Review: The best iPhone and iPod Touch games for the Sesame Street crowd
As you may know, if you follow me on Twitter (@GizmoAlex), I have a mini-dragon I like to call Erin. She is my beautiful 3 year old daughter, who has basically repossessed my iPod Touch. It is no longer loaded with my music. It has Disney Songs, Yo Gabba Gabba, and, most importantly for her, games. There are SO MANY games for the platform that it gets really hard to wade through the options. So I want to recommend some of her favorites (for tiny minds). Each of these have definitely helped us survive mini roadtrips without too many meltdowns.
Angry Birds for iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad
Review – Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Now with Onslaught Mode
This week developer Dice gave their recent hit Battlefield: Bad Company 2 an adrenaline shot. Onslaught mode was made available for purchase on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. What was already an action packed game filled with intense combat action for online play, just got beefed up even more. For the price of $9.99 on PSN, or 800 points on XBL, Onslaught mode is now available for download.
Onslaught allows four friends to team up together to capture objectives while fighting against an extremely aggressive, intelligent, and constantly re-spawning AI. Some of the enemy units have been seen to behave a lot like other players behave in multiplayer, without the cognitive thinking, of course. Most of the time, enemy units are not standing still to shoot at you, making for a harder target at which to shoot. Additionally, enemy units don’t wait for you to come to them, or for you or your team to be spotted; they are actively and aggressively seeking out you and your team.
E3 2010: Microsoft looks to re-Kinect with gamers via the Xbox 360
You might recall that back in May, Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, announced some significant changes in leadership across several of the company’s divisions. One of these included the company’s Entertainment and Division. While the changes weren’t announced with any real drama, it was apparent to many that Ballmer is trying to find that magic combination of leaders, employees, and ideas that will result in phenomenal successes like rival Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iEverythingElse.
So, fast forward to June. E3 2010 kicks off, making Los Angeles, CA, the temporary gaming center of the universe. We have expected (and seen) big surprises like the Nintendo 3DS, exciting new games, and… Wait. What’s this? Could Microsoft have finally found the magic formula? They call it Kinect. It looks promising, but can it rescue Microsoft from technological mediocrity?
Read the rest of this Geek Shui Living post on MWD Technology News, by clicking on the image below.
Nintendo 3DS Revealed: A closer look at an incredible device
Unless you were hiding in your fallout shelter waiting for the Mayan calendar to end, you either saw or heard that Nintendo made history after announcing the handheld gaming device aptly named Nintendo 3DS. That’s right. It’s smaller than any scanner Spock ever used to analyze a new planet. Of course, you’ll be able to rock some really interesting games, but one of the most impressive things about it is the fact that Nintendo is also demoing the 3DS on the E3 showroom floor by showing none other than 3-D movies like Dreamworks’ “How to Train Your Dragon.” Aside from that, though, what are we looking at as far as technical specs are concerned?
The above is an excerpt from a post by our friends over at “Rock the LAN.” Click on the image below to read the rest of this post, as well as other great posts on gaming and general geekdom.
E3 2010: Glitz, glamour and even some games
The 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo officially kicks off this Tuesday, in Los Angeles. Geared toward the gaming community, as always, this year’s event also looks to attract mainstream hobbyists, who see gaming as a diversion, not necessarily an electronic religion.
This year’s event is expected to attract as many as 45,000 people, with displays and attractions from around 250 vendors. While the number of expected attendees is half that of the 2005 E3, it would still represent a nearly 10% increase over last year’s event.
First Impressions – Transformers: War For Cybertron Multiplayer Demo
Yesterday, the multiplayer-only demo for the highly anticipated game Transformers: War For Cybertron was released on Xbox Live. Within just two hours of going online, as many as 3,000 gamers had already joined the fray. The game is an exciting prospect for fans, both young and old and promises to be the Transformers experience they’ve always wanted. Being a total fan of the franchise since it’s introduction in the U.S. in the early 80’s, I wasted no time getting to XBL to download the demo.
The demo allows you to choose between Team Deathmatch or Conquest modes. Once you have been teamed up with other players, you can choose between playing as a Scout or a Soldier. All other play modes and character types have been reserved for the full game. You are allowed a few options in customizing your character with a few weapons, but the developer, High Moon Studios, promises that there will be many options for the customization of your character and more game modes to choose from, once the full version of the game is released.
iPhone App Review: Phoenix Wright
I’m surprised that the “courtroom/lawyer simulation” genre is so small. After all, courtroom dramas are usually some of the highest rated and most memorable television shows, from the Law & Order series all the way back to Perry Mason. Classics like To Kill A Mockingbird and Twelve Angry Men are based around courtroom settings. However, those looking to recreate the courtroom experience were hard pressed to find a game to satisfy that desire.
This explains some of the popularity of the Ace Attorney series by Capcom. The original title from the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, was released exclusively in Japan for the Game Boy Advance back in 2001 and has since been re-released for the Nintendo DS (in 2005), received an American release, and produced four sequels and spinoffs. The series is very successful in Japan, and demand for it in the United States has caused the Ace Attorney games to be difficult to find at times. Recently, Capcom has released the first game from the series, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, for the iPhone.
Read more…
Rumor: Hulu Coming to XBox Live
Pre-E3 rumors are flying around the internet like crazy. One of our favorites comes from Hulu and Microsoft. According to sources at GearLive, Microsoft plans to reveal Hulu as one of its new Xbox LIVE services. Unlike Netflix, Hulu has maintained a no-devices policy meaning that you can only watch Hulu directly on your computer. There are ways around this, such as using intermediary software like PlayOn, but there are no Hulu-approved alternatives.
So far, there appear to be two downsides to this partnership. First, according to 1UP, while Microsoft already has the necessary software to implement a Hulu interface on the Xbox360, getting rights to Hulu programming hasn’t been negotiated fully. Also, it appears viewers will have to fork over a subscription fee for the service in addition to their Xbox LIVE Gold fee. It’s unclear how much the subscription will cost and how Microsoft will go about charging for it.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo begins mid-June. Hopefully, Microsoft proves this rumor to be true.
Sources:
- Exclusive: Hulu coming to Xbox Live at E3 [GearLive]
- Hulu on Xbox 360 Exists, but Tied Up by Rights Issues [1UP]
Kontrol Freek gives serious gamers a new edge
In the never-ending quest to be the best gamer out there, a new company brings to the public a new gadget that just may give you the upper hand….or thumb, in this case. Enter Kontrol Freek with their two snap-on accessories for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 controllers: FPS Freek and Speed Freek.
FPS Freek and Speed Freek are universally-fitting, snap-on attachments for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 controller. While Kontrol Freek touts some pretty strong hype about their products, it seems to be able to back it up with many favorable customer reviews.
Dual Triggers: A surprisingly functional accessory for PS3
As an avid gamer and a PlayStation 3 aficionado, I’m always looking for tips, tricks, gadgets, and trinkets to heighten my gaming experience and give me an extra edge when playing online against other human minds. Sadly most add-ons do not live up to their hype, but I have found one that does: Dual Triggers for the PlayStation 3 controller from Performance Designed Products (or PDP).
Released in November 2009, Dual Triggers is a set of two concave attachments that snap on to the L2 and R2 buttons of the PlayStation Dualshock 3 controller. Dual Triggers are just as easily removed as they are installed, if you find it doesn’t suit your needs. Once attached, they give you the feel of a rather large gun trigger in place of the rounded-off buttons, which is ironic, in name and function, since most PlayStation 3 shooters use L1 and R1 as primary or secondary weapon’s fire.
Dual Triggers with L2 attached
