Tony Hawks Pro Skater 4
February 28, 2009 by Xbox Reviews
Filed under Video Games
The world’s best skateboarding gamereinvents itself to give you the real life experiences of a hardened amateur skater. A completely new career mode with a Go Pro theme compliments the same elements that have made THPS a phenomenon. Claw your way up through the amateur ranks to prove yourelf in the world of professional skating.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A Really Great Game
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 is a really fun game. It’s for people who enjoy skating games. I got this game on December 27th, and since then it’s been a really fun game. You get to do lots of tricks including Kickflip, Heelflip, Hardflip, Nose Grab, Insane Transfers, and many more.
You get to play as all your favorite pro skaters. Plus you get to create your own character as well. During career mode when you do tasks for other skaters and people, you get to up your stats like air, hangtime, switch, rail balance, lip balance, manual balance, and others to make your character better.
They have levels that are really fun, and the first level College, is a really fun level that you have to play before any other level. The level College grabs your interest as you play. The next four levels are San Francisco, Alcatraz, Kona, and The Shipyard. During the levels you do tasks for the other skaters and people around. Some of the tasks are funny like in College you have to clock 5 jocks in one combo, and in Alcatraz you have to take the tour in one minute and the guy talks really fast.
The beginning tasks are easy but as you go on they get pretty hard. Some tasks you go on the vert ramp and do the tricks that people call out and you have 2 minutes to do them. Others make you collect C-O-M-B-O letters while staying in a combo and some make you collect S-K-A-T-E letters all around the level. Some Make you get your special meter up and do tricks like a 360 varial mctwist, darkslide a rail, misty flip a spine transfer, and semiflip over a bulldoser.
I hope this review gives you enough information to get this game, because it’s really fun and when you start playing you can’t stop.
5 Stars {TONY HAWK 4 = THE BEST IN THE SERIES!}
TONY HAWK’S PRO SKATER 4 *****, Anything less would be a crime! Drop in the ultimate challenge! Pros challenge you to make your mark in huge free – roaming levels, taking on 190 progressively harder goals with no time limits to hold you back! Decide when you’re ready to take on your Pro Challenge and move into the pro ranks, where it’s a whole new game. Build your skills, earn respect, and show that you’ve got what it takes to Go Pro…
“Gamepro magazine rates THPS 4 5.0!” All new tricks – skitch behind cars, skate on moving objects, and transfer over spines! New multiplayer and system link modes including Combo Mambo and Capture the Flag! 14 of the world’s top pros challenge you to prove your skills. 1 – 2 players, Custom Soundtrack, In – game Dolby Digital, System Link 1 – 8 players at once and is also HDTV 720p capable! Only the XBOX version offers all of this along with smoothed graphics, and faster loading time, oh how sweet THPS 4 and XBOX go together!
5 Stars It’z KooL!!
Tony hawk iz a kool and exiting game. It has one of the best 2 player mode i’ve ever seen, cause there is so many thingz u can do.But the Creer mode is very challenging, u have to be a pro just to get past the 1rst level at the college. But whaen u get 2 the next level it’s worth the wait. Also u can create ur own park, buy boards , grip tape wheels ,secret skaters,and even parks.U can also can also go to parks that are alredy made and they are TIGHT!!!!
Well that’s it i reccomend this game if u have 2 share ur system wit a brother. Because 2player mode is awesome. or just play by yourself.
4 Stars Good, but not the best of the series
I’m one of those rare people who get every action-trick sports games, granted some I wait on, and others I will get day of release, and well I waited on THPS4 and glad I did.
First off the game went under major reconstructive surgery for this incarnation, pretty much throwing away the 2:00 clock. I have serious problems with that, it’s what made THPS, trying to do the goals within the time frame. Also out is the tape system, and again I’m seriously upset, just like I was for the arrival of THPS2.
The gameplay is THPS without a question. Its a little dulled down from the sharpness of THPS3, but gives a little more realism to the game, but if I wanted that, I’d go out and pick up the deck and go skating. Many of the challenges are excrutiatingly tedious. Actually about 90% of them are tedious, I like the races, and the traditional collect SKATE of find 5 whatevers in 2 minutes, but then the competitions don’t have the skate park feel to them. The levels are big, but fairly unimaginative (Chicago from Mat Hoffman 2….I won’t say more)
If you’re looking for a THPS game, I would go 3 and maybe even 2x before 4, but if you’re looking for new levels and don’t have 4, pick it up now that it is at a platnium price, and be glad you didn’t spend twice as much on it.
5 Stars Each Tony Hawk game keeps just getting better and better…
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 is the best in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series so far.The games just keep getting better and better!This game is very addictive and full of depth.The career mode is much different and improved from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3,with much more stuff to do.There is no more time limit.You have to talk to pedestrians throughout the level and they give you a goal to do.The goals get more and more challenging throughout the whole game.This is also by far the most challenging game in the series yet!The graphics are pretty good too(athough nothing shocking).The levels are very large and theres a great soundtrack featuring artists like the Offspring,N.W.A,The Cult,Gang Starr,and over 30 other aritsts.Theres also a custom soundtrack option too so you can use your own soundtrack.This game controls perfectly too with the Controller S.There are no exclusive Xbox features though,except for the obvious things like improved graphics and custom soundtracks.Plus,theres not even Xbox Live online play!But what is here is very fun and addictive and will keep you entertained for a long time.
Outlaw Golf 2
February 26, 2009 by Xbox Reviews
Filed under Video Games
Outlaw Golf 2 brings back the shameless golf action that made Outlaw Golf such a hit! “Playing from the rough” has a whole new meaning when these bombshell babes and deviant d00ds go for 18 holes. Turn your boring old golf game into a rowdy and tasteless display of uninhibited fun. Career Mode tracks a player’s progression in the game, unlocking new characters, outfits, clubs and balls More than 50 tacky costume combinations per character Multiplayer action for up to 4 players online or on the same couch Put your balls where your mouth is trash-talk your opponents over Xbox Live
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Tons of fun
This game rocks… it’s good for someone who like to be able to pick up a game and play for a little bit, or for hours on end. Easy in-game tutorials on the controls, very small learning curve. Challenging if you really get into it, and not to hard to play if you don’t. Love the comments.. is that Dave Attell from Insomniac doing the commentary?? Love his one-liners!
5 Stars Best Golf Game I’ve ever owned
This is actually the second time I’ve boughten this game, it’s that much fun. Nevermind that it’s funny, narrated by Dave Attell and you can beat up your caddy and drive your golf cart into fun obstacle courses, it’s actually a very decent golf game. It really utilizes the full potential of the X-Box controller. I don’t even like golf as a sport, but I love this game.
5 Stars Very fun and funny.
Great golf game. I don’t play golf but I love golf games. Go figure. This one is fun and funny. A+
5 Stars Great game
I prefer OLG1 because its a little easier to play. But this, OLG2 is great, so much more golf (courses, holes) to play. Being a guy, the girls are much sexier with different outfits to unlock. I like the new skill events, blowing up cows, driving carts around running people over, etc.
5 Stars Hilarious!
This game is awesome. I don’t know what some other people are complaining about. I’ve been playing sports games since most of the readers of this article were just a twinkle in their daddy’s eyes, and this one is honestly the funniest I’ve ever played. Dave Attel (from Comedy Central’s “Insomniac”) has got to be the perfect choice for the low-brow humor this game has to offer, as long as you’re old enough (and smart enough) to get the jokes! Anyone who’s played sports video games long enough knows that the commentating on EVERY game gets tiresome after you’ve heard it a million times, and this one is no different. This game definitely caters more towards guys in their twenties who like to get wasted, talk trash, and play video games (every frat should have a copy). On a scale of 1-10, the graphics are at least an 8 (the girls might not be real, but I’m from California, so we’re used to that.), the gameplay scores about an 8 as well (easy to learn, difficult to master), and the multiplayer scores a 7 in my book (some of the play modes are not available for multiplayer). The only major drawback of the game is really the load times, which are often quite long. But…if you happen to be male, over 18, IQ over 100, have friends, enjoy sports, and in the market for a new game, buy this one. People pay OVER $60 A YEAR to play sports games like Madden NFL, don’t you think it’s about time we stop being so nitpicky about decent games that only cost $20 and consider the overall value?
UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship Tapout 2
February 25, 2009 by Xbox Reviews
Filed under Video Games
UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship Tapout 2
UFC: Tapout 2 for Xbox MODEL- 64017TDK VENDOR- TDK MEDIACTIVE FEATURES- UFC: Tapout 2 (Ultimate Fighting Championship) UFC: Tapout 2 takes “real fighting” to the next round adding more realism, more fighters and more moves to the franchise that already won OXMs Editors Choice Award for outstanding fighting game in 2002. UFC: Tapout 2 will be the most realistic fighting game to date with a mind boggling combination of technology and gameplay while still delivering the only real fighting game for the the Xbox video game system from Microsoft. * The sequel to OXMs Editors Choice Award for outstanding fighting game in 2002. * A brand new, redesigned model and animation system delivers more realism and life-like movements. * Go head-to-head with over 35 real UFC fighters, the most brawlers in any UFC game to date. * Create your own customizable fighter from scratch in Career Mode, adding hours to gameplay andinfinite replayability. * Select Tournament Mode for a free-for-all with up to 8 human and/or computer controlled fighters. * Battle to a new music soundtrack with a customizable play list and the ability to play personalized music from the Xbox hard drive. ESRB Rating : T for Teen Genre/Category : Fighting System : Microsoft Xbox Number of Players : Compatible Peripherals: MANUFACTURER WARRANTY:andnbsp;andnbsp;90 DAYS
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Could be better
The game has plenty of fighters and lots of options for moves, but at the end of the day, the lasting effect just fades out. If you’re gonna buy it, buy it cheap (or just wait for the next UFC game which will be awesome).
3 Stars Tapout 2 Review
Tapout 2 is a good quick fix UFC game for the Xbox. Don’t look for much depth or replay value though, it took me all of about a day and a half to clear the entire game on all levels. Some gimmicky controls and bugs keep this from having to high of a replay value but its okay if all you want to do is pick up a controller and have a quick bout with a friend, because it will be quick.
4 Stars Tapout 2 is the best MMA game to date.
I think that Tapout 2 is the best MMA game to date. If you like the UFC you will love Tapout 2.
5 Stars Good pick
I bought this game for my boyfriend for christmas and he loves it. I guess it’s pretty good can’t say that I know much about the UFC, but he does. So if he enjoys it I reccomend it!
4 Stars Not bad at all
I bought the game for my husband he has enjoyed playing the game. The only complaint he has is the girls are tough to beat..Ha – ha,It was well worth the money.
Rock Revolution with Drum Kit
February 24, 2009 by Xbox Reviews
Filed under Video Games
Release your inner rock star with Rock Revolution. Or allow your friends the privilege of picking up an axe or pounding the skins with you to 40 mind bending rock and roll tracks. Unleash your creative juices in the Jam Mode where you can create your own music in a state-of-the-art multi-track studio.
Up to 15 cool and realistic characters Online and offline multiplayer – versus, co-op and band battle Rehearsal mode – practice sections of songs at different speeds Career mode – play songs, learn techniques, create set lists and complete challenges Online persistent scoreboards allow performance comparison with other players around the world The most realistic drum peripheral on the market, created by real musicians for an overall hard hitting experience Bundle includes drum kit and sticks
Fight Night Round 3
February 20, 2009 by Xbox Reviews
Filed under Video Games
Fight Night Round 3 brings back Fight Night, the undisputed champion of boxing games. It’s one of the best looking and playing sports games on the market. Now it takes the action outside the ring — where gamers can establish rivalries through pre-fight events, putting purpose and passion behind every hit. It’s the closest thing to being in the ring without getting punched. Film-quality graphics – Gamers rely on facial expressions and body language to gauge an opponent’s health and energy creating a more emotionally immersive experience Online gameplay for wilder boxing action against real-life opponents
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Fight night 3
Fight night round 3 is the best boxing game so far, I mean pernonaly I like it, you can go to carrer mode, and you can make your player look like you, and as you go through training,and fighting you really get into it, makes you feal if your in the game boxing your way through belts, and trophys ,and keeping your record clean with no loses.
3 Stars Kill the body and the head will die
I love fight night, and I have been playing EA’s boxing games on XBOX since Knockout Kings 2002. The total punch control is nothing new now, and I find it very intuitive once learned. The reason why I cannot give this game more than 3 stars is because A) it has very few new boxers from last year’s edition. If there can be over 500 baseball players in a baseball game from EA and several hundred real Football players in Madden, why not make more fighters in Fight Night? Also, this game is really easy. I am a true boxing fan, and if you fight with the right style it is very difficult to lose a fight, even on the hard setting, until your fighter has lost all his attributes on the decline in career mode. (the Mike Tyson punch out style actually works the best for this game) What I mean by that is… Block and Parry your opponent and counterpunch rather than lead. After successful parries, you should be able to land 3 and 4 punch combinations at will and you should have no difficulty breaking down your opponents and stop them 95 percent of the time within the distance. When I first played the game, I went straight to career mode on hard… and unified the title with a 35-1, 34KO record. The one loss was me fighting out of character going for a KAYO when I was ahead on the scorecards but didn’t play it safe and paid the price. The game is just too easy against the AI.
For those wondering why your boxer freezes sometimes when you are blocked… it is because the computer is parrying your punch, which renders you useless for a bit and opens you up for very damaging counters. Do this to the computer, land counters in combination (I prefer a right hook to the head, right to the body, left to the body, right to the body or head as my bread and butter combo thats easy to pull off) At least 3 punches should land hard and clean after a successful parry.
4 Stars XBOX Live “bug” fixed…
This is one of the first boxing games I’ve grown to love. Unfortunately, the game lacks features like themes – the soundtrack gets old very fast, especially if you’re not into hip-hop.
Anyway, XBOX Live doesn’t work until you “fix” the “bug” the game was programmed with. In short, I had to call XBOX support to get the solution – Set your XBOX System’s date to 11/15/01. This is the only way anyone will get this game to work on XBOX Live.
As for re-setting the date every time you want to play online?…I don’t know because there were only 12 others online at the time I played, which doesn’t make for very good competition…considering the lag and cheaters.
4 Stars KO Mohammad Ali !!
This game is great fun, high on adreline, good graphics and the best of all, lands your punch like no other 
Among the highlights, I loved the ESPN Classics where you can relive the greatest boxing rivalries that existed in the world. By taking on the role of a previous champ, you get to play his moves! For instance, Ali is nimble, has stamina etc. while Frazier has deadly power behind his punches. But ofcourse, the main highlight of the game is the career mode, where you get to create your own boxer and make him a champ in any weight class! The game has amazing punch control and is extremely addictive. On the negative side, it lost charm after 40+ fights – coz most of my rivals had better physical fitness ratings than my boxer 
Overall, highly recommended – you will love it till you get tired of it.
3 Stars Serviceable, but riddled with minor imperfections
I decided to rent this title after seeing this game being played by some of my brother’s friends on the Xbox 360. With my curiosity, and my newfound powers as an 18-year-old, I rented it and popped it into my Xbox. What I had expected was a good fighting title that would consume many hours of my life. Unsurprisingly, it did… for the first day.
When I first entered the game, I played a skirmish fight against my brother, mainly for control of the Xbox for the time being. He played as Roy Jones Jr. and I played as James Toney. Unfortunately, I lost the match via TKO. Therefore I lost the Xbox for the night.
Back on the subject, the fighting mechanics of this game seem difficult to learn at first, due to the movements needed to execute a simple jab or an uppercut. However, the controls are surprisingly intuitive. After a few fights, you’ll have a basic jist of what you need to do to execute most moves within the game. You have to mix up these punches, just like in real life as well, so you can’t just go in there and throw a knockout punch with your first punch. You also have your specialty punches (to go out and K.O. your opponent with style), taunts, and cheap shots to put in there to catch your opponent (and sometimes the referee) off guard.
The mechanics are pretty good, but it doesn’t come without it’s flaws. The only gripe I have with the fighting mechanics is the random pause that you get when your opponent blocks your move. When your opponent does this, you randomly stall for about two seconds. During this time, your opponent has probably knocked your memory back a few hours with a swift haymaker to the temple. It isn’t much, but it gets very frustrating after a while.
For the career mode, I had high expectations. You start out by either creating a custom fighter or restarting the career of one of the fighters selectable in the game. If you are creating your guy, you get taken to the area where you create your boxer. You choose what he looks like, what his fighting style is, and what nickname he will be called by (there are some decent nicknames, but some of the nicknames in the game are just outright stupid and laughable).
After you create your boxer (or use one of the real-life boxers in the game), you go through the rough and grimy rings of small-time gyms, warehouses, and training regimens. When you enter the career mode, it’s pretty immersing. The Game appears to have that small-time Rocky-esque feeling to the menus and gyms, as in it seems old-fashioned and out-of-date. I don’t have a gripe against this. Actually, I like it a bit.
When your boxer trains, you have the option of choosing between three trainers. Here’s a hint, always choose the first trainer. The other two trainers only boost your skill increases minimally in their specialty (Let’s see: +1 Strength when I train for $25,000. That’s a ripoff.). The actual training is just a bunch of mini-games. However, these minigames aren’t just some excuses to burn some time. These minigames are well-thought-out and will not bore you to death when you play them at first. You have your trainer push you harder by telling you that “my mother can do this and she has an ingrown toenail!” (They don’t say this, but it’s kind of like that). These are a good excursion from the usual fighting in the game, however, these get repetitive after a while (since there are only three minigames to choose from). Another thing that’s a bit awkward is the results of your training. Every time you train, you seem to go from chump to champ in your appearance. This is just cosmetic, but it looks like your fighter just conquered the potty and not the punching bag. I got a chuckle out of it after a while, so this isn’t that bad.
After working my way up, I found that the game itself got pretty repetitive in terms of boxing. Your character has the same intro, the same intro music, and usually fights in the same stadiums time and time again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good fighting engine, it just seemed to get really tiring and hackneyed after a while. Also, there isn’t any change in your routine for matches. You schedule a match, you train for one thing, you fight the guy, you win (or lose), you schedule another match, etc. It gets repetitive after a while, and that kills off the replayability.
Another gripe I have is with the mass commercialism in the game. Sure, I expected to see an advertisement or two in some of the bigger stadiums, however, when small-time gyms like the Windy City Gym are plastered with advertisements from Burger King (EA must be having their way with BK’s coffers with all of their ads in the game), there are tons of buyable equipment from corporations like Under Armour, and the game advertises a bloody 2007 Dodge Charger before Wednesday Night Fights, you have to ask yourself: Is this a game or is this a glorified billboard? I don’t like this kind of shameless and brutal advertising method, but then again, they did the exact same thing on Need for Speed: Underground 2.
One more serious gripe I have is with the music. I hope you enjoy rap, since it’s the only bloody type of music they have on this thing. Unfortunately, for a guy like me, who absolutely hates rap with a passion, there’s a problem with the music selection in the game. This could’ve been fixed with allowing us Xbox players to import our own music into the game, but no, EA wants us to think that EA Trax doesn’t stand for crap.
—————
Pros: 1. A solid fighting system, with tons of moves, specialty punches, taunts, and cheap shots to fool your opponent
2. The mini-games are surprisingly addictive… at first.
3. Creating a Boxer is deep and there are many options at your dispersal
4. Career Mode will suck you in the first time you play it… several hours of my life just disappeared like that.
5. No bugs. The game is competently programmed.
6. There is a level of strategy within the game. The computer will make you pay for thinking that you are Rocky Balboa or if you hit the wrong place
Cons: 1. Career Mode is too linear for mass replayability.
2. When blocked, your player just stands there for several seconds waiting for your opponent to punch the lights out of him.
3. The music is, once again, too selective and one-dimensional. It will alienate a good deal of people who play the game.
4. The mass commercialism in the game will make you sick. I thought we played video games to get AWAY from the commercials…
5. Not much incentive to hire the other trainers within the game.
6. There are some really lame nicknames when you create a boxer.
7. You can heal every cut. Not realistic, and I don’t even watch boxing all that much.
Final Verdict: Worthy of a rental, but I wouldn’t recommend buying the game, unless you absolutely need a formidable boxing title to add to your gaming stable. I haven’t played FNR 2, so I couldn’t tell you if this is a rehash of that title or not.