darkelfkiller's GameSpot Friend's Reviews darkelfkiller's GameSpot Friend's Reviews darkelfkiller's GameSpot Friend's Reviews en-us Copyright (c)1995-2013 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. http://www.gamespot.com 20 Thu, 23 May 2013 20:50:58 -0700 GameSpot darkelfkiller's GameSpot Friend's Reviews http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/promos/misc/gs_logo.gif http://www.gamespot.com 135 40 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:41:24 -0800 MaChaorules reviewed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2/user-reviews/706320/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.0.

With all the hype surrounding this game and with the games release being the biggest of all time, you'd think it'd at the very least be better than its predecessor right? Well not really. Although the game may seem better than Call of Duty 4 with an addition of a more indepth multiplayer, a specs op game mode and a single player campaign that would probably be just as fun as the first. Modern Warfare 2 fails to deliver a sequel that surpasses Call of Duty 4 in quality and replay value.


The plot of MW2 takes place five years after the events of CoD4 where ultra nationalists have taken over Russia and have declared Imran Zakhaev, the antagonist of Call of Duty 4 a hero. In this game Russia is at war with the United States because the Russians believe the U.S. committed an act of terrorism by killing innocent civilians at an airport in Moscow. That isn't really the case though.


For the majority of this game you play as Gary "Roach" Sanderson, a sergeant who is a member of Task Force 141, an elite counter terrorism unit. Alternatively you also play as private James Ramirez of the army rangers. As Roach you are lead by Soap Mactavish, the main character from Call of duty 4 whos appearance you finally get to see in person. When playing as Ramirez you are lead by his squad leader Foley.


As an effort to try and be as spoiler free as possible, I won't go into details of the what happens in this game and leave you with the background information. One of the most noticeable things when playing the campaign if you've played Call of duty 4 or World at War is the much easier veteran difficulty. In Cod4, there would be an infinite amount of enemies who respawn until you passed a certain point of the game making it very frustrating at times to progress forward. In World at War, the enemies wouldn't respawn but there the enemies would throw a seemingly infinite amount of grenades at you. Modern Warfare 2 fixes both of these problems making the campaign much more enjoyable and less frustrating when playing on veteran. For people who've never played a Call of duty before, veteran may seem difficult for you but for those who have beaten an entire campaign on veteran in other older CoD games, the campaign will seem like walk in the park. The campaign features some action packed moments like being on a snowmobile or a boat and also a plot twist that many people probably didnt see coming but overall it was too short. Even in veteran it only takes perhaps 6-8 hours to complete depending on the player and the storys ending leaves much more to be desired, almost as if you reached a half way point in the game.


The new game mode introduced into modern warfare 2 is special ops. In this gametype you essentially go through various missions with objectives such as eliminating all the people in the mission or fighting your way to a certain point on the map. You are then awarded three stars if you complete the mission on veteran difficulty, 2 for hardened and one star for regular. Other missions such as racing require you to finish the race in a certain time in order to get three stars. Spec ops is most fun when done with a partner and is actually essential in some of the missions. The game mode is very fun when done with a friend but provides about 5-8 hours of game play when done on veteran. And five to eight hours isn't rushing through the mission either, it's methodically trying to finish the mission taking enemies out one by one and moving ahead only when its absolutely clear that no one will kill you from behind. There really isn't a point in replaying any of the spec ops missions though unless you want to be Infinity Ward's best time on the mission which seems to be done on the easiest difficulty judging from their times.


The core of this game like most shooters though is the multiplayer. Reading the features of this game makes this multiplayer seem absolutely great and a definite upgrade from Call of duty 4's with features like customizable killstreaks, new perks, some new guns, new game types, host migration, more attachments, and fixing some of the problems from the first game like the overpowered grenades. But the keyword here is SEEM, as much as the multiplayer appears to be promising it really fails to deliver.


The maps to begin with in this game are much different from Call of Duty 4's. Maps are much less flat in this game as there are many different roof tops and buildings you can reach and is designed so you're exposed in many different areas when navigating throughout each map. The maps are also much bigger than the ones in Call of Duty 4's. Well one of the problems with CoD4 was that the respawns weren't that great, well guess what> Modern Warfare 2 magnifies this problem even more. Both games use essentially the same respawn system in team games where you spawn a certain proximity from one of your teammates but these maps make it so that you're constantly being killed by these respawning players. How? Well the maps in MW2 are made so that it is much easier to play defensively and do well rather than flank and rush the enemy and kill them all. So it's very likely that if you flanked the enemy because you were being bored waiting for them to come to you, you could kill one person and somehow since you are near most of that persons teammates, he will respawn behind you, to your side or very near to you because that is where of his teammates are. The respawns aren't usually a problem if you kill a lone player but really is annoying when trying to take on groups of them. The spawn system is even worse in gametypes like free for all because if you watched half your killcams in the game, you'd find you probably got killed by the same guy you just killed a few seconds ago because he spawned in such a near vicinity as you.


Other than the maps that promote a more defensive approach to the game, there is also the killstreaks. With new additions such as AC-130 or chopper gunner which are both acquired at 11 killls, many people are more likely to not run and gun the other team because of an increased chance to die but instead sit back, get their killstreak and let those do the work for them.
Modern Warfare 2 also lessened the gap between those who are good and those are bad. The guns in Call of Duty 4 already had considerable low recoil compared to other games but in Modern Warfare 2, it's lessened even more. Most guns in the game seemingly possess no recoil whatsoever and even the noobiest of people can hold down the trigger from miles away and kill you, this already could be done in call of duty 4 but its even EASIER in this game. Assault rifles are the most obvious when it comes to guns with no recoil. As I said before the maps encourage more defensive playing, so SMGS which are primarily close quarters flanking guns are much less useful. Add that onto the fact that you actually have to burst fire for medium to long range kills, the average player would prefer to just use something like their ACR and hold the trigger down.


Online experience is also hampered by the number of glitchers in this game. Many glitches run rampant on this game but the most annoying as of right now is the infinite care package. It's extremely easy to do and essentially once you get a four kill streak, you can continue to test your luck until you get a powerful killstreak like pavelow or chopper gunner through infinite care packages. But first you have to get into a game in the first place. If playing by yourself it takes no time at all but the drawback in that is playing with very braindead teammates who seem to lack complete awareness at times or playing free for all where you succumb to the flaw of bad spawning. When playing with 3 or more friends though, you'll have to wait for a much longer time just waiting for everyone in your party to get into the game because usually theres one person kicked out or couldn't connect to the host.


Overall I give this game an 8.0. The campaign was too short and despite the fact that the multiplayer provided even more customization than before, the game play overall features an array of glitchers, bad maps and horrible spawning. It's still addictive to an extent but playing by yourself usually leaves you wanting to snap the disc in half either because the people on your team finish with games like 3 kills 14 deaths or simply because you were killed by a person who spawned 5 feet to your right. The game is still Call of Duty but compared to the Modern Warfare 1, this game doesn't deliver that addictive quality that Call of Duty 4 did. I've played Modern Warfare 2 for a considerable amount of time, I'm third prestige with around 7 days played so I'm about average when it comes to how fast my pace is in reaching tenth prestige. But unlike CoD4 , it's usually a rare occasion where I could say I had a fun day rather than a frustrating one playing Call of Duty. The only reason I still play this game? Because its more tolerable if you have 3 or more friends who know what they're doing to help you watch your back or tell you where the enemies are.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-2/user-reviews/706320/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 04 Feb 2007 18:22:40 -0800 Gizmo24 reviewed Burnout Revenge for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/burnout-revenge/user-reviews/420082/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 10.0!!!

Burnout Revenge on the Xbox 360 is so sweet and it's all about revenge.

Even though the game is sweet one the other consoles it's nothing compared to the 360.
The details that went in to the game is insane, everything from the tip of the grass
to the details of you vehicle and you're surroundings are unbelievable.

The sounds in this game is a chapter for it self, if you have a sorrundsystem in you're
home you better crank up the volume.

The rumbles from the engines going from 0 to 10,000 rpm's is insane.
Or when you going 100mph+ and wreck the car the sounds are amazing.

Take the game online and you got a hole new game that only the 360
version can. Find you're self a race and race it, if you are taken out then the revenge
system kicks in so you can hunt that sucker down, in the same race or later.
The game keeps a revenge list for you and lets you know when he is online and racing so
you can hunt him down and kick his butt.

I give it 10/10

Gizmo24

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"Gizmo24 reviewed Burnout Revenge for the Xbox 360..." was posted by Gizmo24 on Sun, 04 Feb 2007 18:22:40 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/burnout-revenge/user-reviews/420082/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 04 Feb 2007 18:16:38 -0800 Gizmo24 reviewed FIFA World Cup: Germany 2006 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/fifa-world-cup-germany-2006/user-reviews/420081/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.5.

The game gives you allot of things to do like qualifying to the World Cup
and of course participant in the World Cup. When you get tired of that you can go and do some challenges like you only have 10 minutes of game play left and you need to score 2 goals to win the game.

You can of course play with you're friends offline or with a complete stranger online.

On the field 2006 FIFA World Cup is just as good as Road to World Cup but the game is still not wherry realistic and the players and the ball
still have a bad habit of staying looked to each other, but it is still
a fun game to play.

You're opponents are fairly hard to play against and that just makes ever
goal more sweeter!

The game still have some way to go before it's perfect.
For some dumb reason EA have made some long and boring sequences when you are
going to make a player change that you not can get out of witch is frustrating
as hell when you are busy whit winning the game.

The referee is a complete idiot, you are almost doomed to a yellow card any
tackling you make.

The graphics have improved allot since Road to World Cup game, the players
don't look like plastic figures any more but more like real people,
not perfect though but much better.

I give it 7,5/10

Gizmo24

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"Gizmo24 reviewed FIFA World Cup: Germany 2006 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by Gizmo24 on Sun, 04 Feb 2007 18:16:38 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fifa-world-cup-germany-2006/user-reviews/420081/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 19 Nov 2006 09:01:28 -0800 MaChaorules reviewed Gears of War for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/gears-of-war/user-reviews/387071/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.4!

Gameplay- Gears of war gameplay is pretty simple , you just cover , shoot take cover again heal and shoot again, something like that. Though this game does have some strategy into it such as flanking your opponent. Though there aren't enough weapons in this game, Epic could've made so much more weapons than the few they have now. The lancer is obviously a first since I've never seen a chainsaw gun in my life yet. Though there are some faults to the gameplay , i find myself sometimes getting into cover when i dont want to and sometimes they just won't cover at all. For example if I try to run by holding A sometimes i might just go cover on a side of a wall and die because thats the enemies side. Though the blood that splurts out when you use the chainsaw is very realistic. Though the difficulties aren't that hard and insane just isn't as hard as you may expect it to be.

Graphics-The graphics are just spectacular in this game. There is absolutely no difference from Cinematics and gameplay graphics. The armor on the Cogs and Locusts are also very detailed as well. The surroundings are just amazing like the ground, trees, buildings and each person is detailed very carefully.

Sound- The lancer attacking sounds very realistic , it has that pop to it when you shoot. The lightning that happens during one of the acts as well as the rain feels like it's actually happening. The classical music they put into this game seems to be a great fit for it when you're playing the single player campaign. Voices are also done pretty well as they're not at all cheesy.

Value- If you're a perfectionist then this game has plenty of replay value in collecting cog tags and beating the campaign different times in insane and as Dom. The multiplayer is always fun as well though there are only three different gametypes and execution and warzone are pretty much the same thing other than you dont die instantaneously in execution.

Tilt- The story is very well brought out into this game but some more into the campaign wouldn't hurt you know.

Other: Well the multiplayer system isn't the best. You can't get stats for when someone leaves the game and it has to be a 4v4 match up which really stinks.

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"MaChaorules reviewed Gears of War for the Xbox 360..." was posted by MaChaorules on Sun, 19 Nov 2006 09:01:28 -0800
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/gears-of-war/user-reviews/387071/platform/xbox360/ Fri, 22 Sep 2006 22:10:39 -0700 MaChaorules reviewed Samurai Warriors 2 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/samurai-warriors-2/user-reviews/365725/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.3.

Gameplay-gameplay is skill basically the same, hack'n slash, but the missions really give you something to do then just kill in this game. if you dont sucessfully complete certain missions they'll have a big hit on your morale and have your leader surrounded by men and might die. There also is the skill system which is pretty good since its a decent replacement for items in this game. The weapon system is horrible though because you cannot pick your own stats like you can in DW5E which was much better than having it randomly generated. The three musou bars dont really make a difference since most of the time you won't find yourself only at level 1. AI is better in this game but still pathetic, but you may find yourself sometimes in a bad situation facing multiple opponents.

Graphics-horrible for a 360 game,it seems to be an upgrade from DW5E i guess but nothing much to say here except an almost below average looking game.

Sound-Voice acting is horrible in this, Voices dont portray anything of war or the characters true personality . Such as Keijis whos voice sounds like a boy who surfs who hasn't reached puberty yet, or maybe Ranmarus whos voice sounds more like a girls than Ginchiyos does,and the dumb thing is, Ranmaru is a guy. The other sound is average in this game but certainly are a upgrade from previous ones.

Value- you can find high replay value in this game if you just simply always play hard mode. There is also survival mode which may prove to be a challenge to you as you try and reach the top. Sugoroku mode the weird yet intrigueing monopoly style game. And you'll find yourself playing this forawhile if you decide to beat everyones story modes and get their 4th level weapons.

Tilt-story is basic its about the sengoku era, but the lack of story mode for Ranmaru Mori and Okuni really is bad because it pratically makes them useless to put in the game.

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"MaChaorules reviewed Samurai Warriors 2 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by MaChaorules on Fri, 22 Sep 2006 22:10:39 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/samurai-warriors-2/user-reviews/365725/platform/xbox360/ Sat, 16 Sep 2006 20:27:08 -0700 hydrolite reviewed FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/fifa-06-road-to-fifa-world-cup/user-reviews/363901/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 6.3.

FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup allows one of the most glorious events in all of the sports world pass by without a proper tribute. Everything about this game screams of an unfinished and rushed product that should have been much better. The game has many graphical blemishes, linear gameplay, and is an overall inferior game to the previous installments of this noteable soccer franchise. As the title suggests FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup allows you to take your favorite international team through the many qualifying tournaments that allow your club to participate in the World Cup. At first glance you may see a deep and absorbing mode but upon further inspection is just a paper thin excuse to play a sequence of matches that really don't have the passion that an event like this should. Another major problem with this mode is the fact that you cannot actually play a single World Cup game.

The gameplay is enjoyable but is pretty linear. Passing and shooting is extremly touchy and is hard to control, even the slightest nudge will send the ball flying away from the intended destination. This is more prevelant in the passing aspect of the game as most of the time the ball will go to the person that you didn't intend to pass it to. Sometimes this can be helpful as it can set up an attack you never saw but more times than not it will kill the attack instead. The tactics system, which is one of the focal points of the game, is not as big of a part of the game as it should be. The AI usually dosen't do anything to with the selected strategy. On the defensive side of the ball you will find that the opponet AI does little to counter your tactics which is vital in making a realistic soccer game.

The graphics in this game are just ugly. The player models aren't very true to the real life players and has many blemishes such as hair that phases through the scalp. The most notable blemish is the ghost affect on the zoomed in versions of the ball and players. This makes a translucent shadow that looks as though you have double vision. Everything is rather ugly except for the nice player annimations. The tackles and dives look exceptionaly well and realistic.

The stadiums lack the punch that a true soccer crowd has. Very rarely will they get fired up and when it happens it is gone almost in the same breath. The commentators while insighful will get old quickly. The play by play is done well but you will hear many of the same praises of star players repeated countless times very quickly.

While FIFA 06: Road to the World Cup doesn't give us all that we had hoped for it still does enough to warrant a quick play or two. Only the FIFA faithful might find reason to buy this but the other percentage of soccer fans could make due with FIFA World Cup which is an overall more polished product. This game will however tide us over until the next Winning Elevon and FIFA 07 which will hopefully carry the FIFA's tradition of excellent better than this edition did.

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"hydrolite reviewed FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Sat, 16 Sep 2006 20:27:08 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fifa-06-road-to-fifa-world-cup/user-reviews/363901/platform/xbox360/ Fri, 18 Aug 2006 14:44:51 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Prey for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/prey/user-reviews/353583/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.6.

Prey does an excellent job of offering up new concepts and ideas to the FPF genre while giving it an air of familiarity so that most genre junkies can feel right at home. While these new concepts are very welcomed Prey didn't tap into all of the potential this title could have had. Even with that the game stands out as a fun but easy title that should be experienced by all gamers.

In Prey you will play as Tommy, a Cherokee Indian that has turned his back on his Cherokee heritage and wishes to leave the reservation with his girlfriend Jen. In the opening scene you will find Tommy in Jen's roadhouse trying to convince her to leave. As you make your way to the bar one of the games strongest side characters, Grandfather, warns you that a change is on the horizon and that he must accept his heritage in order to survive. While Tommy is trying to convince Jen to run away with him the invasion begins. Tommy along with Jen and Grandfather are abducted into the spaceship and the saga begins as Tommy fights to save them and get back to earth. From here your exploration of The Sphere begins. The plot will thicken and be filled with twists and turns as you fight to save the world. The story is told very well and will wrap you up very quickly if you allow it to.

While the gameplay is as innovative as a title has seen in recent memory it still dosen't tap into all of the titles potential. Majority of the inovations come to you via gravity and portals. The portals are at their core simply a door way but at sometimes can add some perplexity to the game. Controlling gravity is probably the strongest feature of Prey and can add for some enjoyable and disorienting fun. This plays a major role in the many in game puzzels that you must solve in order to move through the game. The puzzels will range from the straight forward to challenging and will show off many of Prey's key features. The spirit walk is an interesting idea as it allows Tommy's spirit to leave his body and take out enemies with a powerful bow and arrow attack. While the combat portion of this ability is slightly unhandy to use and not a major part of battle it will mainly be used to go where Tommy cannor and also be used to solve Prey's many puzzels. The enemy AI leaves something to be desired as it gives absolutely no challenge. The enemies will come at you in numbers but are all extremly weak. Strategy is pretty much thrown out the with the new death mini game that allows you to return to life after death. In this mini game you will find your self on a rocky plateau as you attempt to shoot down red and blue wraiths in order to recharge your spirit and body health upon reentry in to the world of the living. While this may make for an interesting idea it makes the game way to straight forward for its own good.

The graphics are done exstremly well and gives a glimpse at what is possible on the Xbox 360. The human characters are ordinary at best but gets most of it's mileage out of it's downright gorgeous levels and aliens. At many moments you will find yourself peering out over the scenic but ever threatening Sphere. The framerate goes along without a hitch and makes gameplay much easier and more enjoyable.

The weapon sound effects are weak and don't give any feeling of power behind your weapon of choice. Many of the effects are rather linear and uninteresting but the inner sanctum of the spaceship can offer some very interesting and sometimes semi spooky sound effects. The voice overs do a fine job and are very convincing. Only during times of high emotion does the voice acting falter in the least. I thought the game was very liberal with the language and at times sounds more forced than natural. The most interesting bit of sound takes place in the Jen's roadhouse as the juke box is full of real life classic rock hits such as Judas Priest's "You got another thing comin'" and many other hits that you can click your way through.

While the games may lack difficulty this allows for the game to be a nice two day adventure that you will thoroughly enjoy. Prey didn't capitalize on all of it's potential but offers enough new features to the table to entertain and captivate you until the last level. While there may be a few better shooters out for the Xbox 360 fan's of the genre could do themselves a favor by giving Prey a try and the games interesting new ideas and fresh feel should be enough to keep you entertained.

Get the full article at GameSpot

"hydrolite reviewed Prey for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Fri, 18 Aug 2006 14:44:51 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/prey/user-reviews/353583/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 10 Aug 2006 11:26:02 -0700 tomsten reviewed The Godfather for the PlayStation 2... http://www.gamespot.com/the-godfather/user-reviews/350070/platform/ps2/ ...and gave it a 8.4.

Well i have had this game a long time now but i didnt really play it much and since my 360 broke i decided to come back to it well i am kinda happy that i did its a good game but not its not perfect, for one its far to short if i just did the main missions and didnt mess about so much i could of completed this game in less the 6 hours.also its not just short its easy, far too easy. but lets shut up about its bad points and go to its good points. so ok the graphics are good not the best ever seen but they are good ,if you ever play this game look at how real they made the godfather looks it is some times like watching the movies again. what else oh yes, if you were a fan of the godfather movies and you got to play this it really captures the heart of the films. ok gameplay, by far one of the best thing about this game it seem to have the total punch control that you have seen in such games as fight night were you use the right analog stick to punch which i think was a good idea for this game. but its not just about hand to hand fighting believe me this game has alot of shooting and some nice ways to scare people.now sound the sound is ok but the noises get really annoying when your in the car and to guns dont sound like what you would think they sounded like. i must say this it has some of the best acting ever seen in a game if you a fan of the godfather films you will see what i mean. and finally the story yes do i have to say anything....... ok i will the godfather was one of the best storys ever made and its in a game there is no need for anything else.

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"tomsten reviewed The Godfather for the PlayStation 2..." was posted by tomsten on Thu, 10 Aug 2006 11:26:02 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/the-godfather/user-reviews/350070/platform/ps2/ Mon, 07 Aug 2006 10:11:27 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/street-fighter-ii-hyper-fighting/user-reviews/348566/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 6.3.

It is safe to say that Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting was the single most anticipated arcade to hit the marketplace thus far. After several delays this anticipation only doubled as gamers were looking for one of the greatest games of all time to get new life in a new generation. Now many gamers are asking themselves if it deserved to live. While it may feature familiar characters and locations it didn't quite pull through in porting the game that we all know and love.

The single biggest let down and most important element in the game was the gameplay. While many of the characters attacks look and feel right it is countered by horrible difficulty. For some this may be more incentive to play but for majority of people it will be incentive to stop.

The game controls farely well but can be difficult in tight situations. The combos are a lot harder than they should be to pull off on the fly. This is even more amplified when you are fighting in single player against an opponet who seems not to have to do any kind of charging or button combos in order to pull off devastating moves.

One of the most anticipated feature to Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting was taking the fight to Xbox Live. While it is extremly enjoyable it suffers from a few connection and lagging issues. Sometimes it can be difficult stay in a game for an extended amount of time without either getting kicked out or lagging beyond belief. Other than that the online is extremly enjoyable and is Street Fighter II' Hyper Fightings shining moments.

The characters look better than they ever have before. They look like they have more depth than the arcade version ever had. Capcom did a great job of preserving the unique enviroments and battle annimation that the older Street Fighters had.

While Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting didn't deliver on very many fronts but still made for an enjoyable port. The new online feature is a very welcomed update and is still good even with a few minor problems. Street Fighter series fans will have very many good hours of gameplay from this game but is also enjoyable for people new to this classic franchise.

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"hydrolite reviewed Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Mon, 07 Aug 2006 10:11:27 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/street-fighter-ii-hyper-fighting/user-reviews/348566/platform/xbox360/ Sat, 05 Aug 2006 12:13:27 -0700 hydrolite reviewed NCAA Football 07 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/ncaa-football-07/user-reviews/347770/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.7.

I don't know what it is about college football that sends chills down my spine. There is such a charisma around the bands and school pride that any other sport cannot touch. I am I die-hard fan of college football along with EA's long running series. When I heard that it was making it's debut on the Xbox 360 I was already getting my body paint on and cranking up my college fight song. In comparison to the other consoles it only made a high school sized debut but with all the great gameplay you've come to exspect from this series.

EA's college football series has become noted for it's great gameplay and it holds true in this game. You can exspect to have the same hard hitting action as before, but thats the problem, it's the same. I don't know whether this falls under the "not broke don't fix it " category or rather it needs to be updated. The passing controls are usually rather inaccurate if you wish to be really precise with the delivery, which can make it very hard to throw the fade route over a shallow defender. Blocking which is one of the biggest chinks in the armor of this game has not been helped at all. Sometimes you will get the blocks and sometimes you won't. This puts a lot of pressure on your running abilities as a lot of times you will be somewhat on your on. However the defensive side of the ball is perfect and really needs no fix up what so ever. The biggest deturent in this game is the horribly small amount of content in comparison to the other consoles. Notoriously absent is the excellent Race for the Heismen mode featured in previous installments and in the others console's versions. Instead it has been replaced by a rather shallow dynasty mode. This mode allows you to build your favorite school into a dynasty of sorts but only revolves around recruiting and playing. Other than that it is a lot of meaningless and shallow tasks that can easily be skipped over.

The graphics show only slightly better on the Xbox 360 console. Majority of the time the game is zoomed out and you cannot see the graphics upgrade but when the game is zoomed in you will see a slight difference. The player animations are top knotch and easily believable, even though there are a few odd occurances it is easily forgivable. Thenew momentum system is a good idea but will need some fine tuning before it is ready for next year. The affects of momentum is not as noticable as it should be and really dosen't have any affect on gameplay.The crowd has gotten a much needed update and will show school traditions, most notably Florida's gator bite and Florida States Tomahawk. This adds a little bit more believability but is held back by some sound related issues.

While the on the field sounds are as strong as ever there are many presentation related sound issues that really hold back the true college exsperience. The fight songs are so quiet and unnoticable that I'm not even sure why they are in the game. You almost have to turn everything else down to zero to even hear a faint note of a fight song in game. The crowd is as loud as ever and sound very realistic to a real life stadium. They react accordingly to a stupid idea like going for a 4th and long and for the big momentum turning play. As stated previously the on the field sounds are done very well and offer very crisp tackling and other game related sound effects.

While it may curb your appetite for college football until next year it is only a half way decent attempt at bringing this franchise even further than it has already come. While the series has nailed the realistic gameplay it only half way captures the spirit of college football. Also we are exspected to pay twenty dollars more for less of a game is just unacceptable. This game is great if you are going solely next gen but you would be much better off getting this game for the current gen console of your choice.

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"hydrolite reviewed NCAA Football 07 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Sat, 05 Aug 2006 12:13:27 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/ncaa-football-07/user-reviews/347770/platform/xbox360/ Thu, 03 Aug 2006 13:44:47 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Galaga for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/galaga/user-reviews/346892/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 7.4.

Needless to say Galaga is a pure classic. It revolutionized the gaming industry and showed what was possible with videogames. It left its mark on the industry and paved the way for future titles. It is only proper that such a game is given new life on next gen consoles. Namco did a great job porting this classic making for an extremly accurate game of Galaga.

The gameplay stays in line with its past and plays just like you remember it. Even with that I still believe there is room for improvement. An occuring theme with majority of the classic game now out on the marketplace is to give a classic port but also give players the option to play an update version with a new fresh feel. Instead Galaga only offers the classic mode that has been played for over 20 years and does nothing to take advantage of the Xbox 360's new capabilities. Can you imagine how online co-op could breathe life into this game. Even just putting some new twist on the gameplay would be greatly appreciated.

Graphics are still the old school bits that we've come to love. The ship and aliens have not been modified and look as good as ever. However like with gameplay I wish that a new updated version could have been used in this situation. I was really hoping that this game would come with upgraded graphics just like many of the other games on the marketplace. Also I believe there was a major design flow with the friend alerts and similar things. When this happens it obstructs the view of your ship often leading to certain death. The presentation was done extremly well and really gets you into the game. Also the menus are extremly easy to navigate.

The sounds of Galaga have mostly stayed intact and bring back a lot of memories. The sounds are crisp and clear and sound better than ever. This is one feature that shouldn't have been touched and wasn't.

Galaga has done what it was suppose to do which was to bring back the memories of the old days of gaming. It does well at presenting an acceptable and intact port of this arcade classic that does well at presenting what it is which is just a good, old fashioned game of Galaga. This game is a must buy for all arcade fans that want one more go at this classic game.

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"hydrolite reviewed Galaga for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Thu, 03 Aug 2006 13:44:47 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/galaga/user-reviews/346892/platform/xbox360/ Sun, 23 Jul 2006 14:49:04 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Chromehounds for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/chromehounds/user-reviews/342159/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.3.

Chromehounds breathes the first mechanized breath into next gen consoles with a modest attempt at the genre. While the game was optimized for online play it seems as though that might have compromised other aspects of the project.

The games twist on the genre is the fact that it is squad based but the solo aspect only makes a half baked attempt at this. Although you are usually given a squad it is usually more efficent to work alone,over time you will find that your squadmates are just inferior to your skill. Also you can only give commands when you are playing as a Commander RT which is kind of misrepresented in all of the advertisement. Even when you have this capability it is still difficult to give precise commands, majority of the time you will find yourself simply giving coordinates and having units capture combases, which are the communication hub of the game. Combases is a nice addition and i think that it is a good move from mech action games to mech simulations. This is the main deterent for majority of the players. This is not a run and gun mech game. Instead you will be much more successful analyzing the situation and playing accordingly. Each RT has its own distinct pros and cons. You will definently see this when you take the battle to Xbox Live.

The games squad based gameplay finally comes to life when you take place in the Neroimus War online. This ever changing, living campaign will wrap you up very fast. You will find yourself deploying to several regions with your squad to help your country gain supremecy over the whole map. When you work with a squad you must utilize each RT and deploy them affectivly. A squad full of one RT will not last long. This will plunge you into the garage, the pride and joy of this game. The sky is the limit with the amount of weapons and parts that allow you to custom make your Hound into the killing machine you always dreamed of. This allows the player to get infinite replayability with the online aspect.

The parts are very well detailed but the battlefields and landscapes don't look that great. The textures are bland and just boring and every map is pretty much the same with different weather. The entire game it will seem like you are walking through a desolute wasteland that just isn't fun to look at. If this game was ported to the Xbox it would look the exact same. The destruction of buildings and other object could've been a bit more realistic for my tastes. If a building is hit from the side only that side should blow away instead of the entire building collapsing. The mech explosions and weapon impact is well done and looks very realistic.

The sound is well done and has great effects for every faccet the hound. The weapons have sharp, crisp sounds that puts a nice oomph into the guns. Along with that the impact and whizzing of bullets sounds very well. The music fits the game and situations well but gets old after awile.

The menus are an absolute horror show lacking even some of the very basic options. They are very drawn out and difficult to get around. This is more prevelant in online matches do to the fact that you cannot exit from a match. In many areas it could've been streamlined and made much better. This a definent slap on the wrist for this game. The Hound building portion was well put together with many options and easy to use. The hound stats are extremly intricate and allows you to see each Hound's needs and how it could be made better.

Chromehounds is a very diverse title for the Xbox 360's catalogue of games and makes an earnest, but not well put together, attempt at reinventing the genre. For this I believe it deserve praise but a little coaching along the way. Now it stands alone in this genre but I am looking forward to seeing how it will influence the making of future mech games.

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"hydrolite reviewed Chromehounds for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Sun, 23 Jul 2006 14:49:04 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/chromehounds/user-reviews/342159/platform/xbox360/ Sat, 22 Jul 2006 13:45:20 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/rockstar-games-presents-table-tennis/user-reviews/341685/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.2!

Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis is a hallmark game in the history of videogames. It shows that a game doesn't have to have a lot of flash or over the top violence to be successful. Rockstar focused on the pure gameplay and it shows. Along with this Rockstar made simplistic menus and presentation that really compliment the game.

Rockstar was able to capture the intensity of the real sport and makes it simplistic enough for new players to pick up and enough depth for the most experienced among us. The gameplay comes at you fast and furious and is very enjoyable. The ball comes at you so fast you have to be able to think fast or you will lose a lot. The streamlined controls allow for the player to easily control the action and do it easily. This will be the benchmark in controls for future tennis games.

The sounds are always very crisp and extremly well done. The crowd reacts realisticly to the action and feels as though they are truly into the game. The paddle and ball sounds are extremly realistic and sounds perfect. The only demerit in this category is the voice overs. There is just something out of place about them. However when characters speak it is very brief and really isn't a dialogue just sighs and cheers.

The presentation is in my opinion flawless. It is not over the top or anything. It just presents the game for what it is and focuses on the gameplay. The stadium lighting and the general locations look great but are familar. The menus are extremly accessible.

The player models are absolutely beautiful. Everything is beautifully detailed and just pretty. The player animations are extremly fluent never get "clunky". The ball physics are realistic and extremely believable. Overall this game gets an A+ in the graphics department.

Rockstar Games presents Tabble Tennis is an excellent game and another feather in the hat of Rockstar Games. It shows that Rockstar can have hits other than the GTA series and asserts them to the top of gaming world. Heres hoping that Rockstar will give us another installment of this great game.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/rockstar-games-presents-table-tennis/user-reviews/341685/platform/xbox360/ Sat, 24 Jun 2006 13:31:01 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Amped 3 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/amped-3/user-reviews/329679/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.8.

Amped 3 is probably one of the most stylish games in a long time. It adds a brand new cut and paste style that I've never seen before. 2k Sports took a huge risk with venturing into that territory but overall turned out great.

Career mode is one of the craziest things ever seen in a video game. You imbark on a journey with the likes of J-Dawg, Hunter, Sebastion, and last but not least Weiner Boy! Each character has a very likeable personality that will have you laughing til the end. The games frequent cut scenes are hit and miss humor but when it hits get ready for a good belly laugh. In these cut scenes you will see all types of film from cartoon, anime, the trademark cut and paste, and even some claymation not seen since the days of Gumby. The story line is so original and adds a lot of value to the gameplay. The game is not a burden to play through and is something I would easily do again.

This game is extremely short but enjoyable. It is unlike anything else in the series and is in my opinion the best in the series. I can't wait to see how 2K Sports Improves on this great series.

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"hydrolite reviewed Amped 3 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Sat, 24 Jun 2006 13:31:01 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/amped-3/user-reviews/329679/platform/xbox360/ Sat, 24 Jun 2006 13:19:38 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/tiger-woods-pga-tour-06/user-reviews/329673/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.3.

When you play this game do not exspect a walk in the park. In fact don't exspect anything. Sometimes your shots that looked destined for the fairway will hit a hazard you never saw coming. Once you reach the green don't exspect an easy trip to the bottom of the cup. There are some greens that are so slanted that you don't know the ball managed to stop in the first place. Overall though this diffiultie will keep you back for more. The shot stick responds fairly well to your actions and usually you know right away if your going off course or not. Gameplay is enjoyable but flawed in some instances. Sometimes when you move your aiming reticle it will still act as though it was aimed where it first was. So that beautiful shot you spent precious minutes lining up might go squirly.

The character creation process is one of the most thorough ones ever found in game. There are seemingly endless ways to make your character as ugly or good as you like. As you travel through career mode you will find even more ways to make your charactor your own.

Career mode thrusts you into a dream of a situation. Your on the 18th hole of Pebble Beach and you have a partner. He's just your everyday golfer named Tiger Woods. He's there to bail you out of the rough, sand, or whatever else you will find in that course. This starts you on your journey to becoming a professional golfer. The career mode is full of entertain and different events to really bring some variety to the gameplay. Sometimes the profession opponets are anything but professional. Somedays they will play great and somedays they can't make a two foot putt. Many times however you will find that the goals and competitions are just way too demanding. They seem to be able to just one up you all the time, planting that seed that if you wouldn't have errored that last hole you would've won.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 is a worthwhile venture into next gen consoles. With the very challenging play it may not be for the less patient among us. If you can withstand this torture you will find a good time in this game.

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"hydrolite reviewed Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Sat, 24 Jun 2006 13:19:38 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tiger-woods-pga-tour-06/user-reviews/329673/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 29 May 2006 19:13:00 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Fight Night Round 3 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/fight-night-round-3/user-reviews/318485/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.6!

The Fight Night series is probably regarded as one of the best sports series around. This franchise could be expanded even farther with the introduction of the series to next gen systems. I have to say it is probably the best round the series has had in its career.
The first thing you will notice when you step into the ring is the great gameplay that the series is known for is back and even better. The eddition of the two new punches that can instantly alter the fight give it that ' one punch can change the fight ' mantallity that boxing has to this game. Also the effects of cuts and swelling are amplified to give a bit of strategy to the game.
The graphics are simply incredible. Player models look like they have been taken straight out of a movie and put into the game. The only problem is that there are clipping problems whenever a fighter goes down. This makes it look like they have partially gone through the ring. The same thing happens when a boxer is hit by a punch. This is easily forgivable by having one look at the player models.
The games career mode is a great as ever. Now you are able to chose your fighters style which allows you to fight the fight you want. This adds a lot of replayability seeing how one time you can go in a power fighter and your next career a speed fighter. The career mode is deep and engaging with rivals and various events and training regiments.
Fight Night Round 3 was flat out snubbed by gamespot. It is simply one of the best games for the Xbox 360. It shouldn't be missed by fight fans or 360 owners.

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"hydrolite reviewed Fight Night Round 3 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Mon, 29 May 2006 19:13:00 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/fight-night-round-3/user-reviews/318485/platform/xbox360/ Mon, 22 May 2006 17:10:20 -0700 hydrolite reviewed NBA 2K6 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/nba-2k6/user-reviews/315367/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.9.

NBA 2k6 boasts an excellent and worthwhile venture into next gen consoles with a solid basketball game. The game boasts excellent player models. Although it offers great next gen graphics it looks out of place against the crowd. Even with that it still looks great.
As you play through the game you will be sucked in by the realistic presentation of this game. The crowd reacts accordingly as you make a harsh rejection, slam it home, or hit the game winning three. Also the announcers, while not perfect, are believieble and follow the action very well. The only thing it misses is the pre game presentation. They have a very good opening comments by the announcers but they miss that pregame excitement by the player announcements. The game could've showed the players being announced while lights and smoke are all around them, as a star gets announced the crowd goes ballistic. This would've made this a spotless performance.
Gameplay is still top notch. It offers a very realistic simulation of the pace and gameplay of a real NBA game. The addition of the rip stick is an excellent addition. The only problem is the fact that the ISO motion stick has been replaced by a virtually useless shot stick. Instead ISO motion is used with the use of the turbo and left thumbstick. It is very difficult to pull off the right move when you want.
NBA 2k6 boasts a strong showing in the content department. Association mode has just gotten deeper and more in depth than ever. Also the 24/7 mode makes a strong return with even better gameplay and more fun. The crib also has very many unlockable items with even more already unlocked for you.
If you already own 2k6 for xbox it probably isn't worth the extra money but if not it makes a great addition to your Xbox 360 collection. Also with this game I believe it cements 2K sports ahead of the rest of the competiters in the sports crowd. This is a great rental but an even better buy if you can ante up the money for it.

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"hydrolite reviewed NBA 2K6 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Mon, 22 May 2006 17:10:20 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/nba-2k6/user-reviews/315367/platform/xbox360/ Wed, 03 May 2006 15:42:13 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Top Spin 2 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/top-spin-2/user-reviews/307940/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 8.7.

Good: Career mode is super deep and very enjoyable to go through. It offers more than just a regular tennis game. You get to do unique training drills, which are a blast, and doubles tournaments. The controls are pretty responsive and works well. It is just a very solid game.

Bad: The online for this game is hard to just pick up and play because you must use your created charactor instead of picking somebody like Andy Roddik or something. This forces you to play through career mode and max out your charactor before you take it online. Otherwise you will killed everymatch. The Player models are absolutely horrible. There are only a few players who look like there real life couterpart. The graphics are just so so.

In summary this game focuses on its gameplay which is its strong point. The bad points are really just cast in the shadow as you play this game. I think this is a great game that at least deserves a rent.

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"hydrolite reviewed Top Spin 2 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Wed, 03 May 2006 15:42:13 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/top-spin-2/user-reviews/307940/platform/xbox360/ Wed, 12 Apr 2006 20:21:47 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter/user-reviews/297307/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.6!

One look at GRAW and any gamer with half a brain will know that this is a revolutionary game. This game sets the bar for tactical shooters and multiplayer shooters. With every game though there is always both bad and good things. As in all of my reviews i will list these so that people who will read this review will get a fair and balanced review.



good: The gameplay is simply fantastic. It truely blurs the line between reality and the digital world. You can't follow the generic FPS formula for victory of run into the heat of battle and lay waste to your opponets. Instead of doing this you must be observant and use your ghosts wisely. The graphics are the best to be seen yet in the 360 to date. The story line is actually pretty engageing also. I almost forgot to mention that the multiplayer is some of the best action you will get online.


bad: The Ghosts can be downright stupid sometimes. You tell them to take cover on a wall and they will walk into the middle of combat. When will you be able to tackle actual campaigns with 4 real people. The co-op seems kinda cheesy with some of the objective that are simply incorporate capture the flag, deathmatch, and territory gametypes. Also it is annoying that when you look for a match sometimes you have to wait 15 min. for a match cause you can't join in progress.

Overall this is one of the best games ever made. I don't think i am over rating this game and if you play it you will find that it is worthy of this rating. You simply must own this game.

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]]> http://www.gamespot.com/tom-clancys-ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter/user-reviews/297307/platform/xbox360/ Wed, 12 Apr 2006 19:38:32 -0700 hydrolite reviewed Call of Duty 2 for the Xbox 360... http://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-2/user-reviews/297292/platform/xbox360/ ...and gave it a 9.4!

Call of Duty 2 will always bring about good feelings with me because it was the first shooter I ever owned and played on the Xbox 360. It will not stay in mind only for this but for the great gaming experience it has given me. You have moments of very intense warfare and even a few laughs as you listen to some of your fellow combatants. As i do in all of my reviews i will list both the good and the bad things.


Good: As I have stated periously the core of this game is centered around the intense action of warfare. Many times you will find yourself outgunned and outmanned and the bullets will start to fly. At first you may shake in your boots but as the game goes on you will become a true war veteran and will begin to get more comfortable in the line of fire. There are really two major upgrades from the last game. First one you will probably notice is the new health system. You will not see any health bars or any med kits. Instead of using med kits like in the last game you will have to get cover and your health will recoup. The other big advancement is the fact that your squadmates play a more central role in combat. They actually seem like they fight this time! Many times you will find that a squadmate will take out that german you have been having your sites on. Sometimes it gets annoying in a good way. Also the level design is very good.


Bad: The worst thing is probably the fact that the much needed patch came out about 5 months to late. It was so flusterating to get into a match and then it lags up so umbearably bad that you just have to stop playing. For me its either stop playing or send my controller through the TV screen lol. Really that is the only thing i don't like about this game.


Soon this game will be enducted into the Xbox 360's platinum collection (if such a program will be enacted) and it is has exceded the requirements for such an honor. This game has a lot of centimental value to me and it will probably never be traded in. This game should be in every WWII and FPS fans collection. Heres hoping CoD3 will be even better!

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"hydrolite reviewed Call of Duty 2 for the Xbox 360..." was posted by hydrolite on Wed, 12 Apr 2006 19:38:32 -0700
]]> http://www.gamespot.com/call-of-duty-2/user-reviews/297292/platform/xbox360/