After a long absence without the 360, I picked up both Just Cause and Godfather. I havent tried Godfather yet so heres my early impressions on Just Cause. Its pretty much like GTA and Saints Row but not as good as those two, the world is big but theres alot of void in the game like instead of having a bunch of pedestrians walking around, there are maybe like a handful you encounter per square feet. Its basically like a third world barrio but then again its set in latin america so it may be in neowolfs taste . The missions themselves are easy but also the plot is way to simple and is nowhere as complex as GTA or Saint's Row. I do like some of the combat system but the lack of radio stations makes the game sort of empty. So far its a B grade

I'm finally back on the 360 as well and the first game I rented was Dead Rising. I know everyone here loves it but I'm just not the biggest fan. Some of the "missions" are fun, but others are boring and I hate, hate, hate the load times. It's alright, but I don't think I'll be purchasing it. I'd give it a C.

Just got and started playing NBA2K7... initial impression is pretty good. I really like how they attempted to capture every players unique shot style and movement. The players really do move like themselves. The crowd looks much better than 2K6, and the ocassional fan even files out of their seats and walks up/down the stairs. Little touches like that are all over the place.

The presentation has been spiced up (nifty graphics, longer halftime show, etc...). The player create has been seriously beefed up. On the downside, it seems to play just a notch slower, and the fancy individual animation moves sometimes get in the way of your desire to make the player move faster. I've only tried a quick game and a few association games so far, but not much to complain about.

I'm not sure it would justify the $60 price tag if you already have 2K6 - unless you're a b-ball nut like me. I saw the Xbox 1 version for $29.99, and it almost made me stop and think as I could have gotten that one and another 360 game (like Test Drive) for virtually the same price.

IjustdefeatedDeadRising'sOvertimemode.Prettygoodending,butIwould'velikedabitmore. [spoil]AtleastshowushowFrankandIsabelaescaped!Ifshedid.. [/spoil]


I'mabouttobeginNinety-NineNightsforthe360.Iheardit'saprettyaveragehack-and-slash, butIhaven'tplayedmanysomaybeI'llfindthatit'sagoodgame.

Rented Madden '07 for PS2, to get ready for a Madden tournament, and good lord... the graphics are "good" for PS2, I guess, but it was just weird after owning a 360.

Ninety-NineNightsisprettyasstastic.Theworst360gameI'veplayed.

I'mcurrentlyplayingTombRaider:Legendonthe360.IownitonthePS2butjustnevergotpasttheJapan level,butIrenteditonthe360andI'mjustlovingitforsomereason.

I tell you... the more I play Tomb Raider, the more I like it. It is more fun to go through the levels the 2nd and 3rd time and do all the time challenges, and unlock all the crap. I've completed it 100% now... very fun game.

On the flip side, I just played the Need For Speed Carbon demo and it's probably one of the worst 360 games I have seen. It's ass ugly, the racing (especially drifting) does not feel right, there is ZERO sense of speed, and it runs at 2 frames per second (I counted). I'm seriously not exaggerating. I'd highly suggest for anybody thinking of getting that one to try the demo first before you waste $60. I nomally like the NFS games, and really liked NFS:MW, but judging from the demo, this one is HORRID!!!

JustbeatTR:Legendforthe360andIgottasay,wow.Itwassofun,Ilovedit.Ican'twaitforthenextTRentry nextyear.Ibelieveit'sgoingtobearemakeofthefirstTRgame.Notsure,Ijustknowit bettergomulti-platformagain.Iwantitonthe360.

AbouttostartPrey.I'verentedit,andheardbothgoodandbadthingsaboutit.Idon'treallylikeFPSs,butIhavea friendthathatesthembutheactuallylikedPrey,somaybeIwilltoosincewehavesimilartastesingames.

The 360 game excitement seems to have died down after Saint's Row. Godfather, Just Cause and NBA2K7 didnt really seem to fill my need and they were just grade B games to me. There needs to be some game right now to keep the ball rolling

I think all the A level games are being held back for Novemeber/December. It pisses me off that every year they release 10 games I desperately want to play at the same time in November, but rarely offer up anything groovy in Sept. and Oct. Why not spread the love around more?

Oh well... just over a month until DOAX2 and Gears of War!

[font=century gothic]Family Feud

Yes, I do realize I'm on the cutting edge of video games. That's why I bought the FF of course.

As for the game, it's a big improvement over the last PC game that came out, mostly thanks to the lack of Louie Anderson. He was hands down the worst host in the show's 30 year history, and his career since has pretty much driven that point home. Besides that though, everything looks more polished. The sets are nice, and the people look somewhat real. Another aspect of the game that I like is that you can unlock bonus features. On a small scale you can unlock clothing and jewelry for your AI characters. The thing I like the most though is that you can unlock the old Family Feud studios. I so far have been able to unlock the old Richard Dawson set, but not the Combs or Anderson one's. There's also an extra one in there, and the only thing I can think of is that it's the new set for the John O' Hurley edition. The game's main set is the Karn one from last season.

The gameplay on the other hand is kind of annoying though. In some cases you have to be very specific with an answer and most of the time it has to be formal. For instance, I was given the question "Name a way a child arrives to school". I answered a bike. I got my third strike with that answer and it went over to the computer. They type in "Bicycle" and they get the question correct. Another thing that I don't like (Which was a problem with the last PC edition, but not the SNES edition from 94, which is why that will remain the best Feud game. That and it has the "Bullseye") is that the Fast Money is extremely hard. I've only won it five times out of many attempts. What makes it so difficult is that you even have to be more specific and yet very formal.

I like the game, but it's a pain in the ass.

NBA2K7

I'll keep this short and sweet since I over did it on the Feud. This is another entry into the 2k series. The gameplay is almost exactly the same as the year before, with the exceptions of some of the controls. What I do like is the attention to detail. Not every stadium you played in is sold out. And members of the crowd get out of there seats. I like that, although I'm still waiting for the day for the game to be so realistic, where if you are losing towards the end of the game, the crowd will leave during the game. Actually, the last game in this series kind of did that, but they fans all seemed to leave at the same time. If you were losing, they'd leave right at the end of the third quarter. They wouldn't even give you a chance. Now all we need is vendors in the stands, and the game will be complete.

Oh, I'm 29-12 with the Boston Celtics. I like any game where you can be 17 games over .500 with the Celtics.[/font]

Test Drive Unlimted (Xbox 360) - I wasn't expecting much, since it was a "bargain" title ($39), but it's actually a pretty cool game and might be the best racing game on the 360. It's a free roaming driving game set in a very realistic looking Hawaii. The cars are cool, there's a lot to do on the island, and I often get lost just driving around sightseeing. There is a MMO aspect where you can drive around Hawaii and see other people doing the same on XBL, but it's not a necessity and for the most part, I have that turned off.

The cars all handle and look unique. Great cockpit views, ala PGR3. It's fun visiting the various clothing stores and car dealerships scattered all over. There are also motorcycles, but I haven't unlocked those yet. There are some cool touches, like being able to roll up and down your windows, adjust your seat, etc... There are a few things I could nitpick - it's apparently never nightime in Hawaii, the cars don't show damage, the weather never changes, and the police chases are kind of lame (it wants to be NFS:MW at times in that regard, but isn't even close), but the game isn't about the chases, so it doesn't hurt much. The bottom line is that it's a fun game. So far it's shaping up to be an A-.

Kameo:Elements of Power

Damn it feels good to play a platform type game. I haven't played one in a long long long time. This one is pretty good a lot better than a lot of people give it credit for. My daughter thinks it's too hard though so most kids probably won't digg it. I did hate the water temple level boss and creature form though. Overall I'd give it B-

I played the demo to Battlefield 2142, i have to say im extremly dissapointed, BF is my favorite online multiplayer franchise, but 2142 is complete shit, the controls are awful and the graphics are just shit, way down from the quality of the great BF2.Ever since Dice has come up with the new patches this year it has fucked up BF.

Playing The Godfather right now. Pretty darn boring, if you ask me.

I'm planning on getting Dead Rising tomorrow. Can't wait.

Also, anyone play Tony Hawk's Wasteland? Is it good? Found it cheap on eBay and I might consider it if I hear it's good, since I loved most of the series anyways.

AmericanWastelandwasprettyboringlybad.

I'mkneedeepinFinalFantasyXforthePS2.Can'twaitforXIIintwoweeks.

I never got Tony Hawk's 360 game. I got one for the Xbox and didn't care for it. I may pick it up someday when its under $10 used at GameStop or Ebay just to get the achievement points.

Hope you enjoy DR, Zing... that's still my favorite 360 game. Just remember it takes a bit to get your head around the game and figure it out. It's one of those that can be difficult or frustrating to start, but by the time you finish you'll want to go through it again and again...

@Passionate Thug: I've said it before, but I also thought Kameo was very underrated. It may not be perfect, but it was a fun game and wasn't bad looking. A nice change of pace from your typical 360 games, and I wish they'd make more games in a fantasy setting. With the next gen, every developer wants to make things look more realistic. While I prefer that on the whole, I hope they don't forget to make games like Kameo too... the extra power can also be used to make tremendous looking games in a fantasy environment.

Last games played in the past month

Yakuza(PS2)
D
Worst game I bought. Highly disappointing with little to no voice over and an outdated Metal Gear PS1 engine.I quite after 2 hrs

Just Cause(360)
B- . As I said earlier, theres something missing about this game that makes it less fun than Saint's Row and GTA. I think its the terrain it and environment that makes the game feel so empty because theres a lack of civilizians and structures in the game whereas we see alot of those in GTA. Theres also a lack of options for your character and open endedness that makes it feeel like a stripped down GTA in a huge jungle. The large world doesnt make up for it since the missions are so easy that you can solve them in under a day. The story itself isnt that interesting too

Godfather(360)
B
Better than Just Cause but nowhere in the same league as GTA or Saints Row. I like the hitman missions alot more than the main missions. The lack of narration and scenes from rival gangs in the games makes it feel as though you are fighting a generic gang because it doesnt quite introduce their characters too well. Owning property on the game is also boring too but is needed to complete the game. I do like some of the features like character bruising, execution style mode, and the weapon upgrades.

NBA2k7(360)
B
Really smooth animation and graphics. One of the best framework Ive seen on the 360. I havent gotten that much time to play the game and its been sitting near my console weeks now, some of the controls are hard to use especially freethrowing. I would give a definate final grade if I go back to the game itself

Scarface(PS2)
Still sitting near my console and will give it a try once Bully is done

Bully(PS2)
A
So far its the 3rd best game of the year behind Oblivion and Dead Rising. The controversy is overblown and its nowhere near the columbine similarity that the parents focus group have been making it out to be. Bully is a very unique game because theres not that many games set in a school where you play a hooligan. I would compare to this game to Paperboy and the 3 Stooges nintendo game in its antics and fun factor. The game itself isnt small either since you get one of those huge poster maps like all the GTA games. You basically play a 15 year old street bully being sent to boarding school. From there the gameplay has alot of open end mode where your choice in missions will determine how you fit in with the 4 kliqs:Nerds,rich kids,jocks, and greasers. Theres no murder and gruesome act in the game but you do get a slingshot to shoot at people. The game itself test you on your skills on stealth, button coordination,fighting skills and speed.Even if you dont do any mission, its still fun to pick fight with kids twice your size, 2 times smaller than you and even the faculty members too, whats a nice feature is the humilation execution button where you give your foe a wedgie,spitting on him, or slap himself

The Godfather: It's alright. I liked some of the missions and stuff, but the film is just extremely boring after a short time. The game is just like your more "civil" and slow motion version of GTA. C

Dead Rising: Now here's a kick-ass game. After getting used to it, it's just really, really fun. The variety of weapons is great. It's actually got a lot of replay value to it. It's not as repetitive as it looks. A-

I'mfinallyreturningPreytoday.ItwasduebacklastSaturdaybutIstillhaveit,and BlockbusterhasstartedcallingsoIguessIhavetotakeitbacknow.

Inevercameclosetobeatingit,butIdidlikeit.Ihaven'tplayedmanyFPSgames,butIlikedPrey. I'llrentitagaininthefuturetobeatit.

Still playing Test Drive Unlimted. Still thinking it is really good.

If you have a 360 and like racing games, do yourself a favor and at least rent this one. You can thank me with $50 bills later on.

I decided to stick this thread, if people dont like that I really dont care.

Seriously, if people would rather not have it stickied i'll unstick the sucker. If theres other threads people think I should stick let me know ( Individual next gen system threads, NPD sales data, etc )

Its a good idea to sticky it, I was surprised it wasnt stickied a long time ago but then again the forums were run by game hating mongers.

Anyhow
Scarfacce
Grade:C
I have many issues with the game even though the controls are easy to use. Its supposed to be set 3 months after the original Scarface movie yet the game has tracks from Rob Zombie and a bunch of hybrid rap-metal bands, it sure doesnt feel like the 80s when theres only 15 tracks from that period. Even the setting didnt look 80s like Vice City.Aside from those gripes, the graphics look quite poor for PS2 standard and it looked like the programmers just got lazy by blurring everything. To me Scarface played very much like a stripped down GTA in the same way Dr3ver and True Crimes 2 did. While it has it cons, I did like the taunt option and Tony's cheesy pickup lines he uses on women and the replies he gets back. Those are hilarious lines especially when Tony now is all broke

I think it'd be a good idea to sticky the three next-gen console threads, as well as rotate out the monthly NPD stats. Maybe also Passionate Thug's 360 Marketplace Update thread?

I'll start adding and rotating NPD sales once the next one comes in.