It is what it is

It's the xbox 360 controller, you pretty much know what it's like, great design, extremely comfortable and for the same price as the white one, the black one is the better choice!

Once you go black, you'll never go back ;)

dont get this! it breaks!

ok its very quick at charging and save you alot of money from buy aa bateries, but ive had mine for 3 months and its broke i havnt mistreated it it just dosnt work, a green light means its ready and fully charged and red means its charging, what mine now does is the green lights flash and then it dosnt have a light. and it dosnt charge.

Stop breaking!

The headset is brilliant. I am fed up of why it breaks though. My second one has just broken now for no reason. I can hear them but they cannot hear me. Overall i think this is a must have piece of equipment. But as it breaks after aroun 2 months it is not worth the price.

Get onee but dont expect it to work after 2-3 months

How Do I Get My Free Guitar !?

I Pre-Ordered TheGuitar Hero: World Tour - Band Bundle (Xbox 360) Quite Some Time Ago And Have Just Seen This Free Guitar And Was Wondering How I Will Get Mine ? Will It Just Be Sent With The Bundle ?
Do I Have To Speak To Amazon About This. Appart From This Little Problem Guitar Hero:World Tour Looks Fantastic And I Cant Wait ! ( Blink 182-- Dammit Woo!!!)Been A Great Guitar Hero Fan Since Game 1 And People That Say The Price Is To High Well ? Your Right, But Give It A Month Or Two And The Price Will Come Crashing ! I Have Also Seen People Ask If You Can Make Your Own Song And The Answer ( Thankfully ! ) Is Yes ! So Have Fun Rocking Out To Your Own Tune !

Guitar faulty

Guitar Hero 3 is a brilliant game. Not as good as Rock Band but a great game. Beware though there is a major design fault with the guitar. After a while the two piece guitar will become loose. You'll notice when you keep missing notes that you know you're hitting perfect. Wiggle the neck and you'll start hitting them again. You can find help on the net to fix the problem, mainly by taking the neck of the guitar apart. I found a piece of cardboard jammed in the the neck also works. Everyone I know has this problem. It becomes more noticable when you go from medium to hard. From what I can tell the wii version doesn't have this problem due to the guitar being one piece.
Such a shame an awesome game is spoiled by the designers trying to be clever with a two piece guitar :(

Rubbish (X-box 360 is fine if it works!)

I bought an X-box 360 full package, second hand Via Amazon from Swallow Games in Norwich. I am a serving diplomat overseas and the game was sent to me via British Forces Post. All arrived OK except the intranet cord and headset. The X-box fidn;t work however as the family setting function was still activated. I called the vendors consumer support and they told me to call the manufacturer, I eventually sorted this out on my"all consoles are extensively tested in our shop" console. I then e-mailed Swallow Games to enquire about the cable and headset, despite promises to send it to me I heard nothing, not a sausage, I even called and asked them to send it to me, nothing. Then, after 4 months my x-box packed in, I got the ring of death, this is a 20GB box I paid 219 nicker for, Swallow Games said, more or less tough mate, I sent the box back to Microsoft in the UK for repair they returned to me saying we won't repair this because it has been tampered with. I certainly have not tampered with it, why would I when I am old enough and sensible enough to know if you tamper with it it voids any warranty. Clearly I have been taken for a sap, paid very good, hard earned, money for junk which I only played on for 4 months. Moral of the story, DONT buy second hand. Biggest Moral of the story DONT BUY ANYTHING FROM SWALLOW GAMES. THEY WILL TAKE YOUR MONEY AND GIVE YOU EXTREMELY POOR SERVICE!

Hmmmm

Mercs 1 has to be one of my all time favourite games, so obviously i thought mercs 2 would be the same...i was wrong :(

dont get me wrong, some aspects of the game are great, and at times i really really enjoyed it.
but all the bugs/glitches just ruined it for me, and i found the storyline rather tedious.

people mention all the explosions, which do look very nice, only problem i found was that i blew a building up, walked around a bit, came back, and as if by magic the building had returned to its former glory! what a waste of money/oil for nothing!

some glitches dont bother me at all, like people just suddenly dropping dead, the helicopters that aimlessly spin in circles, and the cars that decide they have had enough, and flip over and explode!

some glitches do really ruin the game. like when i drove past a house, next thing i know im uder the house and cant get out, i mean, what the hell is that all about?!?! and one part where i was shooting at a guy on a boat a few feet in front of me, but my bullets sonehow went through him like he was some kind of ghost, in the end i ran out of ammo, and he killed me, meaning i had to start the mission from scratch, ANNOYING!

the vehs, tanks esp are destroyed to easily, so when i pay lots of money/oil for one, i dnt expect to be destroyed by a nobody with a pistol! (ok maybe im stretching the truth a little, but near enough!) and my vehs keep dissapearing, i park up near a faction base, go in, come out and its vanished AAAAAAAHHHH im determined to finish it completely, but not for the fun of it, just so i know i havnt wasted my hard earned cash.

i really do not know what EA were doing, surely the games testers noticed these problems. i guess that with all the hype on dead space, fifa and everything else they have coming out, that they thought the fans of the old game would just buy mercs 2 (which i did foolishly)

if/when it comes down in price its worth getting just to run around, shoot the hell out of everyone, still some beasty tanks (just dont get shot whilst in it) and shoot up some building, but whilst the price remains high i would avoid, unless you really have to buy it, but with so many great games coming out at the moment, i dont think it will be hard to avoid>

HL2 mixed reaction to a game that's looking its age

Half-life 2 (originally released on the pc in 2004) and the two add-on episodes.

1. Compared to the best games on the Xbox 360, HL2 is looking decidedly dated these days, both graphically and in the way the game plays. No more zombies please!
2. Because it is a PC game, Xbox 360 controller is at times clunky, especially when driving the car (the last level with the striders was dreadful to play and excruciatingly frustrating even on the easy setting!!).
3. Some of the levels are boring (I'm thinking of the dreary repetitive tunnel levels and so many levels with the very boring ant things and zombies and more zombies etc etc).
4. HL2 is just not as much fun as it was when I played it on the PC and the two add-on episodes add precious little innovation to the game, just more of the same. I'm sure Valve can create something new and exciting with their next HL game but they can't do what they did here and pass off another episode using the source engine as if it is as a new game - because it isn't, and years ago these extra episodes would have been given away free.


Portal

1. Short but very sweet and innovative pure puzzle game.
2. Again like HL2 it's looking old but plays very well.
3. Often very hard, not helped by the controller.

Team Fortress

1. The cartoon style suits the game. Very impressive looking.
2. Not many people seem to be playing it on Xbox live so a lot of the time I couldn't find a game.
3. When I did find a game it was very laggy (and other games I have play fine).

Conclusion
If you've already played HL2 on the PC then unless you get it cheaper than retail, it's not such a bargain. If gamers have moved onto other online games then Teamfortress, which has no bots, is a bit of a dud. Portal is great fun but short.

Huge Potential, doesn't quite deliver.

I must admit this game looked great, i enjoyed the first one so naturally thought this would be just as good but probably better.

Unfortunately i played this after playing COD4 and Bioshock, so the cartoony graphics did nothing for me, even irritating me at times. I dont understand why one team can develop amazing Photo realisic backgrounds and another can't?
Anyway getting away from that i was quite impresses with the squad control on the first level. The characters did as i asked and were very useful. From then on they become frustrating, considering Rainbow Six is all about the squad, why wont they do as you ask??
I spent countless times dying after i had asked a team member to go somewhere / do something and they wouldnt!!
Clearly its not all bad and there is a solid game underneath the flaws, i just feel the controls and AI could have done with an overhaul and it just needs some decent set pieces and a lick of polish to push it up with the big boys.
Get the first one before this one, this feels like a mediocre add on pack to a good game.

You probably dont need this.

This item falls into a pretty niche category.

IF your Xbox 360 has an HDMI output (all ones sold before mid-2007 dont) then you can use this cable, the older 360's can't, so that's 90% of the market gone.

Also, with HDMI, cable quality doesn't matter, so you can get a £5 HDMI cable (i know, i have one) and it will give as good picture quality as this, since the signal is digital not analogue.

So, the only reason that you would buy this over a <£20 cable is that this has a seperate optical audio (TOS link) output, and if you don't know what that means, chances are you don't need it.

Something different.....

This took a bit of getting used to after moving from various rally games but it doesn't disappoint, almost endless single player career and arcade modes and Xbox live is just a tap of the button away, really fun and competitive at times with plenty of options to make things more interesting- some snow and ice thrown in tests your skills. Great to have bikes too with the R1 being a favourite, just a pity the cars and bikes are all production based, some rally and track cars and bikes would be a great addition for PGR5!

A must have for gamers (with friends)

If you try to balance chatting with friends on MSN or playing the Xbox like myself, you may want to consider buying one of these must have devices. The piece attaches on like a wireless headset and the keys are easy to press and you can still hold the controller normally and press the keys with your thumbs. Overall simple. (unless you have very large thumbs in which case you may want to buy a USB keyboard and plug it in)The keypad also has a hole which you can put the wired headset in (if you don;t have a wireless one) which also adds to convenience (although i would recommend a wireless headset as the wired heaset makes the controller feel big and frankly... ugly)

Personally I think this piece of equipment is great as long as you have internet connection and can link up to msn or play via xboxlive (makes sending game invitessomuch easier).

The ultimate racing experience so far

Just when you think racing games can't get any better along comes grid. This is simply the best racing game ever, the flashback feature is ingenious (If you drive into a wall at speed you total your car. Instead of bouncing off as in other less good racing games, but your race isn't other you get up to 4 flashbacks per race a chance to rewind the action 4 or 5 second and try again.) With varying game difficulties, all driving options drift, open wheel, touring cars, muscle cars, demolition derby (great on Xbox live) and the le mans 24 hour where you drive through a sunrise and sunset this game has it all. Including the oppurtunity to hire and fire a team mate to race with you. Graphically amazing, a real must have. When inevitablly Grid 2 comes along lets hope they add bikes.

What crashes? What glitches? Bad graphics?

Well, if you've got live dont worry about the crashes. I bought this yesterday and the update when I started it up has worked fine, sometimes freezes for a few seconds before you kiss girls but thats all. And Ive got a HD TV and the graphics look really good to me!

Other that that, a brilliant game that every GTA fan will love, I even prefer it to San Andreas. Funny, addictive and varied gameplay. Loads to do, and the achievements are actually good fun to achieve! Buy it!

Want the latest games? Here's how to get them for a fiver

Christmas is coming so save your cash! Why purchase something you can get for a fiver.

Go to electronicgifts.co.cc and sign up. Complete ONE offer - I would recommend Gala Bingo (you know, the one Sharon Osborne advertises for on tv),as this is cheap and fun (and you might win some money in the process!)

If you really don't want to spend, there is a free Lovefilm trial.

All companies are well known so there is no risk involved- give it a go! I got my SatNav, Wii, PS3, iPod Touch and many other things this way, so don't miss out.

I was a sceptic once but now I am SO glad I gave it a chance. B8C approved this system on their Newsnight programme a while back.

Many items to choose from and they send your gift Free of charge.

Adds To The Fun

Microsoft allow you to buy points via your credit card details and also by buying these points cards. These cards are ideal to give as a present to allow the receiver to buy items off the XBox 360 shop ie extras to games eg like more songs for Guitar Hero III/II or to download movies. They make an alternative type of present to a high street voucher.

Great simple fun

Yes it a bit of a kids game but it is great fun to see another set of epic movies given the LEGO treatment. After a week or so I have completed the 18 main game missions and collected all the hidden artifacts and parcels - some of which were very tricky to find, requiring puzzels to be solved etc that younger players may not get. There are also 5 characters from the Star Wars games to unlock including a playable Han Solo. Once you've finished the main game you can explore the college and unlock 3 new missions including a Young Indy mission that is based on the opening scenes of the 3rd film. To complete the game to 100% will take me many more hours I'm sure but I will enjoy replaying many of the levels again.
All in all it's a game that any age group can enjoy and 2 player co-op means an older player can help a younger one progress through any tricky bits.

Amazingly squeaky and now in the bin

When the parcel arrived I ran around the village twice totally involuntarily - great delivery. Very squeaky analogue stick after owning the product for under a month and using it rarely. So annoying that I had to smash it into tiny pieces and now lies peacefully squeaking no more in my wicker basket bin. Will be ordering a second time and KEEPING the packaging so I can send it back when the new one starts squeaking. Don't buy twice, buy once and keep your packaging (which is impossible not to ruin when you open it because it is heat crimped shut).

Let`s get one thing clear.......

...... the wireless headset is NOT as clear as the wired one. I bought my first wireless headset, based on reports of better sound clarity and the convenience of no wires. BOTH (more of that in a moment) of my headsets haven`t sounded any clearer than the wired one. The reason I say both of my headsets is that I`m on my second one, the first one stopped charging after a few weeks of use. My second headset had just failed, with the same fault. My friend also bought a wireless headset at the same time as I bought my first one. His stopped charging about a week ago, at least he had a few months use before having to return it.

I`ve got a wireless headset for my mobile phone, which only cost about £12. Why can`t Microsoft not get a headset, costing nearly 3 times as much, to be reliable ? The unreliability of the XBOX360 itself is almost forgiveable, as it is a lot of hi-tech in a small box, but surely a company like Microsoft should be able to design a decent wireless headset.

Fantastic

I have read some bizzare reviews of this game, including ones where they complain about grainy graphics ? I played it on a 40" Samsung LCD TV and the graphics blew me away. It looks fantastic and gives real immersion factor. The vistas are almost photo realistic at times. Being able to blow builings up is great fun and never gets tired.
In places it would be impossible without your health injector that means if you take care you never die. But I don't like to be frustrtaed by my games with constant deaths so I really like this feature.
The sound is awesome throughout, the weapons varied and excellent to use. The vehicles massive fun and the specialist items such as precision airstrikes and mortar strikes are brilliantly executed. The controls are excellent very smooth and intuitive, the game is just brilliant fun throughout.
Your fellow soldiers are at times hilarious, I loved the storyline, loved some of the epic battles, loved the fear I felt whilst being chased across a golf course by a tank wondering how I was going to kill it, until I remembered my airstrike tool.
This is my favourite xbox game yet, liked it more than COD4, Gears of War, etc and I haven't even been online with it yet.

In some reviews I've read people complain that they can only blow parts of buildings up, well one day when the technology is there full devastation may be possible. Some say the story is lame, what? its a videogame not an oscar contender. Finally the demo doesn't really do the game justice, it's far far better than even the demo which I thought was good.
I loved it, and if your a fan of shooters I think you will to.
How many games where you have a flying sequence allow you to land your heli anywhere and get out and continue the fight on foot ? Not many I'd wager.
Loved it loved it loved it, reallly hope there is a sequel or at least some other games using the fantastic game engine.