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- Review count16
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- First reviewMay 2, 2012
- Last reviewOctober 30, 2016
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- Average rating4.1
- Review comment count1
- Helpfulness votes1
- First review commentAugust 5, 2012
- Last review commentAugust 5, 2012
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![Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season One [6 Discs] [Blu-ray]](https://pisces.bbystatic.com/image2/BestBuy_US/images/products/5795/5795252_sa.jpg)
This collection includes all 25 episodes from the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the classic space adventure featuring Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, Captain of the Starship Enterprise, and his loyal crew as they attempt to keep the peace among the stars. All episodes have been digitally remastered for 7.1 sound and 1080p high definition visual effects.
Customer Rating
4
It's literally watching the show for the 1st time
on August 5, 2012
Posted by: DPCPhoto
from St Paul, MN
Star Trek TNG's first season has a reputation for being variable in terms of story/plot quality. If you like season 1, then this Blu-Ray set is a real treat.
I should say some discs have problems but CBS had recently announced how to obtain replacement discs...
If you disliked season 1, the stunning restored visuals and improved sound will still astound you, even if the episodes themselves are uneven.
And the extras/documentaries on the show's restoration, and creation, are alone worth the cost - at least for TNG fans.
Having watched every episode in this set, and knowing how modern video editing is done, the re-editing to make the restored episodes was complicated and extended. For, in order to get TNG to get to Blu-Ray, every episode had to be re-edited from the raw filmed footage. Upscaling the master videotapes of edited footage was simply not workable.
As a result, color gamut is increased and not only color but details literally pop out onto the screen. It really is watching the show for the very first time.
Unfortunately, not all effects work existed, so some elements had to be recreated from scratch - but the restoration team has kept true to TNG's original f/x and their efforts are virtually seamless to the original methods used - but fit into HD standards beautifully.
Season 1 is comprised of over 1100 minutes. The editors could not find 2 seconds of film (a reaction shot), and the scene passes by so fast you won't know the difference. The recordkeeping of the late-80s was meticulous, and the fact so little material was lost, combined with how well recomposed the episodes are, is a result of that record-keeping.
TNG's later seasons are virtually flawless, but I found season 1 to be refreshing - even with the most horrible clunkers. Something can be said for 80s cheese as well.
Definitely worth collecting.
---
Individual episode ratings:
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Individual episode ratings:
Encounter at Farpoint: 4/5 - sometimes cheesy, but Q is memorable.
The Naked Now: 1/5 - lost opportunity and a shallow, hollow rewrite of TOS's "The Naked Time"
Code of Honor: 2/5 - uh... it's a lost cause, despite two of the guest actors improving on the rubbish material they had to act out. The Blu-Ray shows a ton of detail not seen before... it's rich and beautiful, despite having a rubbish plot
The Last Outpost: 1/5 - another TOS-wannabe and a new enemy is introduced. Designed to be nasty but come across as comic relief... it's a stinker.
Where No One Has Gone Before: 3/5 - corny, but the Blu-Ray really makes the f/x work shine, but keep your eyes open and you'll see a couple minor nitpicks... :)
Lonely Among Us: 4/5 - yet another TOS-inspired episode, it's one they couldn't have done in 1968. The Antican/Selar feud could have been better, but the main subplot involving an energy life form is fairly innovative.
Justice: 1/5 - the basic concept is good, but a rewrite turned this into an R-rated farce. Worst episode of the series, by far.
The Battle: 3.5/5 - I'm a sucker for revenge-themed subplots, and this goes into detail with Picard's past as well.
Hide and Q: 3/5 - more corniness but Q's presence elevates the story.
Haven: 1/5 - it feels like a prototype to later seasons with this episode's use of drama, but flops quickly.
The Big Goodbye: 4/5 - good use of the holodeck and one of TNG's first successful attempts to not feel like a TOS episode, despite some homage. Was supposed to air after 11001001...
Datalore: 3/5 - great ideas let down by a horrific production. But the ideas carry enough weight and Lore makes a great villain.
Angel One: 2/5 - trite, corny, lame, but some of the guest stars are easy on the eyes.
11001001: 4.5/5 - only a couple nitpicks but is TNG's first outright classic, and shows how Geordi would eventually become Chief Engineer.
Too Short a Season: 3.5/5 - we're back to feeling like a TOS-era episode, with cliches, but I can't deny it's watchable...
When the Bough Breaks: 3.5/5 - innovative and different, it has flaws but will win you over with its charm
Home Soil: 4/5 - some wooden acting can drag down an innovative episode only so far, and shows terraforming in action.
Coming of Age: 4/5 - Wesley's best season 1 story.
Heart of Glory: 4/5 - Cliched yet enjoyable Klingon-themed story with some innovations.
The Arsenal of Freedom: 4/5 - A good action piece, with the cornball element fairly limited.
Symbiosis: 3.5/5 - the anti-drug episode isn't the clunker one might be led to believe. It's not a classic, but there are far worse episodes to be sure.
Skin of Evil: 3/5 - Some good ideas are brought down by what can only be summarized by "late 80s cheese". Tasha Yar makes some fun assumptions as well.
We'll Always Have Paris: 3/5 - Interesting sci-fi at work, but feels flat. 2 seconds of footage were upscaled for this episode, but you're not likely to see it.
Conspiracy: 4.5/5 - the best of the season also ends on an open note and might have made a backstory for a proper near epic-worthy nemesis for the TNG movies.
The Neutral Zone: 3.5/5 - preachy at times, cornball, but has a few good lines of dialogue and reintroduces one enemy while alluding to one that would be introduced in season 2 and made proper use of in season 3...
What's great about it: Restoration work, extra/documentary materials
What's not so great: Some discs have sound problems (but are fixed...)
I would recommend this to a friend!
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-21points
8of 37voted this as helpful.
Re-experience the breathless excitement and sensory thrills of afternoons spent at the arcade, hunched over your favorite video game as you strive to beat the high score. With Namco Museum Virtual Arcade, you'll discover more than 30 classic and re-imagined arcade-style games all in one convenient collection. Savor the fun and bask in the nostalgia as you play your way through dozens of edge-of-your-seat games designed to entertain for hours.From enduring classics to all-new Arrangement games that re-imagine perennial favorites for a new audience, Namco Museum Virtual Arcade delivers a variety of thrills. In the largest Namco Museum collection to date, you can put your skills to the test in legendary games like Pole Position, Pac-Mania and Rolling Thunder, experience the thrills of Xbox Live Arcade games like Dig Dug and Pac-Man Championship Edition with no downloading necessary, and try your luck at the new Dig Dug Arrangement, Galaga Arrangement and Pac-Man Arrangement, which infuse enduring classics with new looks and new gameplay. Share the fun with friends and family, and go beyond the limits of the old-school arcade as you compete for bragging rights against the entire world in the online leaderboards.
Customer Rating
4
A virtual collectible and great retro modern fun
on May 13, 2012
Posted by: DPCPhoto
from St Paul, MN
This game must be a collectible, given the price it can command for new, even though it requires the internet and a XBox Live account to download the bulk of available games. So if you can get it here used, $10 is a steal.
This disc is a compilation of several arcade games from the 1980, 1990s, and today. Enhanced versions are included, and others are available via download. It's a blast from the past, and some of the modern updates are fantastic - especially "Pac-Man Championship Edition".
A caveat:
The Museum and Arrangement games must be downloaded. Just having an internet connection available does not help. If you have set up your XBox without setting up a Live account and try to run one of these, the screen goes black and nothing indicating what is going on occurs This is a slight oversight in the programming and requires a reboot (ugh). Set up an XBox Live account, log in, and all games will download and play. The package states an account is needed, but the lack of error handling and redirecting in the game's menu programming will throw some people off. (As with the game's inability to let you save onto HDD as opposed to wearing out the optical drive every time you want to play a game.)
The game package includes the following:
XBox live originals on disc:
---------------------------------------------
Dig Dug
Galaga
Galaga Legions
Mr. Driller Online
Ms. Pac-Man
New Rally-X
Pac-Man
Pac-Man Championship Edition (full edition)
Xevious
---------------------------------------------
Dig Dug
Galaga
Galaga Legions
Mr. Driller Online
Ms. Pac-Man
New Rally-X
Pac-Man
Pac-Man Championship Edition (full edition)
Xevious
Museum games (XBox Live account needed to download):
---------------------------------------------
Baraduke (1985)
Bosconian (1981)
Dig Dug II (1985)
Dragon Buster (1984)
Dragon Spirit (1987)
Galaga '88 (1987)
Galaxian (1979)
Grobda (1984)
King & Balloon (1980)
Mappy (1983)
Metro-Cross (1985)
Motos (1985)
Pac & Pal (1983)
Pac-Mania (1987)
Pole Position (1982)
Pole Position II (1983)
Rally-X (1980)
Rolling Thunder (1986)
Sky Kid (1985)
Sky Kid Deluxe (1986)
Super Pac-Man (1982)
The Tower of Druaga (1984)
---------------------------------------------
Baraduke (1985)
Bosconian (1981)
Dig Dug II (1985)
Dragon Buster (1984)
Dragon Spirit (1987)
Galaga '88 (1987)
Galaxian (1979)
Grobda (1984)
King & Balloon (1980)
Mappy (1983)
Metro-Cross (1985)
Motos (1985)
Pac & Pal (1983)
Pac-Mania (1987)
Pole Position (1982)
Pole Position II (1983)
Rally-X (1980)
Rolling Thunder (1986)
Sky Kid (1985)
Sky Kid Deluxe (1986)
Super Pac-Man (1982)
The Tower of Druaga (1984)
Arrangement games (also found in the 'Museum' menu and must be downloaded):
Dig Dug Arrangement
Galaga Arrangement
Pac-Man Arrangement
Dig Dug Arrangement
Galaga Arrangement
Pac-Man Arrangement
The non-Arrangement museum games are no-frills emulations of the original arcade games and, thus, play identically to what you'd find in an actual arcade parlor.
The Arrangement games I've seen on the iPhone and nothing new has been added to them for this XBox release.
The XBox Live games (9) are full games, of which Galaga Legions and Pac-Man Championship Edition are what command the price... and are worth every penny in terms of innovative and new gameplay features. Since they came on disc, there is no need to set up a Live account.
Overall, if you can find it here, get it. You won't be disappointed, even if you can't cache the games to the HDD.
What's great about it: Pac-Man Championship Edition
What's not so great: Hard to find, can't install to HDD, locks up if it can't download
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
SynopsisJump back into the golden age of pinball as you play on classic tables with stunning visuals. Your eyes follow the ball as it rockets around the maze of targets and you're ready for it. Just when you think it's heading your way, the ball goes in another direction. But when the moment finally comes, do you have what it takes to send it back up the table to earn more points, or will it slip by, just out of your bumper's reach?Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection lets you play on eight authentic tables faithfully reconstructed in photorealistic 3D. You'll experience exhilarating gameplay as you use your skills to guide the ball through a variety of themed mazes and sequences. Do you have what it takes to enter the Hall of Fame?
Posted by: DPCPhoto
from St Paul, MN
I bought this game mostly for Funhouse, but the game comes with 13 games:
> Black Knight
> Firepower
> Funhouse
> Gorgar
> Pinbot
> Space Shuttle
> Taxi
> Whirlwind
> Jive Time*
> Sorcerer
> Medieval Madness
> Tales of the Arabian Nights
> No Good Gophers
> Firepower
> Funhouse
> Gorgar
> Pinbot
> Space Shuttle
> Taxi
> Whirlwind
> Jive Time*
> Sorcerer
> Medieval Madness
> Tales of the Arabian Nights
> No Good Gophers
* is the one you must win all the other games before you can unlock
Each game is faithful in appearance and concept to the original tables, and the quality of the visuals and sound are fantastic.
Physics are really good, apart from balls being able to fly OFF the tables - which in turn prompts a free re-shoot.
As with most 360 games, you can save the disc onto the HDD and load from there, making sure the disc is in the optical drive. Load times are much faster this way, and optical drive wear and tear is greatly reduced.
For each game, there are many camera angles - take advantage of them for fun, but the 'smart mode' usually suffices.
If anything, Jive Time (from about 1970) is nice to see represented and may have been an influence a certain cartoon character's distinctive blue hair some two decades later ;), but to unlock it requires achieving the highest score for all the other games. That's no easy task, and not needed on the Wii version (it's a simple table, but engaging nonetheless).
Real thought went into this game set. This package is HIGHLY recommended, if you enjoy pinball games played on a game console.
What's great about it: game choices, authentic look and feel
What's not so great: have to win every championchip before unlocking one game
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+1point
1of 1voted this as helpful.
Learn more about Kinect Sports: Season Two. (Flash demo) SynopsisStanding on the green, you think about the perfect strokes that brought you to this moment. Your ball lies just a few feet from the hole, but you're not taking any chances. You crouch down to get a better reading of the green. You position yourself in the correct stance, take a few practice swings and then tap the ball and watch as it rolls slowly toward the hole, pauses on the lip of the cup for a second, and then drops. You switch gears and find yourself staring down a 250 lb. linebacker. The ball snaps and you smash into action, fighting your way toward the end zone. You are the ultimate sports champion.Step up to the plate, the green or the courts in Kinect Sports: Season Two. Try your hand at six individual and team-based sports, including tennis, golf, American football, baseball, skiing and darts for plenty of intense sports action. With three difficulty levels to choose from, ranging from rookie to champion, new achievements, exciting activities and unlockable rewards, the game offers players of any skill level a rewarding experience. Feel like you're right in the middle of the action using the Kinect technology that lets you interact with the game by using voice commands, crouching down to better read the green and more. Build up your fan base as you achieve more victories, and log onto www.KinectShare.com to download photos and videos captured in-game. Play with friends and family right in your own living room, across the globe using Xbox LIVE or even send a challenge that can be answered later when your friends come online.
Customer Rating
4
The challenge is learning the controls
on May 13, 2012
Posted by: DPCPhoto
from St Paul, MN
Kinect Sports 2, as does its predecessor, adds new games for one to play:
Skiing
Football
Darts
Tennis
Baseball
Golf
Football
Darts
Tennis
Baseball
Golf
I'll give a brief review of each one, with a 5-star rating that's effectively meaningless since each person who takes a risk and buys this game will have their own stories to tell, and they tend to be fun to read:
* Skiing is a strong selling point - control is easy, it's fun, and you work up a fair sweat. Best of all: There's no weight-sensitive balancing board to stand on required. Kinect knows what to do. 5/5 stars
* Football is somewhat demanding to learn, both in terms of control AND game rules (if you're not familiar with the sport) but I don't care much for the sport. 3/5, partly because it does teach you some basics of the game in the process.
* Darts is GREAT in concept... but it's downright frustrating to lock position for each dart before throwing. Often one has to re-do the locking procedure frequently and it's a hassle. Maybe I'll improve with practice, but like watching a pot of water boil while having your hand in it, the game is boring, tedious, and eventually hurts. 2/5
* Tennis is another WIN. Easy to control and to actually DO, I rank it equally with skiing. 5/5
* Baseball - pretty good on the whole, and better controls. Running is a hoot, too. No real negatives to mention, but to me tennis and skiing are more engaging. 4/5
* Golf - it's golf. A cheap anagram of "flog". But it's cheaper than the real thing, and easier to reclaim balls you hit into the lake... 3/5
As with most Kinect games, the similarities behind responses are masked by good gameplay and engaging ideas that won't make these games boring. Nor do they go on for excessive periods of time and it's easy to play again.
One nice feature is to read the estimated "Calories" counter. It's awesome that I burned 46 calories in tennis. 46 down in one game, with only 69,954 to go. But one can easily elevate their heart rate and get a good aerobic workout...
What's great about it: variety
What's not so great: some games difficult to control
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+6points
6of 6voted this as helpful.
Travel to a galaxy far, far away and begin your training to become the next Jedi master. Wield your trusty lightsaber and master the Force using the power of the Kinect for Xbox 360. You're the only hope as you step into memorable moments from the motion pictures and experience a variety of physical play that lets you live out your ultimate Star Wars dream. Experience the Star Wars universe like never before with Kinect Star Wars. Channel the controller-free power of Kinect for Xbox 360, and physically experience Jedi training, use the Force, wield a lightsaber and more. Featuring iconic moments from the legendary films, Kinect Star Wars transports you to the Star Wars galaxy with stunning visuals, classic characters, vehicles, ships, droids and more. Customize your training to brandish a lightsaber, and train to become a Jedi master, master the Force, fly memorable ships and Speeder Bikes and more. Share the Force with a friend in co-op, competitive and duel modes that feature easy jump-in and -out gameplay. Are you ready to become a great Jedi master — you're the only hope.
Customer Rating
4
Great overall, but a nitpick or two
on May 6, 2012
Posted by: DPCPhoto
from St Paul, MN
The (first?) Star Wars-themed game for Kinect offers much promise - from dancing games, to being a monster and stomping on everything for fun (like the old video game 'Rampage'), to light saber (sword) duels, jumping over tethered logs meant to smoosh you into pulp, and even jumping on riding speeders going through a jungle forest... this game covers the Star Wars franchise really well. It might appeal to non-Star Wars fans if they can overlook the Star Wars concepts put in as well.
There are a LOT of controls and movements to learn, which led me to think this game is jam-packed and it by and large is.
If anything, to nitpick, the light saber battles (which is the one game of the bunch that would persuade the most amount of people to buy it)0 are a tad tedious to control, probably in part due to the complexity and speed of these games, complete with having to reflect laser blasts... Especially when the lame droids from episode 1 come in, complete with their (unintentionally camp?) dialogue. The dialogue is ridiculous, and it takes a needless amount of time to slash these stupid things to bits. Some people will undoubtedly like their comments and in a way they are funny, but for a big nasty Galactic Gestapo, having comedy robot bad guys does put a damper on their claimed sense of threat.
But that's the only real nitpick. The other games are conscious in how they have the player maneuvering. Even outstretching and retracting hands in the speeder chases to control speed. It's like an aerobic workout, only FUN.
But the speeder chase through the forest, aiming at imperial troops that fly ahead of you, jumping up and over the battering ram logs that swish through your path... you don't find many venues in shopping malls that allow you to get some good exercise like that...
In short, I did find a LOT of this Kinect game to be enjoyable, that just about make up for any deficiencies with light saber battles. And, for all I know, there might be game updates that can be downloaded; I've yet to hook my new XBox to the internet...
The game incorporates a back story and the voices of Yoda and C3PO. Most of these intermissions can be skipped (left hand down, right hand at 45 degree angle). If you are really into the Star Wars franchise, they're undoubtedly entertaining. I liked episode 4-6, but there's enough in the game to appease even the more jaded fans such as myself.
I noted that, when installing the disc into the console, it had to update my Xbox. It doesn't hurt anything, that I currently know of. I'll edit this if problems ensue... but, so far, no worries.
5.1 sound is pretty much fantastic. For example, water running in the background in relevant scenes really immerses the player, no pun intended. It does add atmosphere and depth, and once you hear it you would never want to go back to basic two-speaker stereo or monaural sound. That's a big "yawn-a-rama" by comparison.
Visuals are really good as well. Especially the light sabers, ironically... and, with HDMI @ what looks like 1080p, it is impressive.
And the gameplay, even for the scenes that reflect the prequel trilogy, are far more engaging than the prequel trilogy movies themselves could ever be.
But I will not dance for Jabba, sorry... :)
Star Wars fans will definitely appreciate stock Kinect motivations immersed in the Star Wars universe. Even those that disliked the prequels, 'Return of the Jedi', the 1978 Holiday special, etc, will find a lot to actually like in this game. Casual players definitely won't care for the Star Wars critters, might enjoy these games IF they can get around listening to Wookie-this, Padme-that, or Force-the-other-thing.
What's great about it: 5.1 sound, engaging gameplay, visuals
What's not so great: light saber fights sometimes not accurate, updates XBox console for some reason
I would recommend this to a friend!
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+5points
8of 11voted this as helpful.
Learn more about Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect. (Flash demo) Microsoft Xbox 360 with Kinect: The Xbox 360 is your high-definition portal to a world of blockbuster game franchises like Halo, Gears of War and Forza Motorsport. Xbox Live keeps you connected with your friends to team up for cooperative online gameplay or go head-to-head in competitive matches.Kinect's motion tracking allows you to put down your controller and step into a virtual world that responds to your actions. Move your body from side to side, wave your arms, dodge, jump and more to interact with your games, or control your apps with a swipe of your hand. Kinect also includes voice recognition, allowing you to command apps or in-game events simply by speaking.Beyond gaming, the 360 is your one-stop shop for streaming media, with a wide array of streaming video services and sports apps.Broadband Internet connection and Xbox Live Gold account are required for several online features, including multiplayer. A 30-day Gold account is included, but a fee is required to keep using these features after the 30-day period has ended.
Customer Rating
4
Produces a lot of heat but is otherwise fantastic
on May 2, 2012
Posted by: DPCPhoto
from St Paul, MN
I bought this as a low-impact means to get some cardio exercising.
Do keep the sensor 10' away. I live in an apartment, and for one person I've had no problems, but for 2-player simultaneous games, I'd have to rearrange the furniture in my apartment to eke out the extra space.
Kinect Adventures is a nifty game that forces you to move. Unlike competitors with cute wireless controllers, you cannot cheat if you need to reach, duck, et cetera.
Kinect Sports is another great game, for by and large the same reasons.
You will work up a sweat and very easily, too.
If you've kept a sedentary lifestyle, don't get gun-ho on games right away as you might injure yourself. It takes time to build up tolerance. And playing too much too soon wears out the "fun factor" far more quickly.
If anything, this thing produces a lot of heat. Minimal effort was used for a cooling system, but I've gathered this newest version is better than the previous XBox 360 design in terms of heat dissipation. I did see a $25 add-on fan... if you keep your XBox 360 in tight quarters, get it. I will be.
Oh, if you play lots of games, get the 250GB or 320GB hard drive as well - discs can be copied to it, which speeds up loading time and reduces wear on the disc drive (but the game disc still needs to be inserted for the game to launch, unfortunately.)
What's great about it: Can't cheat in Kinect games, which do work up a sweat
What's not so great: poor cooling
I would recommend this to a friend!
Performance
4
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+6points
8of 10voted this as helpful.
DPCPhoto's Review Comments
This collection includes all 25 episodes from the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the classic space adventure featuring Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, Captain of the Starship Enterprise, and his loyal crew as they attempt to keep the peace among the stars. All episodes have been digitally remastered for 7.1 sound and 1080p high definition visual effects.
Overall
1 out of 5
1 out of 5discs to be recalled do not buy!!!!!!!!!!
By gene9p
from new york,ny
DO NOT BUY AT THIS TIME..AUDIO ISSUES ON 7 EPISODES OVER 4 DISCS...SET TO BE RECALLED..POSSIBLE EXCHANGE PROGRAM FORTHCOMING..WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!
DPCPhoto
St Paul, MN
Yes, the discs are being recalled -- or, rather,
August 5, 2012
find an official announcement, send an email to the contact address, provide the information they will ask, and you will get replacement discs (1, 3, and 4) sent.
It's straightforward and discs are being sent out as early as this week (8/6/2012)
0points
1of 2voted this comment as helpful.
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