Final Fantasy X
Average Customer Review:
CD-ROM (21 December, 2001)
list price: $49.99 -- our price: $19.99
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

Each installment of the Final Fantasy series has featured strongstorytelling, characterization, and strategic combat, fun minigames, and hoursupon hours of captivating gameplay. The 10th title in the series is noexception. This is the first time a Final Fantasy game has appeared on thePlayStation2, and it takes full advantage of the increased technicalcapabilities.

The story this time concerns Tidus, a blond-haired star of a sport calledBlitzball. While he is playing in a match, Tidus's city is attacked by an evilforce called Sin, and everything is destroyed save Tidus and his guardian Auran.The adventure begins as the pair are somehow transported to another world. Fromhere on, it's standard Final Fantasy gameplay: fight battles, manage experiencepoints, learn new powers, and recruit a motley crew of nonplayer characters tojoin your quest.

The graphics, however, take things to a new level. They are amazing not only fortheir realism, but also for their imaginative art design. The world these heroesinhabit is breathtakingly beautiful, flowing, and full of inventive surprises.You haven't lived until you've surfed cables high in the air, or ridden agraceful airship through the clouds. The stunning effects are on display whenyou use magic in combat, summon gigantic monsters, and use fire columns todevastate your foes.

One new element is voice acting. The innovation yields predictably mixedresults: it's wonderful to hear spoken dialogue rather than read subtitles, butas with most games translated from Japanese, the acting is mediocre andsometimes unintentionally hilarious.

Still, the game's new graphics engine and solid gameplay are sure to please fansof the series waiting to see what Square has in store for them. While FinalFantasy X doesn't offer much innovation, it also doesn't disappoint. Andfortunately, with Final Fantasy XI already in development, the title isstill a misnomer. --Andrew S. Bub

Pros:

• Gorgeous graphics
• Epic story line
• Voice acting

Cons:

• Little innovation
• The voice acting is sometimes laughable

... Read more

Features

• ini-games, such as the underwater sport of blitzball and a monsterarena.
• DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 channel Surround EX compatible.

Reviews (1385)

No, no, no, no, no.....
I played this game for a long, long time (about 35 hours) and quit before beating it. Here's what I think:

First, the pros.

1. The game has good graphics for its time, definitely, although some animations are a little excessive. Backgrounds mix between 3D and pre-rendered, all usually unique and beautiful.

Okay, that about does it for the pros. Now, the cons.

1. The battling is, to put it simply, horrendous. Although the battle system is faster than previous FF games, it is enexcusable to have such a basic battle system in any RPG today. Seriously, its less advanced than many SNES RPG's. No time limits (as in FFVI, FFVII, or Chrono Trigger), no real-time implementation, nothing. Just plain, "select attack and watch" battling. Oh wait, there is one new aspect. During battle, you can switch characters in and out, which does lead to pretty handy healing or power-up situations. I'll admit, that aspect is interesting.

2. When you're not battling, the game is at its worst. It goes like this: first, there is a cutscene, then a long, painfully linear path full of random encounters every 10 seconds, and then a boss. That's it. For 35 hours or so, cutscene, linear path, boss, repeat. It starts out fun (which is why the game recieved such great reviews), but about 15-20 hours into it the fun is gone. At around 30 hours, it starts to get painful.

3. The plot is drab. I hear all these great things about the plot, but I can't agree. The plot, like the rest of the game, is basic and not innovative. It also goes from passable to just plain lame by the end of the game.

4. Audio is also drab. Music is good, but nothing sticks in my mind like Chrono Cross or the SNES RPG's of old. Voice acting starts strong, but all of the voices get very, very annoying later on.

5. Characters. Ugh. All of them are stereotypes. Tidus, the protaganist, is your typical hero with the "let's go get 'em!" attitude. Yuna is your female caster who is quiet and sensitive. Auron is your "cool" character, whose sole purpose is to be cool, and fails miserably. Lulu and Kimahri have no personality whatsoever. However, Wakka is a very interesting and fresh character, the only interesting one in the game. He has the best voice acting, as well.

6. Blitzball. I expected a real time, soccer-like experience, but no. The developers got lazy and made it a simple turn-based borefest.

Overall, the game is fun for a while (which is, as I stated before, why it got such good reviews). The whole game just gets worse and worse as time goes on. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

A worthy edition to the Final Fantasy series
It has been a long while since I've played any console game, let alone a console RPG (Role-Playing Game).I started out as a console gamer when I was younger, but for the past several years I've been a die hard PC gamer.However recently I decided to get a PS2 because of its now lower price and absolutely massive game library.As a fan of console RPGs in general, and Final Fantasy games in particular, I just had to play Final Fantasy X when I got my PS2.Having played through Final Fantasy VI (a.k.a. III in North America), VII, and VIII, I wondered how Final Fantasy X would stack up, especially now that I've had a lot of exposure to PC RPGs.Quite simply this game me glad to get a PS2.It's one of the best RPGs I've played in some time for any platform.

Final Fantasy X revolves around a character named Tidus, a smart-aleck athlete who is sent 1000 years into the future to save the world of Spira from an evil creature known as Sin.Throughout this game you will encounter an interesting cast of characters such as Auron, a battle-scarred swordsman; Lulu, an attractive and powerful magic user; Kimahri, a humanoid-lion creature who likes to let his spear do the talking; Wakka, a "blitzball" player who finds a kindred spirit in Tidus; Rikku, a young Al Bhed girl; and Yuna, a summoner who can call forth powerful creatures called "Aeons", and will eventually become Tidus' love interest.Final Fantasy X does a great job of fleshing out these characters' personalities so that you feel more invested in the story's outcome.

The core gameplay of Final Fantasy X is similar to most other console RPGs.Battles consist of random encounters with monsters that your selected party of three must defeat.Each character in this game has their own distinctive attributes.Auron, for example, is a physically tough warrior who can take and dish out a lot of damage, while Lulu is physically weak but makes up for it with strong magic attacks.One of the more original, and admittedly oddest, features of this game is its character advancement system.Unlike pretty much every RPG (both PC and console), Final Fantasy X does not use a simple "level up" system.Instead, when you win a battle against monsters you will gain "spheres", which you use to activate abilities and stats on a character's "sphere grid".It took a little time to get used to it, but this system soon became second nature.

Graphically the game looks phenomenal.The background environments are much richer in detail compared to previous Final Fantasy games.Also, the character models are themselves incredibly detailed, and this is especially noticeable during the in-game cutscenes when the characters talk to each other.And of course, Square's signature computer animated cutscenes look as amazing as ever.Through this I could tell that the makers of this game spent a great deal of time to ensure that Final Fantasy X would be visually stunning, which is a good thing in my books.

Where this game falters a little though is in the sound department.Music wise Final Fantasy X provides a decent selection of music when not engaged in combat, reflecting the different environments you encounter in the game.However, when in combat the game plays the same battle music over and over again, and it only really differs when you fight a boss creature.Eventually the battle music started to get annoying.The voice acting in Final Fantasy X is a first for the Final Fantasy series, and on the whole I thought it was okay, although it isn't going to win any awards.In my opinion the best voice acting job was done by Auron's voice actor who gave him a very strong and somber tone.On a related note, being a fan of Japanese animation and foreign cinema, I would have actually liked the option to choose between having the English audio language, and the Japanese audio language with English subtitles.Although I know this would not be possible due to memory constraints.

However, the main problem with Final Fantasy X (although it's a small one) is the fact that it is a very linear game.Unlike other RPGs such as the Baldur's Gate series (for the PC), or Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Final Fantasy X allows little deviation from the main story of the game.Basically there is only one real way for you to go from the story's start to its finish.But you know what?That's fine with me.One of the main reasons I liked playing the Final Fantasy series is that it always told a compelling story, which Final Fantasy X delivers in spades.

In the end, if you never liked console RPGs or the Final Fantasy series in the first place, Final Fantasy X doesn't really give you any reason to change your mind.But if you ARE a fan like I am, you owe it to yourself to pick this game up!With some good music, fantastic graphics, and an enormously gripping tale, this game has a lot to offer.Final Fantasy X definitely lives up to the legacy of its predecessors, and is a game that shall be remembered for years to come.

My ratings are:
Graphics = 10/10
Sound = 7/10
Gameplay = 8/10
Overall = 9/10

And this is a game, huh?
I will admit - I never played any FF game before, so I bought this from a "competitor" site.... I didn't get the game. This is one of the most boring games I ever played, why do people like this? I mean, you don't get to do anything... 2/3 of your time is spent watching multiple 'cut' scenes, it's like watching an animated movie. Then every now & then you get to fight and move around. Ohhh and the fighting, I guess I'm used to games like Tomb Raider, but you never actually "hit" anyone... it's just a bunch of arrows telling you that you hit someone - no real character interaction! After about a week, I stopped playing and sold it on the same "competitor" site. Only redeaming points are; the graphics are well done and the music is cool. If you like games where the characters actually interact and fight each other, turn and run from this game - pure hogwash. But obviously a lot of people like it... I'm in the minority I guess. Happy Gaming! ... Read more

Asin: B00005TNI6
Subjects:  1. Video Games    2. PS2 (PSX2)    3. Sony Playstation (Play station) 2    4. Playstation2 (Play station2)    5. Fighting    6. Role Playing Games (rpg, rpgs)    7. Great Deals (Outlet store)   

Envision EN-7100E/SI 17" LCD High-Resolution Color Display
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $449.99
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Editorial Review

The Envision EN-7100 combines flat-screen convenience with a tiny footprint, especially designed with modern workspaces in mind. The surface has been treated with an anti-glare hard coat, insuring that every color in your graphics is clearly visible, even in brightly lit locations.

Weighing in at just 12 pounds, the sleekly styled EN-7100 unites the best of design and technology. The completely flat 1 7-inch viewing screen supplies a brilliantly clear picture and a larger overall size than that of a typical LCD screen. Standard resolution is 1,280 x 1,024, with a 250 cd/m2 brightness, 300:1 contrast ratio, and 0.26-millimeter horizontal and vertical pixel pitch. Together, these specifications guarantee an exceptionally sharp picture for games, DVDs, and image processing, as well as cleanly legible text on standard documents.

Envision includes a full three-year warranty that covers parts and labor.

User-friendly buttons on the top of the monitor control basic functions, while an onscreen display system (OSD) offers control of color, positioning, pin-balance, and more.

What's in the Box
Monitor, AC power supply and cord, 15-pin analog monitor cable, instructions, warranty information. ... Read more

Features

• 3-year warranty
• 1,280 x 1,024 maximum resolution
• 0.264-millimeter horizontal and vertical dot pitch
• 120-degree horizontal viewing angle
• Completely plug-and-play

Reviews (114)

After 2 years, still perfection
I'm amazed that people buy OEM monitors with their Dell/Gateway computers when something like this is available.CRYSTAL clear and sweet to use all day.This monitor is amazing.We've used it (heavily) for 2 years without a hiccup!Auto-adjust works 100% of the time.Yes, it's $400+ but if this is something you'll be using a lot, it's worth every dime of the $100 premium over lesser monitors.

This was an excellent buy
I am not a geek at all.I just love this monitor.It was easy to set up and is bright and easy to read.I would recommend it to persons like myself who just needed to replace their old CRT's and wanted a monitor that took up less space and was easy to see and read.The only problem I have is that I bought this monitor in December of 03 and it came with a $50.00 rebate that I sent to Envision on Dec 18, 2003.I have yet to get my 50 bucks. It is now March 11,2004. If there is a any kind of rebate promised from this company, don't expect it any time soon.
Thanks-Susan from Seaside, Oregon.

Beware of the auto-adjust problem
This monitor is ok, not a 5 star puchase like most people here said, they haven't seen a Samsung or Viewsonic yet and most of them had been looking at their tiny 15-17 inch CRTs and that's why they were so excited and gave this one 5 stars.

Mine came with a dead pixel, a bright green pixel in the middle of the screen, Amazon is sending me a replacement. The most annoying thing about this LCD is that every time you play video game or cold boot it automatically readjusts itself ignoring your settings and you will have to go and manually activate your display profile again using the video card's display control panel. I will probably have to look for another monitor because I can't deal with this annoyance and definitely don;t want to manual change the settings each time I play games

My suggestion is that if your budget permits you should go look at a Samsung or Viewsonic before buying this one and if your video card has DVI connection, buy a DVI LCD ... Read more

Asin: B00005MNSS
Subjects:  1. EN7100E, en7100, Envision Monitor    2. en-7100, 7100e, flat panel, en7100s    3. LCD    4. Envision 17" EN-7100e TFT LCD    5. High Resolution Color Display    6. Flatpanel Monitor (Flat Panel Monitors)   

HP PhotoSmart 1115 Inkjet Printer
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $199.94
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Editorial Review

Forget having your digital photos printed by someone else. With this PhotoSmart InkJet printer, you can print full-color photos yourself quickly and easily. Print sizes range from 4 by 6 inches all the way up to 8.5 by 11 inches, at up to 2,400 x 1,200 dpi resolution. (Note that the highest-resolution photos will require premium photo paper.)

The HP 1115 lets you print directly from your digital camera, using CompactFlash, SmartMedia, or Sony Memory Stick memory cards. You can also connect directly to your computer using the built-in USB port and included HP photo imaging software. Printing is remarkably fast, producing 12 pages per minute (ppm) black and 10 ppm color; the printer includes both a 20-sheet, 4-by-6-inch photo tray and a 100-sheet, 8.5-by-11-inch paper tray.

The HP 1115 features color layering technology from PhotoREt III, printing richer colors for great skin tones, as a quicker printing alternative to 2,400 x 1,200 dpi resolution, while maintaining the same exceptional print quality.

The HP 1115 is both Mac and PC compatible (but optimized for Windows): Windows 98, 2000 Professional, Me, XP Home, and XP Professional; and Mac OS 8.6 or later on G3 and G4 with USB-connect Macintosh. The printer is backed by a one-year warranty, with the option to extend it to three years at additional cost. ... Read more

Features

• USB interface; PC and Mac compatible
• 2,400 x 1,200 dpi resolution, PhotoREt III color layering technology
• Prints up to 12 ppm in black, 2.9 ppm in color
• Prints from PC or directly from CompactFlash or SmartMedia
• Flexible paper handling from 3-by-3-inch cards to 8.5-by-14-inch legal documents

Reviews (18)

Disappointed
I have used this printer for the last two years, though it has not been heavily used.It has completely broken down, will not acknowledge that it has paper, and the "carriage" is broken.It will not feed anything through and constantly has paper jams.I have been told by repair specialists that it will cost several hundred dollars to fix it because the "carriage" is so expensive.Though it does print beautiful photos, I am very disappointed with this product's performance over time!

HP workhorse
Great Printer, but does get a bit cranky at times.The 2 side print capability is a plus, saving paper & making printouts more compact.Does a 4 + job on photos, but hard to use the small photo tray.I've used this printer for approx 2 years and just now feel it may be time to upgrade.I feel I made a good choice for my photos.

Nice
Great printer! Fast and awesome color printing! ... Read more

Asin: B000063W90
Subjects:  1. Hewlett-Packard    2. (HP)    3. (Hewlet Packart)    4. Inkjet Printer (Ink Jet Printers, Printing)    5. Photo Printer (Photo Printing)    6. Hewlett Packard (Hewlett-Packard)