Two Worlds was the first game that we talked about on GamerHusbands Radio. Now, we’re on the heels of the sequel’s release date, and Two Worlds II doesn’t invoke the same snicker it’s predecessor did. The GHR crew were treated to a behind the scenes look at Pax East 2010, and the interest has been growing since.
In 2010 EA kicked off the year by releasing Mass Effect 2, which was a game of the year contender. Game companies feared releasing games in the winter, and EA dispelled the myth. Following the tradition, EA will release another AAA title in the winter. Dead Space 2 is on the horizon and expectations are high. Isaac Clarke returns to impossible odds from fighting the Necromorphs on the USG Ishimura. How he survived the first game is nightmare inducing, but the story continues. The game begins with Isaac in an mental asylum dealing with his dead girlfriend hallucinations. Suprise, another outbreak occurs and it’s up to our plasma-cutter-of-the-year heroine to save the day again. He may be fighting more than Necromorphs.
Back in the summer I had the privilege of participating in a beta test of the Logitech F540 wireless gaming headset. The retail version of this unit was released in late October, and I received my compensation headset last week. I have not used a Triton or Astro headset, so please view this review from that angle. The unit retails for $160, and includes the headset, base unit, and cables for connection to XBOX360 and PS3. To be honest though, the connections labeled for the 360 and PS3 are just RCA, so this could conceivably be used for any source that has RCA output. There is also a small 3.5mm input jack for something like an iPod or other MP3 player.
If you are looking for a wireless headset to use with your PS3, XBOX360, or Wii console, this is definitely one to consider. The wireless range is outstanding, easily reaching a distance of 30-50 feet including through walls. The earpieces completely conver the ears, and are sound-isolating. The boom mic can be raised up if you are not using voice chat, and is very adjustable as far as distance from your mouth. When the mic is in the upright position, it is automatically muted. On the left side of the headset there are independent controls for game and chat volume, as well as a mute button that toggles on and off. The earpieces and top piece of the unit are adequately padded for several hours of use. In my experience, battery life is in the 8-10 hour range. The unit is charged via a USB cable that connects into the base station.
There are only a few negatives that I have found with this headset. First of all, it is not 5.1 surround sound. For me this is not ‘huge, but I didn’t have to pay full retail for mine either. I previously used a Turtle Beach X1 headset, and I can tell you that the sound on this unit is better. Another small negative is that if the boom mic is too close, your voice is very loud on the other end (so I’ve been told). All in all, these small issues don’t detract much from the overall quality of the unit. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this headset at 8.
There is evil afoot. The sound of the werewolves is even more chilling than the cold rain. You stand firm. Your steely resolve is only matched by your skills with with the Combat Cross. As the creatures of the night begin to attack on you, and the handful of brave villagers who dare to make a stand, you are warmed by your thirst for revenge. That, and the hope of reuniting with your murdered love, Marie.
This is Caltlevania: Lords of Shadow, Konami’s 3rd person 3D reboot to their much beloved traditionally 2D action series. So, is it worthy of wearing the Castlevania name? Click the jump to find out.
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Raise your hands. Now wiggle for the camera.
Recently I was lucky enough to get my hands on a Kinect and so far it has been an absolute pleasure. To state it simply, Kinect works. It is an impressive piece of technology and it works well. Kinect promises both audio voice recognition and more importantly, motion detection and it delivers.
It’s not flawless. There are minor glitches. It occasionally has trouble recognizing my daughter’s voice. It sometimes doesn’t react to a player’s motion, or doesn’t react as quickly as expected. The motion control isn’t 1:1, there is lag if you pay close attention. In some of the running games, the animation doesn’t sync to your leg movement. That being said, none of this affects the gameplay, which is great fun.
The Basics
Kinect brings with it an Xbox dashboard update. The dashboard update allows access to the Kinect hub. The Kinect hub is where you can access your Kinect games and other Kinect enabled content. Best way to get there is simply say “Xbox, Kinect”. At this point, you can put down your controller, because your hands ARE the controller. Think Minority Report where Tom Cruise is waving his hands in the air manipulating files on a projected image. It’s like that. You wave your hand, and the Kinect tracks your hand movement. If your hand stops on a selectable item, it opens. Easy. The Zune marketplace is now Kinect enabled as well, so you can page through movies and previews sans controller. Most of this can also be done using voice commands. “Kinect Zune” takes you to the Zune marketplace, You can say pause, play and stop when watching a movie. “Kinect previous” takes you to the previous page, etc.
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Every July, NCAA comes out to wet our appetites for football and every August, Madden delivers the full featured thrill of the virtual gridiron. In other words, NCAA is always the appetizer to the main course that is Madden. Yet something strange has happened in 2010, NCAA ’11 stepped on the scene and was greeted with much praise from gamers and critics alike. Everyone used the new NCAA game as a baseline for how great Madden would be this year, since for years NCAA has always been one step behind its big brother. So it would’ve seemed to everyone that since NCAA was so good this year, that surely Madden would be the best iteration that we’ve had this generation. Madden ’11 arrived a month later with a loud and thunderous…..thud. What could have possibly gone wrong? After all, the two games are both developed by Tiburon, albeit two different design teams, and sharing some of the same “new” technology/features (locomotion, run blocking, etc.) for the first time that I can remember.
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On September 14th, 2010 Halo Reach hit store shelves and sold $200 million dollars…. on it’s first day. Sales remained impressive throughout the week as it passed Halo 3 for the highest total sales of an exclusive game title. It seems like Halo Reach is set to reach new heights as it passes many of the records set by Halo 3. But is it worth the hype? I guess it depends on the player. But for a majority of gamers, and myself, the answer seems to be yes.
Just as fair warning–this is a rant against Microsoft’s Xbox360. Now, on to my rage.
Well, good ‘ol Microsoft has struck me again. Xbox360 #4 has officially gone on to the digital great beyond. Cause of death–E68; or as many more commonly refer to it–Red Ring. I picked up Halo Reach on a bargain at Toys R Us ($49 with a trade in, plus a $20 gift card). This evening I decide to try out what the critics have been jonesing over, and my Xbox says “Nope. Not working today. I’m dead.” Maybe it was mad because the last game I played on it was Sega’s Golden Axe: Beast Rider. Maybe that’s what killed it.
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Hans Lo, the Senior Producer for Mortal Kombat 9 was on hand at PAX showcasing the tag-team mode of the game. GameTrailers.com has the feed. Based off the gameplay video, the tag aspects are somewhat similar to other games like Capcom’s VS series where you can swap team members out, or bring in a team member to assist with a special attack to continue a combo. Speaking of combos, Hans makes a point during his narrative to note that the “dial a combo” combat is gone in this game, which is a good thing. Those who played MK vs DC Universe know what I’m talking about.
I was never a fan of the MK games. The only one I ever really liked was Shaolin Monks–a well done MK themed brawler that came out on the PS2 and original Xbox. MK9 does have me intrigued, and I do hope the gameplay is as good as it looks.
Image from psthreeblog.com
Ah, yeah. More news that sets my old school 2D fighting heart a flutter. This news is kinda old, and I’m probably the only person in this community who cares about this game–let alone heard of the series of games. But, ‘yall know me. If it’s 2D, fighting, or a combination of the two, I’ve gotta mention it here.
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