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Brief review of shooters

Here is a brief review of many shooting games for a variety of consoles.

Call of duty 4 - An extremly popular FPS with stunning graphics. Campaign is often seen as short by some people, but I disagree, its length for me was perfect - especially on veteran. Multiplayer has a large replay value, with 10 levels of prestige and many unlockable guns, which can be customized. My rating 10/10.


Rainbow Six Vegas 1 & 2 - Great single player but in my opinion, the multiplayer was a let down. Number 2 is especially laggy, with annoying echoeing all the time. Number 1 allowed players to sponge bullets, which is equally frustrating. Customizable characters and guns again, both well implemented. My rating 8/10.


Gears of War - Best 3rd person shooter ever in my opinion. Campaign is amazing, some say too short, but quality over quantity. Multiplayer is almost perfect, apart from glitches such as crabwalking or kung fu flipping, but they are rarely a problem. Gears of war 2 is a mustbuy.
My rating 10/10.


Battlefield: Bad Company - Lengthy singleplayer with a multiplayer containing much variety - Many maps, unlockable weapons and gadgets give this game alot of replay value.
My only issue is shooting people with the sniper in the heart doesn't kill them, and the slight graphics issue. My rating 8/10.


Halo 3 - The ever so popular Halo series always impresses the gaming population. Lengthy single player and many multiplayer modes keeps people playing it. Great game with many fun to use vehicles and weapons. My only issue is certain multiplayer issues such as the beat down system. My rating 9/10.



Grand theft Auto IV - Not always seen as a shooter, but its superb multiplayer suprised many people. Great new graphics, and will keep you entertained for months. Huge seller.
My rating 9/10.

Thats all for now, be sure to check tomorrows post.

Thanks,
Craig
[GRAT]

Back from holiday

I am back from Italy and posts will be back to normal from tomorrow.

Thanks, stay tuned
Craig

Inactive for a week

I'd like to state I will not be posting for a week as I am going on holiday(or vacation).
Italy ;)

Hope to see you guys here when I get back.

Thanks,
Craig

How to annoy people during online play

How to annoy people during online play

-Corpse hump(t-bag) targetted people. This is often done by crouching and standing up repetitively on a persons face. Uhh yeah... Wikipedia it for more info.

-Teamkill! Game modes such as Call of duty 4's hardcore search and destroy are a great way to kill your team. Just get an RPG with sonic boom, fire it into the floor as the round starts and you have a team who hates you! Woo!

-Talk garbage.. Ask random people with mics if they enjoy weinerdogs and mustard. Perhaps you could sing - Singing is always good. Maybe randomly join in with other peoples conversations. The possibilities are endless...

-Glitch out of the map, not always the best idea as alot of people will file complaints.

-While waiting in the lobby, send random people messages asking if they want to come out tonight. Well, what else can you do while you wait?

-If somebody picks a weapon up which you wanted, follow them around. Perhaps in Gears of war, repetitively rev your chainsaw at them.

Sorry for the short post today guys. If you ever have any ideas for new blog posts send me an email at hahateamkilled@yahoo.com

Thanks,
Craig

Xbox 360: Preventing the RROD

33% of xbox 360 owners will get the Red Ring of Death sometime in their gaming lives. Don't let one of the 33% be you.

I will start with a brief description of what each quadrant on the Ring of light means:

1 quadrant: General hardware failure
2 quadrants: Overheated Xbox
3 quadrants: The main dreaded hardware failure(the RROD)
4 quadrants: Disconnected AV cable

The main reason why these happen is because of costly mistakes by the owner. Read the following and ensure you understand them:

-Do NOT put your xbox 360 on the carpet. It prevents ventilation and can cause overheating. Simply put it on a small coffee table or a place mat instead
-Do NOT move your 360 while it is turned on, or a disc is inside the tray. Your just asking for scratched disks
-Do NOT put your 360 near a heat source such as a radiator. Can cause overheating
-Do NOT put other things on top of the 360
-Alot of people say laying it down instead of standing it up makes a difference, perhaps try this
-If all else fails, try a Nyko Intercooler

Playing for long periods on your xbox 360 may cause it to overheat(2 red quadrants) It is important that you do not play on your xbox for at least 12 hours in this circumstance. Turning it on and playing normally after overheating will cause it to permanently overheat whenever you turn it on. It happened to me, so I suggest you listen to my advice!

What to do if your xbox 360 has broken

If your console has 1, 2 or 3 red quadrants(if 4 red quadrants, just plug in the AV cable, or if the console isn't detecting it, give it a clean) then here is what you can do.

1 or 3 red quadrants: See if you have the receipt from the place of purchase. Check if its still in date, and firstly phone them up to ensure they will offer an exchange before taking it there. If your warranty with the shop has ran out, or they will not exchange it(which they should lawfully, providing you have proof of purchase and its in the warranty) then read the next steps.

Phone xbox customer support and arrange for Microsoft to collect your xbox 360 for repair.

USA Residents: 800-4MY-XBOX
UK Residents: 0800 587 1102

This can take up to a month for your xbox to be fixed and shipped back to you.

Another method, which I do not recommend, is called the towel trick. Basically, your 360 is wrapped in a towel so it heats up and the plates mould together, thus giving you a temporary fix. This may void your warranty so I really advise against it. However, if you want to learn more just google 'towel trick'.

2 red quadrants: Turn your xbox 360 off 12+ hours, then play again. Make sure the area is well ventilated. If the problem occurs, ask for an exchange at the place of purchase or phone the microsoft repair centre.

I hope you have found this post useful

Many thanks,
Craig
[GRAT]

Rock Band: The Review

Released for: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2, Wii. (In some countries it is not yet released for all platforms)

Rock Band - The Basics

Rock Band is developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by MTV Games.

What do I get with Rockband?

Included in the Rock Band instrument pack is the...
Stratocaster guitar, with an additional set of fret keys used for 'tapping' solos.
Rock Band Microphone, a good quality microphone used for the vocals section.
Set of drums, with foot pedal and sticks...The main reason why people buy Rockband.

Rockband is often put down due to its hefty price tag, here is the cheapest I can find it for...

Play

Daily downloadable content is available each week on the xbox live marketplace.

Overdrive is available in Rock Band, this is the same as Guitar Heros' star power. Activate it and your score multiplier doubles. However, it can also be used to bring back bandmates which have failed out.

So... The big question

The question on everybodys lips is whether RockBand is actually worth the price tag it stands on.

My opinion is that, if you only plan on playing RockBand solo, you will be better off buying Guitar Hero 3. Perhaps if you have alot of family/friends living with/nearby you, RockBand is certainly the better option. You are able to play through the massive Band World Tour, which will keep you entertained for a very long time.
Nevertheless, soloers can still have fun with RockBand, as the solo tours are indeed fun to do. But the boredom factor may kick in as you are simply playing by yourself. Bored of one instrument? Buy a microphone stand or use your standard headset and play drums/guitar while singing along. Lets just hope you know the words...

For the more experienced gamer, the drums will be the only main threat in terms of difficulty. Fans of the Guitar Hero series will find even the expert career a walk in the park, apart from some tricky and enduring solos such as Green Grass High Tides.

The lifespan on Rockband, as I said before, is pretty good. With over 60 songs in the setlist, and alot of downloadable content, you will be rocking out all night.

Characters are fully customizable, with the ability of tattoos, facepaint, makeup, new clothes, hairstyles, you name it - Rockband has got it.

Alot of people are put off due to storage. The drums can be disassembled and stored easily, while the microphone or guitar shouldn't be a problem.

Summary

Good points:
Great fun
Large lifespan
Feels like your in a band, without the months pratice

Bad points:
Large price tag

Overall rating:
9/10

Thanks for reading,
Craig
Game Reviews and Tips writer