[WTF]

I've got the full game now, plan on putting some time in with it this weekend if I'm able to.

Some of the things in the demo are actually very pleasing after you really get into it. The fact is though, that there was nowhere to practice the new controls and options. It's not as pick up and play as prior Live titles were, which is not to say it's a bad thing. But when you don't have the ability to sit and play around with it in a practice setting, then you're going to get slammed. It's taken me several days with the demo to find more and more within the game.

I'm cautiously optimistic that the game will take some steps in the right direction over the next few months. I'm seeing some better gameplay with the Synergy Updates in the demo. I'm hopeful that it translates well into the full version as well. Only time will tell.

This is coming from someone who has had a disdain for the way we've been treated by the Live series the past few years (7-8 yrs). I dismissed the demo, and dismissed it pretty quick the first time I've played it. But after 2k broke on my saves, I found myself with no other options. I downloaded the demo again, and the more I played, the more I saw. The more I learned, the more I saw & understood.

I'll clear the air and say this game needs vast improvements. But that's not to say that it can't be done. Graphics and animations are in dire need. Can they patch that large scale of an issue? I don't know, but at the time, I refuse to start another game mode on the other title, put in time with it, only to have it get to a point where I can't continue my save. I don't have that kind of time to waste.

Again, I've been burned in the past by a 3 year plan. I need incremental positive changes through this first year to keep me a believer. Hopefully the voice that I'm trying to give won't be directed towards closed ears.