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March 13th, 2007, 22:24 Posted By: gdf
Tony Hawk's Project 8
Publisher: Neversoft Entertainment
Developer: Activision
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-4
Reviewed on Xbox 360 by gdf
Over time, it is inevitable that a series will get tired and run out of ideas; especially if it happens to be an annually updated sports game. After a while change is demanded and has to be put in place for the survival and continuation of the franchise, but it can be difficult to make massive overhauls without changing the core experience. This is where the last couple of Hawk games have struggled. 2003's THUG was a natural expansion of the gameplay offered in games 1 to 4 and opened up the world to fans of the series. The sequel, THUG 2, ended up recreating the humour of Jackass with its stupid stunts and rocket powered Segway-riding midgets. After that, it was demanded that the series deviate from this before it became overly tired, but the result was a bit uglier than expected. THAW attempted to be a jack of all trades, but ended as a pathetic loser of most. The skating was put on the back foot as you could nip around the supposedly load free world (loading screens were disguised as suspiciously bland alleys and tunnels linking parts of the world) in a car or BMX; a rather bad idea considering the only consistent name in the series' titles is Tony Hawk, y'know, only the most well known skater on the planet. THAW turned out to be a mini disaster area and there were some doubts over the series' future. Happily, all the wrongs have been righted thanks to THP8, the lastest from Activision.
From the off it appears a much more skateboardy experience. The environments in the free roaming city are choc full of trick oppourtunities, and much of the joy can be found from simply crusing around, grinding and flipping away. At the beginning of career you create your character, and straight after that it's off to skate. The plot goes like this: Tony is building up a team of the best 8 amatuer skaters he can find (see what they've done there) and he has stopped off in your town. It's up to you to climb from number 200 to the team and this can be done in numerous ways.
The great thing is that you can go at your own pace and pick and choose what you want to do. There are some missions and competitions which will improve your ranking a good few places and there are also the rather excellent spot challenges, addictive little nuggets of rank boosting fun. They can be activated when you are going about and are just graffitied words on the ground like "grind" or "Jump". The further, higher, or whatever, you go, the better grade you get ("Am", "Pro" or "Sick") and the more rank spots you will gain. the beauty is that even if you fail you can just carry on to your destination or restart quickly. Spot challenges can be tough but great fun at the same time and goals like "break 15 bones" are always welcome.
This brings me on to the next point of the gameplay: New features. Thankfully, THP8 is bursting at the seams with great new introductions to the series. Most noteworty are the bails, focus mode and the awesome "Nail the trick" er...trick. Bails have been overhauled and you are now able to direct the fall of your skater, bounce him (or her) off the ground and get up quickly. There are some moments of absolute joy when your protagonist goes flying and gets totally smashed up (complete with wince-inducing bone crunch sounds). Focus mode is a more serious but nonetheless useful addition. When the bar at the top left of the screen fills up, you click in the left stick to slow time down, very useful for tricky grinds and manuals or sustaining a combo. To stay in slow motion, you have to keep the bar filled by doing more tricks, so the more skilled you are, the easier a long combo gets. Also, it looks very cool grinding round a level 6 times and landing a million point combo at a snail's pace. The final large addition is the much lauded "Nail the Trick". At any time during play, you click in both sticks to slow time down, but this is different. Instead of keeping control of the skater's body, the camera zooms to his feet, and each stick controls its respective foot. Yet again this is very cool, but good timing and skill are required to land anything more than a one or two trick combo. Most of the time this feature produces some decent points, especially when used as part of a larger combo or in conjunction with focus. These features are great to have and make the skating both more enjoyable and realistic.
The game's soundtrack is also surprisingly good, with great bands such as Wolfmother, Kasabian and Klaxons all featuring. THP8 also has very tidy visuals and, for a cross-platform title, looks fairly next gen on the 360. Overall, THP8 really takes the series back to the heady days of THPS4 and is probably the most realistic and enjoyable yet. Despite its Halo 2 esque ending, it contains loads of replay value and has plenty of gamer points for 360 acheivement whores. The multiplayer is as fun as ever and you can never beat a good game of horse using words like "Penis" and "***got". THP8 is something of a return to form for a series that had lost its way somewhat, and is sefinitely worth your hard earned.
Replay Value 3/5
Sound 4/5
Graphics 4/5
Gameplay 4.5/5
Score:
Great game harking back to the first few in the franchise. Highly recommended.
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March 13th, 2007, 00:17 Posted By: bandit
Capdase Soft Jacket Advance (Lite)
Manufacturer: Capdase
Site: Buy from Play-Asia (white) / Buy from Play-Asia (blue) / Buy from Play-Asia (pink) / Buy from Play-Asia (black)
Price: $12.90
Overview : The Soft Jacket Advance protects your Nintendo DS Lite from scratches and fingerprints.
Features :- Perfected design for flip-up game consoles
- Semi rigid frame keeps Soft Jacket Advance in place without hassle
- Advance technology that combines silicon with rigid plastic
- Includes Hand Strap
Quality/Usability : The Soft Jacket Advance is a silicone case that covers and protects the outside of your Nintendo DS Lite. Majority of the Soft Jacket Advance is made of rubber silicone but around the edges, it is made of plastic. The purpose of the plastic is to give that stiff and firm protection to latch on to the DS Lite.
Unlike other silicone cases on the market, Capdase decided to make the whole Soft Jacket Advance one piece. There is an opening for the stylus, power button, headset, volume, charging port and even the loophole so you can attach a wrist strap.
There is a slight problem though. The Soft Jacket Advance doesnt slip on to the DS Lite like other silicone cases, it clips onto the Lite as mentioned before. But it doesnt clip onto all sides perfectly. You may have one corner that doesnt clip on completely but the case is held on tightly. Some of the ports is slightly covered which makes it kind of hard to reach.
Capdase included a wrist strap just like they usually do for any of their protective cases. They also included "silicone caps" that cover the headphone jack and charging port. These are similar to that of those dust cover ports. Unfortunately, they are loose. So loose that you will lose it easily. The best thing they included was a silicone Slot-2 cover. This fits directly into the Slot-2 port of your DS Lite which matches the Soft Jacket Advance itself and replaces the one that Nintendo included. The Slot-2 cover is completely made of silicone and fits slug inside the port.
Conclusion : Overall, the Capdase Soft Jacket Advance does a great job of protecting the DS Lite from scratches and finger prints but falls short. The soft jacket doesnt clip on completely depending on which corner but with a little strength, you can force it to. The "silicone caps" will be of no use since it is so loose and will fall off. But I like that they included a Slot-2 silicone cover to match the Soft Jacket Advance. It comes in a variety of colors such as blue, pink, white and black.
Images via comments
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March 12th, 2007, 23:43 Posted By: bandit
Capdase Soft Jacket Silicone Case
Manufacturer: Capdase
Site: Buy from Play-Asia (solid black) / Buy from Play-Asia (white) / Buy from Play-Asia (blue) / Buy from Play-Asia (purple) / Buy from Play-Asia (pink) / Buy from Play-Asia (black)
Price: $7.50
Overview : The Soft Jacket Silicone Case gives better grip and protection to your controllers.
Features :- Ultra thin with Exquisite Details
- Protection against dust, dirt & scratches
- Smooth & Soft to Touch
- EZ Dust Go Treatment
Quality/Usability : Capdase has released their first Wii product. Capdase is well known for the accessories and silicone cases. Included is a wrist strap and silicone case for the Wii remote and Nunchuk.
The soft jacket has a nice thickness to it that feels comfortable in the hands. What is nice about the Soft Jacket is that on the back, there are grooves which allows better grip to your controllers. Besides the grooves on the silicone cases, the soft jacket is slightly different from the rest of the silicone case such as the Wii Silicone Case and Wii Controller Glove (Official). The silicone cases just mentioned all have holes cut out for each button. Capdase decided to leave silicone over the buttons but have the rubber pop out a little so you can feel where they are. Having the silicone over the buttons still allows you to press the buttons easily without having to dig your finger/nail into the button in order for it to recognize.
Unlike the other cases, Capdase added a little hole at the bottom of the case. This allows you to clip a wrist strap on to the case. Why do you need this? Well, the wrist strap that Nintendo included isnt strong, so Capdase hopes to remedy the situation. The strap has a metal clip that clips on to the bottom of the case. The strap itself is very durable and so is the hole. With this attached, you no longer need to use wrist strap that Nintendo included.
Conclusion : Overall, the Capdase Soft Jacket Silicone Case is a very nice product. The soft jacket feels comfortable in the hands. With the included wrist strap, this gives extra durability. Capdase offers in the Soft Jacket Silicone Case in a variety of colors such as blue, purple, pink, white, black and grey (tinted black).
Images via comments
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March 12th, 2007, 14:16 Posted By: bandit
So I have been thinking of ways of unloading accessories that I have accumulated for review (a BIG thank you goes out to our affiliates, we wouldnt be where we are without your support!) to make room so that we may bring more reviews to our users but at the same time, make it enjoyable for everyone. Originally, we had a raffle but not many people were interested in it whether its due to financial obligations or the prize(s) only had a limited selection and no one had a need for it.
This is what we had in mind. To help bring in user submitted reviews to the site (since we dont have much), we were thinking of setting up a system of some sort where each review that you post is worth 1 point. It can be accessories, hardware or games that you have purchased or products you have received from us! As you post reviews and build up points, you become eligible for products.
For example, post 5 reviews and you are eligible for an item within that points range. Interested in something from the 10 or 15 points range? Just post more reviews. Once you acquire enough points/reviews, just request a product from the list of available products and we'll send it. Once you qualify for a product and you request it, your points will start all over (0) and you would have to build up your points again if you want another product.
Obviously, you can not just post a review that is 3 or so paragraphs long. The reviews must be helpful and/or detailed...so no cheating. Any reviews that do not meet the requirements will not be eligible for the point.
As for shipping products to you, we would have to think of a way where it would cost you nothing but at the same time, would not cost us anything as well. Some ideas and suggestions would be donations on our homepage (can be any amount via PayPal) or ordering from one of our many affiliates . Of course, if we are unable to cover the costs of shipping, we will have to find another way. I have an idea in mind but would like to avoid that option if possible.
Now, all this is still in the process of being worked on and thought out completely. If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to post your thoughts. We would like to hear what you have to say.
*UPDATE*
A nice question was brought to my attention from another site.
What happens if someone posts a review trying to earn points to qualify for item that they are only interested in and someone beats them to it?
Good question. I didnt think of that.
But with that running through my head, what about a voting on the review(s) that people post? So at the end of the deadline (whenever that may be), I will set up a poll, with all the names of reviewers and everyone will vote for their favorite reviewer based on how detailed and helpful their reviews were. The person with the most votes wins. There may be a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place but we'll have to see how many people posts reviews. So what do you think?
Poll via comments
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March 9th, 2007, 02:08 Posted By: bandit
Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter PSP
Manufacturer: Griffin Technology
Site: Buy from Griffin
Price: $24.99
Overview : Offering a sleek, slim design that slides securely onto the bottom of the PSP quickly and easily, without adding bulk, the iTrip’s easy to read display sends audio right to your radio. Rock your game, movies and music through your own home and car systems and you’ll never go back to the stock speakers.
Technical Specifications :- Built-in antenna
- Power requirement: 2 AA Batteries (included)
- Modulation: FM Stereo
- Frequencies: 88.1-107.9MHz
- High stability crystal oscillator, phase-lock loop control
- Frequency response: 50Hz to 15KHz
- Operating range: 10-30 ft
- Dimensions: 5.81" x 1.49" x .092" (147.7mm x 38mm x 23.4mm)
- FCC compliant
Quality/Usability : With Griffin being well known for their iPod accessories, Griffin decided to port their ever so popular iTrip for the iPod to the PSP.
The design and sleek which matches the look of the PSP. The iTrip PSP runs on 2 AA batteries (included) which are located on the back. On the front, are three buttons which is used for your presets, an LED display to show you what station you are using, LX (stereo)/DX (monaural), -/+ buttons to select between stations and a SELECT Button.
In order for the iTrip PSP to work, you have to select your frequency to a station where you hear nothing but static or silence, with no music in the background. Once the iTrip is plugged into the bottom of the PSP, you will need to change the frequency on the iTrip to that of the one on the radio.
First you'll need to press the iTrip's "SELECT" button twice. This will flash the frequency numbers. To change the frequency, you'll have to press the - or + buttons. Once you have selected the frequency that matches the radio, press the "SELECT" button once to confirm.
To store up to 3 frequency's, all you have to do is press the SELECT button once and choose either 1, 2 or 3 and hold down that corresponding button for 3 seconds. If you want to choose a preset frequence, just press the SELECT button once and then press either 1, 2 or 3 for the station you want.
The iTrip lets you play in either Stereo (LX) or Monaural (DX) mode. To toggle between Stereo and Mono, you would press the SELECT button three times and the mode indicator (LX or DX) will flash. Press the + button to toggle between LX and DX. Once you have chosen a mode, press SELECT to confirm the change.
Since the iTrip occupies the headphone jack and power plug, the bottom of the iTrip has what you would call, a pass-through port. Even with the iTrip connected, you can charge your PSP and listen to music. Unfortunately, it wont allow you to use a remote control headset and it will not charge the batteries in the iTrip.
iTrip was tested both inside a house and in the car. If you have a car that does not let you manually scan for frequency, you'll have a problem as the car radio will only look for stations that has signal. With the iTrip connected the sound is clear coming out of the radio but as like any other FM transmitter, sound is very low and you will either have to raise the volume on your PSP and/or on your radio. Just remember that if you do raise the volume on your radio, to lower the volume before you disconnect the iTrip from the PSP.
I must say though, even on the road whether its in a crowded area with tall building or in non-congested area, the quality is still clear. Whats great is that the RoadDock PSP fits well with it as the iTrip has a small groove that allows the RoadDock to somewhat clip onto it.
Conclusion : Overall, the Griffin iTrip FM Transmitter PSP does a great job of transferring sound to your radio. This comes in handy for those on long roadtrips where you want music from your PSP to be played through the speakers of your car. This can also become a nice little prank if someone you know is using a radio and you "intercept" their frequency and play something of yours. The iTrip unfortunately does not have a ON/OFF button and the LED display turns off automatically after a few seconds even when in use. It would have been nice if they did add one. Griffin also included a nice little pouch to store your iTrip. The pouch is a little big for it though.
Image via comments
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March 8th, 2007, 14:02 Posted By: bandit
XCM has given their website a stylish new look. The site now has a fresh new look and design. All their products are easy to view, with pictures and full specs. Not to mention, they have themselves a new mascot.We are happy to launch today our new website, more stylish, more complete, more XCM!
You will be able to find here first about our new products, special offers, and more, so stay tuned! You can read our review on their products such as Team Xtender XCM XFPS 360 and XCM PS2/PS3/Wii/Xbox360 Multi-Console Component Cable (coming soon). You can also purchase their products from their official reseller, Divineo China, Divineo France, Divineo Germany, Divineo Italy, Divineo Spain, Divineo Sweden, Divineo UK, Divineo US.
Source: XCM Live
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March 8th, 2007, 02:12 Posted By: bandit
DecalGirl DS Lite NES Skin (Retro)
Manufacturer: DecalGirl
Site: Buy from DecalGirl
Price: $9.99
Overview : Protect and personalize your new Nintendo DS Lite with a precision fit, full-color Nintendo DS Lite skin kit! Each DecalGirl DS Lite skin is designed for maximum coverage and flexibility; this brilliant, high resolution "Retro Lite" design is printed on premium adhesive-backed cast vinyl then covered with a clear protectant layer for the ultimate in durability! An innovative repositionable, sremovable adhesive ensures that you'll have no air bubbles and a fast, easy and accurate installation. As always, they can be removed at any time without leaving any sticky residue!
Quality/Usability : Following the review of our DecalGirl Nintendo Wii and Controller Skin, we had to keep it within the NES Retro family.
DecalGirl has impressed me even more when I received their package in the mail. Their packaging is even more professional with an actual packaging unlike the Wii skin which had no packaging.
The DS Lite Skin comes with three skins; top, inner top screen and inner bottom screen. Applying the top skin was a piece of cake. As for the other two, it took alot longer than I expected.
You'll need a pen or something sharp to detach the little holes for the speaker. Applying the sides is no problem its when you get towards the screen. You will have to do a little fiddling around to align everything correctly. Since I use a screen protector, the skin covers the the sides of the screen. If you have a screen cover that covers the whole top screen, you'll have to either put the skin over it or put the screen protector over the skin. There are flaws to this though. If you put the skin over the screen protector, you'll have to remove the skin to get under the screen protector. If you place the screen protector on top of the skin, you might have problems with the screen protector sticking completely as the edges are now raised off the screen. I personally use Clarivue's screen protector which doesnt have any sticky residue but uses static
The bottom skin wasnt as bad as the top screen but you had to make sure it cleared the directional pad and buttons. At first, I though I would have problems with the skin as anytime you have a raised curve, the skin would crease. The DS Lite Skin did a great job of smoothing out around the corners. There is no crease at all. If there is.
Conclusion : Overall, the DecalGirl DS Lite NES Skin (Retro) looks hot! It fits perfectly and looks great. It may take a little longer for those perfectionist or those anal like me. Would have been nice if the inner top skin didnt cover the screen. Also, I notice that the gray lines on the inner skins arent evenly centered but its no big deal.
Images via comments
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March 8th, 2007, 01:10 Posted By: bandit
Wii 1800mAh Rechargeable Battery Pack
Manufacturer: PEGA
Site: Buy from Brando
Price: $14.00
Overview : This Wii Recharge Battery Pack is specially designed for Wii Remote controller. You can get easy to recharge the battery via USB after played.
Features :- Recharge battery pack via USB
- USB charging cable included
- LED indication during charging
- Battery Capacity: 1800mAh
- This is not an official Nintendo Product
Quality/Usability : Probably the most important and needed accessory for the Nintendo Wii is rechargeable batteries. If you play on a regular bases, you'll know that you go through batteries like no tomorrow. Unless of course you have rechargeable AA batteries. But even so, you have to take them out just to charge. This should of been on Nintendo's drawing board to include a rechargeable battery pack (it probably was but was left out due to whatever reason).
Its OK though because 3rd Party manufacturers will pick up the slack and this gives them something to help out the gaming community. With that said, PEGA has released their first rechargeable battery pack for the Wii remote control.
With the battery pack, you no longer have to remove any batteries from the controller. The battery pack is just a battery cover with two rechargeable batteries attached to it. On the front side of the remote is where the the USB cable will be inserted to charge the batteries. The battery pack fits the back of the Wii remote perfectly. There is also an LED to let you know when the battery is being charged. Unfortunately, it doesnt turn off to let you know when its fully charged.
If you want to recharge the batteries from the Wii's USB port, you will need to have the Wii turned on. You can not charge it while the Wii is OFF/standby. Although, you can charge the remote through your computers USB port or if you have one of those USB wall adapters.
Conclusion : Overall, the Wii Rechargeable Battery Pack is a great product. A downside is that you can not charge the battery pack with the Wii off. So if you want to charge the battery pack, you'll have to have the Wii turned on (how can you play now?) or you can use your computers USB port. It would of been nice if the battery packs LED light can turn off to let you know that it is fully charged.
Images via comments
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March 6th, 2007, 15:58 Posted By: bandit
Xtreme Enterprises, makers of the Asterix Faceplates for the PSP has updated their website with the latest images of their replacement console shell faceplates for the Nintendo Wii.SINGAPORE, 7 Mar 2007 (Wed) No, this is not a paint-job. This is as real as it gets. Project SHOCKii was introduced as a Wii console case replacement and we are releasing some prototype pictures to show everyone that we are serious about this product release. Although it took us months to formulate the correct processes to get this project off the ground, our efforts has come to fruition and we now release these awesome eye-candy to get your steam running. The initial pictures below shows that our SHOCKii comprise of the following replacement parts:
a. Faceplate w/buttons
b. Standby Battery Insert
c. Card / Controller Panels
d. Console left/right Panels (not shown)
We will be able to release the full panels in prototype form next week! Keep an hawk's eye on this page. Enjoy!
Source: NDS-Central
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March 5th, 2007, 03:33 Posted By: bandit
Goozex and DCEmu Reviews brings to you the first ever contest! Simply just register at Goozex and enter code DCEmu-Reviews to qualify. Upon registering, enter all required information and choose your preferred console and you're set.
Just registered from our Official News post and want to be entered? We havent left you out. If you have not chosen your preferred console, Goozex will email you and ask.
If you have any questions regarding Goozex, feel free to post in our Customer Support thread. Below is the list of goodies you can possibly win!
Game Bundles:
Xbox 360
College Hoops 2K6
Blazing Angels
Prey
Wii
Red Steel
Excite Truck
PS3
Madden NFL 07
PSP
BattleZone
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo
Rengoku: The Tower of Purgatory
PS2
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
Soulcalibur III
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb
Pirates of the Caribbean
Xbox
Spartan Total Warrior
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
DOOM 3 (Limited Collector's Edition)
Half-Life 2
NASCAR 07
GameCube
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Battalion Wars
Tales of Symphonia
Rules:
Deadline: March 15, 2007
Winners will be randomly selected and chosen after the deadline. To be eligible you must signup to Goozex.com and enter the coupon code DCEmu-Reviews and select your preferred console. Your selection of preferred console indicates the game bundle you would like to win. There are seven game bundles available: Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Gamecube, and PSP. Details of the game bundle are available on the promotion's forum thread on DCEmu Forums. Any game bundle not selected will be forfeited. Only one winner per console game bundle will be selected. Only one winner is allowed per household. Multiple accounts disqualify your entry into the promotion. Winners must have a valid United States, Canadian or Bermudian mailing address to be eligible. Winners cannot change titles or redeem games for cash, Goozex points or trade credits. Game bundles will be mailed by Goozex to the address provided upon registration. Good luck and happy trading!
- The Goozex Team -
----------------------------------
Also helping by donating to DCEmu Reviews, we can bring you more contests in the future.
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