Rock Band 3 MIDI PRO Adapter

Rock Band 3 really blurs the line between video game and musical training software. With this latest installment, you can play songs with very realistic instruments. Namely the guitar, drums and keyboard. So lets say you’re someone that already plays the keyboard or drums, or perhaps you’re just learning. Either way, imagine that you have your own instrument. Do you really want to go drop even more money for a cheaper version just to play with the game? Likely not. Well now you don’t have to.

The new Mad Catz Midi Pro Adapter allows you to plug in a MIDI keyboard or drum kit directly to your console (Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360) and have it recognized as a pro instrument for the game. Each adapter will feature the necessary buttons and d-pad that will allow you to navigate the game’s menus. The Wii and PS3 versions are now shipping with the Xbox 360 version following closely behind. Each will retail for $40.

Call Of Duty Black Ops Review

Despite the phenomenal and underrated Call of Duty: World at War, Treyarch has not been able to shed the stigma that mark it as a study has been limited to collecting the seed sown by IW and its ability to move the franchise to a new level little or no. For many Treyarch is just the computer recycler previous Call of Duty to allow Activision to release a sequel every year, giving breaths IW 24 months to do the real leap in quality. 12 months have been forced to change the perspective, which has affected not only the Black Ops in question, but the future of Call of Duty. The neglect of multiple members of Infinity Ward has dismantled virtually the study, as Activision has had to turn the opening for Treyarch at the headliners, providing them everything they might need to make a delivery height.

This time the action takes place in the Cold War where the role of Mason will be part of the SOG (Special Operation Group). The SOG’s were the elite team responsible for carrying out the Black Ops, top secret covert missions that were intended to destabilize and weaken both the former Soviet Union and their allies. In this installment will travel from Cuba to the frozen tropical USSR, not forgetting to give us a walk in the heat of the Vietnam War, through other awake my prefer locations with your own eyes.

Maximum level of frenzy from the first mission, but sustained by the minute of play. That is really difficult. Most of the big games live on specific moments of showmanship that do not fall into oblivion, therefore, maintain that level of pure entertainment with no breaks and without wavering is what makes Black Ops in a game that exceeds the large category categorized as sublime. The key to ensuring that intensity has been guaranteed by the dynamics of changing environments and goals. Black Ops’s argument unfolds through flashbacks that put us in each of them in completely different scenarios, leading to a variety of actions, characters and locations. As soon as we are trying to assassinate Fidel Castro in Cuba in the first mission, trying to survive a riot in a Soviet prison as a hill to defend the attack from a horde of “Charlie.”

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a game of great visuals. No looks Uncharted 2, or the strength of Killzone 2, not the character models are like Kratos, however, the whole graph displays a high level of technical finish. Everything is good enough to draw a balance to conceal any gap. No deficiencies in bulk, no notable problems. What you need to highlight Black Ops is the immense task of location and level design. Vietnam, Laos, Cuba, the Arctic, ships, laboratories, bunkers, villages, etc.. A constant change of ambience perfectly recreated. Throughout our single player experience will seem to be playing multiple different games. A stunning artwork.

In this installment Treyarch has emphasized the recoil of weapons. Despite the targeted characteristic of the series attended, we must put some more effort in the shootings. Without being 100% realistic, the effect achieved when attempting to better reflect the weight of arms and the back is very important. In heavy elements such as rocket launchers have extended the drop effect. No longer sufficient to point to the goal, we must now adjust to the shoot weight of the shells. The real novelty in this game playable level is piloting the vehicle. In Black Ops not resist us or land or sea or air. Not only shooting and other titles in the series, but we will have total control of motorcycles, barges and helicopters. Something that has demanded that we actively and finally granted.

We played Black Ops on Normal, Hardened and Veteran. And we recommend for you to enjoy fully and extend the gaming experience, beginning in Tanning. In normal, just lose the life, thus shortening the useful life in excess of the campaign. In tanning, the AI will challenge us, our resistance is lower and this fire will substantially change our pace of play. Is fair and accurate measure of difficulty for us to feel comfortable with the game and have a correct duration. Veteran is, as happened with World at War-a challenge for the bravest. A difficulty level for losing his temper and destroy our control. No doubt there are that play, but not the way to start Black Ops.

Treyarch has another goal to accomplish: Black Ops should wipe sales. Modern Warfare 2 holds the Guinness record as the most successful video game of all time. That is, not only has to be good, but also has the obligation to reconnect with the public, offering something back to take a feverish mass in stores since the first day. Let there be no questions, no questioning, Black Ops should volatilize stores in a handful of hours.

Kinect Review

The Nintendo Wii made waves when it came out in 2006.

It wasn’t because of an exciting array of incredible launch titles – there weren’t any. And it absolutely wasn’t due to the Wii packing dazzling HD graphics – it doesn’t.

It was all down to the motion-controlled gaming interface which put players inside games for the first time.

Playing a tennis game suddenly became about swinging and hitting a ball, instead of using your fingers to hit the right buttons on a control pad in the right order. Gaming was revolutionised.

Four years and 75 million worldwide Wii sales later, Microsoft and Sony have now both released their high-tech answers to the Wii-mote, and they couldn’t be more different.

While Sony’s PlayStation Move uses the PlayStation Eye camera to detect and measure the location of high-tech and spatially-aware handheld controllers, Kinect has no physical controllers to speak of at all.

The idea is that your body is the controller. It’s up to the Kinect games and apps to use the camera and microphone to work out what you’re doing and what you’re saying, and to interpret your commands in the appropriate fashion.

How it works

The Kinect sensor contains an RGB camera and a depth sensor to track your movement. It measures the positioning of 48 key joints in your anatomy and by tracking the movements of these joints, it can work out exactly what position your body is in. What’s more, it sees in 3D by overlaying the input from the RGB camera with the depth sensor.

Meanwhile the built-in multiarray microphone monitors the room for your voice – yep, Kinect even allows you to control your Xbox 360 using voice commands alone.

It’s almost too good to be true, isn’t it? These are the hopes and dreams of every 6-year old child come-true. It’s the sort of technology we only dreamed about while watching ’60s TV series’ like The Jetsons as kids.

But this isn’t fantasy. This is real. And so what we nervously want to know is – does it really work, and is it any good?

The PlayStation Phone

It’s hard to believe that what we’re looking at is real but we assure you, the picture above is in fact the PlayStation Phone you’ve long been waiting for. The device you see is headed into the market soon, likely boasting Android 3.0 (aka Gingerbread), along with a custom Sony Marketplace which will allow you to purchase and download games designed for the new platform. The device snapped up top is sporting a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 (a chip similar to the one found in the G2, but 200MHz faster), 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and the screen is in the range of 3.7 to 4.1 inches. Looking almost identical to the mockup, the handset does indeed have a long touchpad in the center which is apparently multitouch, and you can see in the photos that it’s still bearing those familiar PlayStation shoulder buttons. For Sony buffs, you’ll be interested to know that there’s no Memory Stick slot here, but there is support for microSD cards.

The particular model in this shot is still in prototyping mode. As such, the unit doesn’t have a custom skin (not even SE’s Timescape design seen on the Xperia devices), and is said to be rather buggy. We’re digging into more facts as we speak. Though the device could still be headed for a 2010 release, 2011 is looking much more realistic. Still, there’s a lot of time between now and the holidays… so keep your fingers crossed!

NBA 2K11 Ratings

What they got right: They avoided the overreaction-fest and avoided ranking the Heat first. Instead, the Heat are the fourth highest rated team, which seems about right. Yes, they have three great players, but they also filled out their roster with second round draft picks, cheap leftovers, and Udonis Haslem. It will be interesting to watch and see how it works, but to assume that that trio immediately formed the best team in the league is folly. And hey, LeBron this much really isn’t about race.

What they got wrong: Joe Johnson is not only rated higher than Dirk Nowitski, but he’s significantly higher. This is mostly about Dirk being underrated continually by this gaming series. He doesn’t have the inside game typical of a Power Forward, but he can actually play in there, and he should be considered one of the top ten players in the league for now. What’s curious is the 5 point jump Joe Johnson received-he went from an 83 last year to an 88 overall this year even though he’s been basically the exact same player for five years. I’d need to see the overall breakdown to figure out just how accurate this might be. Based on pure skills, JJ has the abilities that translate really well to video games, but his constant overusage in Atlanta actually marginalizes him to an extent.

What they got right: Josh Smith got his ratings jump. In truth, his skillset has changed not one iota from last year, he’s just coming off a healthier year where he played mostly smarter (until the playoffs started). By rating, he’s the fifth best starting PF-tied with Dirk Nowitski, but I’ve already addressed that problem. If ever there was a player made for video games, it’s Josh Smith.

What they got wrong: The Hawks are underrated as a team. They’re clearly not elite, but they’re top ten in the league. Al Horford is not as highly rated as he ought to be, Marvin Williams is being treated a bit unfairly, and I’m just not that high on the Jazz. The unfortunate thing is that the Hawks are still much closer to being average than being great, and I can’t even make an argument otherwise.

Splinter Cell Conviction Demo

Well its here and with a title like Splinter Cell, conspiracy theories can be a fickle mistress seeing as the title has gone through a complete reworking from its previous fall 2007 release date. What you really need to know is this though: Fisher is back! Sure he has had his George Clooney makeover to hide him from the feds and hangs out with Kiefer Sutherland’s alter ego Jack Bauer sharing tips and hints over a few drinks while talking about their respective daughters.

So how does it effect gameplay I hear you cry? Well it runs off the Unreal Engine borrowing a bit from the chest high walls tool kit at the beginning and making pretty decent use of the tools placing them in nice spots. The core mechanics are there with a pocket full of gadgets and a semi-silenced pistol. It seems while the gun doesn’t appear to be silenced, it certainly acts like it. AI on the other hand is a lot nicer; not perfect, but nicer.

For example the enemies react to ricochet noise from your bullet but don’t know where you are. They tend to follow the priority of allied merc being killed and say while only one can see it [dead body] with say three AI enemies in the adjacent room, the AI will be alerted enough to a body but only the one who first found it will wander out to investigate. It’s definitely enjoyable and exploitable this new level of AI. While only three runs deep I have yet to experience any of the fabled sneaking backlog, where sneaking past a set of enemies and then triggering an alarm will cause them to all come running; however this seems to be a bit of a defeatist issue.

The level itself consists of two and a half floors. One is ground level with a factory you need to navigate and is realistic in size and not overly complicated. This is followed by an underground tunnel area where you navigate two rooms of enemies and a tier leveled room before the end of the demo. It’s a shame they didn’t include a single multiplayer map to tide the die hard fans of the series over until launch. Sadly it seems replaying the previous trilogy and Double Agent will have to suffice.

Mass Effect 2 Romance Guide

Mass Effect 2 is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare Edmonton and published by Electronic Arts. Many are now into this game and gamers are now searching for the Mass Effect 2 Romance Guide.

The beginning of the “Romance” subplot begins on Eden Prime, when the player, Kaiden and Ashley find the beacon. Some people may find it hard to accomplish the stage, that’s why many are looking for this plot’s Mass Effect 2 walkthrough guide, which you can find here.

The game is the sequel to Mass Effect, and was released on Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in North America and India on January 26, 2010, and in Australia on January 28, 2010 with subsequent release in Europe for January 29, 2010.

G.I. Joe Game Detailed Now, Unveiled Next Week

 

Electronic Arts' take on toy-turned-cartoon-turned-movie, G.I. Joe, will be unveiled during next week's Toy Fair in New York.

"As Hasbro and Paramount Pictures reignite the G.I. Joe property this year with an all-new toy line and film, EA is excited to play a major role in bringing this icon of pop culture history to a new generation of enthusiasts through interactive gaming," said Chip Lange, General Manager and Vice President of EA Hasbro. "G.I. JOE offers exceptionally rich storylines and a cast of characters that lends itself incredibly well to creating an over-the-top action adventure video game that will thrill gamers as well as G.I. Joe fans."

The game will release this summer to coincide with the theatrical release of G.I. JOE; The Rise of Cobra live-action movie on Aug. 7. G.I. Joe will feature a storyline that picks up where the movie leaves off and includes a dozen G.I. Joe characters. It will also include a single-screen co-op mode.

According to the game's website you can:

* Assemble an elite JOE team and call in reinforcements when the mission gets down and dirty. * Choose from 12 of your favorite JOEs, each with a unique set of skills and weapons. * Gear up with the latest in high-tech gadgets. * Jump into, steal or hijack powerful G.I. JOE or COBRA vehicles, then fire away!

EA is developing G.I. Joe for the Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation Portable, DS, Xbox 360 and Wii. No word on a PC version or iPhone mini-game collection... yet.

OK, which 12 characters should be playable in the upcoming game, besides Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.

G.I. Joe Game Site

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Preview: A Bloody Good Time

Has as good stand-alone Wolverine game finally been made? I tried out an early hands-on demo tonight of X-Men Origins: Wolverine at Activision's pre-New York Comic Con press event to find out.

What It Is X-Men Origins: Wolverine is an action game based off the upcoming movie developed by Raven Software, which brought you Quake 4 and Soldier Of Fortune. The story focuses on the X-Men character Wolverine before and after he's given his adamantium skeleton. I found the gameplay closely resembled God of War, surprisingly. You'll be involved in plenty of tight, close-combat battles, as well as many platforming and playable, cinematic sequences.

What We Saw I demoed the first level of the game at an Activision party for the Xbox 360. I spent about 20 minutes playing before I kindly passed the controller on to someone else. The level mainly took place in a jungle setting filled with various soldiers equipped with guns and swords.

What Needs Improvement While the jungle environment looked very robust, it was at times a bit too linear. I felt I was always going on straight path. This was the opening tutorial level, though, so perhaps the later levels get a bit more exploratory.

I would also like to see more destructible environmental elements. The only breakable items seem to be clay pots.

What Should Stay The Same The grotesque violence. Seriously. I wasn't the only person there that was stunned at the amount of sheer brutality in this game. Normally, we don't really see Wolverine hack and slash people to pieces, usually just a punch to the gut with little to no blood. The opening CGI movie and the following gameplay, however, were almost disturbing. The Activision rep proclaimed this to be the way fans wanted to see Wolverine. Well, you guys got your wish. Prepare for a bloodbath!

I also loved the leaping control. Being able to jump on an on-coming enemy and immediately start stabbing their guts felt very satisfying every time.

Final Thoughts This game has as much over-the-top violence as something like MadWorld. Wolverine uppercuts heads off torsos, jams enemies into the blades of helicopters. and even throws bodies onto spikes coming out of the floor. I know most movie-licensed games aren't very good, but this could one game that everyone will be talking about, even if it's because of the violence.

New Wolfenstein Features Otherworld

What's this? A new Wolfenstein game? Yeah, apparently I didn't get the memo. Activision brought the game, simply titled Wolfenstein, along to their press event in NYC last night and showed off the latest build.

I was a bit disappointed to find out this was not a hands-on preview. An Activision rep played through the first couple levels of the game for a group of us, showing off some of the new abilities and weapons.

The story is a bit convoluted. It takes place in a fictional German city called Isenstadt. Even the rep on hand had some trouble explaining it to me, but it involves ancient amulets and crystals. But I know you don't care about that stuff. You just want to shoot Nazis, right?

One of the biggest included abilities is the "Veil" feature, which enables you to enter into this "otherworld." When using it, the entire environment turns a darkish blue and grants you new, special powers. The ability opens up new hidden passageways, bullet time, and even highlights weak points found on the stronger enemies. It's not unlike the feral ability found in Far Cry Instincts. Basically, it makes the game way easier than it should.

Also, NPC's play a big part of this version. They're there mainly to add more storytelling elements, like something found in Half-Life. The demo was mainly focused on combat, so I was unable to find out how similar this was.

Graphically the game looks pretty good. Although, after seeing the war zone atmosphere found in Killzone 2, this doesn't come close. There was a surprising amount of destructible environments; mostly the cover (such as tables and wooden structures) so it seems you may have difficulty hiding.

I didn't see too many new weapons, but I did see one called the Particle Cannon, which zaps enemies to ashes immediately. You can bring down groups of Nazis in the blink of an eye.

We were shown one mid-boss sequence where this super Nazi soldier wearing steel armor that shoots laser beams chases you. Using the "veil" power revealed his two weak points and he was brought down rather easily.

I honestly had no idea this game was being made two days ago. I must have missed the E3 announcement last year.

The game has no official release yet, but I would look out for it this year for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

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