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Eternal Sonata is a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 exclusive video game that comes from Namco. The game is a role playing game set in an alternate reality. It transpires in Paris, and the protagonist is named Frederic Francois Chopin. He succumbs to a disease and dies; however, something occurs before his untimely death. Before dying, he dreamed of a mystical world full of enchantment and mystery. Herein lies the dilemma. Was the dream more real than he could ever imagine? Is it possible that the dream was nothing but a figment of his imagination? That is what gamers will ponder in Eternal Sonata.

If this storyline sounds monotonous, then it is because it is monotonous. I would like to take the been there done that approach with the plot in this game. There have been a few similarities to the parallel world in this game to The Matrix Trilogy. Now that I think about it, I was waiting Frederic to wake from his dream and say "I know kung fu." Unfortunately, that never came to fruition. The game might have had a cohesive plot from the start, but that swiftly dissipates as gamers progress. It turns into this bizarre and ineffable story that is all over the place. This game is definitely not the best storytelling from a next generation console like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Luckily, the gameplay is a significant improvement over the convoluted plot. Up to four players can be in a party. All of the adversaries can be seen in real time (ala Chrono Cross and Final Fantast XII); furthermore, they can easily be ignored. The combat is fast and furious throughout the duration of the game. Members of your party have a certain amount of time in which they are given to perform a specific task. Within the time given, the player can attack, heal, move, and various other actions. The trick is to find an action that increases the time gauge higher and higher. Linking combination attacks together will enable gamers to execute more powerful maneuvers. This provides a real strategic contemplation to the gameplay. When a foe attacks your character, you can chose to block or counter attack if you time it correctly. Moving around during combat can have different ramifications on the battle. For instance, being in the shade can have either positive or negative results (depending on the character).

Conversely, the same rule applies for the opponents. There could be an appearance alteration when they are in the sunlight, or their attributes might be bolstered. The controls are fairly responsive in the game, and I had no gripes about how to do an attack. There is also a cooperative multiplayer that was a nice touch. The graphics in the game are egregious. It looks like this game was on a Nintendo Wii console. This is not what I have come to expect from the hardware on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. If any gamer were to do a side by side comparison of the visuals in Eternal Sonata and Oblivion, then it would be obvious that Oblivion is superior. I do not know what the game developers were thinking with the visuals in this game.

The one aspect of the game that really intrigued me was the audio. I have to admit the musical score is amazing. There is a wide variety of instruments from pianos to violins that perfectly fit the theme of the game. The countless number of crescendos and decrescendos is absolutely brilliant. Disappointingly, the voice acting itself is average at best. Occasionally, I felt like the dialogue was unintentionally humorous. Overall, Eternal Sonata will not keep anyone up all night playing. The game is easily something that can had potential to be fascinating, but the flaws are too enormous to dismiss.

final verdict 6.5 out of 10

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AP - A blast of cold wind spread snow along the Great Lakes from Michigan to New York on Monday, dumping 2 feet on this central New York town.

Could it possibly be true, did the real giant in gaming give the OK to lower the prices of their pride and joy the Xbox 360. This is apparently the rumor that has been circling around. Now this could be an attempt to take some momentum from Sony and their PS3 or is it possibly a way to make room for some new innovation that Microsoft has up their sleeve. Either way this will make the Xbox 360 a definite bargain when it comes to purchasing a video game console.

Now begs the question on whether or not Sony will follow suit in lowering their prices on the PS3 and possibly other systems, being their largest competitors with extreme realism in their design of graphics should make this an interesting holiday season for purchasing a console.

Apparently these changes will leave the Xbox 360 Pro version with a jaw dropping price tag of around $299.99. Imagine a great system at an affordable price without giving up any extras.

With the latest news predicting that we could see the new prices take effect as soon as mid September and adding this could be just the beginning. Let's hope that the gaming industry picks up on this trend and ensures excellent consoles at cheaper prices. Allowing consumers the ability to purchase more accessories and maybe even have multiple consoles. This is exactly what every consumer desires, more buying power. With this added empowerment you should definitely shop around.

Where can you find the better deals? Well, lately I've been searching for some new sites and even better buys and I stumbled upon some great deals. I found this to be among the best ways at giving you all the necessities you need for finding a really great video game console for enduring fun and excitement.

Article by Zak Mann. Zak is the owner of http://www.videogameconsoles.ca and an avid video game enthusiast.

Reuters - The U.S. economy is in recession and will contract at a faster pace in the fourth quarter, extending the decline into early 2009 as high unemployment crimps consumer spending, a survey showed.