VDIGI releases VD-W3 Wii HDMI Upscaler Processor

March 23rd, 2010, 18:22 Posted By: bandit

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

EXCLUSIVE First Look at XCM's VGA Box for Notebooks

March 23rd, 2010, 16:15 Posted By: bandit

DCEmu Reviews brings another EXCLUSIVE first look at XCM's newest product...V-Box2.

The V-Box2, is the world's first notebook VGA box and is compatible with Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, GC, Xbox and any console which has the component output

Enable video game play on your laptop, netbook,and desktop.

Fully Compatible with Xbox 360™, Wii™, PS3™/PS2™, PSP 2000/3000 series™, Xbox™ GameCube™ or any device with component output. You can record gameplay, movie or take a screenshot of the gameplay to the hard drive so you can edit, use it as a wallpaper or record your gameplay for analysis.

Compatible with Window 7, Window Vista and Window XP

Function :

• Crystal Clear Picture Screen.
• Supports USB 2.0. Plug and play. Does not require any configuration
• Supports Streaming Video. Can be stored in multiple formats including: (MPEG-1/MPEG-2/MPEG-4/AVI/VCD/DVD/SVCD)
• Supports multiple picture file formats such as JPEG and GIF.
• Supports multiple input formats such as (NTSC/PAL/SECAM)
• Auto playback allows you to store in game action to your PC/laptop
• Display settings can be adjusted such as Brightness/Contrast/Image Sharpness/Fullness/Color
• Supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Datel brings motion sensing to PSP Games with TILT FX!

March 23rd, 2010, 02:27 Posted By: bandit

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Game Review: Toy Soldiers

March 18th, 2010, 22:09 Posted By: Darksaviour69

Why are there not that many World War One games? Really, there are like 7 brazilion WW2 games but right now I can't think of any WW1 games. Then comes along Toy soldiers which is not even a WW1 game but a game that features toy based on WW1.

At first Toy Soldiers seems to be just another Tower defence game in a new setting, but the twist is that you can control your units directly at any time, the payoff being that you can be far more effective than the AI at gunning down the enemy but the cost is that while your down there you might miss what's going on in the rest of the battle field only to get that last few second warning that an enemy unit is about to enter you toy box (base)

And even after spending 30+ on a level only to get been by the last wave (usally a boss), you feel that the next time you can do better, and next time you can beat it.

+ Decent looking xbla game
+ Fun and additve
+ good learning curve
+ You can get stuck into the action by taking control of units, with out un balancing the game.

- Long loading screens (30sec +)
- Not so much fun online

4/5

wip

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Game Review: Peggle (PSN)

March 18th, 2010, 18:01 Posted By: westy118

Peggle
Platform: PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network) Reviewed. Also on:Windows, Mac OS X, iPod, Windows Mobile, Java ME, BREW, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 (XBLA), iPhone OS, Zeebo
Developer: Popcap Games
Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment

I wasn’t expecting much when the title screen of Peggle came on with it’s childlike bright colours and picture of a uniform, but I’m glad I stuck with it because it’s one hell of an addictive game. A cross between Puzzle Bobble and Pinball the game has a very easy learning curve which helps you get suckered into the game and soon you’re replacing random shots with precision angles for maximum effect(I still haven’t perfected it).

The ain of game is to remove all the orange coloured balls or blocks(from here on in I’ll just refer to both as balls) on the screen these are littered amongst blue coloured balls, which just give you points, a purple coloured ball which gives you a points bonus and two green balls which are like your special weapon(I’ll get on to those in a bit). You have 8 pinballs that you shoot from the top of the screen, and much like in Puzzle Bobble, you can aim it any direction in that 180 degrees. Fire the ball and watch it bounce around the screen taking out the other balls as it inevitably heads towards the bottom. Now at the bottom of the screen there is a pot, if the ball goes into the pot you get a free ball, if not you don’t, simple as that. When you hit the last orange ball the camera zooms in slow motion style as the music changes to ‘Ode to Joy’ and there are five holes the ball can fall into at the bottom of the screen - two 10,000 point holes, two 25,000 and one 100,000 in the middle. I never got tired of this moment it was so much fun watching the ball drop.

There are for different types of game - adventure, quick play, master duel and challenge. Adventure basically gets you into the game, you play through all the different characters, learning their special weapon. There are ten characters, unicorn, flower, frog, alien, rabbit, dragon, lobster, beaver, pumpkin and an owl. There is absolutely nothing unique about their game play apart from their special power, but as you’ll find when playing the challenge levels, choosing which character/special power can be very important. Special powers include seeing where your ball will bounce, lobster flippers at the bottom of the screen(much like you would get in pinball) a space blast which will clear some of the balls, a ghost ball which appears when your ball falls off the screen, and my personal favourite - the Zen shot, choose your shot and the computer will select a better shot for you close by, it’s definitely the power I choose the most.

At first I didn’t think this game was that up to much it just seemed to be a luck whether or not you took out a lot of balls or just one or two, but as you just into it you look at the screen and plan out how your going to attack the level, hoping that it all goes to plan. Adventure mode only takes a few hours, but it’s the challenge mode that will really consume most of your time, there are something like 55 levels and it gets very challenging after the first six levels so there’s plenty to keep you going.

The only issue I have is that the duel mode just doesn’t seem to work for me. You take turns until the orange balls have cleared and whoever has the most points at the end wins. I only played this a few times and it just didn’t seem to click, the games weren’t close and there was no excitement in this game mode.

I don’t usually play online PSN games but I find myself choosing this game over anything in my collection, it’s definitely a must for old school puzzle fans.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Team Xecuter XFRAG 360 Launched

March 16th, 2010, 21:11 Posted By: bandit

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

New pics and video of XCM XFPS Storm Light Gun for PC

March 15th, 2010, 00:02 Posted By: bandit

We just got new pics and videos of XCM's XFPS Storm Light Gun for the PC. It will be available March 17, 2010 and retail for about $99.99.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Game Review: Darksiders: Wrath of War (PS3)

March 3rd, 2010, 12:46 Posted By: jonnyrodgers10

Publisher: THQ
Developer: Vigil
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3(reviewed)
Release:
NA: January 5, 2010
EU: January 7, 2010
AUS: January 8, 2010
UK: January 7, 2010
Genre: Action Adventure / Hack and Slash
Players: Single-player
Age Rating:
BBFC: 15
ESRB: M
PEGI: 15
USK: 18


I did hear much about ‘Darksiders’ before I got my review copy, but was intrigued by the badlands comic style graphics and the post apocalyptic battlefield between demons and angels. The game is trying to be a next generation hack n’ slash that has many creative and familiar aspects which make it both appealing and fun to play in a lot of ways.

Given that I had been playing the God of War collection up until now it turned out to be more familiar than I had anticipated but on the other hand it was the first attempt by Vigil games into the next generation of console game design.

David Adams (founder of Vigil games) is well known as a comic artist for the X-men series by Marvel and interestingly their next project will be based on the popular Warhammer 40,000 series. But back to this game.

The story of Darksiders was quite creative and graphic but focused more on a dramatic introduction and a little less on story until the game has progressed. You play the character ‘War’ (the sinister/humorless one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse) who was basically tricked into starting the apocalypse and as a result had most of his powers taken away.

The opening sequences involve meteors raining down on Earth with beasts and demons destroying the cities of the world. The character War appears in a similar fashion and does not know what has happened but quickly realizes that the apocalypse has begun. He is then taken by the ‘council’ (who govern the truce between heaven and hell) and told he must restore the balance.

In order to do this he will kill either the forces of light or dark that gets in his way. To achieve this quickly he makes a deal with a powerful demon who instructs him to confront four of the ancient powerful ‘chosen ones’ (bosses) in order to obtain their hearts and gain access to the ‘dark lord’s’ castle.

From the onset of the first level the cut scenes were quite dramatic and easy on the eye until your first experience controlling War. At this point I found some of the graphics a bit grainy to be critical but took it in as a developing atmosphere. This area of the game improved as it progressed through the different environments and was sometimes a joy to watch as a comic fan but not in any way pushing the boundaries of graphics.

The controls and movement of War were a little sluggish/non responsive especially for jumping close to edges which sometimes made a few sections repetitive. I found the aiming system took a little getting used to and a lot of the fighting was very generic, especially the moves which War could perform with the use of one button. This could even be taken a step further and say that most enemies, including bosses, can be destroyed by repeating a simple charging move that is very easy to gain.

On of the reasons a game such as Batman: Arkham Asylum was so successful was because of its balance between different aspects of the game on top of the combat system that constantly changed and forced you to think. Darksiders on the other hand which centres around its combat has very little variety in terms of moves that you will actually want to use and puzzles that rarely put you out of your comfort zone.

Like any slash game though it was full of general things, like soul meters as currency for upgrades and secret items in chests to give more health, again all done before with the addition of a few extra powers and abilities to expand your search criteria. There were a few small details I could appreciate though such as the ability to throw objects, fight horse mounted and the way different enemies could be finished. It would have been a nice addition to have multiple endings for the death of each character but at least it could only happen once with a boss and was always pleasing to watch.

In conclusion it has aspects from a lot of very successful games especially God of War and Zelda but it was a good step for Vigil and has put them on the radar as a serious game developer. It was fun to play and had enough variety and story to keep me interested as the game itself was surprising long and other than a slightly annoying control system it was quit fluid.

For me it was a bit run of the mill as far as originality is concerned and does not look too much better than a lot of older hack n’ slash games. Much of it is attractive thoughtless entertainment but there are others with a bit more diversity and quality in terms of meriting a replay.



Verdict:



JR

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Game Review: Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Wii)

March 2nd, 2010, 16:18 Posted By: RedXIV

There are certain qualities that one comes to expect in a good light-gun game.
1.It should be easy to just pick up and play
2.It should be just as, if not more, fun to play with a friend.
3.There should be a good selection of unlockables, to keep you coming back.

Darkside Chronicles ticks all of these boxes, and yet it still falls short of gaming perfection in the light gun genre. Annoyingly, this is due primarily to technical flaws which could very easily be avoided, and drags down what should have been a top notch game.

Darkside Chronicles is very similar to the Wii title that came before it, the Umbrella Chronicles. This game focused on the events of Resident Evil Zero, One and Three. Darkside Chronicles takes what’s left and focuses on the events in Resident Evil Two, and Code Veronica. The two scenarios are tied together by introducing a new original story that depicts Leon Kennedy working for the U.S. government. Sent on a mission in South America, he encounters strange zombie-like creatures and this causes him to recall his last encounter with the undead, in Raccoon City.

As mentioned already, light-gun games are wonderful to just pick up and play, without getting into the right frame of mind, or getting yourself seriously involved with the plot. For those who like a bit of narrative, Darkside does offer a loosely structured plot that will give you a general idea of what went on in Raccoon City and also on the island off the coast of France in Code Veronica. It doesn’t go into as much detail as the original games, but obviously that’s a plus in this case. If you’re a fan of the series, you already know what happened. You want to get to where it’s at. And where it’s at is blasting through hordes of zombies!

All the freaks you came to fear and loathe are present in this game, with an extra monster or two thrown in for good measure. The game starts you off with just your handgun and a handful of zombies to mutilate. However, as things progress, you’ll find a wider variety of monsters, as well as different weapons to blow them up with. At no point in the game do you find yourself shooting the same kinds of enemies for too long, which really keeps you on your toes.

Darkside should be commended for this, but it comes at a horrible price. As you load up the opening level, you will notice that, rather than having a fixed point of view, the camera moves to mimic your characters perspective. While this may seem intriguing at first, the novelty wears off in roughly the space of time it takes you to read this sentence. It’s an interesting premise, having the nerves of your character affect your aim, making things more difficult. Instead, it becomes hugely frustrating, making headshots close to impossible and will almost certainly cause motion sickness after any length of time.

It takes the majority of the game to come to grips with this shaky camera style (I didn’t get my first headshot until the end of the Resi Evil 2 chapter). If you can overcome this particular aspect though, the rest of the game delivers in nearly every respect.

In terms of graphics, Darkside utilizes the power of the Wii to its fullest, making it very visually pleasing to look at. The South America sections of the game are a little over ambitious, and try to fit too much onto the screen at once, giving it a somewhat flat and lifeless feel. However, the other sections, Raccoon City in particular, boast a terrifically moody atmosphere, making the creatures that jump out at you (with some excellent animation) all the more terrifying.

To aid this glum setting, we’re treated to an ominous soundtrack, which is occasionally penetrated by the sounds of evil lurking in the shadows. The voice acting is impressive too, although the dialogue has reached a new low in terms of cheesiness. Again, this doesn’t necessarily detract from the game, as there isn’t nearly as much emphasis on story as there is on action (In fact, if you’re like me, you’ll find the cheesy lines make things all the more entertaining!).

In conclusion, Darkside has its flaws. The dialogue is cheesy, but we can forgive that. The camera is more difficult to excuse. I like the fact that Capcom is trying new things, but this backfired in a bad way. You’ll find yourself swearing at the screen more than once as you play through.
Despite this, you’ll almost certainly come back again. There’s a decent amount of unlockable content to keep you blasting away at the Umbrella Corporations grisly creatures (including a very amusing mini-game once you’ve seen the end credits). Minor grievances aside, this is a solid game, great fun to play, and even better with a buddy. Fans of the series will lap it up.

Pros:
+ T-virus creations are a lot of fun to kill
+ Moody atmosphere

Cons:
- Annoyingly shaky camera
- Occasionally cheesy dialogue

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Game Review: KrissX (XBLA)

March 1st, 2010, 21:58 Posted By: RedXIV

Platform: XBLA
Developer: Regolith Games
Publisher: Konami

Ratings


ERSB


KrissX: The Verbose Vocabulary Vendor

KrissX, pronounced “Criss Cross”, is an Xbox Live game with its central focal point being the manipulation of letters to form words. It’s simple, basic, and yet it proves to be quite an engrossing, addictive and surprisingly educational game.

As said above, the aim of the game is to complete puzzles, these puzzles resemble crosswords filled in with anagrams. While the game doesn’t get much more sophisticated or complicated, it still is rather difficult to put down. The game is broken into a few different modes, Quest, Time Trial, Survival, Categorised and a Free Play mode, but they are all pretty similar. The quest mode has 150 stages to beat before you’ve “cleared” the game and after beating the game, this actually seems too short. Each stage has about 8 or 9 words connected like a crossword and as you hover over each word a clue will pop up to make things that bit easier. In general, a basic knowledge of English will be enough to get you through this game but throughout it, I encountered a few words that left me confounded. “Macabre” was one, as was “Zenith” and this brings me to the educational part of this game. I always thought I had a good grasp of the English language but of course after playing KrissX, I had to put dictionary.com in my bookmarks.

If you look at the bottom left of the screen, you’ll notice a small circle half full of liquid which represents your hint points. When you hit your right trigger, two tiles will flare, and swapping them won’t always give you the word you’re looking for but will bring you that bit closer. To get these hit points, as well as extra time and points, there are small circular symbols which fall from words when you match them up. These symbols, will come down in three different colours corresponding to the X, Y and B buttons on the pad. This seems to be added in to add a sense of competitiveness to the game as trying to get all of them before they float below the bottom of the screen can require extremely dexterous fingers.

Graphically, the game contains some wonderfully colourful backgrounds and Wordsworth the Owl is ever present (unless a word reaches that corner of the screen in which case he becomes transparent). The tiles are all easy to read but sometimes the clues can be tricky to make out. I had two clues: “fail” and “fall” and I could never tell them apart but in general everything can be made out, even on my abysmal SD TV. The effects when you get a cascade, which is like a domino effect of solving words, is pretty impressive if somewhat overwhelming the first time you see it.

The audio is actually well suited to the game, with very pleasant, easy on the ears melodies and the victory chime as you solve a word is subtle enough to be ignored in general and yet hugely appreciated when you crack a word you’ve been staring at for five minutes. Although there is a voice that says “Stage Complete” at the end of every stage which is actually quite humorous.

The achievements for KrissX are actually not too shabby, most of them can be obtained through casual play but a few, like the Extreme Wildfire one actually took some time to pull off. They are doable but not for the casual gamer that KrissX ultimately appeals. And that’s probably the most important thing to note about KrissX. It is a casual game. I turned it on for something to kill 20 minutes. My girlfriend was happy to play it. My mother even tried to give it a shot. It’s a nice game but I’m not sure if it’s worth the 800 points that it’s advertised for. I’d definitely pick it up for 400 but for 800 you would really want to like your word games.

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here