Xbox Games

Xbox DVD Movie Playback Kit
$29.99
The items was delivered promptly and new, original packaging. I would buy from this person again.

Halo 3: ODST
$59.99
ODST is a good addition to the ranks of Halo. Its campaign is strong, but short, and builds effectively on the base set forward in the first three games. Its plot is interesting and the story is well presented. The new methods of moving through the levels are also innovative and welcome. Firefight, the new addition to the gameplay, is also exciting and fun to play. I would recommend this for any hard-core Halo fan!

Assassin's Creed II
$59.99
Game Play:
The game play was improved from AC1, and i over all enjoyed it.
Cons:
The economic system was too simple for my tastes, and the notoriety system seemed like it was a last minute add on. For all that was mentioned about the guards, very rarely did i come across the more difficult ones, and very rarely did it present a challenge. What of the agiles and seekers? It would have made more sense for the guards of the roofs to all be agile guards, and for more of the guards standing around to stick their pikes into more hiding places. Not enough challenge. The fighting, while having many new cool moves you could do, still felt a little bland, and when exploring the city, down right lame. It is too easy to dispatch of anyone. Perhaps the introduction of difficulty levels to appease every players desires? Have the Hard difficulty full of only the most annoyingly persistent guards?

Pros:
The controls are so much more refined in AC2 that it puts AC1 to shame, despite all of the innovation the first game brought. I suppose that's to be expected, though. The introduction of swimming brought a new level of tactic into some of the missions that was enjoyable. The open-ended ability to choose different missions along with the main quest was delightful, and a chance to further the game play, without the repetitive feel of AC1. The glyphs offered brain teasers that were both challenging and rewarding.


Graphics:
The graphics were up to par with my expectations. Beautiful landscapes and the overall layout for the architecture of the various cities was clearly thoughtfully planned and designed- because it shows. Though the towns don't have as much diversity and unique vibe as they did in AC1, that's something that cant be helped considering the different time era, and the distance between the cities, as opposed to a unified country in the height of the Renaissance. I am much happier with the "supposedly random" set up of the architecture that assists Ezio in scaling the builds, as opposed to AC1, which I felt many of the tools placed to elevate Altair didn't make sense.

Storyline:
I am beyond intrigued and on the edge of my seat when it comes to the storyline. The level of depth, forethought, and sheer brilliance in 95% of the storyline is fantastic, and it is clear why the series has done so well. There is simply nothing more to be said.

As an after thought, there were a couple of things that didn't make the most sense. The end of the game was infuriating. Not because it was a cliff hanger, but because it was the stupidest idea the game makers could have come up with. While you spend much more time in the Animus 2.0, i was disappointed by the lack of story in the real world. I know the game developers were listening to the reviews on how tedious AC1 was when you were forced out of the Animus constantly, but they took it too far.

I would recommend this game, though, to any number of people. Despite its flaws, it was an expertly made game- probably because, for once, the criticism of the first game was used to make the second infinitely better.

Battlefield 2 Modern Combat
$9.99
I loved the Battlefield 1942 game for my PC and I picked up this game for a few bucks and it is good but there are some gripes. These gripes mainly do with frustration. It seems like the enemy AI is extremely accurate but your team mate AI is pretty worthless as they are basically there to be shot. I do not mind completing all the objectives by myself but when your allies are worthless they can cost you the battle. Say for instance you will often be depleted of your allies and be swarmed with a constant barrage of enemy soldiers and then you fail your mission. Your ally AI is brain dead for the whole reason of the hotswapping feature which allows you to line up and take over one of the braindead guys.

What also adds to the frustration is if you die the game automatically hotswaps you to one of these guys which can leave a disorienting feel to it as you might be taking over a guy that is being shot at by 4 or 5 enemies at once. Also what adds to the frustration is you move extremely slow so if you are trying to run and duck for cover to get your bearings you character is so slow you are going to just end up dead. Also there is no difficulty setting. I am the type of person that likes to play on easy mode and work my way up the difficulty ladder. Also you might have an easy mission and then the next one will be extremely hard. It just makes the game feel unbalanced to be honest.

The missions do vary and the weapons available are nice also. Controls work good enough (aiming). The production values are there and it shows. I just cannot shake the feeling that this game could have been so much better. Some will love and some will dislike or even somewhat like it.

The highlight of this game is two things. Those two things that make this game worth playing in extremely short spurts is the great looking graphics and sound. Other than that the only reason to pick this game up is if you get it in the $5 - $10 range. If you can handle the level of frustration that comes along with the game and its shortcomings you might find some fun here. But at the same time there are a lot better games out there.