A free iOS app is available for your Xbox-loving self to grab in the iTunes market. There may not be as much under the hood as the Windows 7-phone counterpart–clearly because Apple is not a product of Microsoft and they won’t try nearly as hard on a competition’s app–but it still is better than using one of those non-official apps. The new Xbox Live app well let gamers do the following:
Read and send messages to friends
Manage your friends list, invite new friends
Read and Edit your full LIVE profile (name, bio, motto)
Change your avatar features/items with the avatar closet
View and compare your achievement progress with friends
Now your XBL friends are at your fingertips, happy creeping!
It’s been a while since New York Comic Con, but there hasn’t been a day that goes by where I don’t remember it and what it had to offer. Reason being? Awesome T-shirts! Some of the best t-shirts that I myself found was at the WeLoveFine booth who gave out really awesome looking Hello Kitty/Sesame Street EPIC NOM bags with the purchase of any of their T’s.
I myself picked up a few shirts, one of them being the Super Bro’s pixel art T’s. Well the reason why I bring up WeLoveFine and MightyFine is because LVLONE and WeLoveFine have teamed up to do a give away! What better time than to do it during the holiday season? If you can see below some of their pixel art shirts range from X-men, Star Wars, Sesame Street, and a few others that are on their website. We’re gonna hold this contest up for one week starting today! All you have to do it is leave a comment in a post anytime this week and it’ll give you one entry into the give away. At the end of the week we’ll draw from random two names that will each win a $25 gift certificate to the WeLoveFine Shop!
The much awaited for 3DS update is live! The new update will include new 3D video recording, a Nintendo Zone for you to interact with other 3DS users in the nearby area, and new accomplishment awards for Streetpass, along with a music player for the Mii Plaza, new Find Mii game, and new puzzles for your mini games. For the full list of updates please read below.
Version 3.0.0-5U available via wireless Internet connection includes the following improvements:
Date Available: 12/06/2011
Nintendo 3DS Camera
Added feature to record and play 3D videos.
Nintendo eShop improvements and additions for several features
Added feature to allow purchased software to download while device is in Sleep Mode.
Improved convenience, such as the function to save credit card information and purchase content by adding only the amount of funds required to purchase content.
Updates to StreetPass Mii Plaza
Added new panels to Puzzle Swap and a sequel to Find Mii.
Added Accomplishments
Transfer from Nintendo 3DS to Nintendo 3DS has been added to Software/Data Transfer
Software, Sounds, and Images can now be transferred as a whole from one Nintendo 3DS to another.
New QR code reading function for the Nintendo 3DS Camera
Added ability to scan a QR Code® using the quick-launch Nintendo 3DS Camera function on the HOME Menu which will launch the Nintendo 3DS Browser to display a website or open a product-information page in the Nintendo eShop.
Improved system stability and convenience
Improved system stability and convenience for an improved user experience.
Improved Parental Controls to include a parental consent mechanism in accordance with the child online privacy protection laws of some countries. This new feature will require parents of children under a certain age to provide consent before their child can use those Nintendo 3DS features that allow children to share personal information online.
How do you get rich with one idea that’s already out? Plush toys of course! Following the steps of Angry Birds, the Left 4 Dead series, and Portal series, Fruit Ninja has created plush toys for it’s fans. Halfbrick’s website is currently selling the Sensei plush toy, with Watermelon, and a Training pack soon to be available. No words on Pear, Bombs, and other fruits yet but stay tuned!
Can’t have a cat fight without Sony’s mascots Toro and Kuro now can ya? Kuro and Toro will be playable characters exclusively for the Playstation 3 and Vita version of the Street Fighter X Tekken. From the looks of it Toro seems to be taking some fighting tips from Ryu and the Capcom family, and Kuro taking tips from Jin and the Tekken family, both sporting similar costumes as their teachers. I can’t wait till Street Fighter X Tekken comes out so I can give someone a MEOWYUKEN!
First off I wanna state that this is the first ever Elder Scrolls game that I’ve played. Why? Because I have been wrapped up in the world of FPS, RTS, and other Bethesda games for the past many years. So get off my back monkeys! You’re all probably wondering why, and why jump into Skyrim without playing any of the other Elder Scroll games? Well reason being was because of Fallout 3 and New Vegas, after spending a lot of time playing those two Bethesda games I had a greater appreciation for a first person/third person RPG’s. Unfortunately with such a huge library of games to play, to sit back and really enjoy the Elders Scroll series would be hard.
Starting off in Skyrim you’re character basically wakes up after being knocked out, captured, and thrown in back of a wagon with three other prisoners. At first when you get your first glance at Skyrim’s characters on while in transport, I wasn’t really impressed with anything, that is until we got off the cart and character creation began. There are ten different races to choose from and each race you can either choose male or female. Spending about 10 to 15 minutes reading through each race I decided on playing as a female Redguard who has the ability to resist poison and increase stamina regeneration. After all who better to invoke the power of Red Sonya than a female Redguard? Character creation pretty much ate up another 15 to 20 minutes, thinking that I would begin my adventure into Skyrim, I was wrong, it wasn’t till after a quick beheading and dragon attack it began. The start of most Bethesda games with character creation usually takes some time for me for some reason.
Gameplay in Skyrim is challenging. Just messing around within the first few minutes I found out that combat can be brutal. Being capable of dual wielding, sword and shield, two handed swords, two handed axes, bow and arrows, or single and dual wield magicka gives players huge options for combat. Mage with a shield, warrior that can self heal, or a warrior archer combo are all feasible in the game, I myself however went with a warrior and mage combination. I think that’s one of the great things in Skyrim, is that whatever you choose to play, or however you choose to play, Skyrim is flexible enough to accompany almost anyone’s play style. Combat is fun and all but without armor your hero is basically dragon food. A vast majority of the time you’ll scavenge for items for magic, metals and ores for smithing, and other goods to craft armors and weapons with better stats to use and enchant. Just be sure to have a pack mule ready while you’re going out on your adventures because being over burdened and not being able to fast travel to town really sucks. Also the introduction to dragon shouts is interesting. Shouts give players different powers ranging from knocking back people, super dash, elemental attacks, or even calling dragons to aid you in battle. Mixing and matching different powers with either magic or attacks can make players almost immortal, but don’t go around trying to play god just yet because you can still die if you’re careless. The story of Skyrim is fairly short, but the great thing is you can either play strictly to the story line, or skip it and just do whatever you like.
Two points that really stood out for me in Skyrim was the look and music of the game. The game is beautifully rendered and very well designed. The world of Skyrim is vast, many times throughout all the times I’ve played I’d just wander around and just go exploring. Never did it seem like it was going to end either, which is amazing since there’s so much to explore. The amount of content packed into Skyrim is huge. There’s about a total of 300 dungeons to explore, and each dungeon is different and unique from one another. Also A.I. speech is all verbally spoken by voice actors which is a huge +10 in my book. The music score in Skyrim is something to admire as well. The music in the game is powerful when it needs to be and can be subtle when the feeling needs to be just right. If Bethesda wanted to make more money off of Skyrim, all they would really need to do is to sell the soundtrack.
Skyrim in it’s entirety is probably one of the top games that I’ve played this year, but there are some downfalls. Tons of glitchy A.I. in the game kind of sets the game back. Having different animals or enemies you’re hunting run into a river under the rocks some how and be killed or swept away by the current is definitely not fun, funny yes, but fun no. Some other little bugs that got to me in Skyrim was having people/targets you killed fall through the floor, or enemies attacking you getting stuck behind a rock or a tree, and lastly just glitches where you try to craft something but the crafting menu wont open at all. Although there has been a patch out to fix a majority of the problems, new glitches like dragons flying backwards popped up. With such a large opened sandbox world I’m sure glitches will be a plenty, but if you look past the small glitches and focus on the rest of the game and what it has to offer, you’ll find that Skyrim is chocked full of awesomeness.
Skyrim is one game that everyone should get. If you’re on a budget but want to give yourself or the kids a game that they can spend countless hours on then this game is the way to go. If you’ve played Fallout 3, or Fallout New Vegas, then this game is right up your alley. Skyrim definitely has a Fallout feel to the menu system and traversing the landscapes. I had a great time playing this game, and most likely I’m going to be playing this game for a very long time since there’s so much to do, and so many other races to play. I advise everyone to pick this game up for the holiday season, if not for some one then for yourself.
The Call of Duty franchise can be described as a habit. Whether you like it or not it’s just something that you keep playing and mostly because everybody else is doing it. While this may sound negative, in this case it’s not. The reality is people keep playing them because they keep getting better and bringing that level of entertainment to the masses. The Modern Warfare franchise is said to start this trend for the series and the third one continues that.
Getting straight to it the single player throws you into the madness that you had left from the previous game. Crazy firefights, endless amount of explosions and insane chase sequences are all here. It’s pretty much the standard here and it does it better then ever. While the intense amount of visceral action spreads across the entire game with little time to breath, it does bring everything together quite well in a solid 60 frames. Players either enjoy the speed and heart pounding tone of the single player or they don’t but chances are if you’ve played the last two then you do.
This game ties up all the loose ends from the previous two and finally end this story. Where the single player falls short is how linear it has become. It’s roughly the same length as the previous two games. Endless stairs and hallways become mundane. Waves and waves of enemies seem to be around every corner after awhile in certain difficulties. While you do get some very intense moments in the game it does somewhat feel like a rinse and repeat cycle. Still it is amazing how some of those intense moments feel like a roller coster ride that you want to go on again and again.
Spec Ops makes its return with a set of missions to either play solo or cooperatively with a friend. Missions that will have you and your partner do various things for different missions. Sometimes stealth, sometimes disarming bombs or controlling an area. Beyond this is a survival mode in Spec Ops that will let you and a buddy try to kill endless waves of enemies with increasing difficulty as you progress. Essentially it’s horde mode but with only two people. We’re not sure why there isn’t four players or so here but we assume it has to do with it’s timely release date. They are a nice addition to have either way.
Whether you enjoy the single player, Spec Ops or not, the real enjoyment comes from the multiplayer. When you break it down, not much has changed. However some of the new additions makes old feel new again. The new maps feel solid and are different in size according to bigger or smaller matches. The new offensive or defensive kill streaks are a big welcome. For the player that ranks up kills and is a loan soldier out in the field, offensive is the way to go. For the player that thinks defense is the best offense should be well suited with the defense kill streak. They are both meant for different tasks as they still work by reward for number of kills and will benefit how they see fit.
New modes include Kill Confirm which has become one of my new favorites. Not only do you have to kill your opponent but you must collect his/her dog tags from the fallen body to confirm the point. If you or someone from your team gets killed you can try to deny the opposing team of scoring the point by recovering their dog tag first. This takes matches and makes them up close and personal. Another is team defender where anyone from either team needs to grab a flag on the stage and hold on to it as long as they can. This game type is particularly fun as I’ve seen a lot of crazy strategies done to hold the flag down.
Unlocking kill streaks, weapons and perks are here and work in the same way. Weapons also have levels with different unlockables like before. This hasn’t changed here but together it becomes a frenzy of level ups. I’ve seriously have never leveled up more in an RPG then I have here. All other returning game types are here as well, along with custom game types to do what you will with them.
Something that was a concern for me was how the sound design for guns and the game overall fell kind of flat. Weapons feel like a blur of repetitive noise with no high or lows to them. They might be slightly better then the last but not by much. Voice however is done well and can feel the intensity of some of the in the single player. You can’t fully appreciate it as it gets lost with the noise of what’s going on around you.
Of course in terms of the Call of Duty franchise takes a major step forward by introducing Call of Duty Elite to players. Elite is the new way to check stats, leader boards and everything else involving the game. When you link your game account to the service you will be able to change/edit weapon load outs, find strategies, make in game videos from recordings and make a clan. There’s a website that will let you take advantage of this but there is also a dedicate app on the consoles as well. Much like the Battlefield 3’s battle-log and Halo Waypoint it is your center for Modern Warfare 3 goodness. Paying the premium or buying the Harden edition to the game only gives you more access. Getting first dibs on new DLC, map layouts and clan leveling is only some of it. If time is invested can easily improve your game.
Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer games set out to give us the fix we were waiting on. The engine is dated but still holds up with how it throws everything at you but stays together at 60 frames. Single player closes the story, Spec Ops passes the time with a friend and multiplayer keeps you fixed for months on end. It can feel like the same game with a quick pass but with many of the new additions its the best it has ever been and will keep the fight going on.
Sega has finally answered our desires. Running at blistering speeds, at many miles prowler ( get it) and all in today’s HD. Sonic Generation puts Sonic and his younger self against time where these two must go through all the iconic stages that have made Sonic’s career over the years. You will be filled with nostalgia as you blast through the stages and for newcomers this is the grand opportunity to explore what made sonic the Icon he is. As with most games, Sonic Generations has its short comings, however does our blue blur has what it takes in this game?
Sonic Generations is how we remember him dating back to 1991. You will feel like you’ve been here before but in a much different way. Imagine taking a time machine back to when you were a kid playing these games yet having the skills you do now? For those that have been gaming for years will have that feeling. Both Sonic’s run at a very fast pace however, Modern Sonic’s speed is top notch. Outside of the main story there is a lot to do here, players can do side missions to collect extra content like music, art , etc… Some challenges are annoying but overall they are short and sweet. Collecting chaos emeralds are simple, which if your a fan of the original games can be lackluster at best. The game will keep you busy with plenty of challenges and content to collect though.
Sega’s Engine for the game does a very good job in presenting our blue hero in HD goodness. Reliving the earlier stages of Sonic’s career felt like a treat. It is like having the same “ooo, ahh” moments when you were a kid. Modern Sonic’s levels have great color and graphics but can be less appreciated since the sense of speed keeps you from enjoying it all. This speed is something that we also love about the game so it works out.
The sound is the cornerstone of all its nostalgia goodness. The chimes from gathering rings, the impeding countdown of air when your about to drown , all the way down to the theme music of the stages bring a warm and fuzzy feeling of the past. Some of it has never changed but to hear it all come together is a real treat. All the songs are remixed, but they retain the original melody. The sound’s are clear and precise. The voice acting are typical of a sonic game, and the dialogue often makes reference to past as a side joke.
Although over the years we’ve gotten a custom to holding our thumb on the directional pad, watching our blue friend race his way alongside the stages we forgot there was a time when we had to jump around to get from place to place. This makes the jumping parts feel kind of floaty that plagued the Sonic 4 Episode One game. This was only really apparent in the Classic Sonic stages. Modern Sonic’s only gripe is its stop and go. The slightest step can grind you to a halt and most are designed for you to jump at precise moments so you must anticipate this before falling into a pit. Luckily Sega added a Fall Icon which helps greatly.
Sonic Generations is the game fans have been waiting for. Instead of trying to make another game where he try’s to catch up to Nintendo’s mustached mascot, Sega brought back what made us fall in love with Sonic in the first place. The game is designed to reintroduce a 20 year legacy to newcomers and a gift of appreciation for the fans since Sonic ran on the Genesis . Even with some of its minor gribes, its great to play and relive Sonic’s glory. Whether new or seasoned, Sonic Generations is blast to play.
Alas the moment has come where we can put back on our dancing shoes and bust a move to the newest iteration of our favorite dance game. Doing what it does best Dance Central returns with some new characters, new songs and more modes to get you all excited. Dance Central 2 not only delivers a fresh experience for veterans, but keeps the party going for newcomers to the series.
Luckily if your new to the series the game doesn’t just throw you in the mix expecting you know anything. In fact it might actually be more helpful at explaining itself then the first one did. When navigating through the modes, visual queues will come up about game functions. The newest mode to work you through the various songs and ways to play is Crew Challenge. Here you’ll unlock new dancers, outfits and arenas while facing off crews to gain respect. Each crew has a specific number of stars you will need to earn before moving on to the next. It all leads to an unknown group which you’ll have to beat to claim victory and take them down.
New features also boast this years Dance Central giving players the ability to dance two player side by side. You can either dance cooperatively or dance battle which has an new element of competitiveness. A number of dance moves will come up and the fastest one to complete them will achieve the points of said moves. The Break it Down mode will now let you go back to individual moves you had trouble with to try and master. This all works with the games new voice commands via the Kinect. Song selection, slowing down moves and skipping them could not be made easier.
Accuracy is key as Dance Central is still one of the most accurate games Kinect has available, giving you direct indication and feedback when your doing something wrong during a song. Aside a pretty hefty track list you also have the ability to import your songs from the first Dance Central with the code it comes with and 400 MSP. What this also does is give you the ability to play any song from the first game with the new two player feature which I found to be great. Purchasing songs in game has also been made easier with it’s new menu.
Song selection is very important thing in a game like this and they have done fairly well at that. La Roux’s Bulletproof, Digital Underground’s The Humpty Dance and Usher feat. Lil’ Jon & Ludacris’s Yeah! are among some of the hits. I can’t help but feel a bit disappointed with songs that are left out and certain songs chosen from albums. Any song from Diddy’s Last Train to Paris album, Come to Me from Press Play, any Justin Timberlake song from his two albums, LMFAO, LL Cool J, and Chris Brown could have made the list. With these things you can’t please everyone so they’re mere observations of how I personally feel. Diddy’s Mo Money Mo Problems would have been my number one choice song to have made the cut.
Online play would have also really benefited from this release. This game is seen as the most competitive dance game out there so online play would only bring it up a level. Duet dance routines would have also been great as they have been making their way onto other games recently. An overall bigger variety of songs could have also open the doors a bit. I’m not entirely sure if Dance Central is only suppose to be a Dance/Hip-Hop top 40’s game but it has pretty much locked into that category?
What Harmonix was able to deliver was a fresher experience to the premier dance game out there. With the new additions along with new dance moves and intuitive gameplay we’ve learned to love about Dance Central you will not be disappointed here. Their’s no denying with the first games release brought a certain expectation but the game delivers on most fronts. New dance games are popping out like leaves in spring and while some are actually closing the gap on features I personally think this is still the best available. Dance Central 2 has the ability to take over any party or social space with plenty of laughs while your dancing your ass off and at the end is what the games all about.
This weekend I got the chance to head out to Providence’s Convention Center to check out Major League Gaming competition, and I must say… It was AMAZING!!!! Four games were played over the weekend, Starcraft 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops for the Playstation 3, Halo: Reach for Xbox 360, and League of Legends. Each game has had their all stars come out in force, from veteran Reach player Tsquared to Korean Starcraft 2 player QIMMVP, League of Legends team Solo Mid to Black Ops team Quantic Next Threat. Each and every game that was played this weekend was played filled with emotion. With every mouse click, R1, and R trigger pushed teams were slowly whittled down to the final four, then eventually finals. All the teams and individual players did great, each dog has it’s day and some of them may have had off days, but to be able to compete on the pro level and handle the stress from the event is what makes the major leagues. Check below for the round up of each game’s champions.
The highlight of my weekend had to have been when I got to watch a close friend of mine, Adrenaline, Tsquared, Merkage, and Toxic from Str8 Rippin. After a quick scrimmage the team stayed after watching game footage and going through mistakes that were made. Tsquared with so many years of experience went through each clip slowly putting game theory into play and feeding tactics to his team. Where to move, what to do, what to look for, and how to adjust. Live streams of MLG won’t be able to give you that kind of depth of how a team really works, but for me to be able to see the breakdowns of not just players but game play will definitely be something I’ll be taking away from MLG Providence, along with some really great schwag like a MLG Hoodie with my gamer tag on the back! Stay tuned because I’ll be updating soon with some pictures from the event!
Halo: Reach Classic All Stars: Team East Wins Starcraft 2: 20th Seed FXOLeenock Halo Reach: 1st Seed Instinct League Of Legends: Team Solo Mid Black Ops: 7th Seed Quantic Next Threat
