game that I played in the Civilization series and i got a good overall impression. It is by far the best turn-based stratagy games i have ever played. The graphics aren't great but hey, who needs good graphics in a stratagy game. The only problem is the game didn't come with a manual and the tutorial is awful, but once you get the hang of it Civilization 3 is a greatgame. i would recomend it to any stratagy gamer.

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From Firaxis Games and Sid Meier, the creative genius behind some of the most critically acclaimed computer games ever produced, comes Civilization III. Experience a game of epic proportions. Match wits against the greatest leaders of the world in an all-out quest to build the ultimate empire and rule the world. This highly addictive journey of discovery includes exciting new features that build on and enrich the Civilization experience.
As you play, you'll find that there are many pathways to victory - use Diplomatic Finesse, Cultural Domination or sheer military might to dominate the world. New technologies, wonders of the world and trade systems expand the scope of the game.
Features:

Improved combat options for enhanced war-making capabilities
More interactions, alliances and realistic A1 responses that put you in the middle of negotiations and diplomatic actions
Advanced trade system manages resources, trade routes and spread of technology
New elements of Culture, Nationality and the Arts help focus empire building efforts
Active world generator creates more realistic maps, detailed barbarians and minor nations
Game Editor Suite lets you create customized civilizations, maps and rules
New easier-to-use interface for streamlined management and better control

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Far Cry Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm having great fun with this game despite running it on a mediocre system that can't run the game in full graphical flourish. I have a 2.0Ghz P4, 512Mb RAM and an ATI 9800 (the base model, not Pro or XT) card with 128Mb RAM. So it's decent but hardly cutting edge.
Despite the fact that of the eight customizable graphics settings, I have set four to "medium" and four to "low", the graphics are simply the best I've ever seen, on any game at any time. The sky looks absolutely real, the water has noticeable depth and shimmer, and the foliage is lush and crisp. The character models are great -- muscles bulge, clothing wrinkles, and blood sprays in a most vivid fasion. This game alone makes me want to shell out a few thousand for a bleeding-edge system.
The game play is quite solid first-person shooter fare. There are no huge breakthroughs, though there are nice details like a stamina meter for running and holding your breath. The weapons selection is nice -- enough variety to keep you interested but not so broad that there is much overlap. The voice acting is a model of over-the-top action cheesiness, and the bad guys shout their lines with such enthusiastic machismo that you have to laugh. Fun stuff.
The only gripe I have at this point is weak online play. Much of this is no doubt to my location in Asia, which leads to some horrible ping. But it seems I am not alone in thinking the multiplayer needs a bit of tweaking. I guess there is a patch coming out in June that will hopefully resolve some of these issues.
Bottom line: Top-notch job on graphics and setting inject fresh life into the FPS genre. Well worth it, even if your system has to make compromises.

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FARCRY BY UBISOFT

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Jewel Quest Solitaire 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)When I first got this game I played for hours at a time for weeks on end. What a great concept and challenge. After several months I moved on to other games, but I always come back to this paticular one because it is one of those games that you can play over and over.

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The adventure continues! Play solitaire with a challenging twist! Join Emma as she travels into the depths of Africa to find her missing husband, Jewel Quest's hero, Rupert.Play impressive layouts of solitaire against rich, vibrant backgrounds. Play your cards wisely and earns jewels in the board to increase your score in jewel matching madness!Experience an all new solitaire card playing adventure in Jewel Quest Solitaire 2!

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Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Review

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(More customer reviews)Devil May Cry 3 was one of the best games of 2005.The only thing that kept some people away was the extreme difficulty of the game.Still, if you didn't wimp out, the game was fantastic.Now there's a special edition out, and it's one of the greatest gifts CAPCOM has ever given the Devil May Cry fans.

Since this review assumes you're all familiar with the universe of Devil May Cry 3, I suppose the only thing I really want to do here is tell you about what's new.Why should you buy this versin of Devil May Cry 3 over the original?

First things first, this game is easier than the original Devil May Cry 3.This is obvious by the new continue system that's been introduced.Before you had to get yellow orbs that were particularly expensive, and so they came on a limited basis.And then you'd run out of yellow orbs and have to play through a brutal level all over again.The new continue system pretty much ignores the yellow orbs and lets you continue from check points regardless of how many yellow orbs you have.If you have a gold orb, though, you can start right from where you died.If you did like the original yellow orb system you can still do that, but the average gamer will find the unlimited continues welcome.

The difficulty of the game, as noted above, is easier.If you didn't know, the original Devil May Cry 3 given to American gamers was much harder on the "normal" difficulty setting than in Japan.This is because "Normal" mode for America was actually the japanese "Hard" mode.It's fixed here, and it's fairly noticeable.There's also an easy mode to unlock (if you die a few times) and a "Very Hard" mode.Don't be fooled by "Very Hard" mode, though.It's virtually playing the original Devil May Cry 3.With those unlimited continues, however, I'm sure you'll note the game is still easier on these harder difficulty levels.

The best new feature is the ability to play as Vergil, Dante's evil brother.In the original Devil May Cry 3 you'll note he was lightning fast, and had a few devastating attacks.They're now all at your disposal!

You have to unlock Vergil, however.Either by completing the game as Dante once, or having a save file from the original Devil May Cry 3 on your memory card.

Playing through the story as Vergil is fun, but not nearly as exciting as Dante's.For one, all the cutscenes aren't included.Vergil gets his own introduction which makes you think he'll actually have a story.He doesn't.He just plays through Dante's levels (which was to be expected) but with no real purpose for doing it.At times it feels like it was a thrown in extra (a throwback to the unlockable character Sparda in the first Devil May Cry). So there's no continuity to his story.And it's really strange to be fighting Vergil while playing as Vergil.Why not fight Dante?It's fun to play as Vergil, but it would've been really cool if they'd given him his own story.We know CAPCOM can give each character their own scenarios (seen in Mega Man X4 and done especially well in Resident Evil 2).

There's a hidden boss... a jester, who is, compared to the other bosses, way too easy.Dante or Vergil can fight him, but you'll scratch your head wondering where the difficulty went against this thing.

The combat system of Devil May Cry 3 was gold.The fans knew it, and obviously CAPCOM knows it too, because there's a "Bloody Palace" unlockable which is just a fancy way of saying "Survival Mode."It's you pitted up against various foes.There are 9999 levels in this place, and you can choose to advance by either ten floors or one-hundred floors.It's time consuming and fun, although only hardcore fans will make it through the whole thing.You might run into one of the challenging bosses as well.As with Vergil Mode, you have to either complete the game first, or have save data from the original version.

There are some more extras.A turbo mode which allows you to speed up the gameplay (imagine juggling now?), a theater mode which allows you to view all the cutscenes in the game, there's an art gallery and there are costumes you can unlock for both characters.

Really, this is worth while.Some extras feel a little tacked on at times, but for the most part this isn't like getting some crappy "director's cut".It's like getting your favorite movie in a special edition DVD.It's packed full of extras!

The Good
+The graphics are still good
+The music is also still good
+The difficulty level has been fixed
+You can play as Vergil
+Survival Mode for those who love the combat system
+The combat system is just fantastic
+Art galleries, theater modes and other extras
+Turbo Mode is just fun to watch!
+New Boss

The Bad
-New Boss isn't all that exciting
-For hardcore Devil May Cry 3 gamers, the difficulty may feel like it's reduced too much
-It would've been really cool if Vergil had his own scenario

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Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition revamps the classic Devil May Cry 3, giving you more action and adventure for a lower price. In this prequel to the original Devil May Cry, you'll play as Dante -- and acrobatic, energetic half-demon with a powerful fighting style all his own. This Special Edition lets players become Dante's evil half-brother Vergil, and use his new Dark Fighter style. Also features a new boss character, turbo option, new continue system, adjusted difficulty levels (with a new "very hard" mode), and Survival and Movie modes.

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