III Greek's Corner III: The Budget Gamer

The Budget Gamer: My top 10 cheap xbox 360 games

Sat, 25 Nov 2006 09:30:08 GMT

So your in need of good XBOX 360 game's for christmas, or in need of game's to perhaps flesh out that XBOX 360 games collection.

Well here's a Top 10 list of XBOX 360 games that start at 49.99 and lower for that christmas list. Now i will say that many gamer's may already have most of theese game's but IMO theese game's represent some of the best of what the Xbox 360 offer's at a lower price then the 59.99 for the latest and greatest.

1.Call Of Duty 2: Developed by infinityward and considered some to still be the king of Call Of Duty game's even over the newly released COD3. The game was one of the Xbox 360's marqee game's at launch that still to this day. The game hold's up in terms of an epic single player experience that spans multiple continents and ofcourse it's multiplayer maps. Imo if you haven't played COD2 by now your missing out. A great game that deserve's shelf space in any gamer's XBOX 360 collection.

2.VIVA PINATA: Dubbed the game that never ends Viva Pinata is Microsoft's first attempt to offer a wider range of gaming for all ages. Some think this is Rare's best game since the n64 game's and it's best offering to date on the Xbox 360. Personally i haven't taken the plunge but whatever podcast i listen to 1up yours, Major Nelson's podcast, Ign, Egm all love the game. Viva maybe the Microsoft's pokemon! A game that's simple but deep enough that everyone hates on. At 49.99 to 45 and change at Walmart this game won't break your bank but will give you something new and good to play.

3.Condemned Criminal Origins: Another game i reviewed already and a game that's another Xbox 360 launch game. But Imo one of the scariest game's ever made! Your an FBI agent that was framed by a serial killer, killing other serial killer's! The game is fun, great graphics mixed with unique gameplay and has some plot twist's along the way.

4.PRG3: bizarrecreations what can you say about theese guys heh? One of Microsoft's top firstparty developer's this group is responsible for one of the best ever Xbox 360 game's. Until Forza 2 hit's the 360 next year this racer should stay in one's collection forever Imo. The game was another one of those launch game's that to this day showcase's the 360 powe graphically. The game is more then challenging and teaches one how to race clean! The game has enough replay value to keep one racing until either Forza 2 or PGR4 comes out in 2007.

5.Lego StarWars 2: The Force is strong with this one! The sequel to one of the original Xbox's sleeper hit's of all time. The game takes place in the Star Wars universe in the day's of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and the sexy Princess Leia! The gameplay is addicting and will have you playing for a while. The game is also great if you have a friend that want's to Jump In (pun intended) and pick up and play via local co-op. Graphically the game is simplistic but what's funner then Force Choking with the Lego Darth Vader? 39.99 a must buy!

6.Burnout Revenge: If you want a challenge and fun gameplay combined with awesome graphics then Burnout Revenge for the Xbox 360 is the game to get. Online play over Xbox Live will keep you busy for ages trying to acquire achievement's to get that worthless gamerscore up. Addicting single player is challenging enough to piss you off to a degree, that when you get a takedown or revenge it'll feel so satisfying to make you holla F* YEAH!!!!!

7.Kameo: Okay some of you may say WTF, Imo however this game is fun! What can you say the game isn't for kids, honestly if grown men can play Viva Pinata then this Rare game is another good fun game for everyone! Sure it's not the gore chainsaw fest that Gears Of War is. But what Kameo can offer is an engaging co-op experience over Xbox Live that will have you and your friend playing this game for a while trying to get "A" ranking's in the game. It's another game that's good, cheap and won't break the bank.

8.Battle for middle earth 2: If you want an RTS that's the best on the Xbox 360 until CC or Halo Wars hit's the console. The this is it bar none! Sure it's made by EA but this game will keep you busy, has great graphics and honestly if you can put away your anger for EA and their tactics then this game should be had for the holiday season. I will say it can appeal to more then the Lord Of The Ring's fan.

9.Saint's Row: This game actually could have been number 1 or 2 on the list, but the only reason it maynot be cause not to many places has this game for 49.99 or cheaper brand new. Walmart online has this game for 49.00 and change.So if you can snag the GTA killer until GTA 4 comes out until you can't go wrong! Don;t forget about the online patch that fixed all the lag issues over Xbox Live the game runs silky smooth now.

10.Test Drive Unlimited: Again some may or maynot agree, but Imo TDU deserves a place on this list. At 39.99 the game is fun, big and hell it's in Hawaii. Best known as the first ever M.O.O.R or Massively Open Online Racing game on Xbox Live, is a mixture of off and online racing and actually when you come across someone on Xbox Live it's seamless meaning you can't tell when your on Xbox Live. The only way to tell is if someone says something over Live in your headset through the game's chat functionality or by a red icon above their car. The game is huge and cover's the entire island of Oahu, being able to drive by Pearl Harbor and the University of Hawaii's staduim is killer. Also you can go buy clothing for your character which is meh! Or you can have some real fun and drive exotic car's like an Enzo acorss town to score some big cash so you can go buy your own Ferarri Enzo! That's one of the best aspect's of the game car shopping at local dealership's around town. True the game isn't anything like PGR3 or even the Playstation's own Grand Turismo but it's not trying to be.

Other notible mentions:

Prey: Don't fear the reaper! Okay honestly the game boasts great graphic's, decent mp on Xbox Live. However i gotta say be warned the game is short but fun as hell. If you can snag a cheap copy at your local Eb game's it's good enough to add to your 360's collection.

Battlefield 2: This game is crazy on Xbox Live and the single player well it'll kick anyone's ass at first. This is one game that i still play from time to time trying to get achievement's.If you want the challenge then get this game maggot!

Greek-

The Budget Gamer: Lego Star Wars 2 The Original Trilogy

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 08:22:47 GMT

Well its been a while since i updated this section of my blog so in the coming days im going to try and put down atleast one review a day. So this morning im throwing down for Lego Star Wars 2. IMO a game that most Star Wars fans will enjoy and really if your not into Star Wars then youd should probably pass. But if you are a fan of the movies or just Star Wars in general then its a must buy. Now you can get this game for the original XBOX gaming console. It's 10.00 dollars cheaper and it is BackWards Compatible with the 360. Now if you want to fork over the 10.00 extra dollars for the XBOX 360 you'll get the achievements of course the higher res graphics etc.

This game makes the perfect addtion to the Budget Gamer series. We all know by now how the story the OG trilogy goes as far as the rebels taking back the republic that Darth Sideous and Future Emperor Palpatine infiltrated in the first 3 movies known as the prequel trilogy or if you ask any Star Wars fan the filler trilogy.

In Lego Star Wars The Original Trilogy you play through all the movies, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. One of the objectives in the games as a whole is to unlock ships and crafts like Tie Fighters, X-wings etc. Also to unlock the characters we all know and love in the movies like Vader, Luke, colt 40 Lando, Han, R2, Jabba and so on. Which imo this adds alot to the game, some gamers may not like it but it does add replayability to the game overall. So the way all this goodness is unlocked is by collecting Lego Studds by breaking things on walls like panels, collecting them ontop of platforms or viechles like the Jawa Transport and also by using the force powers. When you first start out playing through the game you dont unlock the force enabled powers until Empire Strikes Back thus in the eariler levels when using Princess Liegh or Han you will only get so many lego studds.

Never fear though as you can free play the level and go on a collecting spree for Lego Studds later when you beat the level and or aqcuire more powerful force enabled characters like Vader, Palpatine, Luke, Yoda. Once of the best things about the game using the characters you unlock as you go along. When you have to character that is one with the force you'll notice a glow around certain objects that you can break off the wall for lego studds. Also the control of the characters are very good very responsive as the there is no delay or translation between the button presses on the controler to what you see on the screen. Also be on the look out for RED lego blocks as well as the GOLD lego blocks as they add multiplyers to your overall studd collection and will help you unlock the content alot faster.

Now when i say the game follows the Star Wars saga to an extent i mean that not all the dialouge is there. As the lego people speak in jiberish or Sim like talk. The game also injects its own humor into the game and portrays a fun lighthearted game and doesnt take itself seriously. Another great gameplay aspect of this game is when your playing with say like Obi Wan in A New Hope in the section with the Sand People on Tatooine. You can actually switch to Obi Wan and kick some Jedi Ass. Switching between characters to perform certain tasks to further along in the level is one key aspect of the game and also a big one. Each character has its own strengths in the game so you have to use certain characters like R2 and C3PO to open doors etc. Also in the game there are certain doors that arent accessible to you in the begining and theese are maked with character icons, like the Storm Trooper and Bounty Hunter areas. The Storm Trooper areas arent really there as a game mode like the Bounty Hunter Levels. The doors marked with the Storm Trooper icons are there basically to get you into rooms to unlock other doors in the area so you can advance in the level. Speaking of the Bounty Hunter levels there are 10 in all and can be played using 4-LOM, IG-88, Dengar, Bossk, Greedo and Bobba Fett.

Alright now that i gave this game all the praise in the world lets break it down a bit and bring it back to reality shall we. First the main thing that bugs the holy hell outta me is the fact there is no play over XBOX LIVE. A note to Lucas Arts next time include some CO-OP love! I mean not only is LIVE the premiere and only online service for consoles until the PS3 launches anyway. A game like this needs CO-OP over LIVE. Im bolding the word CO-OP hint hint Lucas Arts, i would have gladly have taken a delay of a few more months so this feature could have been included. Now there is CO-OP plat but its locally and while its a blast and fun it'll make you wonder why it wasnt included for XBOX LIVE so you can enjoy the game with friends. I mean for sakes even 8bit pixelized up rez DOOM for the XBOX LIVE Arcade has CO-OP!

Secondly my biggest semi gripe is the camera! Dear Lord Vader why is it locked into place? I understand its for simplicity purposes and it works fine but after playing a game like Saint's Row to this where you cant move the camera and your freedom of movement feels limited by locking the camera to certain angels feels annyoing. Thirdly and my last gripe i promise is the control of the Falcon, and the Xwings while they control really well in general picking up grenades in the Hoth level where you have to blow up barracades and later on the Walkers with them can be a pain in the ass bar none! I wont take any points off as this could more attributed to skill level rather then actual control i think in the last level in the game where you have to blow up the Death Star could have been better.

Heres a breakdown of chapters and levels:

Episode IV: A New Hope

Chapter 1: Secret Plans

Chapter 2: Through the Jundland Wastes

Chapter 3: Mos Eisley Spaceport

Chapter 4: Rescue the Princess

Chapter 5: Death Star Escape

Chapter 6: Rebel Attack

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Chapter 1: Hoth Battle

Chapter 2: Escape from Echo Base

Chapter 3: Falcon Flight

Chapter 4: Dagobah

Chapter 5: Cloud City Trap

Chapter 6: Betrayal Over Bespin

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Chapter 1: Jabba's Palace

Chapter 2: The Great Pit of Carkoon

Chapter 3: Speeder Showdown

Chapter 4: The Battle of Endor

Chapter 5: Jedi Destiny

Chapter 6: Into The Death Star

As you can see there is alot to sink your teeth into but once you get addicted to the game the main story goes fast and before you know it you'll be playing to get the achivements. Below is a breakdown of the controls:

Start Pause

VEHICLE CONTROLS
Directional Pad Move Vehicle or Creature
Left Thumbstick Move Vehicle or Creature
B Button Special Abilities
X Button Fire Weapon
Y Button Get In/Out of Vehicle. Get On/Off Creature.
Start Pause
Combo #1 A, A = Fly Jetpack

FREE PLAY CONTROLS
Left Trigger Change Character
Right Trigger Change Character

LIGHTSABER CONTROLS
X Button Attack
Combo #1 A, X = Forward Leap Attack
Combo #2 A, A = Double Jump
Combo #3 A, A, X = Slam Attack
Combo #4 X (Hold Down) = Defensive Stance

BLASTER CONTROLS
X Button Fire. Evade.

THE FORCE CONTROLS
B Button Force Move (Hold While Facing Highlighted Object). Force Push (Press and Hold When When Enemy Is In Range). Jedi Mind Trick (Press While Facing Enemy).

BUILDING CONTROLS
B Button Building (Hold While Facing Pile Of Bricks)

GRAPPLING CONTROLS
B Button Grapple (Press And Hold While Standing in Glowing Grapple Circle)

In closing the game even though it doesnt have any CO-OP is still a great buy for the XBOX 360. When your on a budget little gems like this make you feel like the gaming gods are smiling down on you and everything is gonna be ok. Like i said this game is geared towards fans of the movies but with some off beat humor and great gameplay it may bring in some non Star Wars fans. Even if your just a casual fan of Star Wars or looking for a fun, cheap and new game for the XBOX 360 i would highly recommend Lego Star Wars The Original Trilogy to anyone.

Pros

Fun gameplay will have you addicted in no time

Unlockables

Achievements on the undefeated mode are difficult and should have you playing for some time

Offbeat humor

Cons

No CO-OP come on lucas you should have project planned this one feature

Camera takes getting used to

No dailogue

Greeks Verdict: 4.5 outta 5

The Budget Gamer: Condemned Criminal Origins

Sun, 17 Sep 2006 10:54:25 GMT

Welcome to the 2nd edition of The Budget Gamer a recomendation to gamer's out there that are looking for XBOX 360 game's but may have a budget that is not exactly full price friendly. Now i know that most older XBOX 360 games are 29-39.99 which it may not be completely wallet friendly let's not forget that some retail outlets had theese games for sale at the 59.99 price tag not so long ago.

I see alot of threads on the XBOX 360 forums about what game to get or isnt sure on what the XBOX 360 has to offer in the way of lower priced games. Today i wanna recommend a signle player that imo is one of the best i have played in a long while. That game is Condemned published by SEGA and Developed by Monolith which has another game coming for the XBOX360 just a little game called F.E.A.R one hell of a scary game that was originally released for the PC.

The one thing that anyone that plays this game for the first time will take notice of the atmosphere this game screams it. It screams it so loud in fact that it draws you into the game and that set's the stage for one of the scariest games i have ever played. The only other game that made me jump and gave me an adrenaline rush was the original Resisdent Evil when the doverman's jumped through the window when you were least expecting it. No other game i've played besides Slent Hll 2 has given me the chills like Condemned. Both games are just experiences that need to taken on. If not you have no idea what your missing....

The other thing about Condemned is the melee combat in fact the game preaches this style of fighting enemy's and since ammo is sparse it would bode well to learn how to time your blocks and also read what the NPC do before they attack. Reading the enemy's movements before attacks can give yuo a head up. Therefore it will make blocking much more easier or there is the run back then run up and attack. You'll have to be quick about taking enemy's out that pocess fire arms like the shotgun but i would take cover first and wait for an oportune time to strike them down. The game basically starts out with you taking on the role of Ethan Thomas which works the F.B.I. and is a part of a forensic team which includes your trusty sidekick Rosa.

In the begining of the game your called upon to investigate a rash of serial killer murder's which shortly turns real bad real fast. Your then setup or framed by the now known Serial Killer X i wont tell you how that's for you to find out! So now you have to track down a Serial Killer that kills other Serial Killer's !!! Ugh WTF is that toungue twister or in the words of Bill Bob aka the Bad Santa "jesus christ kid are you fucking with me"! Well billy bob no im not... then theres the fact you have to deal with the rash of dead birds and everyone turning into a physco bent on killing anything including you.

Everyone has drove past downtown area's where there were abandoned buildings and the slums of their city's, Condemned plays on this and expands on this theroy. Iv'e been in downtown Denver and in the lower section(which was turned into LODO with clubs, bars, resteruants etc.) there used to be a ton of those wherehouses that used to be abandoned and i think everyone gives a fraction of a thought as to who or what maybe in those building's. Most likely nothing but one wonder's what goes on. It's a chilling thought and one i know i really don't want to come across. I know everyone has one of those houses or building's you just get a bad feeling from and you know to not go inside or stay away. Well this is what Condemned is like from abandoned sub ways to building's that are forgotten. Your gonna fight like hell against alot of sick people.

Anyway the weapons themselves are pretty useful as well some area's you will need to break open certain doors, fenced off areas with certain weapons and or items that yuo come across through out the game so pay close attention to that aspect. But one aspect of weapon weilding is the TASER which is pretty awesome i think i could taser bums all day without the fun wearing off. Plus it helps when you can stun your enemy's before you get ready to crack their skull.

Graphically the game boast some impressive visuals for the 360 while maybe not the best when compared to games like Oblivion or GRAW but Condemned holds it down for sure. If don't believe me i got one word for yah Bart's Dept Store, ok well maybe that's three words but this level not only boasts one of the scariest level's of all time in the history of gaming but it showcase's Condemned's graphical goodness.

Remember those dead birds i was speaking about eariler? Well those will come in handy through out the game if yuo want those ever so important gamer pionts. Item collecting like birds and metal pieces while are perhaps not important it does counts towards the over complete percentage in the game. So even if your a gamer that's to proud to play for gamer point's (PFFFT OKAY WHATEVER) or one of those gamer's that like to keep it real! The collecting is somewhat important in the overall aspect of the game. As the dead birds are involved in the plot of the story. Im not gonna spoil any of the plot for anyone out there that will come across this. For one thing when i play a game i really dont wanna know the ending until i can play through it myself and secondly knowing how the game turns out before getting to that pivital climax pretty much ruins the immersion of the whole experience.

The wholeforensic side of the game is pretty cool and seeing spots of who know what, being uncovered on the ground while your walking is not only very cool but adds a whole new aspect to the game. Getting fingers prints taking pictures is very cool and adds to the validity of the main character. The tools make Ethan seem like a legit agent, granted i have no idea what an F.B.I agent uses in real life and im sure its totally different. But theres nothing that is irratating as poor character development, how many times has there been characters presented as something and in reality they lack the presentation to make us believe.

In closing Condemned Criminal Origins is one game that gives us an experience that doesn't come around to often. I think i can make the asumption that this game is one of the few games that can completely immerse you into the story. Turn the lights off and be prepared to be afraid my fellow gamer's. From begining to end Condemned doesn't fail imo and really hope that Monolith comes with a sequal to this stellar XBOX 360 game. I think this one game will be remembered not only for the quality but one of those games that stood out in the XBOX 360's launch lineup. At 39.99 plus tax it's a game that is well worth the price tag and the lower price wont break the bank.

4 outta 5

Pros-

Atmosphere set the tone of the game and brings out the experience

Graphically solid and shows off what the 360 can do to an extent

In my playtime experience the game was solid for me, solid frame rate didn't see any screen tearing issue's

Cons-

Missing a block can be brutal and unforgiving at times

Melee overload while this is the game's basis and core gameplay it would have been nice to have a lil more ammo to take enemy's down

A tad linear in some respect's but still very fun

The Budget Gamer: Plantronics X20 XBOX LIVE Headset

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 08:56:59 GMT

Welcome to a new feature that i will be updating on a regular basis called the Budget Gamer.

I don't know about everyone out there in gamer land but sometimes money get's tight and i have to budget. I can't always afford the newest games or accessories so i have to budget and look for the deals.

For the first installement of the Budget Gamer i want to recommend a headset for the XBOX 360 that imo does the job for 19.99 USD plus tax that is in someways is a viable alternative to the Microsoft offering. One morning i was playing and my headset i got with my launch XBOX 360 died out this week R.I.P 09-12-06. Frustrated i was like ugh what am i gonna do, i was told to do the walmart swap with my headset. On the forums i heard if you call the XBOX support number(1-800-4MY-XBOX) you can even get the head set replaced for free.

I could have done all those things but i chose not to cause i wanted to try something different instead of taking the chance on another Microsoft XBOX 360 headset. So what happend with my headset? Well that morning i was playing Sain't Row online and the game was running smooth and we were all having fun and a good time. Then something happened and my 360 froze up, so i had to turn off the 360 and reboot. When i got back into the room everyone could hear me but i could not hear anyone else through my headset. Pissed off i hit the guide button and went into my personal settings and went into my voice settings in the 360. I played around with both playing through speakers and headset then again just through my headset.

So i turned on the option to play through both spearker and headset and a i said everyone could hear me but i could only hear my friends in the online lobby of Saint's Row through my speakers. it was all of a sudden my headset went into prema mute or something like that. I take good care of all my gaming headsets games etc. So when something like this happens it is very irratating. Now you can use your original XBOX headset if your in a pinch. But since i didnt have my original LIVE headset from my XBOX i was screwed.

After playing around with settings plugging and unplugging the headset and after hearing sound on and off in the ear piece. I thought maybe a loose wire had come undone. I took the screws off the mic part of the headset and a burnt smell came from the circuit board so i would assume that some how the head set shorted out. So what did i decide to do?

I opted to buy a new headset and the product i chose and since i was in a pinch i speed off to my local EB and bought the PLANTRONICS X20 headset for the XBOX 360. Now i know i could have bought a HALO2 headset but you need an adapter for it and frankly im not gonna search for one.

So you can see it's not your over the head 360 headset and the X10 is. But the build quality of the two goes to the X20 and considering my EB were selling both products at the same price i went with the X20. I'll admit it takes getting used to and the ear piece looks like it may have a hard time staying in your ear. Actually it's does stay in your ear just fine. The best thing about the headset is that it's very light weight and after a while really dont notice it's in your ear. It also has a noise cancelling microphone built into it which honestly makes a big difference when compared to the MS offering. Also the voice volume of the person your talking to in your XBOX LIVE game lobby or in private chat is crisp and you can hear the people your talking with. One thing to keep in mind is that the audio wont always be that way cause we all know that voice issues occur due to lag. My biggest pet peeve with the bundled XBOX 360 headset from Microsoft is that the person your talking to sometimes is hard to hear even with the volume bar set to 10 on the dashboard and even with the mic turned all the way up. Which can casue mis communication at times, i dont know how many time i had keep saying what over and over cause the person i was chatting with seemed like they were off in a distance. Plus the volume control on the X20 headset seems like it works great i can actually hear a difference with it turned all the way up vs turned down. The mute function also work great of course i did not notice any issues there either.

The one thing i can see as a drawback to the ear piece style headset that it may wear on your after a while so if your ear get irrated easily i would not recommend but it does come with padding. Although i took mine off So far the longest time i have wore this head set has been about 6 hrs with out any irratation and my ears do get sensitive from time to time. It may be an issue after that time frame but so far in my experience i have not ran into that issue.

In closing i would recommend the X20 headset for it's light weight and clear voice translation through the noise cancelling microphone. So the final verdict would be if your on a budget and not comfortable purchasing another XBOX 360 from Microsoft and wanting a viable alternative i would say give this one a try.

4.5 outta 5

Pros-

Noise cancelling mic

Light Weight construction and feels very light on the ear

Voice does sound alot more crisp and the volume actaully works!

Cons-

Irratation may be an issue for some after long periods of wear

Durrability, dont throw the headset or get rough looks like it maybe fragile

Ear clip on the bottom has some getting used to