Ultima Online: Samurai Empire Expansion Pack Review

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(More customer reviews)The sixth expansion pack for the 7 year old Ultima Online series is at hand. What does this mean for the many citizens of shattered Sosaria? In a word: More.
More culture. Some people have criticized the addition of an Asian themed facet claiming it doesn't fit with the primarily medieval feel of the game. I disagree. Each facet *should* have its own identity and Tokuno certainly achieves uniqueness.
More exploration. The Tokuno Islands offer a wide range of terrain from grasslands to deserts to frozen wastelands to active volcanoes. Some areas are fairly barren (no doubt intended for new housing developments), while others are rich with detail and variety.
More character customization. The addition of the Ninjitsu and Bushido skills allow players greater variety in play style. Aspiring Ninjas and Samurai will have access to many new abilities.
More creatures. The new enemies found in Tokuno are primarily based upon Asian mythology. Most are designed to be challenging even for experienced players - even powerful well equipped characters will have a hard time fighting toe to toe with some of these new creatures.
More items. A wide array of new clothing styles, weapons, armor, collectibles, etc. The ability to dual-wield certain weapons is a particularly welcome addition.
More housing. In addition to the added housing areas in Tokuno, players will have access to new tiles and add-ons when customizing their homes.
More other stuff... Various other game mechanics (such as the guild system) have also been improved. Even the much neglected virtue system has received some attention.So yes Samurai Empire is very much about making UO more than it was. But are any of the new additions truly earth shattering? Not particularly. If you are happy with UO as it is now you will no doubt be very happy with SE. If you are looking for vast changes to UO however, you won't find them here. As far as UO expansion packs go SE lives up to expectations. No more, no less.
In spite of all the additions and improvements however UO still fails to achieve one important thing: purpose. This is a failing with the vast majority of MMOGs however and not limited to UO. You are given massive worlds to explore, thousands of players to interact with, and a wide variety of options... But no purpose. Nothing you do in the game has a lasting effect, there is no epic storyline that progresses in any significant way, the virtual world and people of Sosaria remain unchanged regardless of your actions. Instead of actively challenging you, the game merely exists and expects you to amuse yourself.
It is high time for MMOGs to begin incorporating the epic nature of traditional RPGs. UO in particular has a great legacy to live up to. The original Ultima series (now 25 years old) remains the finest example of RPG gaming. Ever. Ultima X promised to bridge the gap between the genres... With UXO's untimely demise UO more than ever needs to strive for something greater.Bottom line:
Is it worth checking out for new players? Yes - as long as you don't rely on high end graphics for your gaming pleasure. There is a reason UO has been around for 7 years - there is a LOT to see and do. Whether this is your first massively multiplayer online game or you've been playing them for years UO is worth experiencing. Unlike some MMOGs UO doesn't require you to buy all the previous versions separately - every release includes ALL previous expansions. At the very least it offers you good value for your money.
Is it worth getting for current players? If you enjoy UO there is no reason not to get SE. If you've experienced the addition of previous expansion packs you already know what to expect. New landmass, new monsters, new items, new skills.
Is it worth returning to for former players? I suppose it depends on the reasons you left. If you originally quit in frustration over technical issues, SE runs with far more stability than AOS did upon release. If you quit because you felt unfulfilled with the game, SE probably won't be enough for you to return for.
It's not perfect, but it IS good.


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Putt-Putt Enters The Race Review

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(More customer reviews)My 3 year old son loves Putt Putt! He gets such a great feeling of accomplishment when he does all that he needs to do to get into the race! I like it because the goal is not a competitive one where you have to "WIN" or "LOSE". It's more of a goal of getting the tools he needs to complete a certain job. It keeps him occupied for about an hour, which also gives me great opportunities to do housework,etc. without feeling like I'm robbing him of the chance to do something he enjoys! Also, it allows him to use his own creativity & problem solving skills, because he has to figure out how to get some of the items on the list. The greatest thing, though, is when he gets all the items & then goes to the race, he runs around the house laughing & saying "Number 1" because he's so proud of himeself!

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Putt-Putt and Pep are ready to take your kids on the ride of their lives! Today's the big day as our curious little convertible prepares for the Cartown 500. Redline Rick is eager to start the race, but Putt-Putt and Pep need a few items before they are ready to roll. Kids join in the adventure as they explore brand-new Cartown locations like Torvil Tractor's farm and Rover's Rocket Drive-in, looking for a safety helmet for Pep. Old friends like Smokey the Fire Engine and Outback Al help Putt-Putt get to the track in time for the big race. As the grand finale, kids hop behind the wheel for the first time ever as they race their favorite purple car toward the checkered flag at the Cartown Speedway! (Ages 3-8)

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Barbie 12 Dancing Princesses Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this for my little girl whose 6 years old. She needed help with it at first to get used to the controls ( took around 30mins to teach her how to move and jump).She loves it and has spent a good 15-20 hours on it before finishing the game the first time. Thats quite a long time ,as other barbie games she has had, she has finished ~5hours. The game has a couple hard mini games you need to play to get through the story. My girl couldnt do it at first so she asked for my help through these spots her first couple playthroughs. eventually she has learned to do these by herself after 2-3 playthroughs. I think she has now finished the game ~5 times so its clear she has enjoyed it. It doesnt take her more than 10hours now to finish it though but she doesnt play it anymore anyways.
basically Its a long game which will take your kids time, so it is worth buying this over other barbie games.

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Dracula Resurrection Review

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(More customer reviews)i did this recently in windows, after having completed the "last sanctuary" for mac. my like for the last sanctuary caused me to purchase the resurrection. what i found is that the resurrection is very short and easy. i would normally give a poor rating for this except that the graphics were wonderful, the story engaging, and the atmosphere outstanding. for example, the game opens in eastern europe on a freezing night. the fields and farm buildings convey the chilling surroundings perfectly (incongruously, the pond is not frozen). despite its easiness, there were a couple of difficult places; i spent 2 days pixel hunting for one item in draculas castle, but it turned out to be large and in plain sight. dracula 2 takes the good aspects and adds a lot of length and difficulty.
i think that dracula 1 would be better as part of the second game rather than a separate game in itself.

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Tomb Raider Anthology Review

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(More customer reviews)From the ruins of Rome to the futuristic setting of Atlantis, Tomb Raider takes the gamer through a variety of wonderful worlds. I believe that the games of the Tomb Raider series are among the best games ever made, and I know that they will all certainly become clasics. This combination pack is ideal for anybody interested in becoming a Tomb Raider.
The scenery in the Tomb Raider series is better than that of most games, although it is mostly cubed and flat. The game play and plot are wonderful, and the graphics and sounds are great. Laura's moves and weapons are limited in the original, but by the third version they are wonderfully expanded.
I would recommend this game package to any fan of the Tomb Raider series and to the average gamer. The gamer will find something they like in one of the three versions. The original game stays in the tombs and has the best plot. Tomb Raider II offers wonderful AI and is perhaps the best for a gamer seeking combat, while Tomb Raider III combines the better aspects of the previous two. I highly recommend purchasing this package to try out the series. If you like it, I highly recommend the next two games in the series.

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The Tomb Raider franchise of action-adventure games helped redefine the perception of computer entertainment while introducing the world to the digital diva Lara Croft. The first three games of the series are available in one package for the first time ever. The original Tomb Raider will have you exploring 15 3-D environments as you investigate four lost civilizations while searching for pieces of an ancient artifact known as the Scion. Discover the secret of the dagger of the Xian in Tomb Raider II by exploring 18 levels set in such places as Venice, Tibet, and a sunken ship. Tomb Raider III will take you from the arctic to the islands of the South Pacific as you search for four mysterious artifacts fashioned from the heart of an ancient meteorite.

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Prince Of Persia 3D (Jewel Case) Review

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(More customer reviews)This game comes with two disks. Since this is the jewel case edition, there's no printed manual. There's supposed to be an on-disk manual, but I can't find it. Did the manufacturer forget about it? I'm not happy with that. Otherwise, it seems like a cool game. I have the original Prince of Persia for Super Nintendo. It was a cool game for its day. Other than the obvious improvement in graphics, I think the best thing about this new game is that you can save your progress more often, which is a good thing for such a challenging game.
Incidentally, the new "Sands of Time" game has an even higher "coolness factor", but to me it looks less like the original Prince of Persia (although I haven't played it yet). Most of the traps in "Sands of Time" cause damage to the prince but don't kill him immediately. The prospect of sudden death looming ahead is something POP3D has in common with the original. In fact, in the original game you had to go back to the beginning of the level everytime you die. Sands of Time also has the Matrix-like wall-walking moves, which look cool, but there's nothing like that in the original game.

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The secrets of 12th centuryPersia await you—in glorious 3-D!Product InformationEnter a world of unbridled passion harrowing adventure and blood-pumpingaction… to a mystical place where a once-humble servant has transformedhimself into a 12th century Persian prince!This is Prince of Persia 3D—the 3-D sequel to the legendary action-adventureseries that sold over two million copies worldwide! With the fascinatingstoryline nail-biting action and addictive gameplay the original Princeof Persia set the benchmark for gaming excellence. Prince of Persia 3Dsets the bar even higher!A Story in the Rich Tradition of an Arabian Night's Tale…What began as a peaceful moonlit night ends in a nightmare. The Sultan'sbodyguards fall at the blade of an enchanting dancer. Your bride the Princessis taken hostage by the Sultan's jealous brother and condemned to marryher cousin the hideous Rugnor. You must escape the dungeon to rescue herfrom Rugnor's stronghold in the mountains. Countless traps and temptingenchantments await as you solve the mysteries and reveal the secrets ofancient Persia!Stunning Environments Fluid Animation & Lifelike ActionPrince of Persia 3D springs to life with fluid animation devious trapsand an elegantly simple interface for running jumping climbing and swordfighting. Journey through seven environments including an opulent Persianpalace an exciting air ship and Tibetan cliffs.Product FeaturesPrince of Persia 3D is loaded with breathtaking new features!A compelling new 3-D game design and storyline developed with legendarycreator of the original Prince of Persia Jordan Mechner.12 challenging levels spanning 7 exotic Persian environments. More than 30 human and fantasy creature opponents with AI that adjustsin real time to match your combat style. A simple and intuitive interface for fast action combat and pinpoint control. Realistic sword fighting requiring deft precision and timing

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Cameron Files 2: Pharaoh's Curse Review

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(More customer reviews)Chicago Detective Alan Parker Cameron Returns in _The Pharaoh's Curse_ to help his distant cousin Moira MacFarley out of another scrape. It seems she's gone to Egypt as the artist for an archaeological dig and strange things are happening. When Cameron shows up, she's disappeared. The search to find her and figure out what's going on will lead from Cairo to the Valley of the Kings, with plenty of action along the way.
This second Cameron Files game started out really well. It was immediately apparent that more planning and energy had gone into it than went into _The Secret of Loch Ness_. The graphics were quite good, with just enough detail. There were still a lot of things that you couldn't look at closely, but there was enough that you could look at that it seemed to balance out pretty well. Navigation was more direct and less confusing than in the previous game. You still couldn't go everywhere right off, but at least there were logical reasons for this -- e.g., you had to find out the place existed, or had to find a key. You also weren't stuck in a particular area until you had solved everything there, as happened often in _Loch Ness_, so the game had overall a greater feeling of freedom of movement, which I appreciated. The character animations were pretty darn good and the voice acting was articulate -- a good thing, since there are still no subtitles The music was quite good and not overused; most scenes had minimal sound F/x. The Save Game feature has also improved, although you still have a limited number of slots in which to save (16).
_The Pharaoh's Curse_ is a first person game with numerous third person cut scenes. There is minimal NPC interaction. I actually found this refreshing, as I do not particularly enjoy games where solving the puzzles depends on numerous conversations that go on forever. There were some converstations, but most of the information you needed turned up in the form of documents. The puzzles were largely inventory-based. There was one riddle, but no mechanical puzzles. There were also quite a number of timed activities and this is where the game really fell down for me.
In general, the puzzles were VERY easy. I wish game programmers would take a clue from the designers of Myst and Gabriel Knight and learn to come up with puzzles that are challenging in their own right and not because of some contrived difficulty. TPC fortunately did not rely on the infamous pixel hunting strategy -- hotspots were clearly visible all the time. But it did do things like not allow you to pick up a few inventory items until you knew what they were needed for and provide misleading clues, most often by way of Cameron's comments to himself. These were thankfully fewer than in SoLN, but just as annoying. Several times they seemed planned to lead you into disaster; the rest of the time they were just inane and unnecessary. The one time it would have been helpful for him to make a comment, he didn't.
There were also a couple puzzles that were, well, unnecessary to the game and did not advance play in any way; it didn't matter whether you solved them or not, as they mainly existed to give you information that you didn't need or easily got from some other source. A couple of times I found myself thinking, "What the heck was that about?" after some inventory item that I hadn't used mysteriously disappeared. And when I figured out what it was about, it was like, "well, that didn't make any difference!"
But the worst thing was the abundance of timed puzzles. I can't say it enough, I HATE timed puzzles in adventure games[.] This is not what adventure gamers play for and they are not challenging, just ANNOYING! Two things in particular made the timed puzzles in TPC worse than usual: in many cases they did not give you a reasonable amount of time to do what you needed to do, and the timer did not stop when you opened your inventory, as is usual in this type of game. PLus, often during the timed sequence, for some unknown reason my mouse cursor became spasmodic and difficult to control. A couple of the sequences were straightforward enough -- when the timer started you know what you had to do and could just do it with a click or two. But a couple were truly horrible, with lots of contrived roadblocks. This is another game that lost a star in my rating for an annoying and disappointing endgame, which featured a number of timed sequences one after another that were almost impossible to get through even when you knew what you were supposed to do, simply because you were not given enough time. I don't mind dying once or twice in a game, but dying over and over again when you know the solution really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
The ending was abrupt and disatisfying, leaving a number of loose ends; I would have liked to have seen a little movie with some more resolution.
_The Pharaoh's Curse_ took about 20 hours to complete: a nice length for a game of its kind. I really liked about the first 75% of it; the plot was pretty good, the locations were absorbing, and there was a certain amount of humour, like the Indiana Jones references scattered throughout the beginning. Strange as it may seem, I give this game high marks for making the title character bald. I wish the puzzles could show the same kind of inventiveness as some of the rest of the game.
Definitely worth playing, but prepare to be annoyed at the end.

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Investigate the Mystery of An AncientLegendProduct InformationAncient Evil Awakes... and the Pharaoh no longerslumbers. Investigate the disappearance of the Pharaoh.An ancient ritual revisited awakens a Pharaoh longdead and entombed.You must piece together the clues to discover the real reason why the mummy ismissing. Investigate the kidnapping of one of the members of an archeologicalteam travel the Nile on a steamboat explore the Cairo Museum of Antiquitiesmeet a cast of interesting characters... and solve the mystery behind the emptytomb. Exotic locations danger and intrigue await you in the mysterious sands of Egypt.Product FeaturesExplore the beautifully detailed environments: from a Nile steamboat tothe secret temple of Maat.A complex mystery and a progressive investigation with a touch of thesupernatural all combine for a rich storyline.A gripping graphical adventure certain to capture the imagination.Original score and wonderfully immersive ambient sounds.Hours and hours of exciting and challenging gameplay with engagingpuzzles through the adventWindows RequirementsWindows 95/98/ME/XPPentium 166 MHz (200 recommended)16 MB RAM (32 recommended)4 x CD-ROM Drive3D Accelerator Video Card

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Civil War: Secrets of the North & South (Hidden Mysteries) Review

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(More customer reviews)This game is beautifully done, with great graphics and very well-hidden objects. Unfortunately, one flaw renders it unplayable under some circumstances - the mouse does not move all the way to the edge of the screen. I'm stuck at a point where I know exactly where the object is (a hint wasted even confirmed this is, indeed, the correct object) but I cannot get the mouse to move close enough to select it. I've clicked dozens of times all around it (and lost many minutes!) and still, it will not select the object. Unfortunately, short of starting as a new player and hoping I don't get that particular object again (or any in a similar position), I don't see a way to overcome this issue.
Which is sad, otherwise, the game seems very nice, but it is simply too frustrating that you cannot do what you see needs to be done to progress the game. I've tried a few times, and always run up against this issue. I don't know how to correct it, so I'm simply uninstalling the game and hopefully forgetting about it.
*EDIT*
There is a way around the problem - someone told me the secret! You have to start the game, then go to the main menu and uncheck 'full screen'. Click 'okay' to resume the game (which will now be small and windowed, too small to play with how tiny some of those objects are!) and then go *back* to the main menu and re-check 'full screen'. You will now be able to move all the way to the edges. I'm not sure if I'd change my star rating even if I could (maybe up the 'fun' item) because that's such an annoying flaw.
So this allowed me to play through the game and the story (history) is great, the only issue... okay, two issues. One, it's really, really short. Two, some of those items are impossible to find and there are very few hints. Seriously, the fireflies?! Who could find that one... well, I won't spoil it. But save a hint for that!

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LucasArts Archive Series: Escape From Monkey Island Review

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(More customer reviews)The series of "Monkey Island" is a funny, interesting, creative game that keeps you playing for hours! I highly suggest buying the "Monkey Island" series.

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Aye 'Tis an Offbeat Adventure of PirateyProportionsProduct InformationEscape from Monkey Island finds series hero perennial pirate-wannabe GuybrushThreepwood returning to face sociopathic parrots freakishly deformedbuccaneers and an insult flinging original villain with a sinister agenda.Escape from Monkey Island continues in the hilarious tradition of its criticallyhailed and award-winning predecessors.Shiver me timbers and poke me other eye out. If it ain't the fourth in thecelebrated Monkey Island series! Aye there be intrigue and monkeys aplenty!When perennial pirate-wannabe Guybrush Threepwood and his new bride GovernorElaine Marley-Threepwood return to M?lee Island they find out Elaine hasbeen declared dead the Governor's mansion is to be torn down and aslick-yet-hauntingly-familiar politician is about to take Elaine's job. Sobegins the next hilarious chapter in the award-winning Monkey Island series ofadventures.Product FeaturesFourth in the legendary Monkey Island series of graphic adventures.An original cinematic story full of drama sociopathic parrots and avillain with a sinister agenda.Dozens of lusciously rendered backgrounds.Hundreds of puzzles to challenge both novice and veteran pirates...eradventures.New jokes! New puns! New insults! And more monkeys thanthe three previous Monkey games combines.Windows RequirementsWindows 95 98 Me 2000Pentium 200 MHz or faster processor (Pentium II 300 MHz recommended)100% DirectX compatible computer required64 MB or higher RAM required4 MB PCI or AGP 3D graphics accelerator card required (8 MB AGP graphicsaccelerator card recommended)4X CD-ROM drive 16-bit Sound Card required PCI 3D sound cards supportedKeyboard requiredMouse requiredJoystick or game pad recommendedDirectX 6.1 is included on this CD and must be installed to play

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WANTED: A WILD WESTERN ADVENTURE Review

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(More customer reviews)Downloaded and installed the patch. Runs ok, Crashed a few times, mostly with loading a saved game. Crashed a couple of times changing locations/scenes. Some graphics sync and voice sync problems.
It could be windows vista, or maybe my nvidia graphics card, or run configuration. I didn't try running it with windows compatability mode.
The game itself is ok/good. The interaction is easy and straight-forward. The "puzzles" are not overly complicated or convoluted as some other games of this genre tend to be. If you're use to, or you like the more difficult specimens of this type, you will find this game "too easy".
I probably could have gotten through it without using a walkthrough at all. Except I'm impatient and I like to keep the game/story moving along.
I got a chuckle out of a couple of the obscure "nerdy" references. Some political commentary that is now dated. Some "I remember that" moments.
All in all a pretty good adventure / use-this-with-that game (I wouldn't call it a puzzle game)
They have a sequel released in europe that continues the storyline. I'll probably get that one also.

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Vanguard Collector's Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)This is NOT just an amalgum of other SoE games, and I'd like to point out that SoE does not have all of the rights to change the game like they do for other titles. SoE is only the distributor for the game, not the owner of the game. The owner and creator of the game is Sigil, and they are doing all of the updating and tweaking and creating, NOT SoE.
Vanguard is visually RICH. Low-end or value systems will have to run it in it's lowest settings, though game sites like 10TonHammer already have a guide out on how to tweak it so it still looks good. I have a higher-end system and can turn up the graphics, and they are very nice.
Jumping right in and starting to play the game is easy for people who've played World of Warcraft (since the User Interface takes quite a bit from WoW's), and it's intuitive enough to pick up quickly for players of similar games. While there's a couple other small similarities to WoW, they mostly end at the UI. Where WoW looks like a playable comic, this game is visually intense enough to keep you staring at the scenery half your playing time. Combat is fast-paced, including reactions and abilities that can be chained together to perform special moves. The quest system is detailed, and meshes with the game's storyline very well.
You've got 18 playable races to choose from, and 15 adventuring classes. There are quite a few options for making your character look different. There are intense crafting and diplomatic professions to pick up, and you can advance along the game gaining titles and gear from these without adventuring a bit if you wish. The world is large already, spread over three main continents, and at launch there are STILL realms present in the game which you can see, yet are locked for future content. Playing your character's class to the fullest and utilizing all it can do takes a little extra skill, which may be intimidating for some players (since you need to do a little more than mash buttons), but it keeps you glued to the screen.
Overall, an enjoyable game, and nice in that it is NOT like playing other games out there.

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Brother Bear Review

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(More customer reviews)Not having seen the movie, I can't comment on screen-to-PC authenticity, but KnowWonder's Brother Bear game is an entertaining romp through a variety of gorgeous, interactive environments (Aspen forest, Valley of Fire, Salmon Run and more) on Kenai's quest to become human again. The game is narrated by Rutt and Tuke, aka the SCTV McKenzie Brothers of moose (voiced by hosers Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, eh?), who explain the rough idea of Brother Bear: brothers Sitka, Denahi, and Kenai live in the Ice Age Pacific Northwest. When eldest brother Sitka is killed by a grizzly while protecting Kenai, Kenai tracks down the bear and kills it against the advice of the shaman. As punishment, he is transformed into a bear and must escape Denahi, who is now hunting him. Kenai befriends Koda, an orphaned grizzly cub, who helps him reach the place where the light touches the earth.
The game begins in the Apsen Forest in a training level, where Koda teaches Kenai the bear essentials: how to jump, climb, collect honeycomb to discover secret totems, and collect berries, salmon, and acorns to restore health. Interspersed between levels are arcade-style action games, such as racing to the top of the mountain, the Ice Run, and collecting the most salmon at the Salmon Run. These can be replayed to achieve a better score, or just to enjoy the action again.
Although there are no difficulty levels to choose from , the game increases in difficulty with each level. During each level Kenai must fight and escape Denahi. This is made difficult in the fact that once you enter the fights, there are no health power-ups, and if you die, you start right back out with as much or as little health as you had the first time. The saves are also automatic, and the game freezes up for a good 15-20 seconds every time it saves.
The claim that you can transform into an eagle, wolf or crow is deceiving: these are totems that you use in your quest, but you do not actually transform. The Eagle totem allows Kenai and Koda to fly to otherwise off-limits ledges and across barriers to collect bonus items (the Mystical Pinecone, which gives you an extra heart against the hunter) and to continue the game. The Wolf allows you to jump across super-wide chasms (you only use it once or twice), and the Crow allows you to see hidden objects or paths. There are also three totems that will aid you in your final fight against the Hunter: the Bear, the Sabertooth Tiger, and Golden Salmon. As a bonus, if you collect the six hidden totems, there is a hidden ending.
The 3D graphics are gorgeous: lush forest, snow-covered mountains, raging rapids and waterfalls, and volcanic craters. You can chase rabbits and butterflies for fun, fish for salmon in the river, and avoid grumpy chipmunks when collecting berries. The game did freeze up on my machine in a couple of spots (both in the Valley of Fire), but those were the only glitches I encountered. Brother Bear does require a 3D graphics card and a fair amount of memory to run smoothly (I ran it on an HP Pavillion with 256 MB RAM and an Nvidia TNT 64 MB graphics card).
Overall I feel that the game is too difficult for younger gamers (under six perhaps; the keyboard/mouse controls are rather tricky and very sensitive), but enjoyable for older kids.

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An UnBEARably Fun Adventure!Product InformationDisney's Brother Bear the PC game allows the player to immerse himself or herself in the fully interactive version of Kenai's world being thoroughly entertained and a part of the lush 3-D environment. Not only can players play Kenai and Koda as bears they can also transform into a wolf crow and an eagle! Features real-time 3-D gameplay based upon the grand adventure of Brother Bear a fully interactive world and ability to play with seven characters from the film! For kids ages three and up.Product FeaturesExplore Kenai's fully-interactive world in this real-time 3-D gameExperience a lush environmentReal-time 3D gameplay is based upon Brother Bear's grand adventuresComical narration explains the transformation of Kenai into his rival thebearPlay Kenai and Koda as bearsSet in a lush environmentTransform into a wolf a crow or an eagleSystem RequirementsWindows 98/Me/XPPentium™ class processor100MB free hard disk space8X speed CD-ROM drive16-bit DirectX 8.0a-compatible sound card8MB video card with 3D acceleration 16-bit color depth DirectX 8.1-compatible DirectX 8.0a (Included) Java-compatible Web Browser (e.g. Internet Explorer 4.0 or Netscape Navigator 4.08 or later

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Jay Jay Earns His Wings Review

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(More customer reviews)Jay Jay is one of my almost-3-year-old son's favorite TV characters. My son is fascinated with basic math right now. When I found that it taught simple math addition and measurement, etc., I decided to pick it up right away. After we ran it on my son's computer, we were pleasantly surprised by the vivid animation and the quality of the games it offerred. Usually the drawings of the characters in a computer do not look as good as what you would see on TV, but this one is just as good. It even plays the theme song in the beginning. BUY THIS ONE!! Your kids will learn a lot from it, even though he may think he is just playing an interesting computer game.

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Help Jay Jay Earn His Wings, and Learn about Nature,Numbers & MathProduct InformationJay Jay is nearly ready to embark on hisvery own delivery route! But first, theyoung jet plane must show he has mastered all the right skills. Hit the skywayfor fun, games, and lessons about nature, numbers and math. Help Jay Jay pick uppackages and pass his tests with flyingcolors! Help Jay Jay prove he'sready to fly solo on his own delivery route. Create colorful drawings withJay Jay and learn about nature, numbers and more! Celebrate success withJay Jay and his fabulous fleet of flyingfriends. Then celebrate with thebest fleet of friends a child could ever have!Get ready for a magical flight with Jay Jay!
Nature
Science
Addition
Measuring
Sequences
Estimating
Matching
Comparison
Number Recognition
Pattern Completion
Following Instructions
Deductive Reasoning
Coloring & Creativity
Critical Thinking
Computer Skills
Includes
6 Activities
Nature Videos
Fun Jay Jay Songs
Fun Printables
Fun Activities IncludeWhich Animal?Find the right animals at E.Z.O'Malley'sTM Ranch! Listen carefully to theclues. You only get three chances to choose!Lightning Bug PatternsLightning bugs dance, creating a pattern of colored lights. Click on the bugsthat repeat the same patternsequence!Number ChaseHelp HerkyTM The Helicopter round up numbers on a slippery slalom. Follow JayJay's directions to stay on course!Stack & MeasureUse a variety of tools to measure objects for BigJake'sTM cargo hold. Thatbicycle is two hammers high

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Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned Review

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(More customer reviews)This is truly the next step in interactive fiction. While you may think of computer games as just kids stuff, "Gabriel Knight - Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned" will change your mind. Imagine stepping into your favorite mystery novel, and becoming one of the characters. You get to walk around, explore, question suspects, solve puzzles, uncover secrets... This game has everything: mystery, romance, history, great dialogue, beautiful European scenery. If you've never played a computer game before, make this your first! And if you are already a gamer, this game is like nothing you've ever played before. It brings adventure gaming to a new level.
P.S. There are two other games in this series, which give great background to this story. You don't need to play them first, but you can find them both in the title "Gabriel Knight Mysteries: Limited Edition".

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You set out to solve it...Product InformationThe best-selling adventure series is back! Blood of theSacred Blood of the Damned is Jane Jensen's third Gabriel Knight mystery.Based on a real-life enigma GK3 puts you high in the mountains of Francein the unassuming town of Rennes-le- Chateau.The first demand for a Gabriel Knight 3 arrived by e-mail exactly four daysafter the release of Gabriel Knight 2. It was soon followed by hundreds morefrom fans and game reviewers around the world. When The Beast Within won thelion's share of 1996 game awards the future of the series was assured. Nowfinally designer Jane Jensen has unveiled the latest mystery to puzzle herintrepid shadow hunter...We do hope you're not afraid of a little intrigue?Blood of the Sacred Blood of the Damned is set in a small village and valleyin rural Europe. The village Rennes-le-Chateau is a real village and is thelocation of a Great Enigma -- either that or a Great Scam depending on yourlevel of beliefThe case begins when Gabriel is invited for a weekend at the home of acurrently dethroned royal scion. Grace is delighted assuming that at lastthey're moving into the kinds of circles a family like the Ritters ought tohobnob with. But it turns out that the 'Prince's' motivation for invitingGabriel was not a social one. He has a new infant son and is concerned for hissafety because the Prince's family has been plagued for generations by what seemto be a secretive sect of vampires.It turns out the Prince was right to be afraid. The very first night Gabrielwatches guard over his infant son the boy is kidnapped. Gabriel gives chase andwinds up at the train station. He follows the kidnappers to Rennes-le-Chateaubut quickly loses their trail.Gabriel will come to realize that the mystery that surrounds the Prince'sfamily and the mystery of this ancient little town are not only connected butwill involve both very real current political agendas and ancient secrets. Onceat the town Gabriel discove

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Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Review

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(More customer reviews)This is absolutely THE best game I've ever played. I'm not huge into games, but I'm a big fan of Lord of the Rings, and received a demo disk of the game from a friend. Our behemoth of a computer couldn't handle it, so I was ecstatic when I received a laptop as a big gift one year, and gleefully discovered the demo worked. This is proof positive that marketing gimmicks like demo disks work, because the thing prompted me to shell out $20 for this big guy...and I don't regret a penny of it.
On the Two Towers "wimpy" DVD, there was a preview for this, and one of the game developers said "You won't play this game and know everything that went on in [previously unreleased] Return of the King, but you might play this game and FEEL everything that went on." He's absolutely right.
As you already know, you start with three paths. You can play any path from the beginning, and/or if you get tired of playing Sam, you can go and take the Path of the Wizard, or King. You have no option about who to play on the Wizard and Ringbearer paths, but let me give you some advise: when starting on the Path of the King use Legolas. I know, it doesn't fit for the Elf to be leading the trio through PotD, but he's the best fighter to start out with. From there, you go on to fight the King of the Dead (tough), with escape from the Paths as a second part of the level. Both are arguably the hardest levels in the game. Then you journey to Gondor, fighting hundreds of orcs and uruks (if you stick around) at the Southern Gate, then encountering more hoards of uruks and Haradrim on the Pelennor. Then you must do battle at the Black Gate, which shouldn't be TOO hard if you have saved and earned combos wisely.
Gandalf must first assist the Ents in destroying the last elements of Saruman's rule, then he goes to Gondor, where he fights on the Top of the Wall to keep the forces of Mordor at bay. When that ultimately fails, he runs below and fights uruks and huge trolls in The Courtyard.
Sam must Escape Osgiliath with Mr. Frodo, then rescue him from the throes of Shelob's Lair, then follow him to the tower of Cirith Ungol, and rescue him from the orcs that captured him. Finally, he must assist Frodo in defeating Gollum in The Crack of Doom.
You absolutely must begin on easy, or beginner level; you will find that hard and challenging enough! Even so, there will be times when you'll want to perform the killing move "Computer bane" on your computer while playing this. It's insane how tough it is to beat sometimes. But if a rank amateur like me can complete it, you can! Also, unless you have a super-computer you'll want to lower the graphics settings so that you can have smooth game play. It won't make a huge difference in the appearance. It helps, because I didn't figure this out until I was trying to escape the PotD after beating the King of the Dead. Running through the mists make you go slower on high graphics, but the surroundings collapse on a time basis, because you go slow, you'll die.
It's true, you can't do a lot of exploring, and there's not a whole lot of secrets you can go back through and discover. The cheats only work after you complete the game (cle-ver!), but they give them to you. (So why do the cheat sites list them, I wonder?)
Also, if violence is of concern to you, you can bet there's a lot here. Nothing worse than you find in the trilogy ... sometimes less. I do not like the gory, bloody, violent video games, but I do enjoy this one. Blood is nonexistent, except for the occasional dark stuff that might fly out of an orc when you smack him with your sword. There's no beheadings, and most of the enemies you fight are very non-human, either spiders or orcs. Towards the end, you do fight heavily-armored Haradrim, which are human. In one of the killing moves, Aragorn kicks the human to the ground and then knifes him in the head. It's a war game, so it's to be expected. But it's about the good guys kicking the bad guys' butt, and after a hard day's work, sometimes it's a little stress-relieving.
Bonus features include interviews with the cast, stills from the movie, stills from video game production, two bonus levels (Palantir of Saruman, and Palantir of Sauron...you'll probably want to use cheat codes for them) and bonus characters Faramir, Pippin, and Merry. You could say Frodo is an extra character, because you can't play him until you've defeated the game. Why the geniuses at EA Games didn't put a playable Eowyn/Dernhelm is BEYOND ME.
You can also use (or in my case, purchase) a game pad, and plug it in to your computer, and play with two. It's often frustrating to play with two, when one is low on health and the person who is high on health accidentally picks up the health. ("YOU TOOK THAT ON PURPOSE! THAT WAS MINE!") But it's also fun. Once you defeat combo (you have to go through the entire game again on combo -- single play defeat doesn't count for combo play) game play, you can play the Palantir levels, or play Gandalf and Pippin on the Top of the Wall, recreating the movie scene.
Again, the game is tough, and you'll get discouraged. But don't worry, you'll get through it and have fun in the process.
I love this game, just like I love Lord of the Rings, and I think if you like one, you'll like the other. You'll love it. Buy it. (Now can we PLEASE get the Two Towers game put out on PC?!)


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Indigo Prophecy Review

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(More customer reviews)Note: I own the Xbox version of this game. From the PC demo I've played the PC version doesn't have the aliasing problems as the Xbox and the game has a much better resolution. Other than that, the review below should be accurate.
There have been games throughout the years that have truly done something original, different and completely engaging. It always seems to be that these games fall by the wayside in terms of popularity which is a shame. Indigo Prophecy falls into this category as an original game with a fantastic premise and incredibly exciting gameplay.
Never before have I played a game that was so interactive in its story-telling. When trying to describe this game, I would point to God of War, a PS2 game in which there were scenes where you have timed button presses that would move forward a cutscene. It helped bring you into the story, the cutscenes so that it was you that were doing all of the cool acrobatic manuevers killing the hydra. Another game that used this to a lesser effect was Resident Evil 4, for example with the knife fight that you had to push buttons to keep Leon safe. Indigo Prophecy takes this idea and pushes it to the extreme.
IP is basically and incredibly interactive movie. It mixes the adventure genre, which is seldom seen on console, and movies and melds them into a cohesive and incredibly engaging story. It starts off with a bang as you immediately find yourself killing someone you don't know in a diner. You feel like you're not in control of your actions and as a result you have a body in a restroom and a policeman drinking coffee in the restaurant. What do you do? You're free to act from here on out. Do you leave the body and rush out? Do you hide the body? What about the blood? What about the blood on you? What about the knife? When you leave do you pay your bill? You can take care of all or none of the options above. And the story will be different, sometimes marginally sometimes drastically. Oh, and by the way, that cop sitting outside needs to use the restroom and soon the screen will split and you better be out of there before he makes it to the restroom.
This opening sequence exemplifies everything this game is about. Choices, story and gameplay all merged into one. But innovation doesn't end there. As soon as Lucas (the murdering protagonist) is free of the diner, you take control of two police detectives who investigate the scene. You can switch between the two on the fly and you have to find clues, make theories and basically do everything in your power to catch Lucas. Its this give and take gameplay, where you have to play one side against the other, that truly gives the game a sense of urgency and excitement.
Going back to the God of War example, when you have cutscenes in this game, you better not put your controller down. Gameplay pushes forward the story-centered bits as well. Whether its doing a simon says type control scheme to manuever your character past cars that are hurtling toward him, alternating between the L and R trigger as fast as you can to save someone who's drowning or using the R stick to make dialogue choices on the fly (you're timed) to hear all you can, the game makes sure to bring you into the story. Its very effective and really ratchets up the tension.
If there is one sore spot in the game its the graphics. While not bad, exactly, they don't necessarily push the Xbox in the way that this last year of Xbox life should. It looks like a first or possibly second generation Xbox game. Artistically the game is good. The characters in the cutscenes move really well and realistically. And there is never a moment of lag or skipping seen in a lot of games today. The character's faces have some nice emotion to them and the graphics aren't stellar, like I said, but they do a decent job. There's a ton of aliasing, however, which is sad.
Another sore spot is the controls. When you are in direct control of your character (i.e. actually moving them as opposed to having control of the cutscenes via button pressing) the game is pretty loose. It reminds me of playing the old Resident Evil games. You have the cinematic camera which causes some confusion as to which direction you should push your character. As a result, you will do a lot of figure 8s in the game which can cause a lot of problems when you have to hide the evidence because a cop is at your door and the timer is going down. Character animation while moving is also very stiff and a big difference from the cut scene animation.
The audio is terrific, however. While the box says the game does not run in 5.1 in game, I think it lies. My receiver lights up whenever 5.1 is being used and its always lit with this game. And it sounds like 5.1 is being used. The voice acting is absolutely wonderful and professional. Each voice matches the character and it helps enhance this feeling of playing a murder mystery movie. With voice acting becoming so important in games today, this is most welcome and really helps sell the game. Musically, the game also excels by using the very talented Angelo Badalamenti to score it. That name might not mean much on the outset but he has created scores to many Hollywood movies including most by David Lynch (Lost Highway, Mulholland Dr., Twin Peaks) but also Dark Water, Arlington Road, etc. The score is absolutely beautiful and moving; it really fits in with what is happening on screen.
What this game does best is meld the story-telling of a movie with the gameplay of video games. It exposes the limitations of both and yet uses the best of both to create an engaging, moving and very interactive story. For me, this game is a perfect building block for video games. I can overlook most of its flaws because it is so different, so exciting and so damn cool. It warrants a 5 star review simply because of what it did. I would most heartedly recommend this game to those who love a good story, like action adventure games and want to be impressed with what video games and movies can accomplish together.

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A stranger has been stabbed to death. Thekiller is you.Product InformationIn Indigo Prophecy a paranormal thriller New York City is stunned by a seriesof mysterious murders all following the same pattern: ordinary people arekilling absolute strangers in public areas. Lucas Kane becomes another one ofthese murderers when he suddenly kills a stranger in a men's bathroom. Coveredin blood Lucas regains consciousness with no recollection as to why hecommitted murder. Lucas must solve the mystery before being incarcerated for life. A free-flowinggame during which players can assume the role of multiple characters andexperience the game from multiple viewpoints Indigo Prophecy allows players'actions to affect the plot by offering a scenario driven interactive experience.Through motion picture techniques players find themselves intimately immersedin the game.Product HighlightsPossessed by unexplainable urges decent citizens are murdering othersthroughout the city at random in public. Control an ever-changing plotin this groundbreaking supernatural thriller that twists tighter with every moveyou make. Outsmart the cops. Uncover the truth behind yourunspeakable crime. Battle dark forces as you roam the city and fall deeperinto the mystery.Every choice every action shifts and alters your journey -- you might paydearly for your crime. Or edge closer to the unbelievable secret of theprophecy.Bend twist and change the wide-open gameplay with each action and decision.Control characters' sanity and mental stability.Unravel the dark motives through four playable characters.Experience suspenseful cinematic split-screen action.Product FeaturesChoose to play as one of four characters including lead character Lucas Kane Detective Carla Valenti Detective Tyler Miles (Carla's partner) and Lucas' brother Marcus Kane.Play through a total of 4

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Myst Uru: Complete Chronicles Review

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(More customer reviews)Being a MYST fan, I almost didn't get this because of it going on-line as a type of MMORPG originally and I don't like those games.
But when I saw the this with both expansion packs, I couldn't resist (also had heard by then that the on-line was canceled because of little support). And what a value. There are many hours of gameplay here. It is also pretty hard, so have some patience because some of this hard to figure out.
The graphics are as always fantastic (especially the water. It looks awesome and I think they know it because there is water everywhere in this game). The scenery is more interactive than ever and there are alot of things moving here.
The sounds of the game are very good to, especially with some good headphones. I spent some time looking around checking everything out and I wasn't dissapointed.
You can also change your Avatar (this is a 1st or 3rd person game and you will need to use both) from clothes, to face, to sunglasses. And you will collect more items along the way which you can change in to.
Some of the puzzles were wierd, and they reminded alot of playing Riven which is one of the things I didn't really like as you had to go back and forth alot between ages. But there are many puzzles to solve and this is seamless, so you never know when you are playing Ages Beyond MYST or one of the expansion packs. There are also alot of books to read here (and you have to read them all or you will miss vital clues and answers for some of the puzzles), more than any of the other MYST games (maybe even more than the other 3 put together).
I had alot of fun, and if you are a MYST fan, this is an unbeatable deal.

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