Archive for the Gaming Category



We decided to wait a bit for the Holiday Wii mania to die down a bit before writing our review on the new Nintendo gaming machine. So far, the Nintendo Wii has performed above expectations thanks to to its unique playability and attraction to the casual gamer. Let’s discuss this system’s highs and lows.

Highs:
-Cheaper than either the XBOX 360 or the PS3.(Roughly 250$)
-Device is slim and can be stacked horizontally or vertically.
-Can Play Gamecube games.
-Wireless controllers work well from a distance of up to 30 feet.
-runs quietly.
-Controller slots and media player slots are well hidden and protected
-Nintendo first party titles on launch

Lows:
-Not impressive graphically.
-Ipod style color easily scratches making it dirty.
-component cable sold separately.
-Wii-Mote and classic controllers a bit costly separately.
-Wii motion sensor not flawless.
-Too many party games and not enough 3rd party support just yet.
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This year at E3 we saw the return of some previously mentioned games from last year’s E3 listing as well as some new original properties. While many new games were announced, this listing usually gives credit to those that were actually shown in playable form at this year’s E3 and that will actually be in retail stores in the not too distant future. Therefore, here are the top game picks for E3 2006.

10. God of War 2



-One of the biggest surprises to come out of nowhere last year was God Of War which was developed by Sony and became one of the biggest hits for the Playstation 2. Now God Of War 2 let’s you control Kratos on a new adventure as a full fledged Greek God. GOW 2 controls look similar to the last game and feature the return of the blades of chaos that will allow gamers to pull off full fledged combos and unique attacks. Kratos will also now have the ability to use pegasus wings and fly to specific areas. God Of War 2 looks quite good and should be out for hopefully the holiday season.

9. Too Human



-This game comes from Sillicon Knights who previously worked on Eternal Darkness for the Nintendo Gamecube. This game was a dream project for the developer but could never be realized until the current next-gen consoles came out. Players take on the role of the Cybernetic God Baldur to rip apart foes. He’s not actually a God, but rather is powered by cybernetic enhancements, allowing for upgradeable powers.The game gives you the option to either upgrade and be more robotic to fight your opponents or to stay ‘Too Human’, the option is yours. This game may no longer be with Nintendo but it’s certainly looking very impressive with the Xbox 360.

8. Red Steel



-This is an exclusive first-person action / adventure game from Ubisoft for the Nintendo Wii. This game takes full advantage of Nintendo’s Wii controller to allow gamers to use the controller to sword fight in real time or use the controller to pin point exact locations on a bad guy’s body to shoot. The title utilizes the Wii’s free-hand style controller for innovation control mechanics, including allowing players are able to hold swords or guns normally or side-armed depending upon how they hold the controller while playing. This game will be available when the Nintendo Wii launches in November. (more…)

E3 2006 wrapped up this week in Los Angeles and it’s now time to analyze the expo to figure out which company (Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo) won the event this year. In my opinion, I will give all three companies a three-way tie. I know many people will boo this decision but after watching endless coverage all week long; it’s safe to say that no company blew away the other in terms of hype and excitement. If I were to give a most-improved award this year though, Nintendo would definitely get my vote.



But let’s look clearly at last year’s event and facts compared to this year’s stats. Nintendo was described by many analysts as a distant third compared to Sony and Microsoft. They needed to make a big splash at this year’s event and prove their skeptics wrong by showcasing what their system could do and whether their new remote controlled controller was beyond expectations. Many would agree that they managed to do just that and helped the media and the public better understand what their philosophy was and how their new system and controller worked.



Microsoft’s marketing scheme this year was to get people to believe in their games and to steal some thunder away from Sony’s PS3 hype. They managed to succeed by showcasing some great games for their system and focusing on future games that will help them succeed in the future. They also made the announcement that Grand Theft Auto 4 would be coming to the Xbox 360 at the same time as the PS3. Whether fanboys think this is a dumb move or not, it’s a big steal away from Sony. (more…)



So Far-So Good. I usually wait some time to discuss electronics reviews because it usually takes some time practicing with a unit to understand what it’s all about. Unlike most Microsoft bashers out there; I decided to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt and see for myself whether the product was all hype or actually delivered where it said it would. Let’s get down to the basics.Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is Microsoft’s ps3 and PC killer. It came out with a humongous advertising campaign and came out probably a bit early to try and beat Sony to the market first. This rush caused a handful of hardware glitches for consumers which sadly was to be expected when trying to rush a product to the market as quickly as possible.Here’s the highs and lows:

Highs:

Stylish Design
Great interface
Powerful Hardware Slick Controller
Nice variety of games
Strong Online Play

Lows:
Too much hype for its own good
Price
Upgradeable electronics needed
Useless Extras
No next-gen media format included
No killer App. yet.

Let’s get right to it. The system is bashed by some but others like me have grown to enjoy it. It’s white and shiny and trying to copy Apple’s Ipod look. The other neat part is that you can customize it with face plates. While someone like myself might not enjoy that type of thing; I applaud Microsoft for at least trying to make the system customizable and for attempting to get girls into the system who might enjoy changing the design of the system around. The system’s interface reminds me less of Microsoft and more of Tivo with its easy to use guides and colorful display settings. The weight of the system (which was a problem with the original xbox) hasn’t seemed to change as it’s still quite heavy to lift up.

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While a lot of fuss was made over the the new consoles that will arrive in 2005-2006; there were also some games that were unveiled that will be hitting the store shelves very soon. Since I love lists, I will count down the top 10 games to look forward to for the upcoming holiday season. Also note that this list includes games that were playable on the show floor and doesn’t include games that were shown in trailer format and thus won’t include many xbox 360 or playstation 3 titles in this list. I will reserve judgment on those titles for a later date.

10. Burnout Revenge



What can be more fun than smashing cars into each other at 200 miles per hour? We aren’t quite sure but what we do know is that Burnout Revenge will be coming out soon and is the successful sequel to Burnout 3 that came out last year. This year you can look forward to new races,new rage modes and a new mode that allows you to try and beat the clock during rush hour traffic. We can’t wait for this one to come out very soon.

9. We Love Katamari



The biggest surprise of 2004 is back with the same fun loving weirdness we’ve came to expect from Katamari. The biggest feature this year for gamers is the addition of multiplayer support in which players will be able to play with one another in a two player co-operative mode.

8. James Bond 007: From Russia With Love



You might be asking yourself,another bond game, so what? Well this year EA decided to take a different approach and go retro by bringing back the old bond, Sean Connery in this 60s era bond title. You can expect great features like movie-based missions as well as original, action-intensive sequences, multiplayer and of course hot new bond girls to look at. (more…)