Guide2 Gadgets & Gaming

Own a Piece of History with the Xbox 360 "Gears of War 3" Limited Edition Console

2011-06-12T12:04:00.008+01:00

Own a Piece of History with the Xbox 360 "Gears of War 3" Limited Edition Console

Designed by Microsoft and Epic games, this limited edition Xbox 360 console commemorates the spectacular story conclusion to one of the most celebrated trilogies in videogame history. Inspired by the blockbuster Xbox 360 franchise, the Xbox 360 limited edition "Gears of War 3" Bundle includes an exclusive red and black console design with two custom-designed Xbox 360 wireless controllers, a 320GB hard drive and built-in Wi-Fi connection for easier access to the world of entertainment on Xbox LIVE, and will be available from 20th September 2011.

The package includes a standard copy of "Gears of War 3," a wired headset, plus a download token for bonus game content including the Infected Omen Weapon Pack and the Adam Fenix character for use in multiplayer. The Infected Omen Weapon Pack gives fans the infected omen skin for use on the five starting weapons: Lancer, Retro Lancer, Hammerburst, Gransher, and Sawed-Off Shotgun. Also, the power and eject buttons have been customised with unique sounds from the "Gears of War" universe.

Truly a collector's item for Xbox 360 and "Gears of War" fans, the console is incredible value with more storage than any other Xbox 360 console, and includes two customised limited edition wireless controllers. Customers can also purchase the customised Limited Edition "Gears of War 3" wireless controller separately.

Developed by acclaimed studio Epic Games, "Gears of War 3" launches worldwide on 20th September, 2011, and is available for preorder today in three distinct editions Standard (£49.99), Limited (£59.99) and Epic (£99.99).
For more information on Xbox360 "Gears of War 3" limited edition bundle visit www.xbox.com.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation, is now available on the PlayStation 3

2011-06-12T12:03:00.000+01:00

Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation, is now available on the PlayStation 3

Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation, the latest content pack from the record-setting Call of Duty: Black Ops is now available on the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system.

Escalation features four new multiplayer maps and an unprecedented Zombie experience, including famed director George A. Romero, Robert Englund, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michael Rooker and Danny Trejo, as well as an original music track from Avenged Sevenfold titled "Not Ready to Die."
The Escalation content pack's new multiplayer maps include:

· "Hotel," where players battle it out on the roof of a Cuban luxury hotel and casino against the vivid backdrop of old Havana
· "Convoy," which delivers intense, close-quarters combat at the scene of an ambushed U.S. military convoy
· "Zoo," which sets gamers on an eerie ride through an abandoned Soviet Russian Zoo with danger at every turn
· "Stockpile," which pits players in a remote Russian farm town, housing secret WMD facilities
· "Call of the Dead," Escalation's Zombie experience that assembles a zombie-carnage dream team to fight against a new and undefeatable zombie horde menace, all set in the dark, ice-covered isles of Siberia.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation can be downloaded for £11.49 from the PlayStation Call of Duty: Black Ops is rated 18 by the BBFC for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence and Strong Language. For additional Call of Duty updates and information, visit us on the web at www.callofduty.com/blackops, www.facebook.com/codblackops, and also via Twitter @Treyarch.

Hundreds dance along in Covent Garden to celebrate the arrival of Spring

2011-03-21T01:54:00.002Z

Today, Spring was in full bloom in Covent Garden. Dance star Louie Spence crowned Britain's Got Talent's Kevin Cruise as the champion of the Dance CentralTM Spring Dance-off, which pitted television phenomenon's, Happiness from Britain's Got Talent and Kevin Cruise, against one another in the ultimate dance-off on Kinect for Xbox 360.

A capacity crowd of fans arrived in Covent Garden to put a spring in their step and cheer on their favourite to victory, as they danced along with Happiness and Kevin Cruise. The dance stars performed to a track from Dance Central, the KinectTM for Xbox 360 exclusive game which lets dancers of all ages and skill levels move, groove and get fit - all completely controller-free.

"The great thing about dancing is that anyone can do it and actually get fit at the same time," said Louie Spence of Pineapple Dance Studios fame. 'Kinect for Xbox 360 lets you and your mates dance in your own living room, with no controllers, so you can just move and groove all you want. You can dance your way to a hot body, just like mine, all in time for Summer."

In addition to the dance-off event, Xbox 360 hosted a pop-up shop in Covent Garden where consumers could trial a variety of unique Kinect game experiences. As Dance Central is the European sponsor of Kylie Minogue's Aphrodite: Les Folies Tour 2011, a pair of concert and meet and greet passes to one of her upcoming UK shows was also awarded to one lucky fan.

Kinect was named by Guinness World Records as the Fastest Selling Consumer Electronics Device, by selling eight million units in its first 60 days. To date, Kinect for Xbox 360 has sold more than 10 million units worldwide. Currently there are more than 20 Kinect games available, including Kinectimals, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, and Kinect Sports, the BAFTA Best Family Game award winner - with more experiences coming soon.

Fight Night Champion

2011-03-15T02:08:00.001Z

‘Fight night Champion’ is the fifth game in the fight night series & If anyone has ever played an older fight night game you will already know that they are spectacular looking games, but fight night champion is stunning in a way that the others could never live up to. The latest in the fight night series ‘Fight night Champion’ is the fifth game and stands apart from the rest. The new championship mode is addictive and gives a real insight into the boxing world, it tells the story of Andre bishop, his brother Raymond & Isaac frost.

You begin as Andre bishop in a prison fight where the game runs you through the latest controls, once you go through the controls and knock out your opponent it cuts to a scene taking place after the fight where the guy you knocked out and two other inmates beat you up and in the process one stomps on your right hand, crushing it. When you wake up you have a 4 year flash back and your first amateur welterweight fight.

After the fight the story begins and you’re introduced to Isaac frost who you can see is going to be you’re your main nemesis, manager Mr McQueen & your little brother Raymond. After seeing bishop fight and win his match mc queen shows up at the gym where bishop trains bringing with him his daughter. McQueen tries to get bishop to let him manage his career but he turns down the offer and stays with Gus his current trainer, in return mc queen issues a threat saying bishop doesn’t know who he’s messing with, then leaves. McQueen’s daughter stays behind and before she leaves gives Andre a tip for his upcoming fight.

Its then on to Andre bishops pro welter weight debut with Luscious Palmer where you have the advantage of knowing his weakness as you do with all your fights. After you beat palmer you again see the cocky Isaac Frost again and it’s clear that he’s going to be the one to beat at the end. Also after your debut fight and before or after other fights there is a very realistic news update where the only thing that isn’t real is the screen behind the reporter, I feel this helps bring you into the game a lot more and really liked it. Also before or after fights you’ll do some punch bag training, where you’ll be moving weaving and punching the bag.

As you play you learn more about Andre and Raymond like that their parents died and that there trainer Gus took them in and that’s why Andre is so devoted to him and won’t work for McQueen even when he is asked again by his daughter he says the only way he will is if Gus says its ok. You also learn that you spent 5 years in prison because of McQueen and 2 corrupt cops. Whilst in prison Raymond comes to visit but he comes with bad news, he’s now signed with McQueen even though Andre had previously told McQueen to stay away from his brother. Raymond had also ditched Gus because his main focus is to be heavyweight champion and so Andre feeling disappointed left and went back to his cell. Towards the end of his sentence Andre gets in another bare knuckle boxing match with an inmate and after beating him another inmate challenges him straight after. Andre being bigger and in better shape accepts and then knocks the other inmate out as well.

When you come out of prison you manage to get job training in the gym, until one day when you see mason brooks who you’ve never liked hit your brother with a low blow and insult you. You get in the ring with mason who’s a heavyweight and knock, this gets you a job as a sparring partner working for McQueen’s daughter who now manages her own boxers. Andre then makes a big comeback to the boxing world and is now a heavyweight winning all his fights despite breaking his right hand & McQueen bribing judges. At this point Isaac Frost is more arrogant than ever and when asked in an interview who he thinks hits harder Andre or Raymond he says Andre but that doesn’t matter because he hits harder than both of them.

Raymond sick of being in Andres shadow arranges a fight with his brother and whoever wins will get a shot at the title against Isaac frost, Andre feels guilty as his time to get the title was when he was in prison and so he let Raymond win the fight. In the title fight against Isaac you play as Raymond but get slaughtered in the first round. Isaac trash talks about Raymond after he brutally knocked him out and this sends Andre into a rage. Andre will now do anything to fight Isaac but McQueen won’t allow it until he is blackmailed about Andre’s arrest.

Finally the fight everyone’s been waiting for s here, Isaac Frost who has won all his fights through K.O and Andre bishop welterweight turned heavyweight. Isaac is definitely the toughest opponent you will face but Gus runs you through the fights and tells you exactly what to do. The first two rounds are all about surviving and wearing Isaac down, the 3 rounds following are about punching his body and wearing him down. After 5^th round you get a cut above your eye and so you have to stop Isaac hitting it and winning via T.K.O. In the 8^th round the bleedings under control, Isaac’s tired and the fights yours!

Now your heavyweight champion McQueen again wants you to work with him but he won’t be working with anyone because his daughter gave the evidence against him to the police and he gets arrested. Playing champion mode on amateur took me around 3 hours but that’s the easiest difficulty so if you’re looking for a more challenging play then choose whatever suits you. The controls from fight night round 4 have changed and to be honest I prefer them but its not to hard getting used to the new controls which may be easier for some people as it uses both the analogue stick and buttons punching.

Overall this is definitely the best boxing game out there which is just as face paced, tense, and exciting as watching a real boxing match. The championship mode is both amazing to play and challenging giving you specific fighting guidelines such as boxing with one hand if you’re others broken, only punching the head because of corrupt refs, or protecting a cut. Id definitely say EA know what there doing and would get down to the shops and buy it NOW! For more information, log onto www.easports.com/fightnight

Title: FIGHT NIGHT CHAMPION
Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.
Also available on:PlayStation 3

Killzone 3 Review

2011-02-28T00:08:00.010Z

From within 30 seconds of inserting the disc, Killzone 3 hits you hard. A video depicting the enemies and the sort of things you will face during your experience of Killzone 3. Ruthless new characters are introduced with hard hitting entrances and stealthy enemies are shown to give a teaser of what’s in store for the player. The cinematic serves to fill players in on what is currently happening on the planet of the Helghast. The video tells of a battle between two warring factions: The Helghast and the ISA. Playing as Tomas Sevchenko, you are a member of the ISA. However the prologue mission succeeds in disorienting fans of the previous games as you open the game with the distinct tint of orange blotting the screen.

Followers of the series will be thrown as the orange glow is synonymous with the enemies you are used to fighting against. As you are taken through a training mission as a member of the Helghast, the game leaves you wondering about how the story of the mission will unfold as the level and game progresses. As the level comes to a close, you are given an explanation to the Helghast mask you had been wearing: Your character was undercover and succeeds in attacking a high member of the Helghast. Suddenly, the game grips your attention again as it flashes back to a period six months prior to the undercover mission. It all works as a ploy to draw in the player and it works well.

The game’s story flows nicely as you see the struggle for power within the Helghast faction as the game shows strife is present on both sides of the war. The game engine can be a little sluggish as it deals with the highly detailed environments of the story mode which range from ravaged cities to alien jungles and most areas often contain many soldiers fighting against the player in large scale battles that take strategy and caution to bring success. Enemies and pop up in to environments if in the spot where it occurs and the game sometimes freezes or experiences some slowdown momentarily but it doesn’t detract from the experience too much. This strategic nature of battles carries on over into the game’s multiplayer modes which include the game modes from the last Killzone on the new game engine which includes robot EXO skeletons to be present within games to provide another target for supremacy as the EXO skeletons can be pivotal to a team’s success online.

The game modes online are fun and include regular FPS favourites like ‘Search and Destroy’ and the basic ‘Death Match’ (Body Count) while having other game modes like ‘Assassination’ where players online are randomly chosen to be a target that their team mates must protect while the other team aim to kill. The overall experience of the multiplayer modes is a good one that will provide enjoyment to fans of the game.

On the whole, fans of the previous games in the series will enjoy the third Killzone entry as it builds upon the system that followers will be experienced with and used to. For any new adopters, they should beware the slower and bulkier game engine that Killzone runs on as it may be a far cry from other fast paced shooters that they may be comfortable with.

Jemar

Genre: FPS
Format: PlayStation 3
www.killzone.com/kz3

New TV-friendly Memory Card Reader from Sony

2011-02-25T12:08:00.000Z

There’s now a compact memory card reader family from Sony – headed by the new MRW-F3 – that simplifies file transfer between today’s digital devices. An essential add-on for your PC or notebook, they’re also great for connecting with BRAVIA, PlayStation3 or Blu-ray Disc players by Sony that include a USB port for simple playback of movies and photo.

It’s never been easier to transfer photos and videos from your digital camera, camcorder or smartphone to your PC. What’s more, you can now play back videos and photos taken with Cyber-shot or Handycam directly on your USB-equipped BRAVIA TV, with no connecting cables needed.

The memory card reader models offer the simplicity of ‘driverless’ plug-and-play operation, and support Hi-Speed USB 2.0 connection for rapid data, picture and music transfers. Available for free download from http://support.sony-europe.com , Drive Letter Recognition Software clearly identifies each slot of the card reader by name when it pops up on your PC’s desktop, avoiding any ‘which drive?’ ambiguity when you’ve got multiple devices mounted.

The light, easily pocketable MRW-F3 memory card reader is ideal for transferring/backing up digital files to your PC. What’s more, it’s the only card reader by Sony that gives playback compatibility with HD movies and photos on your BRAVIA TV. Just slip in your memory card from your digital camera or camcorder and connect the F3 directly to the USB port of your BRAVIA.

This memory card reader is joined by the MRW-EA7, MRW-S2 and MRW-T2 that connect to any spare USB port via a short cable connection (supplied). All cabled models provide separate slots for Memory Stick, SD and MMC media, simplifying PC back-ups or transfers from one card to another. Elegantly styled in aluminium, the premium EA7 offers no less than five separate card slots, while the great value S2 and T2 offer four and two card slots respectively. From £10.00

www.sony.co.uk

Sony MHS-PM5 bloggie HD Mobile Camcorder, Violet

2011-02-24T14:30:00.000Z

Fun, bright, and easy to use, the bloggie PM5 HD Snap Camera from Sony is the perfect way to capture life as it happens. Live it, shoot it, share it. Upload your video footage and camera stills to social networking sites including Facebook, YouTube, or Picasa in just a couple of clicks.

The lens on the PM5 can rotate through a vertical angle of 270 degrees, meaning that you can shoot looking straight up in the air or looking at your toes, or if used sideways, around corners, all with easy viewing on the 2.4 screen. £125.00

Click on image to purchase from www.houseoffraser.co.uk

Bop It! for iPhone Review

2011-02-21T00:46:00.004Z

Bop It! for iPhone is an interesting modification of the popular game of Bop It! found in a mobile package. Updated to include multitasking functionality, the game will save in its state when minimised to allow you to quickly return. The game itself has a few game modes to keep you occupied including a classic game mode which is a throwback to the original game that includes ‘Bop It’, ‘Pull It’ and ‘Twist It’ on the one screen.

It also has other modes that include multiplayer games that can be passed on to other players or playing head to head. Bop It! has more inventive gestures created for the iPhone game that take advantage of the motion sensing and touch screen capabilities of the Apple devices. The game is an overall good package that will provide a good bit of enjoyment to all those who play It when trying to pass the time.

Jemar

www.ea.com/games/bop-it-iphone

The Nintendo 3DS ‘Believe Your Eyes’’ tour

2011-02-20T22:54:00.002Z

Nintendo have announced it would be giving thousands of people the opportunity to experience the Nintendo 3DS before it launches on 25th March by hosting a series of free public events in city centres around the country.

The Nintendo 3DS ‘Believe Your Eyes’’ tour spends four days in each location, kicking off on Thursday 24th February in Braehead, Glasgow and St Andrews Square in Edinburgh. It then moves on to the Metro Centre in Newcastle (from 3rd March) and the Westfield Shopping Centre in London (from 10th March). The tour also visits Lakeside in Thurrock (from 17th March). Locations also confirmed are Westfield, Derby (from 24th March) the CentreMK, Milton Keynes and Covent Garden, London on launch day 25th March.

The Nintendo 3DS is the first device to offer 3D entertainment without the need for special glasses. It features two screens, three cameras, a motion sensor and a ‘3D Depth Slider’ that gives total control over the level of 3D that characters and objects have on screen.

The vivid 3D graphics and the immersive experience the Nintendo 3DS offers need to be seen to be believed and so Nintendo is taking its one-of-a-kind console out to the public with four-day events happening up and down the country from 24th February.

During the events, everyone will get hands-on time with the new console and will be able to try a range of incredible 3D games like Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Pilotwings Resort, nintendog + cats and Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D. Nintendo changed the world of video games with touch-screen gaming in 2004 and motion-controlled gaming in 2006. Now it is pioneering the next dimensional shift by introducing portable entertainment in 3D – without the need for special glasses, with the launch of Nintendo 3DS.

To find out more, please visit:www.nintendo3ds.co.ukand join us at: www.facebook.com/nintendo3dsuk

Dead Space 2

2011-02-14T23:20:00.007Z

The sequel to EA’ s critically acclaimed Dead Space is here and it’s more horrific, suspenseful and exciting than the first. You begin the game in a hospital on ‘The Sprawl’ as the engineer Isaac Clarke who has no memory of the last three years and is suffering from dementia. The Epic adventure begins when you get released by a stranger (Franco) who asks you to trust him but, before he can remove your straitjacket he is killed and transformed into a necromorph leaving you to escape on your own. You are then contacted by a woman named Diana who begins guiding you to her whereabouts, but before you get to Diana you get released from your straight jacket by a doctor who then kills himself. Once free you get a flashlight and health and on your way to meet Diana you acquire kinesis grip & a plasma gun, you also get contacted by patient Nolan Stross who tells you that you can both destroy ‘The Marker’ which is the main goal of the game but after you split up from Stross due to a security lockdown you continue to follow Dianna’s instructions.

Once you reach Dianna you’re seized by two men & Dianna reveals her true intentions which are to make Isaac build more markers. Then titan security officers kill Diana and the two men allowing Isaac to escape and continue with his escape. As you fight your way to ‘The marker’ to destroy it you will encounter a series of enemies with different speeds and different ways of attacking you from shooting things at you, hiding then running at you, hitting you with a large explosive on the end of their arm or simply ripping your head off. BUT its ok because you’ll also come across a lot of weapons you can purchase with your credits which again will do different things like send your enemies flying then electrocute them, cut them with a spinning blade or shoot blades at them, and more and you also have the choice of a flamethrower an automatic gun and a single shot rifle.

If you can’t manage to hit an enemy with your weapons though or there’s just too much going on then you also have the stasis gun which slows enemies and objects down for a short period of time allowing you to either escape or just to relax and deal with other enemies. As well as a range of guns you also have a variety of suits you can buy which have different perks such as 10% off when buying things or a damage increase on certain weapons. The game itself is extremely tense and makes resident evil look like my little pony as you’re not fighting zombies that will take 5 years to reach you your fighting aliens that can charge at you, jump on you, and fly at you. When there isn’t anything around to kill I can guarantee you’ll be on edge as a lot of the time you’re in places or small places and sometimes you can hear them lurking about. Even when there’s zero gravity and you’re flying around space nice and relaxed there’s more than likely something in the area shooting at you so you have to be on guard.

The game life is quite long and should take around 10 hours to complete and even then the games not over because you can start a new game with new suits and you get to use all the weapons with their upgrades from the game you’ve completed. You may also want to play it again if you’re looking to get all the Gamerscore for it (Xbox 360) As well as having an amazing campaign there’s also multiplayer where you play as either an alien or a human in four on four battles and then you swap. When you play as a human all the controls are the same and when you’re an alien you can slash the humans and shoot deadly spit at them.

After playing it, completing it and starting to play it for the second time round I’d say dead space 2 is probably the best game to have come out in 2011 so far and the campaign is addictive! I found the story a bit confusing but that didn’t really bother me and it definitely all made sense in the end.

Title: Dead Space 2

Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.

Label: EA

Available on: PC, PlayStation & 360

Double XP Multiplayer This Weekend Announced For Call Of Duty: Black Ops

2011-02-04T17:50:00.001Z

Treyarch is hosting its first Double XP multiplayer weekend starting at 6pm, Friday 4th February until 4pm, Monday,7th February. Anyone playing in multiplayer matches on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii or PC versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops will earn double XP rewards and level up.

Additionally, players that haven't picked up the new downloadable content pack Call of Duty: Black Ops "First Strike," can grab that for 1,200 Microsoft points, as the DLC is currently available on Xbox LIVE. The pack features five new maps, including Berlin Wall, Discovery, Kowloon and Stadium, as well as one new Zombie level, Ascension.

Rated 18 by the BBFC, Call of Duty: Black Ops is available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo Wii and Windows PC.
For additional Call of Duty updates, visit www.callofduty.com/blackops

Little Big Planet 2 Review

2011-02-04T17:48:00.006Z

With the first Little Big Planet, Media Molecule possibly created one of the biggest game s on the Playstation 3. With a full story mode already packed onto the disc, Media Molecule set about the idea of giving the players all of the power. With a robust creation system of a depth never before seen in a game, the possibilities for level creation were almost endless. Players were only limited by their own skill, as seen with some of the amazing levels created the first time round. With Little Big Planet 2, Media Molecule has managed to improve an already stellar game.

The first game had an extensive creation mode, and Little Big Planet 2 carries on with the same accessible system, while refining multiple elements within the system. While before, some elements of creation were a little difficult to a few users, Little Big Planet 2 aims to provide the tools for almost anyone to create something big. Streamlined systems like microchips have allowed for complicated mechanisms of before to be minimised to simple programming.

Other additions to the creation mode include more player objects, like the grabinator, which allows players to pick up large objects and the grappling hook which allows players to have a swinging device that allows them to alter the length of the rope for swinging based tasks. Bounce pads also allow the user to remove the piston mechanisms used in the first game to propel players and can let the user set the height they want the pads to bounce players so they can just simply place a bounce pad wherever they may need the player to reach high places.

The story mode packed onto the Little Big Planet 2 disc follows in the same vein of high quality found in the story of the first game. While a little on the short side, at approximately around about five or six hours of content for the average player, the beautifully detailed levels, all created with exactly the tools available to the users of the creation system, show the kind of quality that can be created with the tools packaged within the game. At certain set pieces in the story, it is easy to forget that you are playing Little Big Planet with whole new and unique sections to the game in new dimensions that you would never have imagined possible. As someone familiar with the first game, I, for one, was certainly taken aback at the gameplay elements that manage to run in Little Big Planet 2.

Overall, while Little Big Planet was a constantly developing game with a growing communal level download system of over 3 million levels available from the first game, Little Big Planet 2 somehow manages to increase the possibilities almost tenfold from a game that you could not imagine improving. With the quality of the levels available from the first game, it shall be a very exciting time in the Little Big Planet 2 community with the potential for blockbuster levels and games created from within this amazing package.

Prepare for Call of Duty's new online assault

2010-12-28T21:42:00.002Z

The Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike game add-on will first launch worldwide on Xbox LIVE on 1st February. Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike represents the first downloadable content expansion for the blockbuster title from Treyarch and Activision Publishing, Inc.

"We're committed to supporting Call of Duty: Black Ops fans with continuous updates to the game and exciting new content that will keep our community engaged," said Treyarch Studio Head, Mark Lamia. "We can't wait to deliver Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike to our fans, which has four all-new Black Ops multiplayer maps, and an exciting new Zombie map to be declassified later. "

Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike features four new multiplayer maps, including Berlin Wall, Discovery, Stadium and Kowloon, and a new Zombie map called Ascension.

For Silver Xbox LIVE members who haven't yet experienced Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer, Xbox LIVE will host a Multiplayer Unlock event running on 28-30th January for new fans to join in.

Created by Treyarch and published by Activision, Call of Duty: Black Ops made entertainment history this November when it shattered theatrical box office, book and video game sales records for five-day opening worldwide sell through in dollars, selling more than $650 million.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is PEGI rated 18. For additional Call of Duty updates, visit www.callofduty.com/blackops

Downloadable content for Fallout: New Vegas

2010-12-21T21:38:00.000Z

Dead Money, the first downloadable content for Fallout: New Vegas, is now available on Xbox LIVE!

As the victim of a raw deal you must work alongside three other captured wastelanders to recover the legendary treasure of the Sierra Madre Casino. In Dead Money, your life hangs in the balance as you face new terrain, foes, and choices. It is up to you how you play your cards in the quest to survive.

Dead Money is available for 800 Microsoft points. For more information on Fallout: New Vegas or Dead Money please visit http://fallout.bethsoft.com.

Nintendo DSi XL

2010-12-19T11:05:00.002Z

The Nintendo DSi XL feature's the full capabilities of the original Nintendo DSi. Packed with features such as the ability to create, customise and share photos with friends and family, listen to and play with your music and sounds and download games. Nintendo DSi XL is the fourth member of the Nintendo DS family. It features the trademark dual screens and the simple-to-use controls that players have come to love, but will take your gaming experience to a new level.

The new handheld console sports two 4.2 inch screens – 93% bigger than the screen on the Nintendo DS Lite. In addition, the new screens have a much wider viewing angle, making it easy for you to watch and share the fun. Whether it’s encouraging family or friends to beat your score on Dr Kawashima’s Little Bit of Brain Training, solving the mysteries of Professor Layton together or simply offering ‘helpful’ backseat advice during a frantic race in Mario Kart, the Nintendo DSi XL opens up a new world of shared handheld gaming whilst breathing new life into your favourite Nintendo DS games as you experience them on the big screen.

The new handheld is a premium addition to the Nintendo DS family, coming pre-loaded with some top software: Dr Kawashima’s: Little Bit of Brain Training: Arts Edition and Dictionary 6 in 1 with Camera Function and the Nintendo DSi Browser, which enables you to easily access the internet from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection. The console is available in a wide range of colours. It also features a larger pen-like stylus, making gameplay more comfortable and natural.

www.nintendo.co.uk

Gran Turismo 5

2010-12-18T21:52:00.007Z

After 5 long years of intense build up, speculation and delays, Gran Turismo 5 has finally hit the shelves. As possibly, one of the most eagerly awaited games ever to hit the market, the pressure on Gran Turismo to deliver a product of such potential could have proved to be crippling. With an almost never-ending development process, the game’s features were strenuously worked on or pined for by the general public. After all these years: Does it deliver?

While plenty of fun, unfortunately, Gran Turismo reeks of the feeling of evolution as opposed to revolution. For a game built up (fairly or not) by the public and general hype levels in the media to extreme heights, the game feels, almost, bland by comparison. You might be forgiven for expecting to experience a whole new level of racing as you play Gran Turismo, but, it feels awfully similar to previous experiences. The successful formula of the previous games has followed through and allowed for an intricately detailed sim-racer. Every detail of the game’s impressive thousand car roster is recreated to painstaking detail, including all forms of body work, engine power and stats, entire authentic cockpits, created solely for a single game play camera in a large number of premium model cars. While all of these details may be noticeable to the trained professional, a lot of the intricacies of Gran Turismo 5 will be lost to the masses. The thousand cars in the game all take up memory on the disc and give the game a long, optional, game data install that increases the fluidity of the game. This can be skipped and the individual parts can be downloaded during gameplay, but loading times increase.

Possibly the most decision making decision of GT5 has to be the level of innate tedium infused in the game. Small details like not having an option to auto select compatible cars can be very annoying when wanting to play specific events and the disjointed process of returning through in game menus can a little throwing as pressing circle on the controller only proceeds to take you to another button onscreen that must be selected independently.

While not living up to the incredible hype it was weighed down with, Gran Turismo 5 viewed as a single new racing game is a good all round racing simulator. The various environments and terrain can make the game very diverse and less repetitive as races can take place on dirt tracks, snow tracks and in the rain, where the game shows off its incredible processing power in order have graphical beauty when driving in the rain. With window wipers put on most cars, the player can manually have the wipers react like they would in real life by clearing away the falling rain. The graphics when driving in the rain are especially standout.

The game also manages to fill the racing marketplace with its surprisingly fun driving model. Each car seems to struggle from a distinct lightness and a tendency to spin out of control, pitching the player into large drifts and cause the player to hacksaw at the wheel to maintain control. This light feeling the cars benefit from give the cars a certain agility that allows players to really throw cars into corners and can certainly be rewarding as personal achievements with players who might enjoy the driving on its own. The times that players might shoot for in each event can unlock credits that can pay for new or used cars at the in game dealership. However, while there are a large amount of challenges available to the player with different classes of cars and licenses to obtain, the credits can be an extremely tedious process. With some cars costing ridiculously high end prices, it would take an avid fan to invest enough time into the game to retrieve some of the most expensive cars.

Overall, while a disappointment to those few whom expected the world of GT5, Gran Turismo does manage to still pull off a great racing spectacle with over 20 tracks, various racing disciplines and 1000+ cars never allow stagnation. If the player can find a way to bear through the large amounts of tedium acquired from credit hunting with repeated events, then GT5 is definitely a game for every racer.

Jemar

Title: Gran Turismo 5
Genre: Racing
Format: PlayStation 3
www.gran-turismo.com

Philips GoGear Muse

2010-12-18T13:28:00.000Z

Philips has introduced a new portable media player GoGear Muse. Philips GoGear Muse equipped with 3-2 inch HVGA colour touch screen with a resolution of 240×400 pixels, an FM tuner with 20 presets. Supporting all types of media content, MP3, AVI, FLAC, APE, as well assupporting multiple video formats such as MP4, WMV9 & RMVB. Plus, it includes an FM tuner and supports Napster, Audible and BBC iPlayer to really open up your entertainment options.

The GoGear comes in 8GB,16GB and 32GB memory sizes, and if thats not enough space there's a microSD card slot for extra storage. The Muse comes wit an excellent pair of sound isolation headphones that completly cancel out unwanted background noise. Controls are easy to navigate around, on screen you have the Main Menu which is straightforward, Music, Movies, Photos and Settings. Under Settings are the usual options of Equalizer, Display, Volume Control etc. Philips Songbird software also makes it easy to find, sync and play media files stored on the GoGear Muse.

The battery provides up to 25 hours of audio playback or up to 5 hours of video playback. I would say that it has the highest quality output of audio than any of the existing media playing devices currently on the market. RRP £99.99, £129.99 & £179.99
www.philips.co.uk

Def Jam Rapstar: Rhyme Master

2010-12-15T22:00:00.000Z

The Def Jam Rapstar: Rhyme Master UK schools competition has come to an end with 14 year old Hertfordshire student Leah Newcombe from The Chauncy School in Ware being crowned as the winner by chart topping artist Chipmunk. The nationwide competition, supported by the National Literacy Trust and sponsored by Def Jam Rapstar, aimed to help young people across the country understand the importance of vocabulary, rhythm and rhyme in writing.

Chipmunk said of the young talent: “There was a lot of great talent that came through from all over the UK and I was blown away by how good some of the rhymes were. But Leah really stood out with an incredible heartfelt lyric about fitting in at school... so mature for only 14 years old! Congratulations to Leah – great to see you at your school. Thanks to everyone who took part in this competition, there are a lot of talented rhyme-writers out there!.”

The Def Jam Rapstar Rhyme Master competition was opened to young people in the UK aged between 12 and 17. Entrants rapped about topics that included bullying, divorce, Macbeth and a novel rendition of a Christmas Carol. The prize will see the winner get a very special school visit from Mr Chip Diddy Chip himself who will share some vital music advice and present the winner with Def Jam Rapstar goodies.

Leah, whose track ‘Misfits’ was selected as the winning piece said: “I heard about the competition online and as I love writing and really wanted to meet Chipmunk I thought I’d see if I could win. I worked on it for two days some of it contains things that I was feeling at the time. I really enjoy English at school and would love to do this as a job when I leave. I much rather write than perform but I wouldn’t mind if Chipmunk wanted to rap my lyrics.”

Leah’s English teacher, Holly Conroy said: “Leah is very creative and does a lot of work in her own time so we’re very proud that her commitment has been recognised. This ties in perfectly with work we’re doing at present that explores how culture is reflected in language.”

Entries were judged by a representative from Reading for Life and Mr Rupert Davies of the Def Jam Rapstar UK team with Chipmunk giving the final seal of approval. Judges looked for good use of vocabulary, an understanding of structure, creative writing skills and use of rhythm and rhyme. The judges ruled: “Leah’s rap demonstrates creative flair and originality. The lyrics speak volumes for Leah’s ability to distinguish her inspirational attitude and individual rapping style.”

Jack Sallabank of the Reading for Life Campaign added “Through Reading for Life we aim to inspire and engage young people in fun and creative reading and writing activities that are relevant to their lives. Writing rap lyrics is a perfect example, as many young people listen to rap music in their daily lives and are passionate about their favourite rap artists.”

Def Jam Rapstar continues the search for new talent next year when players will be offered the chance to win a record deal with Atlantic Records UK - the first time an artist will be signed through a video game.

For more details visit defjamrapstarschools.com.

Samsung Monte

2010-12-13T22:04:00.004Z

The Samsung Monte is a stylish affordable smartphone that comes with a 3.0 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen which offers 256K colors and delivers 240 x 400 pixels resolution. The handset measures 108.8mm in length x 53.7mm in width and weighs 92g. It comes with 200 MB internal memory and has Micro SD slot which can store memory card upto 16GB.

This device supports ultra high speed 3G HSPDA technology allowing you high -speed Internet connectivity of 3.6 Mbps. The Samsung Monte offers up a adequte 3.2 megapixel camera and the picture quality is pretty decent and it has a fun photo editing tool . The phone also includes music player and FM radio, Social networking widgets, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, MMS, Email.

Currently available on the Virgin £8.50 Tariff, offer also includes 100 minutes & 100 texts & ends 4th January 2011. For Virgin Tariff information please go to : www.virginmedia.com

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Review

2010-11-30T21:41:00.003Z

Need for Speed has possibly become one of the most established and celebrated franchises within the racing genre. With top quality releases always at the ready for all kinds of racers and racing disciplines, it is easily imagined why.

With Hot Pursuit, it seems that the Need for Speed franchise has taken a leaf out of one of its previous games and developed upon a stereotypical cops ‘n’ racers theme. Need for Speed: Most Wanted was the original game to introduce the aspect of having the police taking an interest in the underground racing world and with Hot Pursuit, they have taken this one step further and opened up the avenue for the player to become the very force they may have once despised.

With a choice of career branching down the ‘Racer’ or the ‘Cop’ paths, you can choose to speed along the open roads away from the cops, or be the chasing sirens. Gone are the shortcuts and destructible set pieces that allowed you to slither away from the cops in Most Wanted and in with power ups. With items like the ‘Spike strip’ to puncture any tires of racers and cops alike, the player now has a way to put some distance between themselves and any pursuing vehicles. The power ups all feel balanced and, when used online, should provide hectic but also strategic races as the players try and time their usage of them limited number of power ups to when it will most effect the opposition.

The career mode is long enough to keep the player invested for quite a while as the player has approximately 50 different events for each of the racers and the cops in order to rank themselves up and unlock special weapons or vehicles. The vehicle roster in Hot Pursuit is very impressive and, while the tuning and modification of the cars are locked, a number of colours are available to choose from meaning that you can thrash round a number of cars that some of us will only be able to drive in our dreams. With the choice of colours and the large number of exotic, super and other cars available, you can enter photo mode where you can take ‘dream shots’ to showcase your favourite cars in the right light. These photos can then be placed into your individual ‘AutoLog’. This is a live broadcast system that allows the players to see broadcasts from their friends about various events in the game and can use it to compare times and the details of each event against that of their friends.

If there were any issues with Hot Pursuit, it would have to be the individual race stages. While the tracks are aesthetically pleasing and look good as a backdrop to the on track racing, the actual boundaries for racing feel very limited. As a lot of the races take place on highways in a fictional county, the racing is very often limited to two lanes. While this might be good for one or two races, to have virtually every stage only a few car lengths wide and only having small shortcuts to allow for deviation, the emphasis is put quite highly on the players’ skill and control as they try and keep the car away from the sides of the track. This issue is not game breaking, but when a racing game feels noticeably linear, the formula might be a little off.

However, on the whole, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is a nice little racing game and can be very addicting as you aim to compete in events to have the fastest time on your own personal speed wall to lord over your friends.

By Jemar

Publisher: Electronic Arts Inc.
Category: Racing
Also available on:
PC
Wii
Xbox 360
Playstation 3
www.needforspeed.com

Xbox 360 Surpasses 2.5 Million Kinect Sensors Sold

2010-11-30T21:08:00.002Z

Microsoft Corp. today announced that strong demand over the Black Friday weekend, traditionally the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the United States, has propelled retail sales of Kinect for Xbox 360 to more than 2.5 million units worldwide since it launched just 26 days ago in the U.S.

"We are thrilled about the consumer response to Kinect, and are working hard with our retail and manufacturing partners to expedite production and shipments of Kinect to restock shelves as fast as possible to keep up with demand," said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. "With sales already exceeding two and a half million units in just 26 days, we are on pace to reach our forecast of 5 million units sold to consumers this Christmas."

As Christmas shopping in the UK began in earnest yesterday with Manic Monday, traditionally the busiest internet shopping day of the year, Kinect for Xbox 360 is expected to continue experiencing high sales and strong consumer demand.

Kinect is now available at more than 60,000 retailers in 38 countries. It is the only controller-free games and entertainment system available that lets you control games, movies, music and television with gestures and your voice. Retailers, reviewers and analysts are calling it a must-have gift this holiday season.

In the UK, Kinect for Xbox 360 is available at £129.99 ERP for the stand-alone Kinect Sensor and "Kinect Adventures" game, or £249.99 ERP for the all-in-one Xbox 360 Kinect Console Bundle including the new Xbox 360 4GB console. More information on Xbox 360 and Kinect for Xbox 360 is available at www.xbox.com/Kinect, or www.facebook.com/xbox.

Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Now Available In Stores Worldwide

2010-11-26T22:09:00.000Z

Featuring the rich, immersive single-player experience of the Undead Nightmare as well as all the Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare is now available in stores worldwide across North America and Europe.

This stand-alone disc for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 contains the Undead Nightmare Pack, the Liars and Cheats Pack, the Legends and Killers Pack and the Outlaws to the End Co-Op Mission Pack as well as all the Multiplayer Free Roam modes released to date – and does not require a copy of the original Red Dead Redemption game disc to play.

Undead Nightmare

Across the vast Western frontier, a plague is spreading... This one-of-a-kind experience pits former outlaw John Marston against a sinister zombie outbreak, using every skill he has to survive long enough to find a cure.

Liars and Cheats

Massively expands the Red Dead Redemption Free Roam multiplayer experience with a huge array of new highly-requested content - adding the action-packed Stronghold Competitive mode, plus Multiplayer Poker, Liar's Dice, Horse Racing with Combat and a slew of new Gang Hideouts and Hunting Grounds.

Legends and Killers

Adds to the epic Red Dead Redemption multiplayer experience with a ton of brand new features - including nine new active Competitive mode map locations tailored for multiplayer action, 8 playable characters from Red Dead Revolver, the devastating Tomahawk weapon and more.

Outlaws to the End

Features six all-new explosive and epic Cooperative Multiplayer missions to play with 2-4 players, plus all new Achievements/Trophies to unlock and more.

All this, plus all the Red Dead Redemption Multiplayer Free Roam modes, challenges and Achievements/Trophies released to-date.

NATIONWIDE GRAN TURISMO 5 3D GAMING TOURNAMENT LAUNCHED

2010-11-24T21:57:00.002Z

From Wednesday 24 November 2010, the first ever console racing game to offer consumers 3D gameplay will be available to buy in over 4,000 retail outlets in the UK. To celebrate the launch of Sony Computer Entertainment’s hotly anticipated Gran Turismo 5 (GT5) – which will offer a vast choice of over 1,000 cars to drive and 70 circuits – a raft of Sony BRAVIA 3DTVs are being installed in HMVs around the country to facilitate a nationwide 3D gaming tournament, which will see racers battle it out to be crowned the UK’s ultimate 3D GT5 champion.

The heats will run on a leaderboard system from Saturday 27 November for ten days. The fastest two players from each region will win a place in the grand final, which will take place at HMV Oxford Circus, London, on 15 December and will be compared by Formula One personality Jake Humphreys.

Since launch, Sony has continued to show it’s commitment to 3D technology with the release of a further five 3DTV models, two 3D Blu-ray systems and a host of 3D content – with more on the way in the coming months. Sony was the first to bring 3D gaming to the UK in June this year with the launch of four 3D stereoscopic titles through the PlayStation Network, available to download completely free when buying a Sony 3D TV.

3D games due for release soon include:

* Killzone 3 (February 2011) - the ultimate special forces first-person shooter

* MotorStorm: Apocalypse (March 2011) - race monster trucks through a city that’s under attack by Mother Nature

* Ico / Shadow of the Collosus Collection (March 2011) – travel across a vast expanse on horseback in this puzzle game as character ‘Wander’

For more information on the complete Sony 3D offering please visit www.sony.co.uk/3d.

The "Fable III" Adventures Rage On With the "Understone Quest Pack," Available Today

2010-11-23T22:23:00.005Z

Jump back into the whimsical world of “Fable III” with the all new “Understone Quest Pack,” available starting today on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 400 Microsoft Points. The new Game Add-on grants fans access to three unique experiences, including a journey through the mysterious town called Understone, tucked beneath the bustling streets of Bowerstone.

Designed by the peculiar mind of inventor Montague Hummes following the uncertain events that unfolded in “Fable II,” Understone brings new houses and stalls to own, creatures to conquer and a mystery to solve. The “Understone Quest Pack” brings more action and adventure your way with the following quests:

“The Voice”: In the main quest, explore the mysterious underground land built by Montague Hummes in fear of the Spire in “Fable II”

· Discover the origin of the voice that controls the people of Understone

· Features a moral decision that will lead to two drastically different outcomes in Understone

“Shooting Range”: After defeating Saker during your quest to become King or Queen, the remaining Mercenaries have turned their camp into a tourist attraction. The main attraction being the re-playable shooting range mode

· Beat the high scores to win three prizes that can be used while playing the mini-game: the Marksman 500 (gifted to players for downloading the pack), Money Shot (prize) and Black Dragon (prize)

“The Wheel of Misfortune”: After Reaver vacated his home, he set up a venture for budding heroes to replay the thrilling arena-based challenges within his new dwellings

· Beat the high scores to win three new weapons that can be used while playing in the mini-game: The Full Monty (gifted to players upon downloading pack), Dirty Harriet (prize) and Dead Ned’s Revolver (prize)

Also coming soon, fans will see some positive changes to the “Fable III” gameplay via a Title Update. Lionhead Studios has been hard at work addressing gameplay issues in the massive world of Fable III. Title update fixes will address the following and more:

· General gameplay progression and spawning issues

· Sanctuary map and audio functionality

· Isolated corrupted game saves

· General performance surrounding Orbs, audio, frame rates and other features

For a detailed list of fixes that the Title Update will address, visit lionhead.com/fable3.

New Downloadable Mixes DJ Hero 2 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

2010-11-23T22:03:00.001Z

Starting today (23/11/10), Activision Publishing Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) DJ Hero 2 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is offering gamers the chance to get their hands on exclusive downloadable content from world-renowned talents Tiësto and My Chemical Romance.

Budding beat chemists, singing sensations and their friends can expand their DJ Hero 2 sets with three exclusive mixes featuring hit music from the world's hottest DJ and Producer with the Tiësto Mix Pack.

Axe shredding rockaholics, fearless front men, and beat laying drummers can help celebrate the recent launch of Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, the newest album from alternative rock band, My Chemical Romance, by jamming out to the four song My Chemical Romance Track Pack.

The My Chemical Romance Track Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 600 Microsoft Points, on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system for £4.74 and for Wii for 750 Wii Points. All songs in the track pack will also be released as downloadable singles for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 160 Microsoft Points, PlayStation 3 system for £1.59 and Wii for 200 Wii Points each. In addition to the in-game music store and Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360, Xbox 360 owners can expand their Guitar Hero music library using the Guitar Hero VIP Pass Music Store, available exclusively on Xbox LIVE®. For more information about Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and its entire line-up of downloadable songs and disc imports, please visit www.guitarhero.com.

The Tiësto Mix Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 for 640 Microsoft Points, on the PlayStation Store for the PlayStation 3 system for £6.29 and as downloadable singles for Wii for 300 Wii Points each. For information on how to connect your console and access DJ Hero downloadable content, please visit: www.djhero.com/en-us/education/download.