Best Video Games

Features

• Feel like you’re really farming with the Nintendo Wii Remote!
• Play as a boy or as a girl!
• Work Part-time jobs
• An amazing variety of crops, animals, events, and mini-games!
• The deepest and biggest Harvest Moon to date!

Description of Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility

You have moved to an island town that was once brimming with life and energy. But now, however, the island is in trouble and it’s up to you to save it. The mystical Mother Tree that once watched over the island has disappeared, and the Harvest Goddess is nowhere to be found. The island has lost its connection with nature and the inhabitants don’t know what to do.

Till the earth, befriend and raise animals, nurture friendships, and build a family. When the giant Mother Tree is reborn, the Harvest Goddess will be able to return and bring prosperity to the island once again.Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility is filled with exciting features that are sure to delight both new players and longtime Harvest Moon fans. There are lot of crops to grow, a variety of animals to care for, tons of festivals to participate in, and an exciting story. Key Game Features:

• Feel like you’re really farming with sickle, hammer and watering can functionality via the Nintendo Wii Remote.
• Play as a boy or as a girl, marry, raise a family and pass your farm on to your heirs.
• Experience more of a variety of gameplay as you work part-time jobs.
• An amazing variety of crops, animals, events, and mini-games.
• The deepest and biggest Harvest Moon to date.

Screenshots:

Help the island by tilling the land.
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Meet the townsfolk.
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Date and eventually marry.
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Customer Reviews

I am a huge fan of the Harvest Moon games and have been since the PS1 version came out. It was rather frustrating when they kept postponing the release for the Tree of Tranquility, but the end product was definitely worth waiting for.

The storyline is great so far. You have to think a bit about what they want you to do next. It is definitely more challenging than the Magical Melodies version on the Gamecube, a definite plus, in my opinion.

I really liked the beginning, a longer story to start you off in your new home on the island. Yes, it is true that you get tired very easily in the beginning of the game, but I look at it as a challenge rather than a frustration. Once you start to save a bit of money up, and you can start improving your tools, your energy will last much longer. You don’t want the game to be too easy or your first run through will be over too fast!

One nice thing about the early part of the game is that, even if you are tired from farming, you can still work that part-time job for the extra cash. I do agree that it would have been nice to have a mini-game for the part-time job rather than just a (little bit too long) movie clip.

Great variety of new animals in the game, easy farming controls, easy to get the animals in and out of the barn to graze. Nice to be able to decorate your house the way you want it, options to buy more land etc… It seems like they kept a lot of the good things that were in the gamecube Magical Melodies version and added even more nice things for variety.

I think they did a fantastic job with this game, and if you have enjoyed past Harvest Moon releases, you will probably love it too.

*Update. There is a very bad game killing glitch in regards to female players courting Calvin. If you’re playing as the girl character, the game will freeze when you trigger Calvin’s “five heart” event, which is his “request” event. This happens on the 10th floor of the mines. While looking at the mural Calvin freezes halfway through his speech, the game hard-locks and requires a system reset. This happened to me personally and I am not happy about it one bit. This is a major issue that now prevents me from going past the 10th floor in the mine unless I fall through a crack in the floor. I would drop my rating of the game to 3 1/2 stars just for the fact that I now have to work on lowering Calvins heart level so I can access the mines normally…what a pain. *

Well, I will start off with the fact that I am very pleased with the controls in this game. The Wii remote is utilized in such a way that it works perfectly. You can use your buttons or swing your remote around to achieve various tasks with your tools. I like having options on how to perform a task because sometimes I feel like swinging my arm around, and sometimes I don’t. This is a great improvement over the new DS Island of Happiness that doesn’t give you options in the way of control and was only stylus driven (which is a pain IMO).

As for this game, once you get going it really is very enjoyable and there is so much do. I know another reviewer complained how quickly their character tires from doing tasks throughout the day. This improves quickly as you upgrade your tools and skill level. Each tool upgrade lessens the amount of stamina used performing tasks. The hot springs used daily in the beginning is a major asset that allows you to double the amount of work you can perform in one day. There are herbs lying around at specific locations on the map that boost your stamina a little. The mushrooms in the mines area good source for an energy boost also. There is a great guide that you can buy for this game that is very helpful in getting you through that first tough season.

Fishing is really enjoyable. It also is a great source of money in the beginning. If you can buy matches from the General store and grill your fish at the fire pits next to the ocean that will boost quite a lot of your stamina if you eat them throughout the day.

I am already in the Fall season and have a barn, coop, and a 2nd level house. One cow, 1 sheep, 4 chickens, 1 silkworm, and finally my horse! Gardening is a lot of fun and with all that my character has accomplished there is still a ton of things to do that she simply hasn’t had time or money to get to yet.

I like the Taylor shop that allows you to buy new outfits and hats! I was so happy when that store opened so I could upgrade my Rucksack! Whoohoo!

There aren’t many cons to this game, but I feel they should be mentioned. Loading time between each area of the map is just annoying. I think that this takes to long and detracts from game play. Also, time is not stopped when you’re in the mines, barns, or stores. It does give the game a bit more challenge, but its annoying to get kicked out of a store right when your about to make a purchase. Rushing in the barns to try and feed your animals, groom, shear, milk, etc. Trying to get out of the mines and hoping you make it home before the next day. I understand other HM versions worked this way, but I guess I am just not used to it yet.

All in all this is definitely a 5 star game. I haven’t encountered any glitches so far (knock on wood). I look forward to seeing what else this game has to offer and I doubt I will be disappointed.
All in all, this is a pretty fantastic iteration of Harvest Moon. It combines the more dramatic, realistic setting and graphics of A Wonderful Life with the more childlike and cutesy feeling of Magical Melody and Harvest Moon 64 (still my gold standard after all these years). I haven’t played it a whole lot yet (I just got it last night, after all) but I can tell it’s going to get plenty of play at my house.

I already love the look of the game. It’s pretty to look at, prettier than Magical Melody, though not as realistic and striking as A Wonderful Life (it’s close, though). One of the first things that struck me was how bright and colorful it is. The flowers in particular are very well designed and richly colored (check out the interior of Souflee Farm to see what I mean). The detail on everything is very nice so far. The crops I’ve seen have been well rendered and the trees and plants and rocks are very realistic and obviously a lot of thought and effort was put into their design. I appreciate little details like that because it shows that the game wasn’t just thrown together. The characters are also well done with many newly designed characters to look at and interact with. I would have preferred a more classic design on the male character, though. It feels less like Harvest Moon with no ball cap and/or bright red neckerchief. And a bowl cut? Seriously? But I digress…

To be fair, there are a few aspects of the game that I’m not in love with. They are as follows:

-Load times. If I’m not mistaken, this is the first Harvest Moon game with an actual “Loading” screen. It comes up every time you’re going from location to location (i.e. from Town Square to Lake District or into someone’s house) which is to say “a lot”. It’s not a dealbreaker, of course, but it does kind of interrupt the flow of the game.

-Cutesy music. The music for A Wonderful Life is dramatic and melancholy and orchestral and always fits the mood of the game perfectly. Even the whimsical Magical Melody has more serious music than Tree Of Tranquility. It’s all peppy, fake-sounding synthesizers that just don’t set the mood in the way past Harvest Moon games’ music has. Of course, I’ve only played through the early tutorial stage and a few days of Spring so far, so hopefully the Fall and Winter music will be appropriately austere as in games past.

But, in the end, this is a new Harvest Moon game and Natsume would have to get pretty much EVERYTHING wrong to make me give it less than 3 stars. As such, Tree Of Tranquility makes an easy 4 out of 5 overall. And if Tree Of Tranquility lives up to its hype as the biggest, most in-depth Harvest Moon game ever, my final judgment may wind up being more than 4 stars. Only time will tell, and any time playing Harvest Moon is time well spent.

Features

• Controls feature two thumbsticks, D-pad and six buttons
• Connects via bluetooth (wireless) or USB (wired)
• Lithium Ion rechargeable battery pack built-in
• Battery running time – Around 30 hours
• Play

  Description of PlayStation 3 Wireless Sixaxis Controller

  The PS3 Wireless Controller provides you with wireless control for more gaming freedom! It’s got the control you need for better gaming, combined with incredible wireless freedom. Play your favorite games up to 30 feet away! Its high-performance Analog sticks provide 360 degrees of smooth movement, and the D-pad gives you precise control.

  Customer Reviews

  The PlayStation 3 controller has gotten a lot of press because of its lack of vibration. However, it is wireless, extremely light, and has tilt sensors in it. This seems a great trade-off during gameplay.

  First, let’s get through the “bad” that many people have gotten upset about. They took out the rumble controller from the PS3 controller. This was for legal reasons – a company which developed that rumble technology took issue with Sony using it. Some people feel it really affects gameplay not to have that rumbling.

  I have to admit that I am VERY happy, personally, that the rumbling is gone. I always turned off the rumble in games where I could. I am on my computer pretty much 24 hours a day, and if I play a game with rumble on, it *kills* my wrists. If you’re a rumble fan, this is a decision you’ll have to make for yourself.

  Now, to the good parts of the controller. First, they all come wireless for the PS3. I *love* love wireless. Wires cause huge clutter in our living room, with all our systems and equipment. You only have to plug the controller in to power it up. It’s a regular USB power-up so you can use your iPod’s plug (assuming you have an iPod) or plug it into your computer or XBox 360 or anything else with a USB on it. That is to say, you don’t have to power it up from your PS3 if you don’t want to for some reason.

  Next, it is super light! I imagine this is because it doesn’t have to hold the motors that cause rumbling. I really appreciate the lightness. You might not notice if you only play a game for an hour or two, but if you’re doing marathon sessions of multiple hours, the weight of the controller really does begin to matter.

  Just like the Wii controllers, this controller has a tilt sensor in it. It actually knows when you tilt and turn the controller, or shake it. Depending on the game, you can use those tilts to look around or to shake off an enemy. That really gives you much more interactivity with the game, much more than button pushing.

  The general controller shape is exactly the same as the PS2 controller. You have a pair of shoulder buttons on each side, two joysticks, four buttons on the right and four directional buttons on the left. There’s a PS button in the center, just like there’s an XBox button in the middle of the Xbox 360 controller. Also, there are four lights on the unit, to let you know if this controller is #1, #2, #3 or #4 if you are playing multi-player games.

  The center PS button lets you turn the unit on and off, which is great if your console is off in a shelf or corner of the room.

  In general, I think they did a great job with the PS3 basic controllers. The main console sale both for 20 and 60 comes only with one controller – so be sure to get yourself a second one!
  Sony’s controller has it’s good and bad. Good news first, one thing I like about it is the super light weight…by far the lightest controller I’ve ever owned. It also is now wireless. You can also turn on and off the console with the “PS” button in the middle. One of the best features is the new SIXAXIS motion feature. It makes game playing interesting. For example, you can literally steer your motor vehicle by moving the pad left, right, up or down in the game Motorstorm (demo). We’ll see how developers will use this feature in future games…but so far so good!

  There are drawbacks to the controller. For one, there is a usb cord that comes with the system and controller…what’s disappointing is that the usb cord is so short maybe about only 5 feet long. I’m not sure if they include they usb cord if you buy the pad individually. However, I guess Sony expects gamers to sit right up to the tv when playing or charging the controller because of the short cord. I had to add an extension since I am about 10 feet away. But you won’t use the cord so much because it charges pretty quick and battery lasts a long time before it needs charging…maybe up to 30 hours?

  Another negative is that the L2 and R2 buttons feel awkward. Sony tried to make this into “triggers” but still keeping it’s controller pad form, causes strains with some games. For example playing Need for Speed Carbon and holding the R2 trigger all the time, your fingers will slip when it gets moist. The least Sony could of done was make the buttons more rubbery for more grip or design the trigger so your fingers won’t be slipping off the button.

  Other than that, the controller is pretty simple and with the motion sensor makes it different from the past ones. I would of still preferred the “boomerang” type controller they had in mind, but the SIXAXIS isn’t too bad of a deal….
  Here’s a wireless controller that doesn’t feature vibration feedback. That’s a first. Both Microsoft and Nintendo have made vibration standard on there controllers. What Sony does different is add motion control. Actually the controller can sense six different movements. Although this is not a feature that really sells me. I was skeptical of this pad because of what was missing. And using the Dual Shock controller for nearly ten years I knew what to expect. Finally getting my hands on one of these I was able to tell all the differences. For one Sony has made it much easier for people to not have to get up every time they want to turn the PS3 on or off. That is what the PS button is for. Secondly they have changed the L2/R2 buttons and made them triggers. These triggers take getting used to. Generally the L2/R2 or what was referred to as shoulder buttons were rarely used. Except maybe in a shooting game. Now these triggers have a starring role in racing games. For many years I have been accoustomed to the X button representing throttle. Now it’s R2 in many racing games. After using this paddle for several hours I have realized how much more I enjoy it. It’s is quite light. Only a few ounces and makes it easy to use for hours at a time. I have also noticed how well the battery stays charged. Even after five days and twenty plus hours of use it still has two thirds battery power. I have used the 360 controller and the Wii mote and have found this is the most comfortable to me. Right now vibration doesn’t make much of a difference for me and motion control is useless. I just enjoy the feel and really that’s what’s important when playing games for hours.

Features

• Configure up to 18 personalized presets to optimize game, chat and mic audio for different gaming situations
• Pairing Bluetooth Wireless Chat allows you to chat wirelessly on the PlayStation Network
• Widen or narrow the sound field to focus on sound cues that are difficult to hear-like footsteps sneaking up on you
• Disguise your voice by changing the sound from deep lows to screeching highs
• Enjoy total silence by eliminating ambient noise pickup on your mic and cutting background noise from PSN or Xbox LIVE chat sound

Description of Ear Force PX5 Programmable Wireless 7.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound Headset with Bluetooth

Turtle Beach PX5 – Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound Wireless Headset Customizable Audio

Customer Reviews

I started out the X4′s, then the X41′s. So two years of better gaming. Both were great for many reasons. I even thought they were perfect. Now owning the PX5′s for a week, it makes the other ones I have owned seem flawed. They really did justice to the PX5. Cable fits more snug to the Xbox controller, the volume control has a better range, and interference is little to none with the PX5. And even though the sound on the X41 is outstanding, the sound on the PX5 is even better.

If you have the money or can scrape up the money and you play a lot of MP type games, you really need a good headset to step up your game. Being able to know someone is coming, how close the might be, and what direction they are coming from really helps. Even if you just play on campaigns, these headsets really help to immerse yourself into the game’s environment.

The biggest plus with any headset for speakers is being able to play games loudly without keeping everyone else awake. More importantly, if you play games that has harsh language and you have kids, then you keep them from accidentally hearing it.

UPDATE 4/13/2011

Well, a few weeks of use now. I use them with the 360 and so far, I am averaging 10 to 12 hours of use before replacing the batteries. I use rechargeable NiMH batteries. The best feature they added to this headset, that the other models did not have, is they finally give you a warning your batteries are about to die.

The sound is still great. I have tried the various presets and they really help depending on what type of game you play. Still highly recommended.
I’ve had the Triton AxPro, X41, X31, Astro, and now the PX5.(All from Amazon, which was awesome this time as always) These are the best sounding by a landslide. Why the 4 star rating? Well, until I can customize my mic settings and edit my audio presets, and change “the voice” (yes, the headphones talk)… I can only rate it four stars. 5 is perfect. These are not. I facebooked TurtleBeach and asked whats up with the software that the manual and box say is on their website. “It isn’t up there yet, it will be in a couple of days”. Furthermore, that same manual makes mention of a Bluetooth adapter for the 360 controller for complete wireless chat… Also absent from their website. So those are the shortcomings for now. I hope the website is updated within 27 days, if not I will have to return these as they are only half what the box says they are. No editing mic levels, no voice morph, no custom presets, and no Bluetooth dongle.

All that said, they are awesome. Switching from Pandora on iPhone 4 to Black Ops is effortless. In fact they can be done at the same time! And I’ve named “her” Barbra. She tells me where we are in the presets: 1 … 2 … 3 and so on, or “Bluetooth on” or “Headset pairing”. They are really quite amazing. The distance is larger from base to head as well. I can clearly hear BLOPS in the bathroom for those 1 minute breaks- whereas with the x41 I was constantly met with signal loss. When these do lose signal, the transition is MUCH less jarring. The game sounds simply cut in and out until they are gone all together. They fade back in the same way. Lastly, not one pop, absolutely no hiss, not one crackle in range. The only audio flaw is that when “she” says “Bluetooth powering off” the “…off” fades out a bit. Those other things missing are icing on the cake. But the cake cost 250$ and I don’t like cake without icing. Hopefully an update will follow, that is positive.

FOLLOW UP:

I had to return the headset to Amazon. Booooo. Yes, there is some software on TB website. As kitschy as a “voice morph” is… It simply doesn’t warrant a 250$ price tag. The actual “real” software is still absent from their website (Whatever “Coming Soon” means). I want to adjust, at the very least, some generic “bass” setting or tinker with a “treble” slider. In addition to that flagrant faux pas, there is no Bluetooth dongle to be had for us 360 exclusive gamers. BOTH of these items are listed IN THE MANUAL and in the description of their product on their own site! This is not to diminish the quality of either the build or the sound. Both are superior to their the X41 model. But not for almost double the cost. Until the price comes down, and/or these other two items are available… I will not recommend this product. Continue to enjoy the X41. In fact, buy two and let the wife enjoy some quality sounds while gaming or watching a flick or two. I do miss these cans, but I not as much as I missed the $$$. I hope to update again soon. I also hope I can do more than be blinded by their beauty and gush over their sound. Maybe I could even review this elusive software, and even more mysterious Bluetooth dongle. By then, I bet they are at least 50$ cheaper too. Which in turn will likely pay for a portion of the sure-to-be over priced dongle.

Also, I don’t care to be involved in the flame debate below… Nothing personal, I’d just rather be playing video games… Or eating broken glass.

Second Follow Up:

As of late July 2011 the software is up on TB website. I will review them again once the Bluetooth adapter is available… Maybe. Or I’ll just get the Xbox version of the PX5, to be released “soon”.
The Turtle Beach’s PX5s are here to replace its predecessor – the X41s.
My best friend had those headphones but returned them because of this hissing, cracking sound that was god awful. However, TB has rid of this problem as it is no longer happening in the PX5s. THIS IS HUGE. If you do your research you will see a plethora of complaints about the X41s having this issue.

Further, if you are really into FPS games such as killzone, COD, BFBC2 etc, then you will appreciate some of the presets such as silent footsteps; some presets really immerse you in the game. Some ppl speculated that the presets may just be a gimmick or ploy from TB but INDEED THEY ARE NOT AND THEY WORK.

NOTE: Make sure to use ninjo pro on BO to really get the advantage or else you will end up hearing the sound of YOUR OWN footsteps, which is not desirable.

Lastly, you should know that MLG recommends the ASTRO A40s, which are also awesome but come with an even heftier price tag of 350 [(when you include the wireless option. Of course, these are wireless and have more features (voice changer, downloading more presets, comes with DUAL bluetooth capabilities which is something that you CANNOT get on the astros)]. The latter feature helps a lot since my gf likes to bother me while I’m gaming and my Android can be answered by a click of a button through the PX5s; pretty cool, eh?!
Also it is helpful for you to know that the Astros are known for really good Ambient sound and Narration. Also, the astros made an improvement with their 2011 edition giving better bass containment then they offered before. The px5 don’t have a bass booster toggle like the x41s, however, this is no longer a single-option-feature since the presets coupled with the ability to self adjust/customize the sound at an even greater depth is ALL at the user’s fingertips.

The Px5 are probably the most advance and best WIRELESS GAMING headsets you can get on the market right now and with amazon’s superb CSRs and pricing, you can’t go wrong.

PS please don’t bother comparing these to the Tritton Pros and/or the 720s – it really undermines the Px5s, they are not in the same league.

Update 4/1/2011

After muh more use and playing around with the headsets, I decided to give an update. Honestly, I have a issue with the lack of proper bass; that is there is not a fair balance of adequate/tight/clean bass – ESPECIALLY is you are on preset 2 or 4. If someone throws a grenade and it lands by me or if there of many sounds going on out once, there is CONSIDERABLE distortion. This is not acceptable for such an expensive headset. So yeah, it has a multitude of features, but what is the point if you are not getting quality sound. Aside from that, the mids and highs are pretty good.

Here is what I wrote in response to a comment: “Now honestly, these are not going to sound as good as the 598s, or 555, the guy who has some distortion in the bass does not have a defective product, it’s just like someone said here, these aren’t going to be comparable to HD cans from a company like Senn,denon, etc. I swear they sound pretty good and I enjoy them but of course they are not up to par with some of the foregoing headsets mentioned above. Do they blow the Tritton 720/pros (crap madCatz) and px21s out of the water? Yes! But don’t plan on getting the best GAMING headphones (on balance) and expect sound quality which you would receive from a similar priced audiophile company…it aint gonna’ happen (at least not right now)”

Hope this was helpful…

OH and ONE LAST THING, to the guy who said he got 20hrs plus, YEAH RIGHT. That is NOT true unless you have the mic and bluetooth off. Sorry. Just had to clarify for everyone. It is entirely feasible and average for 6 hrs use if the bluetooth function is on all the time bc boy does that sure drain the batt.

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