XBOX Reviews

UEFA Champions League 2006 2007

In UEFA Champions League 2006 – 2007, you’ll feel the weight of history as you walk out to a deafening roar and onto the biggest stage in soccer. Take on the most formidably talented footballers in Europe – and outplay them. Collect, trade and play your way to European glory with a unique card system that allows you to hand-pick everything from your squad members to your match strategy. Build your dream team, back it with carefully-selected Staff, Training, Morale, Fitness and Healing cards, then deal killer Gameplay cards at key moments to influence games. Watch and play as the stadium comes alive with the dreams of thousands. Here history is made – write yourself into legend with the only official UEFA Champions League game. Recreate or customize the real-world groupings of the UEFA Champions League Tournament — tackle some of the most memorable moments from various stages of the UEFA Champions League tournament for a shot at a variety of demanding Final scenarios Go into The Lounge and invite up to seven friends to battle for European supremacy

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Very impressive. I’ve played all the soccer games.
I have played nearly every video soccer game since the 1980s and I have to say that honestly, this is the most enjoyable through and through that I have played. The graphics are stunning and the game is very smooth to play.

Comparing it to other mainstays FIFA 07 and Winning Eleven, I have been frustrated with Winning Eleven in that I find it VERY unrealistic when it comes to human players shooting the ball at goal. Nearly every shot against higher AI levels is blocked by defenders — they form an impenetrable wall. I have watched hundreds of real-life soccer games, and undoubtedly only a small, small percentage of shots are blocked by fullbacks. FIFA 07 was more fun in that regard but as other reviewers have noted, the collisions are queer in that game. A computer player runs into you and you fly five to ten feet back like you ran into a brick wall.

In this game, I have played through three entire Champions League tournaments, winning two against Professional difficulty and I’m currently level 4 in Ultimate Team mode. And after all that, I feel this game is bar none the best soccer game I’ve ever played. You don’t run into brick walls when you hit players, every single shot is not blocked by diving fullbacks. The graphics are out of this world. Building your team by collecting cards is quite fun. Sending through balls, players making runs, fatigue, injuries, they’re all very realistic in my opinion. The only caveat I would add is that FIFA 07 has more variety to offer in terms of types of matches. Here you only play Champions League games (which I personally love!!)but in FIFA 07 you play through domestic leagues, cups, and UEFA or Champions League tournaments, if you qualify. I plan on returning to FIFA 07 as a sister to this game so I can play in a domestic league, I enjoy the rivalries and such, especially in the Premier League.

The only pity is that all of that is not included in this game, so I don’t have to go back and forth between games. I applaud EA Sports Canada team for an imaginative, smooth, beautiful and very fun game. If they never make another soccer game like this, I’m just glad to own this bit of video soccer perfection.

1 Star Are these reviews for real??? This is a terrible game.
I have no idea what the other people who rated this game 5 stars are playing, but it is not obviously Uefa Champions League 2006-2007. This game is absolutely one of the most frustrating experiences I have found in a soccer game. This game is another joke from the same bunch of halfwits at EA Canada who brought you FIFA 07. Lead producer Ken Sayler and his whole team should be fired for ruining the FIFA series.

First, the basics. The game is really slow, your players feel really sluggish and hard to respond. It is hard to execute any tactics because your entire team can barely manage to keep up with what you are trying to do. If that isnt enough, trying to switch to the right player on the field is so hard, it should be created as one of the game achievements on the xbox 360. The game took away the skill moves starting FIFA 07 so good luck trying to tackle the computer, while on the other end watch the computer dribble past 6 of your players before one of yours finally manages to tackle him. Ofcourse once you have possesion, watch the entire opposition defense flawlessly converge in on to your player and you lose possession in no time. Then you should also absolutely try out the different difficulty levels: the difference between amateur and world class is almost negligible, so you are basically stuck playing a horribly frustrating game which clearly rewards button mashing rather than thoughtful play.

The game does have a few good points, the free kicks are much more easier to execute and the ball physics is a very nice addition, but good luck since the players have no damn clue what they are doing. It is also a lot harder to score goals which is perfectly fine since that how it should be, but then someone really smart decided to create challenges such as to score 4 goals in 20 minutes (translates to 3 minutes in the game) and theres no way you will have a pleasant experience unlocking those achievements.

Do not listen to anyone who says this is a good game. If you decide to waste your money on this, and have read this, you would wish otherwise. I firmly stand by my review.

5 Stars EA’s best yet
I’ve been playing FIFA since 1996 and this is the best one yet, amazing graphics and gameplay that is a real as real can get. On my HDTV, it looks better than an actual game. At first, I had to get used to the slower than usual gameplay but mirrors watching a true to life game. Controls are touch sensitive and the players ratings and abilites have never been more accurately represented.

The card system has really make things exciting and its great fun to build your dream team to compete in the champions league.

If you like football (soccer) then this is the game for you, I have not regretted this one bit.

5 Stars A magnificent tribute to the Beautiful Game .
Simply stunning graphics coupled with exceptional playability. Close your eyes & you could almost be at the UEFA championship finals. Inspirational to both adults & kids alike . Pick up that soccer ball & get out to the soccer pitch…

5 Stars the card trading system is amazing
This game is not so different from the FIFA 07. However, the fact that it brings a new game mode like the card trading one makes it very interesting. I also ejoy the gameplay a lot more. The ball and the players move a lil’ bit slower now. It makes it look more real. Great job EA sports!

Buy/More Info

Major League Baseball 2K6

Major League Baseball 2K6 offers a true-to-life experience for every pitch, hit, catch and throw — it’s true baseball,from the moment you step onto the diamond. Incredibly realistic controls combine with the ability to build your players’ skills and attributes, to deliver an immersive ball game. Plus there’s an even deeper Franchise Mode, and an all-new Career Mode where you call the shots. With returning gameplay favorites including EyeToy functionality and online playability, Major League Baseball 2006 offers you the serious baseball action you crave.

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Not BAD
Good game too much options for the pitch but you have to practice Very Much for be A great palyer enjoy it

3 Stars for my grandkids
I bought this game for my grandkids so I have never played it. The kids seem to like it so I assume it is a good game.

1 Star Not great, but not as bad as others have stated…
MLB 2K6 has phenomenal pitching controls, and that part of the gameplay in general is good. Strike out a batter, and he might throw his helmet, or you might see a slow-mo replay of his final whiff.

2K6 can be, at times, just as if you’re watching the game on television… the realism is sometimes quite good. Many times, the gameplay is so engrossing that it makes up for obvious flaws. Other times, 2K6 can be quite… frustrating, and nothing abut the game seems worth it.

I experienced the freeze problem that other reviewers are talking about, and I discovered that you can’t use the ‘Zone’ pitching interface, or the game will randomly freeze after cut-scenes. The distributor is officially silent on this matter, but once I finally contacted support, my suspicion was confirmed.

There’s also a lack of good online play which is quite frustrating.

Manual fielding is a tragedy, and often can cost you games or outs that a real player would have had for sure. Move to the classic controls, and batting makes perfect sense. Swing Stick adds nothing to the game but complexity.

I’m glad this game wasn’t a $60 purchase (I’d have returned it if it were), but I have fun with it on occasion.

1 Star Major league Depression
To start off, just a heads up, you can get this game at Best Buy for $19.99. Which I did. And i still feel ripped off. God what an awful game. If you set some settings say in Franchise mode, they will not be saved no matter how hard you try and will have to set them again everytime you play the game. As someone else said, the only good thing is the pitching. Oh awful awful batting camera. Its not so bad if you have a 42 inch plasma but if you have something like a regular 19 inch TV, you can’t see squat. Awful fielding and fielding cam. Bad interface throughout. Truly a bad, bad game.

1 Star Wow-what a “great’ introduction to xbox 360
So, here’s the lowdown. Yesterday I saved up the cash and bought myself one of those great XBOX 360’s–you know, one of those machines with HD graphics with games that have unbelievable gameplay. Well, I remember surely the first game I bought was MLB 2k6 since I love baseball with a passion. I know there were some MVP lovers in the past, but I was an All-star baseball fan, who felt that 2k6 would easily be the greatest game I’d ever play-I mean come on, it has “HD graphics” and totoally real situations. Well, I was wrong on this one. Wow, this is awful! First of all, the graphics-HD or Not-are horrible, absolutely horrendous. The players look nothing like this, and second of all, nobody has such large back sides-the players look like they have extra large jerseys on. There are so many inconsistencies they misss. There are no grass stains on the players after fielding–which, speaking of which, is a drag anyway. What really pissed me off is the stadiums which are all way too dark and lack feeling. The sky blue is very cartoony, the grass—oh my god, it is pitifully irrealistic and frankly I expect so much more for 60 dollars. The screenshots you see on websites are completely misrepresenting themselves-sometimes, the graphics are cool on instant replays.

The game has a few cool things that I’d like them to expand on. Managing the team in the front office is extremely hard, but iyt’s cool to check emails and really be in control-if you learn how to. I will never play this game again, nor will I ever rent anything from the 2k6 company whose standards are way too low for me.

Buy/More Info

Fable 2 Limited Edition

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Good Ride, but Fable Fans prepare for some Disappointments along the way…
I won’t go into detail about the storyline and such since it’s well-covered by other reviewers. I will say that having played the original Fable, I enjoyed some of the changes Lionhead made but disappointed in many others. Many fellow customers note the lack of depth in the storyline, and characters, especially the villains. I liken this situation to the contrast between Batman: Vengeance (which was great) to Rise of Sin Tzu (total flop.) Like the difference between the two Batman games , Lionhead didn’t give us what we were salivating for these past years when we picked up wind of this sequel coming out. Overall, good graphics, decent gameplay–through the non critical eye of a player new to the series, I think they would enjoy it. But most of us have played the original and we are disappointed in this product that appears to have been thrown together and tossed to us like dog food.

2 Stars are u serious, bugs?!
I’ve been playing this game for over 15 hours at least and was enjoying it for the most part. I liked the things that were added…a dog for your companion and other features. Minus the occasional freezing of the game or so I thought. That is until it happened again a hour or two later. At first I thought it was my 360 but all my other games play fine on it. So i popped it back in and started “trying” to play again. This time is just loaded and froze…tried one more time and the same deal. It loads and the game just freezes and that’s all that I can seriously take with Fable 2. I truly enjoyed the first game and was looking forward to this one so much I bought the Limited Edition for it despite the warnings otherwise.

I’ve never just stopped playing a game and given up because of glitches/bugs. Shoddy gameplay or a weak story perhaps. But i’ve never had issues like I have with this game and after I waited this long to finally get around and play Fable 2. It makes me even more frustrated and upset over the company for releasing a game that wasn’t ready to be put out. It’s cool about putting out a patch and what not. But that would not be necessary if they simply put the game out like it should’ve been minus the sorry and game ending glitches.

As it stands I enjoyed what i played of the game but not after the issues I’ve experienced. Fable 2 will go right back on the shelf of gams I don’t touch anymore. I’ll find something else worth my time because this one isn’t it.

Not recommending Fable 2 at all.

5 Stars fable 2
My son loves this game. He says it’s one of the best gifts he’s gotten.

5 Stars from a non-gamer
I admit it; I am a non-gamer in a sense; I have a DS but tend to play solitaire and word games. RPG’s are usually d— boring to me, but when my spouse bought this game, I decided to try it. I’m now hooked on it, with two saved characters and probably more to come because of the different choices you can make. I enjoy the fighting and especially being able to control the pace. If I feel like fighting, I go to the Bandit Coast, if I feel like zoning, I go buy some clothes or interact with townspeople. Anyway, it hooked me with lots of gameplay and fun.

1 Star terrible coding
There are so many glitches with this game it is ridiculous. So far I’ve had several key NPC’s disappear, making quests imposable to finish and a troll monster become immortal; thus locking that character in the Crucible. On another character- I’ve had a spouse that will not die, respond, or move. You’re faithful little “companion” runs through walls and floats above chests and (every time you dig), turns the dog the color of the ground its standing on. The dog also misses many chests or just sits in your way.

The chat scenes and sequences are extremely slow and glitch as well. Some games the NPCs will finish what they need to say- and others they will simply stop in mid-sentence.

Although I expect Peter Molyneux to lie through his teeth almost every promise he made turned into a false-hood.

Buy the original fable-it is amazing. Stay away from this unfinished game there are better.

Buy/More Info

Need for Speed Undercover

You never thought it would turn out like this an all-out chase where you’re both the hunted and the hunter. Now you must get behind the wheel and risk everything to infiltrate a ruthless international crime syndicate and take them down. The man you’re after is a maniac behind the wheel, and he’s driving like his life depends on escape, which maybe it does. He’s the one with all the answers you need, so track him down. That fleet of police cruisers in your rearview mirror won’t make things any easier. It will take all of your experience and every ounce of skill to outrun the law, take down the enemy, and unlock the truth that puts an end to this chase once and for all.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars gret birthday gift
For this game to be used it was in great condition. It was a present for my boyfriends birthday and he couldn’t even tell the difference. I got it at a great price, better than any retail store. My boyfriend loves the game, it works perfectly and I was completely satisfied with this purchase!

5 Stars Great game
This is a great game. It feels entirely realistic, especially in the first car before you make any modifications since that the level of street racing car the majority of us drive. I do miss the drag racing mode but the gameplay absolutely makes up for it.

3 Stars Too many annoying things
I liked NFS Most Wanted and Carbon, and this one is more or less in between. If you don’t know anything about NFS you may find this game a lot of fun, but if you know the racing franchise then you may be disappointed.

I don’t want to repeat all the things that other reviewers have written, but if I may, I’d like to cite at least THE MOST annoying things happening in the game on a PC.

- the story line kind of blows because you have the boss lady telling you what to do and when, and if it would make sense I would have no problems with that, but all of the sudden she tells you to infiltrate a new team of racers as an undercover cop but you don’t even know why.

- the voice messages you get during game play may be totally inappropriate, as there is sometimes either a delay, or some comments are just plain not part of that mission (you can tell if you played several times)

- the game is ARCADE, yes, you got me: ARCADE. The car are seldom totaled, (besides in a highway battle) otherwise you do the craziest moves on your wheels and you’re still going full speed ahead!

- cop cars, as well as other cars, sometimes drop on the street from the sky!!! Also, maybe to make the game more difficult, some random drivers change lane abruptly right in front of you, just to slow you down.

- even if you drive a super car, like a McLaren F1 or a Bugatti Veyron, and you’re doing 250 MPH, you have stupid cop’s SUV going FASTER than you! What the hell?

- The most annoying thing ever: CUT-SCENES! During cop chases, you can drop the cops by breaking stuff. The chase breakers are accompanied by a cutscene DURING WHICH YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER YOUR CAR, and if you’re unlucky a road block with spikes is put right ahead of you and after the cut scene is over, you have no way to avoid the spikes!!!

- At the end of a long chase with the cops, as you’re about to be done, a helicopter shows up right in front of your nose out of no where, forcing you to replay the mission if you want the ‘domination’ award

- sometimes, objects like concrete walls and fences THAT YOU CANNOT BREAK are not visible on the road but you will crash on them anyway

- While you are playing, especially when you get a really fast car, the scene is not drawn fast enough (even with a super fast computer or lowering game quality to medium) and the road ahead of you is not shown, when the game finally get its sh** together again you find yourself with a short time lag of no control and you may crash

- sometimes while you’re customizing your car (aftermarket stuff) the game freezes for no reason!

If you think you can cope with all this, and the fact that EA has not yet released a patch to fix all these things, then go ahead and buy the game. Otherwise…

The Good things about it:

- The in game music is IMHO really good. That’s just me.

- Cars are really well drawn, all details really well done.

- The Tri City is kind of cool, giving you a SoCal city kind of feeling.

- The open space is not so open, you can quickly get a hold of where you are and where to go.

—————–

My setup: DELL 24″ monitor, X-Telstar ATX case, Corsair 650W PSU, ASUS M3N72 Mobo, nVidia 750a SLI chipset, G-Skill 2×2Gb DDR2-1066, Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition, EVGA GTX260 core 216 superclocked and 2×500Gb WD 7200 rpm and Logitech Z5500 5.1 surround sound system

1 Star The Waste of All NFS Games Combined
I’ve had this game for a several days now and I can tell you–from the moment I put the game into my Xbox 360 I was unimpressed. I even got this game used for [...] bucks and I can’t WAIT to pawn it off on the next sucker who falls for NFS’s marketing ploy of this “hot new game”.

The Cons:

-The game physics – GARBAGE. Several points in the map have you ‘catching air’. About 1/3 of the time will undoubtedly send you careening out of control, flipped upside down, or pinned against a wall. Should you scrape up against a computer player or rub a wall, other racers will SCREAM past you–as if you’ve stopped–yet you’ve only lost perhaps 10mph of speed. AND YET…the AI is seemingly unaffected by their mistakes. Pit maneuvers don’t work on AI, yet should an AI even bump you from directly behind you’ll spin in a 180 with certain cars ultimately putting an end to that race if you’re further in the game and the AI is faster.

-The AI is insanely easy at first. You can pretty much win any race half way into the game by racing off the line 10 minutes after the race has started. HOWEVER: half way into the game, the AI gets some sort of ‘catch up’ advantage and can blast by you! You’re either ahead by a split time of 15 seconds (meaning if you parked your car during the race, it would take 15 seconds for the person behind you to catch and pass you), or you’re struggling to keep them on your GPS map, let alone in plain view. Currently the game has my $20,000 dollar car pitted against 200,000 dollar cars–cars that are not even in the same galaxy in terms of class. There’s absolutely no chance for me to win should I make even the slightest error (running over a cone, or braking around a hairpin turn). Kind of frustrating when this entire time you’ve been bored by winning races without any effort.

-The TRACKS! In another GIANT F-U to consumers, they’ve designed ’street racing’ tracks that are closed circuit–YET have casual traffic on them. The tracks lack ANY feeling of street racing what so ever other than the simple fact that what you’re racing on is a street/dirt road/highway. There is absolutely no doubt you’re on a race track instead of a street. Yellow and black barricades block every corner. Imagine your surprise when you’re rocketing down a formula 1 track and see a Buick Lesabre in your way. Again, half way through the game, should you hit just 1 of these cars, the race is over. Don’t even bother to finish it, just restart or do as I do, and tomahawk your F***ing controller into the floor.

-Free roam is completely pointless. There’s nothing to do and no purpose to it really since they’ve made the player lazy by simply pushing down on the D-pad you’re cast off into the next 5minute loading screen. Now, there would be a GREAT purpose to the free roam feature if while you were driving around the game would be loading up the next race, but of course, this is not the case.

-Loading screens – hope you’re old enough to drink or are in need of constantly checking the mail. For the hour or two that you might waste your time with this game, at least 15 solid minutes of your time is spent WAITING.

-The Story line is pathetic. It’s full of holes, half the time you don’t really know what is going on, and the tasks you have to do just go on and on and become monotonous and played out. It’s the same thing over and over. “Go take out 5 cop cars by ramming into them and then we’ll put you further into the underground world of ’street’ racing.” It’s a load of garbage.

After playing this game and seeing other horrible NFS releases, I’m officially refusing to buy anything else those jerks put out. I’m a true car enthusiast and have played several games that were far superior to this–SEVERAL YEARS AGO! Do you remember Tokyo Extreme Racer for Dreamcast? That game was far superior to this in terms of customization, function, and fun. Even computer games that were made by budget companies like Valuesoft: Redline Racing…way better than Need for Speed: Undercover.

What next? Need for Speed: FU-Give us your money?

The only use this game serves is for selling it back to someone else. PERIOD.

3 Stars Pretty Much NFS Most Wanted 2
Alright, I beat the career mode of it yesterday and am at 66% of “game completion”. It took just under 15 hrs to complete the career mode. So that’s a bit disappointing since it took about 40hrs to complete the career mode in Midnight Club LA, although it’s MUCH more non-linear.

The issues I have with NFS:UC:

1) The game is very easy. It never really gets difficult, although I think getting the last 1/3rd of the game may take as long as the first 2/3rds, since it’s at a higher level.

2) The game is entirely linear. As other reviewers have pointed out, the “open world” concept is pointless in this game. That being said, this game is basically Most Wanted 2. You do some races, you avoid some cops, you beat a boss, you move on.

3) The environments are lifeless and boring. The roads constantly have this sheen on them like they are wet, but they aren’t, and you can tell it’s being done just to reflect the sunlight to “look impressive”. It gets old really fast.

4) There is some SERIOUS slowdown issues in the game. To the point where I actually started getting annoyed by it during a couple of races. When you have a group of racers ahead of you (which doesn’t happen very often unless you suck) and you’re smashing into things, all the data on the screen brings the thing down.

What I like about the game:

1) As I said above, it’s basically Most Wanted 2. If you loved Most Wanted you’ll probably love this game. The cars handle about the same, the cops react the same way, the flow of the game is the same.

2) The graphics aren’t bad despite the slowdowns. There’s no night racing which is a real letdown, and all the races happen at either sunrise or sunset (and seriously, how many street races take place at sunrise or sunset??) and so the sun will be glaring at you quite often.

3) The sense of speed is INTENSE. The game is worth playing just to get the Bugatti Veyron. I can’t even explain how fast it is. It’s like driving a missle.

4) The types of races are a lot of fun. One of the most fun they have is “Highway Battle” where you have to get 1000ft in front of your competitor in less than a minute while ripping down a highway at high speeds and trying to avoid traffic.

Overall I’ve had a good amount of fun with this game. It won’t provide me nearly as many hours of enjoyment as MC:LA but it’s certainly a fun game to play. I totally disagree with any review that puts this below a 5/10.

I haven’t spent any time playing it online.

If you’re a fan of Most Wanted you really should play this game. It feels dated compared to other modern racing games, but it’s still worth playing. It’s probably not worth $60 to buy given the short amount of time necessary to beat it and non-replayability but it’s certainly worth a 7 day rental.

Overall I give it a 6.5/10.

For reference I’d give these scores to these similar games:

Midnight Club Los Angeles: 7.5/10

Test Drive Unlimited: 9/10

Burnout Paradise: 7/10

Need For Speed Most Wanted: 8/10

Need For Speed Carbon: 7/10

Buy/More Info

Rayman Raving Rabbids

Rayman Raving Rabbids brings you back to the world of Rayman, just as it’s being threatened by demonic rabbits! With the help of magical creatures, Rayman must battle to save his world from the bunnies. It’s a great way for Rayman to punch his way onto a next-gen platforms!

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Stupid Funny
This game is a big time waster! If you are bored and looking for a few laughs get this game. I loved it, it sure beats watching a comedy movie for 2 hours when your playing this game. I got this when it was only $[...] on Amazon but I wouldn’t spend $[...] bucks on it since it is listed at most places for $[...]. Don’t mind the reviewers who quoted this game as being an kid only game. Trust me, if you like stupid funny comedy get this game, if you don’t have a twisted mind and don’t like stupid things don’t get this game. Best $10 spent on a 360 game period!

5 Stars Strange but extremely fun.
This game is full of mini-games that are fun to play for those “shorter” game sessions. Very strange characters, but amusing at the same time.

This is one of the few games that the whole family loves.

This game is also one of the best party games on the console.

3 Stars Pretty fun, but too many loading screens
The actual mini-games are usually really fun (and some are crazy challenging to the point of making you want to throw the controller at the TV), but there are SO many loading screens it makes me instantly get bored before I even start playing.

If the developers had figured out a better way to time the loading screens, the game would be way better and you’d spend more time playing and less time watching loading screens.

4 Stars Love Hate Relationship with this game
Certain mini games I like such as the cow toss. Some I dont’ like can’t think of the ones right now off the bat. Some of the mini games can kinda be kind of easy others not so . Its a very challenging game and not just for kids believe me. Thats why I got a love -hate kind of relationship thing going with this one for now. The graphics are excellent. Its over all a bunch of fun. Everyone in the family is gonna like it and maybe not so rabbits can get annoying at times as cute as they are . Over all its a okay game just other titles are more my style and more what I am into. Its a good spacer in between more hardcore and other types of games if you just want something fun to play,etc.. thats it for now.

5 Stars Great for Kids
A collection of little mini games, this is perfect for my 6, 8, and 10 year olds. Not many xbox 360 titles like that out there. Cute, but still funny enough to keep their attention. As an adult, I think there’s many others out there that are more compelling, but the 5 stars is for the kids.

Buy/More Info