Fans of the Nintendo Wii are sure to be delighted with the news that a new computer chip will allow people to control DVD playback by simply waving their hands around.
Developers are obviously jumping on the bandwagon in a bid to attract the new generation of frontroom flappers.
Imagine having a particularly energetic argument with the girlfriend or wife in front of the DVD player... before you know it you'll have maxed out the volume, skipped to the nail biting end and chosen to view the deleted scenes all in a few waves of the hand.
Apparently the new chip allows viewers to stop, skip ahead and give other commands by pointing their thumbs at the screen from up to 10 feet away.
The processor, demonstrated today by Toshiba on laptop computers, can also manipulate 3D images.
In a demonstration the laptop camera put the subject’s face on screen, then allowed her to choose hairstyles and types of makeup.
The computer put the changes on the image in 3D, which could then be moved to check out the new look from different angles.
Jointly developed by Toshiba, IBM and Sony, the 'SpursEngine' processor is not yet on the market and a launch date is still to be announced.
If you ask me we are fast becoming a nation of flappers - not least vegetables.
Whatever next?! Boil a kettle by blinking, get a Hoover to hoover the house by telling it to or stoke up the fire by clicking?
It's all going mad if you ask me.
Reviews:
Title: Eternal Sonata
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Promising to be the RPG game Xbox 360 gamers have been waiting for, Eternal Sonata delivers on all counts with its gorgeous next generation graphics, a truly unique battle set up and a convincing (if a little pansy-ish and random) storyline.
The game scores highly on the imagination front. I mean, it's based on the last dream of the dying composer Chopin and the age-old good vs evil theory.
It also scores massively on the visual side. With its divine graphics many of the scenes wouldn't look out of place in a Disney film.
The downside (and isn't there always one?) is the moral side to just about every twist and turn in the game.
Not even half way through I became fed up at being preached to by a console!
Put bluntly it is the best RPG out there and well deserved of the praise it's received.
Title: Chronos Twin
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £24.99
Hit count: 3/5
The same storyline set in two different time zones on two different screens featuring the same character. Confused? I was.
Surprisingly, it works. It's a idea is fresh and innovative idea which ultimately lends itself to the console with its two screens.
The storyline sees our hero 'Nec' jumping back in time to defeat a monster who later invades his planet set about destroying the world.
A key part of the title is the fact that it doesn't throw you in the deep end.
The game develops and becomes more challenging as you progress enabling the user to get to grips with the twin settings.
Title: Pokemon Battle Revolution
Platform: Nintendo Wii
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 5/5
Pokemon Battle Revolution is sure to be the game all Pokemon fans have been waiting for.
It may also be the title which propels the Wii to the forefront of the must-have list this Christmas.
The gist of it is this... forget about all other previous Pokemon games. This is the real deal.
Grab yourself a battle pass, customise your trainer and battle your way to the rank of Poketopia Master!
The title allows you to choose various versus modes and select numerous Pokemon.
You can also wirelessly transfer your characters from your Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl from your Nintendo DS.
Thursday 6 December 2007
Thursday 29 November 2007
Chain reaction
You know, asides from cling film, checkout assistants and faulty DVDs that stop the film seconds from the end, there aren't that many things that drive me up the wall.
And then there are my so-called friends.
I might have seen them earlier today, or 10 years ago, but I never EVER realised they were THAT superstitious.
I have to admit a large percentage of the 'junk' emails I receive at work and at home are from my friends.
And they always begin a little like this: "PLEASE don't delete this, this is wonderful and it works."
Yet more dribble later (usually with with some nancy picture)... is: "Keep the chain going...."
Who really gives a flying whatsit?!
Is little Jessica going to die if I don't send the email on to 20 people who will ultimately hate me for doing so?
Will I be better in bed for not sending another chain email within 15 minutes?
I think not.
It's not bad luck if you 'break the chain'.
The way I see it, it's bad luck to receive chain letters. And even worse luck for the so-called friend who sent it when I see them again.
WAKE UP PEOPLE! Focus the time spent on reading the email on something useful.
Such as telling friends to NEVER bother you with such tosh again.
I have to admit I was once the sort of person who would forward these chain letters on, but then I left primary school and decided I knew right from wrong. Only now through this blog can I reveal how annoying they are.
And here's the interesting bit...
There are currently no laws in existence to ban chain letters. Yes they are generally regarded as a nuisance simply because they clog up inboxes.
In fact, Himmelsebriefe ('Heaven letters') date back to the Middle Ages.
According to some sources you can even look at the Egyptian Book of the Dead as a chain letter as it promised resurrection to those entombed with a copy.
REVIEWS:
Title: Wario: My Word Coach
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £19.99
Hit count: 3/5
"It's like scrabble but way cooler," a friend's son said after 10 minutes of fevereshly testing out My Word Coach.
Having grabbed the DS out of his hand to try it out myself, I tend to agree.
I have to admit, the thought of most development titles bores me to tears but I actually really like this one.
A particular feature I like is the way the title automatically adapts the difficulty level to match the skill of the individual user.
Rather than going through a series of levels where you are forced to spell two letter words, you can almost immediately really test yourself and, ultimately learn.
Boasting more than 16,800 words, My Word Coach will actually help the user to adapt and develop their vocabulary. Users can also choose from four different personal coaches to guide them through the learning process.
The game's developer, Ubisoft, also boast that it will 'develop your ability to express yourself with confidence and persuasion'. Now that, in my case, is still to be proved.
Nonetheless, every little helps right?
Surely it's only a matter of time before teachers allow students to bring in their consoles to use as learning tools...? The way of the future perhaps.
Title: My Horse & Me
Platform: Nintendo Wii
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
When My Horse & Me landed on my desk my immediate thought was 'developers are really scraping the barrel now...'.
However having jumped on (sorry...) and given it a go, I have to say the title is one of the most imaginative and refreshingly fun games out there.
Whether you want to simply gallop around at your own free will, train and take part in championships or simply care for your horse, every option is open.
Many of the world's well-known championship locations are featured making it as realistic as possible.
The title also looks lush with colourful and rich graphics enhancing the experience.
Me? I'm not a horsey person having (in my childhood) perfected the art of planting my face in the ground rather than successfully horse 'riding'.
But I can still enjoy this title and those with and without a passion for equestrian sports will feel the same I'm sure.
Title: Imagine Pet Vet
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Continuing with the animal theme, Imagine Pet Vet is another innovative title which makes good use of the DS' capabilities and tools.
The idea behind this title is for the user to start up a vets business and learn and acquire new skills to become a master vet and develop the practice into a hospital.
Users can take care of a variety of animals including cats and dogs, pigs, rabbits and horses.
Throughout the game users use the Nintendo DS stylus as a stethoscope, a thermometer and even a microscope to examine and treat the poorly animal.
Can you save poor Jess in time? You hold the key to her life.
Possibly best suited to the younger gamers, Imagine Pet Vet is a lot of fun, and - as most Nintendo DS titles seem to be - educational.
And then there are my so-called friends.
I might have seen them earlier today, or 10 years ago, but I never EVER realised they were THAT superstitious.
I have to admit a large percentage of the 'junk' emails I receive at work and at home are from my friends.
And they always begin a little like this: "PLEASE don't delete this, this is wonderful and it works."
Yet more dribble later (usually with with some nancy picture)... is: "Keep the chain going...."
Who really gives a flying whatsit?!
Is little Jessica going to die if I don't send the email on to 20 people who will ultimately hate me for doing so?
Will I be better in bed for not sending another chain email within 15 minutes?
I think not.
It's not bad luck if you 'break the chain'.
The way I see it, it's bad luck to receive chain letters. And even worse luck for the so-called friend who sent it when I see them again.
WAKE UP PEOPLE! Focus the time spent on reading the email on something useful.
Such as telling friends to NEVER bother you with such tosh again.
I have to admit I was once the sort of person who would forward these chain letters on, but then I left primary school and decided I knew right from wrong. Only now through this blog can I reveal how annoying they are.
And here's the interesting bit...
There are currently no laws in existence to ban chain letters. Yes they are generally regarded as a nuisance simply because they clog up inboxes.
In fact, Himmelsebriefe ('Heaven letters') date back to the Middle Ages.
According to some sources you can even look at the Egyptian Book of the Dead as a chain letter as it promised resurrection to those entombed with a copy.
REVIEWS:
Title: Wario: My Word Coach
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £19.99
Hit count: 3/5
"It's like scrabble but way cooler," a friend's son said after 10 minutes of fevereshly testing out My Word Coach.
Having grabbed the DS out of his hand to try it out myself, I tend to agree.
I have to admit, the thought of most development titles bores me to tears but I actually really like this one.
A particular feature I like is the way the title automatically adapts the difficulty level to match the skill of the individual user.
Rather than going through a series of levels where you are forced to spell two letter words, you can almost immediately really test yourself and, ultimately learn.
Boasting more than 16,800 words, My Word Coach will actually help the user to adapt and develop their vocabulary. Users can also choose from four different personal coaches to guide them through the learning process.
The game's developer, Ubisoft, also boast that it will 'develop your ability to express yourself with confidence and persuasion'. Now that, in my case, is still to be proved.
Nonetheless, every little helps right?
Surely it's only a matter of time before teachers allow students to bring in their consoles to use as learning tools...? The way of the future perhaps.
Title: My Horse & Me
Platform: Nintendo Wii
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
When My Horse & Me landed on my desk my immediate thought was 'developers are really scraping the barrel now...'.
However having jumped on (sorry...) and given it a go, I have to say the title is one of the most imaginative and refreshingly fun games out there.
Whether you want to simply gallop around at your own free will, train and take part in championships or simply care for your horse, every option is open.
Many of the world's well-known championship locations are featured making it as realistic as possible.
The title also looks lush with colourful and rich graphics enhancing the experience.
Me? I'm not a horsey person having (in my childhood) perfected the art of planting my face in the ground rather than successfully horse 'riding'.
But I can still enjoy this title and those with and without a passion for equestrian sports will feel the same I'm sure.
Title: Imagine Pet Vet
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
Continuing with the animal theme, Imagine Pet Vet is another innovative title which makes good use of the DS' capabilities and tools.
The idea behind this title is for the user to start up a vets business and learn and acquire new skills to become a master vet and develop the practice into a hospital.
Users can take care of a variety of animals including cats and dogs, pigs, rabbits and horses.
Throughout the game users use the Nintendo DS stylus as a stethoscope, a thermometer and even a microscope to examine and treat the poorly animal.
Can you save poor Jess in time? You hold the key to her life.
Possibly best suited to the younger gamers, Imagine Pet Vet is a lot of fun, and - as most Nintendo DS titles seem to be - educational.
Thursday 15 November 2007
Spam, spam, spam...
As I sit here tip tapping away trying to compose my latest celebrity perfume launch, sorry blog, I'm finding it more and more difficult to stay focused on the commercial mortgages and sex games, eek, sorry again... I meant task in hand.
You see, I know what I want to say, and I know how I want to say it.
The problem is not even with me, it's with those bloody PR types and Spam mail senders.
Every few seconds my 'new email indicator' box pops up telling me of another drab PR stunt that has nothing to do with anything remotely interesting.
Each and every time I'm distracted. My attention now spans a few seconds.
Whether it's actual 'spam' mail or a PR company trying some insane stunt to rouse public consumption, they're all as bad as one another.
But I know I'm not the only one. Any idea how many 'spam' emails are sent out every single day...?
Have a guess. Now I'd put money on the fact that you're not even close to the actual estimated figure.
In February this year it was estimated that 90 billion spam emails were sent out and received. Back in 1978 that figure was around 800.
The rise in use of the internet has bred a beast in the form of spam or 'junk' email.
As you might guess the Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, is one of the world's worst hit people.
While I might complain about receiving a few spam emails every day, it is estimated that he receives four million emails every year - most of them spam. Now THAT, is what I call a problem.
Counteracting the problem is not the easiest solution in the world as we all know (Bill Gates very much included).
In America the US Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Committee has provided specific countermeasures against electronic mail spamming.
Some popular methods for filtering and refusing spam include email filtering based on the content of the e-mail, DNS-based blackhole lists, greylisting, spamtraps or checksumming systems to detect bulk email.
However, as any IT expert will tell you, each method has its strengths and weaknesses and each is deemed 'controversial' due to its weaknesses.
In a sense spam is direct marketing. It aims to advertise, and does that by targeting anyone and everyone with an email address.
The spammer might have millions of email addresses on a database that are targeted with each and every send out.
More recently spammers hell bent on destruction have also begun adding viruses to spam emails designed to take out a computer's hard disk upon opening.
The website Wikipedia describes spam as being the "abuse" of electronic messaging systems to indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages.
It adds: "Spamming is economically viable because advertisers have no operating costs beyond the management of their mailing lists, and it is difficult to hold senders accountable for their mass mailings."
If you think about it, it's already starting to spread with spam texts to mobile phones. And you get the feeling it's just the beginning...
One thing we absolutely know for sure is that spamming is a). illegal and b). INCREDIBLY annoying!
=================================================
Reviews:
Title: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Platform: PS3
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Ok, part of the reason for the delay in my latest blog is the fact that I was off poorly sick. The second is because of this title.
When THE envelope arrived on my desk, angels began to sing (or was that my next door neighbour William Telford?!). As I opened it up I began simultaneously counting down the minutes until I got home and booted up the PS3.
And was it worth the wait...? In a word, yes.
Graphically, the title is a step forward with intricate moves and responses from the players. The big step in this, the latest in the series, is the artificial intelligence of the individual players who react to your play to create an altogether more realistic feel.
Long gone are the days when you could only shoot from certain angles. You can now launch shots from anywhere on the pitch.
Other plus points are that the players play like their real selfs; the tackling and hustling for the ball is much more realistic and players actually dive to win penalties.
Also long gone - and not before too long - are the commentators. Peter Brackley has been replaced by Mark Lawrenson and John Champion and they are pretty good. The classic lines are still there but it's an altogether more pleasant experience - AND they actually remark on things that actually happen!
My only real gripe with the game is the music which has never been anything more than pants.
But still, with so many plus points PES is still at the top of its game.
Title: The Simpsons
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Ever fancied a free roam of Springfield, nipping in to Moes Tavern or The Simpsons' house or the Kwik-e-Mart. Well here's your chance.
The Simpsons have diversified from the little screen, to the big screen, and now the um, computer screen in their first proper outing in console land.
Like the film the game has been fairly widely accepted as being really quite good with a player's ability to play as any of the main Simpsons characters.
It does rip off playing styles from the likes of Star Wars and Grand Theft Auto but it is a lot of fun wandering around Springfield in great flowing graphics.
All in all The Simpsons is good fun but it hasn't got any real lasting playability.
Title: Cheggers Party Quiz
Platform: PC
RRP: £19.99
Hit count: 1/5
Review: Awful. Firstly Cheggers doesn't actually look like Cheggers, he actually looks like a cross between Jabba The Hutt and my uncle. Secondly this sort of thing has been done a thousand times before. Answer questions on a range of subjects to gain points. Um, 10/10 for originality there!
The 1 out of 5 rating is for the sheer audacity of it.
You see, I know what I want to say, and I know how I want to say it.
The problem is not even with me, it's with those bloody PR types and Spam mail senders.
Every few seconds my 'new email indicator' box pops up telling me of another drab PR stunt that has nothing to do with anything remotely interesting.
Each and every time I'm distracted. My attention now spans a few seconds.
Whether it's actual 'spam' mail or a PR company trying some insane stunt to rouse public consumption, they're all as bad as one another.
But I know I'm not the only one. Any idea how many 'spam' emails are sent out every single day...?
Have a guess. Now I'd put money on the fact that you're not even close to the actual estimated figure.
In February this year it was estimated that 90 billion spam emails were sent out and received. Back in 1978 that figure was around 800.
The rise in use of the internet has bred a beast in the form of spam or 'junk' email.
As you might guess the Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, is one of the world's worst hit people.
While I might complain about receiving a few spam emails every day, it is estimated that he receives four million emails every year - most of them spam. Now THAT, is what I call a problem.
Counteracting the problem is not the easiest solution in the world as we all know (Bill Gates very much included).
In America the US Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Committee has provided specific countermeasures against electronic mail spamming.
Some popular methods for filtering and refusing spam include email filtering based on the content of the e-mail, DNS-based blackhole lists, greylisting, spamtraps or checksumming systems to detect bulk email.
However, as any IT expert will tell you, each method has its strengths and weaknesses and each is deemed 'controversial' due to its weaknesses.
In a sense spam is direct marketing. It aims to advertise, and does that by targeting anyone and everyone with an email address.
The spammer might have millions of email addresses on a database that are targeted with each and every send out.
More recently spammers hell bent on destruction have also begun adding viruses to spam emails designed to take out a computer's hard disk upon opening.
The website Wikipedia describes spam as being the "abuse" of electronic messaging systems to indiscriminately send unsolicited bulk messages.
It adds: "Spamming is economically viable because advertisers have no operating costs beyond the management of their mailing lists, and it is difficult to hold senders accountable for their mass mailings."
If you think about it, it's already starting to spread with spam texts to mobile phones. And you get the feeling it's just the beginning...
One thing we absolutely know for sure is that spamming is a). illegal and b). INCREDIBLY annoying!
=================================================
Reviews:
Title: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
Platform: PS3
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 5/5
Review: Ok, part of the reason for the delay in my latest blog is the fact that I was off poorly sick. The second is because of this title.
When THE envelope arrived on my desk, angels began to sing (or was that my next door neighbour William Telford?!). As I opened it up I began simultaneously counting down the minutes until I got home and booted up the PS3.
And was it worth the wait...? In a word, yes.
Graphically, the title is a step forward with intricate moves and responses from the players. The big step in this, the latest in the series, is the artificial intelligence of the individual players who react to your play to create an altogether more realistic feel.
Long gone are the days when you could only shoot from certain angles. You can now launch shots from anywhere on the pitch.
Other plus points are that the players play like their real selfs; the tackling and hustling for the ball is much more realistic and players actually dive to win penalties.
Also long gone - and not before too long - are the commentators. Peter Brackley has been replaced by Mark Lawrenson and John Champion and they are pretty good. The classic lines are still there but it's an altogether more pleasant experience - AND they actually remark on things that actually happen!
My only real gripe with the game is the music which has never been anything more than pants.
But still, with so many plus points PES is still at the top of its game.
Title: The Simpsons
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Ever fancied a free roam of Springfield, nipping in to Moes Tavern or The Simpsons' house or the Kwik-e-Mart. Well here's your chance.
The Simpsons have diversified from the little screen, to the big screen, and now the um, computer screen in their first proper outing in console land.
Like the film the game has been fairly widely accepted as being really quite good with a player's ability to play as any of the main Simpsons characters.
It does rip off playing styles from the likes of Star Wars and Grand Theft Auto but it is a lot of fun wandering around Springfield in great flowing graphics.
All in all The Simpsons is good fun but it hasn't got any real lasting playability.
Title: Cheggers Party Quiz
Platform: PC
RRP: £19.99
Hit count: 1/5
Review: Awful. Firstly Cheggers doesn't actually look like Cheggers, he actually looks like a cross between Jabba The Hutt and my uncle. Secondly this sort of thing has been done a thousand times before. Answer questions on a range of subjects to gain points. Um, 10/10 for originality there!
The 1 out of 5 rating is for the sheer audacity of it.
Friday 19 October 2007
Time to 'switch on' to the digital age
With now less than two years to go before the official 'switch on' of digital television in the region, it's now worth considering what options are available and how to go about setting yourself up for the digital revolution.
First off here's some quick fire dos and don'ts.
DOS:
a). Take a breath and don't panic - it's really not as complicated as it might seem;
b). Investigate either buying a digital set top box or renting one through the likes of Virgin Media or Sky;
DON'TS
a). Freak out - it's really really not that bad or complicated.
b). Throw out your televisions believing they are no good.
The biggest single fact that people get confused about is this. There is NO NEED to buy a new television in order to get digital TV.
On the contrary, virtually every set can be converted for digital, even black and white ones.
Many televisions now boast a built-in digital service which offers all the channels and features that a set top box would. However, the far cheaper alternative is to simply buy a set top 'digi' box.
It's as easy as this. Buy a set top box from Tesco for around £20. Plug in set top box to wall socket, connect analogue or HDMI cable to pack of TV, switch on and... welcome to the digital age. That's all it is. Easy huh?
People often get confused that it's all down to the television but it's not. It is how you receive the signal that matters.
So here's the technical bit that should now make sense: "With digital TV, sound and pictures from the broadcaster are converted into ‘bits’ of information and sent through an aerial, satellite, telephone line or cable.
This digital signal is then turned back into pictures and sound by a digital box or a digital TV set."
Starting in 2008 and ending in 2012, TV services in the UK will go completely digital, TV region by TV region. This process is called digital switchover.
"The UK's old television broadcast signal (known as 'analogue') is being switched off and replaced with a 'digital' signal.
Any TV set or video recorder that’s not converted to digital when the switchover takes place will no longer receive TV programmes."
Right, back to the fun stuff that most people WILL be interested in... digital television means MORE CHANNELS! Woo hoo!
Yep, I'm talking ITV2 with its much-improved football coverage; FilmFour with its, um, films; and Sky Sports News for its fab Soccer Saturday show.
So if you haven't already done so now is the time to 'switch on' to the fact that digital television is coming.
In a bid to aid people in the West Country with the switchover to digital television, a new online Postcode Checker has been launched to provide people with essential information on what will happen and when.
Digital UK, the organisation leading the change across the region, is providing people in the Plymouth with a new service which gives the low down on when they switch, whether the channels will be good quality or not, what digital platforms there are on offer, what digital services they may already be able to receive or what they are likely to receive – right down to their own address.
The new online service can be found at www.digitaluk.co.uk.
The West Country TV region covers all of Cornwall and Devon, as well as parts of Somerset and Dorset and will be one of the first parts of the country to switch to digital in 2009.
Latest research from Digital UK and Ofcom shows that only 22 per cent of TV viewers in the West Country know when they will need to make the switch.
The new Postcode Checker will be an important resource to help people prepare in time, particularly as the process will happen transmitter by transmitter, with two separate switchover dates within the West Country.
Plymouth television viewers may receive their TV pictures from the Caradon Hill transmitters which will switch in the third quarter of 2009.
=================================================
Meanwhile, have you downloaded the latest Radiohead album yet and helped make history?
In an idea which screams self promotion and brilliance at the same time, the alt-rockers are offering fans the chance to download their latest studio album 'In Rainbows' for whatever price they wish.
The website (www.inrainbows.com) is quirky and very easy to use and has been set up completely separate to Radiohead's main site.
All users have to do is go through the site, add the album to the their 'basket' and type in how much they'd like to pay. (It's worth noting that users can type in £0.00 and still receive the download).
Oh, it's also worth mentioning that the album is AMAZING!
=================================================
Too much for the brain? Why not simmer down and have a blast at these new titles:
Title: Stranglehold.
Platform: Xbox 360.
RRP: £49.99.
Hit count: 4/5.
Review: Remember how action packed and fab the film Face Off was?
You know, the one starring John Travolta and Nic Cage where they swap each other's faces...? (I knew you sickos would remember it for that!).
So yeh, the man behind all the action was a certain John Woo who has just had a mighty hand in the sequences for the above title. Mr Woo is simply, Mr Wow.
Imagine a gun man running across a room and jumping onto a trolley continuing to fire as he shoots across the room and you will get the picture.
Stranglehold is much like that, brimming with gun shots with more action than you could shake a martial arts expert's stick at.
Graphically it's not the best of the best, but the playability and style makes up for it.
A sure fire winner on all platforms.
Title: Skate.
Platform: Xbox 360.
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5.
Review: At last, a skating game that has the balls to take on the might of Tony Hawk and his gaming empire.
Though the audacity to do such a thing deserves top rating alone, the title itself scores highly on the gaming front.
The graphics are as smooth as you like which make grinding the sh*t out of your deck a pure delight.
What's best about the game though is the gameplay itself.
The manufacturers describe the game as the "closest thing to skateboarding without actually putting your feet on a board," and by and large they are right.
The innovative controls take full advantage of the dual analog sticks with gamers able to sculpt and craft tricks that define their own individual style.
It means that no two tricks will ever be the same!I'm shocked to say 'move over Tony, there's a new kid on the block'.
Title: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08.
Platform: Sony PSP.
RRP: £34.99.
Hit count: 2/5.
Review: The thing that immediately put me off this, the latest in the Tiger video game series, was the television advert.
I mean I can understand the developers placing a computer animated character alongside a real life actor to show off the realistic graphics, but surely you actually need GOOD graphics to really pull off the stunt.
Tiger and the other characters just appear slightly unreal. It's like taking a PS1 game and playing it on a PS3 or Xbox 360.
While graphically it is ultimately better on the next generation consoles, the poorness shows on the lesser platforms.
The gameplay is ok, with a new 'shot confidence' feature which lasts throughout career mode and ultimately shows you how to improve things.
The title also boasts the largest ever number of courses to choose from which is a bonus.
With this one you can't help but think that the developers really are riding on Tiger's success... which, it has to be said, appears to be swaying slightly.
First off here's some quick fire dos and don'ts.
DOS:
a). Take a breath and don't panic - it's really not as complicated as it might seem;
b). Investigate either buying a digital set top box or renting one through the likes of Virgin Media or Sky;
DON'TS
a). Freak out - it's really really not that bad or complicated.
b). Throw out your televisions believing they are no good.
The biggest single fact that people get confused about is this. There is NO NEED to buy a new television in order to get digital TV.
On the contrary, virtually every set can be converted for digital, even black and white ones.
Many televisions now boast a built-in digital service which offers all the channels and features that a set top box would. However, the far cheaper alternative is to simply buy a set top 'digi' box.
It's as easy as this. Buy a set top box from Tesco for around £20. Plug in set top box to wall socket, connect analogue or HDMI cable to pack of TV, switch on and... welcome to the digital age. That's all it is. Easy huh?
People often get confused that it's all down to the television but it's not. It is how you receive the signal that matters.
So here's the technical bit that should now make sense: "With digital TV, sound and pictures from the broadcaster are converted into ‘bits’ of information and sent through an aerial, satellite, telephone line or cable.
This digital signal is then turned back into pictures and sound by a digital box or a digital TV set."
Starting in 2008 and ending in 2012, TV services in the UK will go completely digital, TV region by TV region. This process is called digital switchover.
"The UK's old television broadcast signal (known as 'analogue') is being switched off and replaced with a 'digital' signal.
Any TV set or video recorder that’s not converted to digital when the switchover takes place will no longer receive TV programmes."
Right, back to the fun stuff that most people WILL be interested in... digital television means MORE CHANNELS! Woo hoo!
Yep, I'm talking ITV2 with its much-improved football coverage; FilmFour with its, um, films; and Sky Sports News for its fab Soccer Saturday show.
So if you haven't already done so now is the time to 'switch on' to the fact that digital television is coming.
In a bid to aid people in the West Country with the switchover to digital television, a new online Postcode Checker has been launched to provide people with essential information on what will happen and when.
Digital UK, the organisation leading the change across the region, is providing people in the Plymouth with a new service which gives the low down on when they switch, whether the channels will be good quality or not, what digital platforms there are on offer, what digital services they may already be able to receive or what they are likely to receive – right down to their own address.
The new online service can be found at www.digitaluk.co.uk.
The West Country TV region covers all of Cornwall and Devon, as well as parts of Somerset and Dorset and will be one of the first parts of the country to switch to digital in 2009.
Latest research from Digital UK and Ofcom shows that only 22 per cent of TV viewers in the West Country know when they will need to make the switch.
The new Postcode Checker will be an important resource to help people prepare in time, particularly as the process will happen transmitter by transmitter, with two separate switchover dates within the West Country.
Plymouth television viewers may receive their TV pictures from the Caradon Hill transmitters which will switch in the third quarter of 2009.
=================================================
Meanwhile, have you downloaded the latest Radiohead album yet and helped make history?
In an idea which screams self promotion and brilliance at the same time, the alt-rockers are offering fans the chance to download their latest studio album 'In Rainbows' for whatever price they wish.
The website (www.inrainbows.com) is quirky and very easy to use and has been set up completely separate to Radiohead's main site.
All users have to do is go through the site, add the album to the their 'basket' and type in how much they'd like to pay. (It's worth noting that users can type in £0.00 and still receive the download).
Oh, it's also worth mentioning that the album is AMAZING!
=================================================
Too much for the brain? Why not simmer down and have a blast at these new titles:
Title: Stranglehold.
Platform: Xbox 360.
RRP: £49.99.
Hit count: 4/5.
Review: Remember how action packed and fab the film Face Off was?
You know, the one starring John Travolta and Nic Cage where they swap each other's faces...? (I knew you sickos would remember it for that!).
So yeh, the man behind all the action was a certain John Woo who has just had a mighty hand in the sequences for the above title. Mr Woo is simply, Mr Wow.
Imagine a gun man running across a room and jumping onto a trolley continuing to fire as he shoots across the room and you will get the picture.
Stranglehold is much like that, brimming with gun shots with more action than you could shake a martial arts expert's stick at.
Graphically it's not the best of the best, but the playability and style makes up for it.
A sure fire winner on all platforms.
Title: Skate.
Platform: Xbox 360.
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5.
Review: At last, a skating game that has the balls to take on the might of Tony Hawk and his gaming empire.
Though the audacity to do such a thing deserves top rating alone, the title itself scores highly on the gaming front.
The graphics are as smooth as you like which make grinding the sh*t out of your deck a pure delight.
What's best about the game though is the gameplay itself.
The manufacturers describe the game as the "closest thing to skateboarding without actually putting your feet on a board," and by and large they are right.
The innovative controls take full advantage of the dual analog sticks with gamers able to sculpt and craft tricks that define their own individual style.
It means that no two tricks will ever be the same!I'm shocked to say 'move over Tony, there's a new kid on the block'.
Title: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08.
Platform: Sony PSP.
RRP: £34.99.
Hit count: 2/5.
Review: The thing that immediately put me off this, the latest in the Tiger video game series, was the television advert.
I mean I can understand the developers placing a computer animated character alongside a real life actor to show off the realistic graphics, but surely you actually need GOOD graphics to really pull off the stunt.
Tiger and the other characters just appear slightly unreal. It's like taking a PS1 game and playing it on a PS3 or Xbox 360.
While graphically it is ultimately better on the next generation consoles, the poorness shows on the lesser platforms.
The gameplay is ok, with a new 'shot confidence' feature which lasts throughout career mode and ultimately shows you how to improve things.
The title also boasts the largest ever number of courses to choose from which is a bonus.
With this one you can't help but think that the developers really are riding on Tiger's success... which, it has to be said, appears to be swaying slightly.
Monday 8 October 2007
Abbreviation for the nation
Being a born and bred Plymothian I cannot hark on too much about my use of 'proper' English.
I'll openly admit that a few 'eres' and 'wheres it toos' have slipped out on drunken nights out.
I'll even openly admit to referring to the city's new super-club as being 'Shannas' as opposed to its correct name of 'Oceana'.
So in saying this I'm hoping I'll be excused from insulting half the mobile-using population of the world (or so it seems).
You wanna know the one thing that really REALLY gets my goat about text messaging...? 'LOL'....No three letters have ever infuriated me more.
For those who have been locked away for the past couple of years, 'LOL' stands for 'Laugh Out Loud' and is now commonly used by half the illiterate population.
'LOL' stands for everything I hate. It's not what it stands for so much, it's its use in a text message or email.
Roughly translated (to me) it means that the person sending the text or email does not have the capability or capacity to express what they are saying.
I mean, do comediennes have clap placards raised when they tell a joke to an audience?! I think not.
I have to admit that anyone who sends me a Facebook or Myspace friend request will be immediately thrown out of the friends list if they even dare mention those three unassuming letters.
Sadly, it doesn't end there. There are now countless websites dedicated to text abbreviations.
One of which is http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp which seems to have ALL of them.
Now it's not just me.... when I pointed her to the above website, my esteemed colleague - and next door desk neighbour - Hannah Wood, reacted with: "What the hell?! I've never heard of half of these!"
While some can be excused, such as 'l8r' for later or even 'ha ha' to exemplify joking, others simply cannot.
Here are some more examples from the website:
'Leet' - meaning 'Leet, meaning Elite'.
'LGH' - meaning 'Let's Get High'.
'AAK' - meaning 'Asleep At Keyboard'.
'BFG' - meaning... no not Big Friendly Giant, but 'Big Freaking Grin'.
'SNERT' - meaning 'Snot Nosed Egotistical Rude Teenager'.
'YBIC' - meaning 'Your Brother In Christ.
I mean, what the hell?!
It's like I've fallen asleep and woken up in a strange new world. I'm 29 years of age and I know I'm not as young as I used to be but things haven't changed THAT much surely?
Teenagers remember how much it is for a bottle of White Lightning cider and that's about it... not a completely new dictionary!
And news just in...
Sony’s game unit said today it will cut the prices of its next generation PlayStation 3 game consoles in Japan next week, and offer a new low-range model in November.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc will cut the price of its model with 20 gigabytes of hard disk memory by about 10% to 44,980 yen (384 US dollars, £188) from the current 49,980 yen (427 dollars, £209), with effect from October 17, the company said in a statement posted on its website.
The price of its 60GB model, which has no suggested retail price, will be reduced to about 54,980 yen (470 dollar, £230).
The company also said a new lower-tier 40GB model will hit Japanese stores on November 11 at a suggested retail price of 39,980 yen (342 dollars, £168).
The company has globally sold more than 5 million units of the PlayStation 3 since it went on sale late last year in Japan and the US, and in March in Europe.
Sony once dominated the gaming industry with PlayStation 2, predecessor for the PS3, but it now faces intense competition from Microsoft and Nintendo.
Microsoft has sold 11.6 million Xbox 360 machines in the last two years, and Nintendo has sold 9.3 million of its popular Wii since late last year.
Anyway, apologies for the lack of blog last week.
You see, those nice people at Microsoft sent me a copy of Halo 3 on the 360. B*ggers!
They knew I wouldn't do much else with that in my home!
So, here's that review and another...
Title: Halo 3.
Platform: Xbox 360.
RRP: £49.99.
Hit count: 5/5.
Review: What can you say that hasn't been said already?
This game rocks my world... and it will rock your world! It's bigger, badder and ultimately more brutal with games to rival that of any hit title, playability with flair and, more importantly, an array of weapons to make Bond green with envy.
Rarely does a title live up to such expectation, but this game does so with ease.
In all honesty this is the first Halo game I have ever played.
Do I care what happened before? No. Do I care about the storyline up to this point? No. All I care about is blowing things to pieces with a fantastically awesome array of weapons!
As one reviewer put it: "The Halo games were always the best reason to by an Xbox and now the final part in the initial trilogy of ground breaking first person shooters is set to raise the bar for all Xbox 360 games."
Title: Fifa 08.
Platform: PS2.
RRP: £39.99.
Hit count: 3/5.
Review: The one problem I have with the Fifa series is simple. It's not Pro Evo.
I'm sorry but I sit on side of the fence and I always have done. My boots sit firmly in the PES camp.
Saying that I can still appreciate what the Fifa boys have done to up the game.
They've improved the graphics and animation and added some uber hi-tech '35 point decision engine'.
What exactly this means I am unsure of, but the gist of it is that every player on the pitch is aware of every other and moves and reacts to the play.
The other noticeable improved feature is the shooting. Players now move much more fluidly when attacking and players can shoot from various angles of the pitch.
Like I said, while I can appreciate what Fifa has done, it still isn't quite there.
The gap has been closed though.
I'll openly admit that a few 'eres' and 'wheres it toos' have slipped out on drunken nights out.
I'll even openly admit to referring to the city's new super-club as being 'Shannas' as opposed to its correct name of 'Oceana'.
So in saying this I'm hoping I'll be excused from insulting half the mobile-using population of the world (or so it seems).
You wanna know the one thing that really REALLY gets my goat about text messaging...? 'LOL'....No three letters have ever infuriated me more.
For those who have been locked away for the past couple of years, 'LOL' stands for 'Laugh Out Loud' and is now commonly used by half the illiterate population.
'LOL' stands for everything I hate. It's not what it stands for so much, it's its use in a text message or email.
Roughly translated (to me) it means that the person sending the text or email does not have the capability or capacity to express what they are saying.
I mean, do comediennes have clap placards raised when they tell a joke to an audience?! I think not.
I have to admit that anyone who sends me a Facebook or Myspace friend request will be immediately thrown out of the friends list if they even dare mention those three unassuming letters.
Sadly, it doesn't end there. There are now countless websites dedicated to text abbreviations.
One of which is http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp which seems to have ALL of them.
Now it's not just me.... when I pointed her to the above website, my esteemed colleague - and next door desk neighbour - Hannah Wood, reacted with: "What the hell?! I've never heard of half of these!"
While some can be excused, such as 'l8r' for later or even 'ha ha' to exemplify joking, others simply cannot.
Here are some more examples from the website:
'Leet' - meaning 'Leet, meaning Elite'.
'LGH' - meaning 'Let's Get High'.
'AAK' - meaning 'Asleep At Keyboard'.
'BFG' - meaning... no not Big Friendly Giant, but 'Big Freaking Grin'.
'SNERT' - meaning 'Snot Nosed Egotistical Rude Teenager'.
'YBIC' - meaning 'Your Brother In Christ.
I mean, what the hell?!
It's like I've fallen asleep and woken up in a strange new world. I'm 29 years of age and I know I'm not as young as I used to be but things haven't changed THAT much surely?
Teenagers remember how much it is for a bottle of White Lightning cider and that's about it... not a completely new dictionary!
And news just in...
Sony’s game unit said today it will cut the prices of its next generation PlayStation 3 game consoles in Japan next week, and offer a new low-range model in November.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc will cut the price of its model with 20 gigabytes of hard disk memory by about 10% to 44,980 yen (384 US dollars, £188) from the current 49,980 yen (427 dollars, £209), with effect from October 17, the company said in a statement posted on its website.
The price of its 60GB model, which has no suggested retail price, will be reduced to about 54,980 yen (470 dollar, £230).
The company also said a new lower-tier 40GB model will hit Japanese stores on November 11 at a suggested retail price of 39,980 yen (342 dollars, £168).
The company has globally sold more than 5 million units of the PlayStation 3 since it went on sale late last year in Japan and the US, and in March in Europe.
Sony once dominated the gaming industry with PlayStation 2, predecessor for the PS3, but it now faces intense competition from Microsoft and Nintendo.
Microsoft has sold 11.6 million Xbox 360 machines in the last two years, and Nintendo has sold 9.3 million of its popular Wii since late last year.
Anyway, apologies for the lack of blog last week.
You see, those nice people at Microsoft sent me a copy of Halo 3 on the 360. B*ggers!
They knew I wouldn't do much else with that in my home!
So, here's that review and another...
Title: Halo 3.
Platform: Xbox 360.
RRP: £49.99.
Hit count: 5/5.
Review: What can you say that hasn't been said already?
This game rocks my world... and it will rock your world! It's bigger, badder and ultimately more brutal with games to rival that of any hit title, playability with flair and, more importantly, an array of weapons to make Bond green with envy.
Rarely does a title live up to such expectation, but this game does so with ease.
In all honesty this is the first Halo game I have ever played.
Do I care what happened before? No. Do I care about the storyline up to this point? No. All I care about is blowing things to pieces with a fantastically awesome array of weapons!
As one reviewer put it: "The Halo games were always the best reason to by an Xbox and now the final part in the initial trilogy of ground breaking first person shooters is set to raise the bar for all Xbox 360 games."
Title: Fifa 08.
Platform: PS2.
RRP: £39.99.
Hit count: 3/5.
Review: The one problem I have with the Fifa series is simple. It's not Pro Evo.
I'm sorry but I sit on side of the fence and I always have done. My boots sit firmly in the PES camp.
Saying that I can still appreciate what the Fifa boys have done to up the game.
They've improved the graphics and animation and added some uber hi-tech '35 point decision engine'.
What exactly this means I am unsure of, but the gist of it is that every player on the pitch is aware of every other and moves and reacts to the play.
The other noticeable improved feature is the shooting. Players now move much more fluidly when attacking and players can shoot from various angles of the pitch.
Like I said, while I can appreciate what Fifa has done, it still isn't quite there.
The gap has been closed though.
Wednesday 26 September 2007
Internet tools for the job
While this won't come as a surprise to most people, my Do-It-Yourself abilities rival that of a very wet flannel.
People can point out the handy 25-step assembly instruction guide, but still sadly I find a way to screw something in upside down, nail two pieces of something very wrong together, or glue myself to something rather than what was originally intended.
In short I am useless. And having just bought myself my first (and probably last) house, I have only reinforced that (dis)belief in myself.
With my parents out of the country on holiday and thus uncontactable, and my brother and friends (with the exception of Tim) being just as inept, I found myself guessing how to drill into a solid brick wall.
It wasn't the actual 'drilling' part I faltered on, it was more the 'what size drill bit', 'what size raw plug' and 'what size screw' issues that confused me.
For a short while I was playing a game of trial and error with my most expensive purchase in my 29 years of life.
Until of course I took a step back and considered that I am not the only person in the world with such lack of skills.
With that I ventured upstairs, switched on the PC and surfed the web tapping in sentences like 'how to screw into concrete' in the Blackle search engine.
Within seconds I was as knowledgable as my father. Within minutes I was easily as capable (or so I thought), and within hours I had something that kinda resembled what I had hoped to achieve.
Seriously though, the search engine saved me, both mentally, no doubt physically, and financially.
Now I know this sounds rather gay, but it also helped me erect my trellis and plant my three climber plants. (Note: Street cred count fading fast).
Not only is the internet good for learning how to carry out home improvements including gardening (check out the BBC's gardening pages), but it is also useful when you have lost the instructions to, say, the oven.
By tapping in the make and model of my oven into Blackle I was able not only to find out how to operate the thing, but also to download a pdf of the actual instruction booklet. Handy huh?
Of course everyone also knows that items online are cheaper than most high street retailers. If you haven't already check out http://www.kelkoo.com/.
Kelkoo is a price comparison website that allows you to compare prices of an item or product with dozens of website stores.
When buying an expensive piece of home furniture like a three-piece suite or a fridge freezer you can't go wrong.
Reviews:
Title: Dirt
Platform: Sony PS3
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
Vroom! Rarely... no, in fact, very rarely does a game come into the office deserving the red carpet treatment. Then of course there's the late Colin McCrae's Dirt.
Dirt is gritty, awesomely fun and downright fab by all margins. It's the first title that, for me, proves the PS3's superior capability as a platform.
The intricate detail and playability - not only of the game itself but also menus - deserve awards. The soundtrack also gets you all fired up and the step-bystep audio instructions allow for an easy ride.
The actual game itself asks you to pit your wits against any number of challengers in arcade, championship and career modes. As you progress through the levels winning races, you can buy and change cars and build them up to provide you with the best chance of becoming overall champion.
The individual landscapes' graphics are unlike anything I've seen on the platform. Imagine MotoStorm but 10 times as good.
It's a pity that Mr McCrae himself is not around to take a bow.
Title: Guild Wars - Eye of The North
Platform: PC
RRP: £24.99
Hit count: 3/5
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Tyria it all kicks off again in spectacular fashion. This expansion pack allows players to embark on further adventures on the battle-scarred continent. Join up with old heroes, meet new ones, battle ferocious things and avoid earthquakes which continue to rip apart the once peaceful plain.
This new title allows players the choice of exploring overground or underground with a unique sprawling underground complex of caverns that span the entire continent.
In total there are 18 multi-level dungeons filled with traps, puzzles and secret passages to explore which add a new dimension to an already successful title.
It all leads up to a face-off with a menace so great it threatens the very existence of the people of Tyria.
People can point out the handy 25-step assembly instruction guide, but still sadly I find a way to screw something in upside down, nail two pieces of something very wrong together, or glue myself to something rather than what was originally intended.
In short I am useless. And having just bought myself my first (and probably last) house, I have only reinforced that (dis)belief in myself.
With my parents out of the country on holiday and thus uncontactable, and my brother and friends (with the exception of Tim) being just as inept, I found myself guessing how to drill into a solid brick wall.
It wasn't the actual 'drilling' part I faltered on, it was more the 'what size drill bit', 'what size raw plug' and 'what size screw' issues that confused me.
For a short while I was playing a game of trial and error with my most expensive purchase in my 29 years of life.
Until of course I took a step back and considered that I am not the only person in the world with such lack of skills.
With that I ventured upstairs, switched on the PC and surfed the web tapping in sentences like 'how to screw into concrete' in the Blackle search engine.
Within seconds I was as knowledgable as my father. Within minutes I was easily as capable (or so I thought), and within hours I had something that kinda resembled what I had hoped to achieve.
Seriously though, the search engine saved me, both mentally, no doubt physically, and financially.
Now I know this sounds rather gay, but it also helped me erect my trellis and plant my three climber plants. (Note: Street cred count fading fast).
Not only is the internet good for learning how to carry out home improvements including gardening (check out the BBC's gardening pages), but it is also useful when you have lost the instructions to, say, the oven.
By tapping in the make and model of my oven into Blackle I was able not only to find out how to operate the thing, but also to download a pdf of the actual instruction booklet. Handy huh?
Of course everyone also knows that items online are cheaper than most high street retailers. If you haven't already check out http://www.kelkoo.com/.
Kelkoo is a price comparison website that allows you to compare prices of an item or product with dozens of website stores.
When buying an expensive piece of home furniture like a three-piece suite or a fridge freezer you can't go wrong.
Reviews:
Title: Dirt
Platform: Sony PS3
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
Vroom! Rarely... no, in fact, very rarely does a game come into the office deserving the red carpet treatment. Then of course there's the late Colin McCrae's Dirt.
Dirt is gritty, awesomely fun and downright fab by all margins. It's the first title that, for me, proves the PS3's superior capability as a platform.
The intricate detail and playability - not only of the game itself but also menus - deserve awards. The soundtrack also gets you all fired up and the step-bystep audio instructions allow for an easy ride.
The actual game itself asks you to pit your wits against any number of challengers in arcade, championship and career modes. As you progress through the levels winning races, you can buy and change cars and build them up to provide you with the best chance of becoming overall champion.
The individual landscapes' graphics are unlike anything I've seen on the platform. Imagine MotoStorm but 10 times as good.
It's a pity that Mr McCrae himself is not around to take a bow.
Title: Guild Wars - Eye of The North
Platform: PC
RRP: £24.99
Hit count: 3/5
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to Tyria it all kicks off again in spectacular fashion. This expansion pack allows players to embark on further adventures on the battle-scarred continent. Join up with old heroes, meet new ones, battle ferocious things and avoid earthquakes which continue to rip apart the once peaceful plain.
This new title allows players the choice of exploring overground or underground with a unique sprawling underground complex of caverns that span the entire continent.
In total there are 18 multi-level dungeons filled with traps, puzzles and secret passages to explore which add a new dimension to an already successful title.
It all leads up to a face-off with a menace so great it threatens the very existence of the people of Tyria.
Wednesday 12 September 2007
Communication for the nation
It's likely to pose one of the biggest dilemmas in recent years for company bosses.
Now I'm not talking about the headache of trying to adopt a greener policy or office wage structure... I'm referring to the decision to allow or disallow employees to use facebook during work time.
In little over 12 months the popularity of the social networking website has spread like wild fire.
So addictive is the web craze that businesses and organisations are having to adopt new policies to tackle the problem of employees using work hours to chat to friends.
The Medway NHS Trust based in Kent has become the latest organisation to ban workers from accessing the social networking websites.
A Trust spokesman said the IT department monitored internet usage and found a high volume of employees were regularly logging on to Facebook.
The Trust fears Facebook is damaging employee's productivity.
Now, I'm sorry if I burst the trust's bubble here, but so frikkin what if employees want to network while at work?
What next? Ban talking in office time about anything other than work matters?!
Now I realise that certain professions do not warrant the use of the internet or indeed social network sites, (such as coal miners, burger flippers or driving instructors), but for some it is seen as a valuable work tool.
For us writers it offers another communicative tool in tracking people down and contacting them.
For us bloggers it also offers food for thought, and ultimately something to write about!
The problem with this world nowadays is that people don't talk to each other enough.
Could we have resolved the situation with the Iraqis had we accepted a Myspace friend request from the country's great and good?
Probably not, but what I'm getting at is knowledge is power, and conversations - whether spoken or written - lead to debates and debates lead to change.
Banning people from communicating is a crime against humanity.
The row at Midway has led to 75 of the Trust’s 3,550 employees forming an online protest group called getfacebookbackatmedway.
"No fun allowed here" is one complaint posted on the group’s Facebook page.
I sympathise with them. Sadly I think it's only matter of time before the supposed great and good of Northcliffe's IT army ban us from using it.
=================================================
It's a nice thought isn't it... knowing that the entire universe is right outside your window waiting to be discovered.
However it kind of makes you feel a bit small and minute doesn't it?
Even more so when you can actually see the clusters of stars, distant swirling galaxies and clouds of space dust that hang above our heads.
Google has just launched a new add-on service to Google Earth (the unique web-mapping of the globe) in the form of Google Sky.
Google Sky lets you see close up views of the cosmos above any postal area in the world.
All users have to do is tap in their postal address to see what is directly over their house. It's like having your own super-telescope with a zoom lense to the stars.
Visit http://www.google.com/, download Google Earth and add on Google Sky.
Oh, and while we're on the subject of Google... did anyone read about the super sleuth web users who were using Google Earth to help the authorities in their search for the missing adventurer Steve Fossett?
Record-breaker Fossett went missing on September 3 in the Nevada desert after signal was lost with the one-man plane he was flying.
Little did the would-be rescuers know that the images on Google Earth are not 'live images'. They are static images and were taken anything up to a couple of years ago. Ten out of ten for trying though...
=================================================
Reviews:
Title: Two WorldsPlatform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Thrown into the very heart of a dynamic, breathing world poised on the brink of an apocalypse, players of Two Worlds will be excused for thinking they woke up in certain areas of Plymouth.
Sadly Two Worlds is not set in Jannerland, but actually a made-up world full of epic quests and challenges.
Refreshingly this role player game allows unprecendented levels of player freedom. Every decision and action the player makes will directly influence the world around them and the people that inhabit it.
Personally the best bit for me is the ability to pick up dozens of weapons, with the ability to combine them together to create an awesome artillery.
Graphically it's alright with detail not only on the characters, but also the landscapes (think Return to Monkey Island).
The game's PR boldly state that Two Worlds will become the RPG game of the year on Xbox 360 and PC. Whether it will or not I don't know, but it stands a good chance.
Now I'm not talking about the headache of trying to adopt a greener policy or office wage structure... I'm referring to the decision to allow or disallow employees to use facebook during work time.
In little over 12 months the popularity of the social networking website has spread like wild fire.
So addictive is the web craze that businesses and organisations are having to adopt new policies to tackle the problem of employees using work hours to chat to friends.
The Medway NHS Trust based in Kent has become the latest organisation to ban workers from accessing the social networking websites.
A Trust spokesman said the IT department monitored internet usage and found a high volume of employees were regularly logging on to Facebook.
The Trust fears Facebook is damaging employee's productivity.
Now, I'm sorry if I burst the trust's bubble here, but so frikkin what if employees want to network while at work?
What next? Ban talking in office time about anything other than work matters?!
Now I realise that certain professions do not warrant the use of the internet or indeed social network sites, (such as coal miners, burger flippers or driving instructors), but for some it is seen as a valuable work tool.
For us writers it offers another communicative tool in tracking people down and contacting them.
For us bloggers it also offers food for thought, and ultimately something to write about!
The problem with this world nowadays is that people don't talk to each other enough.
Could we have resolved the situation with the Iraqis had we accepted a Myspace friend request from the country's great and good?
Probably not, but what I'm getting at is knowledge is power, and conversations - whether spoken or written - lead to debates and debates lead to change.
Banning people from communicating is a crime against humanity.
The row at Midway has led to 75 of the Trust’s 3,550 employees forming an online protest group called getfacebookbackatmedway.
"No fun allowed here" is one complaint posted on the group’s Facebook page.
I sympathise with them. Sadly I think it's only matter of time before the supposed great and good of Northcliffe's IT army ban us from using it.
=================================================
It's a nice thought isn't it... knowing that the entire universe is right outside your window waiting to be discovered.
However it kind of makes you feel a bit small and minute doesn't it?
Even more so when you can actually see the clusters of stars, distant swirling galaxies and clouds of space dust that hang above our heads.
Google has just launched a new add-on service to Google Earth (the unique web-mapping of the globe) in the form of Google Sky.
Google Sky lets you see close up views of the cosmos above any postal area in the world.
All users have to do is tap in their postal address to see what is directly over their house. It's like having your own super-telescope with a zoom lense to the stars.
Visit http://www.google.com/, download Google Earth and add on Google Sky.
Oh, and while we're on the subject of Google... did anyone read about the super sleuth web users who were using Google Earth to help the authorities in their search for the missing adventurer Steve Fossett?
Record-breaker Fossett went missing on September 3 in the Nevada desert after signal was lost with the one-man plane he was flying.
Little did the would-be rescuers know that the images on Google Earth are not 'live images'. They are static images and were taken anything up to a couple of years ago. Ten out of ten for trying though...
=================================================
Reviews:
Title: Two WorldsPlatform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Thrown into the very heart of a dynamic, breathing world poised on the brink of an apocalypse, players of Two Worlds will be excused for thinking they woke up in certain areas of Plymouth.
Sadly Two Worlds is not set in Jannerland, but actually a made-up world full of epic quests and challenges.
Refreshingly this role player game allows unprecendented levels of player freedom. Every decision and action the player makes will directly influence the world around them and the people that inhabit it.
Personally the best bit for me is the ability to pick up dozens of weapons, with the ability to combine them together to create an awesome artillery.
Graphically it's alright with detail not only on the characters, but also the landscapes (think Return to Monkey Island).
The game's PR boldly state that Two Worlds will become the RPG game of the year on Xbox 360 and PC. Whether it will or not I don't know, but it stands a good chance.
Thursday 23 August 2007
Gripes and grumbles
Well, there I was just a few moments ago ready, willing and (shall we say) able to upload my latest blog.
And then 'it' happened. You know what that 'it' is. The 'it' was, as a matter of fact, the copy previously known as your homework, your letter to the bank manager, your application form, your 700 word blog update...
Within the space of just a few seconds, all the hard work is gone... it's vanished... it is now known as the file which 'used to be' your work.
That situation is one of my gripes with the world-wide web. You can work all you like tip-tapping away and then, when you click the 'ok', 'attach' or 'publish' button it ceases to exist.
You 'refresh', click 'back', hit 'F5' or just curse and swear at the screen for a few seconds but you just know all efforts are in vain.
You've lost the work and there's nothing you can do about it. In a desparate attempt to reclaim what was once yours, you click the screen icon which tells you that your drafts have been saved and guess what...? For some reason unbeknown to man, the task failed.
Computer 1 - Human user nil. Gutted.
Personally I might be a tad more positive if I knew exactly why 'it' happens.
Was it something I said or wrote? Was it something I DIDN'T say or write?
In retrospect though it's given me inspiration. Yes, ok, I've wasted twice the amount of time I should have, but then again maybe this grumble (and it is SOOOOOO a grumble. Soz) is actually better than my original blog entry. In fact, maybe I should admit it is because you guys will never know!
Whatever. The fact that it has happened has given me ammunition for an idea for a new new blog entry. And here it is, and besides... that's what blogs should be about right? Gripes and grumbles.
Now, you'll have to excuse me while I go and fetch a tool so I can exact my revenge on this lesser (computer) being.
And then 'it' happened. You know what that 'it' is. The 'it' was, as a matter of fact, the copy previously known as your homework, your letter to the bank manager, your application form, your 700 word blog update...
Within the space of just a few seconds, all the hard work is gone... it's vanished... it is now known as the file which 'used to be' your work.
That situation is one of my gripes with the world-wide web. You can work all you like tip-tapping away and then, when you click the 'ok', 'attach' or 'publish' button it ceases to exist.
You 'refresh', click 'back', hit 'F5' or just curse and swear at the screen for a few seconds but you just know all efforts are in vain.
You've lost the work and there's nothing you can do about it. In a desparate attempt to reclaim what was once yours, you click the screen icon which tells you that your drafts have been saved and guess what...? For some reason unbeknown to man, the task failed.
Computer 1 - Human user nil. Gutted.
Personally I might be a tad more positive if I knew exactly why 'it' happens.
Was it something I said or wrote? Was it something I DIDN'T say or write?
In retrospect though it's given me inspiration. Yes, ok, I've wasted twice the amount of time I should have, but then again maybe this grumble (and it is SOOOOOO a grumble. Soz) is actually better than my original blog entry. In fact, maybe I should admit it is because you guys will never know!
Whatever. The fact that it has happened has given me ammunition for an idea for a new new blog entry. And here it is, and besides... that's what blogs should be about right? Gripes and grumbles.
Now, you'll have to excuse me while I go and fetch a tool so I can exact my revenge on this lesser (computer) being.
Friday 17 August 2007
It's life Jim... but not as we know it
Whether it's a touching story of love, or a futuristic sci-fi set in 2050, films put the viewer in an alternative world where their imagination can run wild.
I've often wondered whether the hi-tech gadgets that I've seen in films, would actually one day make it onto the open market.
I'm sure that fans of the Star Trek films thought the same when they saw Kirk using his flip communicators. You only have to look in any of our high street mobile phone shops now to see the cooler equivalent.
But I have to admit, never did I imagine that something like the security system in Tom Cruise's epic futuristic flick 'Minority Report' (in which police arrest the perpetrators of future crimes predicted by psychics) would ever become part of our unassuming world.
Such a system is currently being developed in the US to remotely screen air passengers who might be considering a terrorist attack.
The aim of Project Hostile Intent (PHI) is to find a way of catching would-be terrorists when they are just thinking of committing a crime.
A battery of lasers, cameras, eye trackers and microphones would be used to spot tiny changes in facial expression, pulse, perspiration, and gait that give away "current or future hostile intentions".
After tests at a handful of air and sea ports and border checkpoints the system could be deployed at all US entry points by 2012.
But critics claim Project Hostile Intent is unworkable.
The system is being developed by scientists working for the US Department of Homeland Security, New Scientist magazine has reported.
It would employ some of the techniques already used in polygraph lie detectors and by security staff trained in recognising body language.
But PHI would have to operate remotely, screening thousands of passengers having their bags checked or waiting to show their passports, most of whom will be innocent.
Computers would be used to carry out a rapid assessment of all the data received. Identified individuals would be apprehended and led off to be interviewed by security officers.
Since 2003, a system called Screening Passengers through Observation Techniques (Spot) has already been used at airports in the US. It uses trained "behaviour detection officers" who have been taught how to recognise suspicious "micro-expressions" in people milling around airports that may signify guilt or deception.
Spot has had some success and ensnared drug dealers, money launderers and one double murderer.
However it is expensive, labour intensive and time consuming. PHI is intended to automate Spot while at the same time increasing the number of signals that can be investigated.
Other experts pointed out that airports are high-stress places filled with people who are bored, tired, saying goodbye to loved ones, carrying upset children, late for flights or perhaps scared of flying. Any system that flagged up signs of stress was likely to target innocent people.
Hmmm... the mind boggles.
Other ideas generated in 'Minority Report' have also been adopted by the likes of technology giant Microsoft.
Microsoft Surface uses the same idea of dragging files around either a vertical or horizontal screen. To transfer files between mobile phones, all users have to do is place them on the table-style screen and drag (using your finger) photos, music or video files or files in text format between the phones.
By placing a digital camera or video camera on the screen it does the same, bringing up all the images and files for the viewer to see.
Microsoft Surface boasts to being the future. In a Microsoft world people will be able to pay for their restaurant or bar bill by simply placing their credit cards on the screen and rotating a circular icon up or down to decide how much of a tip to leave. To order more food or drinks you would simply touch an icon on the screen.
Visit: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/. Impressed? You should be.
=================================================
Oh, before I forget... welcome to Game On's new look page. Pretty funky ain't it?! Any ideas for features, reviews, competitions or anything else for that matter, drop me an email at tnichols@eveningherald.co.uk.
=======================================================
Here's this week's best games:
Title: Guitar Hero: Rock the 80's
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Guitar Hero is undoubtedly one of the best ideas for a video game in recent years. While the concept of the Wii is spot on with its interaction, there's something ultimately a lot cooler about wielding an 'axe' rather than a box controller.
This latest version sees you perform countless hits from the age that brought us luminous socks and Madonna.
While there's no doubt that the children of the eighties will love this, those that find it difficult to appreciate the likes of 'Flock of Seagulls' and 'Asia' will be hard-pressed to appreciate this.
While I can wholly support rocking out to the likes of Alice Cooper or ACDC in the original Guitar Hero version, this just doesn't feel quite right.
Title: Bioshock
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
It's always hard to review a game having already a review with it being given 10/10 on all counts. I almost feel a necessity to mark it down just for it being so darn good... but sadly I can't.
Bioshock is what a fast-paced all action shooter should be. Full of weapons, Doom-like playability, creepy music and sound recordings and, well, action.
The Bioshock plot places the player in Rapture, a world deep underwater where scientists were supposed to create a new and improved world for human kind.
As is always the case, something went wrong along the way and it's the main character's bag to fix it.
This is an awesome game worthy of the top marks. Buy it NOW.
Wednesday 1 August 2007
August 1
It's a good feeling knowing you're doing your bit to save the planet by changing a few things in your world.
So am I recycling more...? No, not a lot.
Am I changing my lightbulbs to energy saving ones...? Sure, maybe a couple.
Have I ditched the car and bought a push bike? Not on your nelly.
But what I have done is stopped using Google as my search engine in favour of a new greener well, blacker, alternative.
'Blackle' (www.blackle.com) was created earlier this year by Heap Media in a bid to save energy.
With its searches powered by Google Custom Search, Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black.
As it states on its 'About Blackle' link: "In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine.
"Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages.
"We believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up.
"Secondly we feel that seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy."
Those nice people at Blackle claim that if computer users set the search page as their home page, they will save a little bit of energy everytime they connect to the internet.
By the time that I came across it a counter stated that 125,281.348 Watt hours had been saved.
While Blackle doesn't offer the same options for searching images, maps or news, it's surely only a matter of time before it begins developing the search engine to compete with the Google giant.
While I can only apologise for my lack of blog activity lately (Been busy buying a house see...) at least I can boast I have been helping to save the planet. Albeit in small steps.
(Rather hypocritically) here are the latest games reviews:
Title: Transformers: The Game
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
At last... a game that packs the punches of its movie franchise! And how long have we been waiting for Transformers to come to the consoles...? Too long that's how long.
In Tranformers: The Game you can choose which team you want to be on: The nicey nicey Autobots, or the cooler than cool Decepticons.
Like the movie it is difficult to tell one end of a robot from the other due to the detail of the graphics and the colours used, but the action scenes are fun and the array of weapons is awesome!
Smash, blast and wreck your way through the various levels... or simply smash up everything in your path be it buildings, cars or lamp posts. Oh, and the coolest but? You get to transform as often as you like into helicopters, planes cars or trucks!
For me the only snag to the game is the sometimes confusing graphics and the shortage of characters. While the good old Transformers comics and the series boasted bloody loads, the game and latest movie sadly boast around 10.
Still when you're having this much fun... who cares about the cast?
Title: Big Brain Academy
Platform: Nintendo Wii
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 2/5
Yawn... I'm sorry but if I spend money on a game I expect action and adventure, and to be taken to a magical place removed from my old school classroom.
But with this game I find myself back there testing my memory and numeracy skills.
While I can appreciate that it might be fun for a family with small children eager to strengthen their brain power, I found this all rather dull. The Wii is a great fun console, but this is rather bland.
So am I recycling more...? No, not a lot.
Am I changing my lightbulbs to energy saving ones...? Sure, maybe a couple.
Have I ditched the car and bought a push bike? Not on your nelly.
But what I have done is stopped using Google as my search engine in favour of a new greener well, blacker, alternative.
'Blackle' (www.blackle.com) was created earlier this year by Heap Media in a bid to save energy.
With its searches powered by Google Custom Search, Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black.
As it states on its 'About Blackle' link: "In January 2007 a blog post titled Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year proposed the theory that a black version of the Google search engine would save a fair bit of energy due to the popularity of the search engine.
"Since then there has been skepticism about the significance of the energy savings that can be achieved and the cost in terms of readability of black web pages.
"We believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up.
"Secondly we feel that seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy."
Those nice people at Blackle claim that if computer users set the search page as their home page, they will save a little bit of energy everytime they connect to the internet.
By the time that I came across it a counter stated that 125,281.348 Watt hours had been saved.
While Blackle doesn't offer the same options for searching images, maps or news, it's surely only a matter of time before it begins developing the search engine to compete with the Google giant.
While I can only apologise for my lack of blog activity lately (Been busy buying a house see...) at least I can boast I have been helping to save the planet. Albeit in small steps.
(Rather hypocritically) here are the latest games reviews:
Title: Transformers: The Game
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
At last... a game that packs the punches of its movie franchise! And how long have we been waiting for Transformers to come to the consoles...? Too long that's how long.
In Tranformers: The Game you can choose which team you want to be on: The nicey nicey Autobots, or the cooler than cool Decepticons.
Like the movie it is difficult to tell one end of a robot from the other due to the detail of the graphics and the colours used, but the action scenes are fun and the array of weapons is awesome!
Smash, blast and wreck your way through the various levels... or simply smash up everything in your path be it buildings, cars or lamp posts. Oh, and the coolest but? You get to transform as often as you like into helicopters, planes cars or trucks!
For me the only snag to the game is the sometimes confusing graphics and the shortage of characters. While the good old Transformers comics and the series boasted bloody loads, the game and latest movie sadly boast around 10.
Still when you're having this much fun... who cares about the cast?
Title: Big Brain Academy
Platform: Nintendo Wii
RRP: £39.99
Hit count: 2/5
Yawn... I'm sorry but if I spend money on a game I expect action and adventure, and to be taken to a magical place removed from my old school classroom.
But with this game I find myself back there testing my memory and numeracy skills.
While I can appreciate that it might be fun for a family with small children eager to strengthen their brain power, I found this all rather dull. The Wii is a great fun console, but this is rather bland.
Tuesday 10 July 2007
July 10
Buying a television isn't like it used to be is it...?
I mean back in the old days it was simply a case of seeing a brand you liked, saying something like "ooh, that's cheap..." and before you knew it you were watching a brand new box in your front room.
Nowadays the choices are endless, the prices are bonkers and then you've got the whole HD era to confuse you.
I'm going through the whole process at the moment and, I must say, I've learned a lot about a whole bunch of things a month ago I never knew I was missing out on.
So in this latest blog I will try to break it down for you and help clear the mist (or is that static) of confusion.
Earlier this year I decided to upgrade (or pimp) my home sound and visual setup. Like many others I spent a fortune on buying a 60GB PS3 and, within hours of doing so, realised I needed an HD (High Definition) TV to make the best use of it.
Basically for those that have been living in a cupboard for the last year or so, we are now living in an HD world.
And for those that don't know what HD is, allow our friends at Wikipedia to explain...
"High-definition television (HDTV) is a digital television broadcasting system with a significantly higher resolution than traditional formats (NTSC, SECAM, PAL).
"While some early analog HDTV formats were broadcast in Europe and Japan, HDTV is usually broadcast digitally, because digital television (DTV) broadcasting requires much less bandwith.
"HDTV technology was first introduced in the US during the 1990s by a group of electronics companies called the Digital HDTV Grand Alliance."
Speaking in layman's terms, HDTV is the next generation of home entertainment viewing and sound. The picture quality is sharper, brighter and more defined and the sound is crystal clear.
The problem that people face when buying a new HDTV is deciding which one is better than any other.
Many people first became aware of the HD revolution when the Sony Bravia advert (remember the one with the multi-coloured balls bouncing down the street?) hit our screens.
Since then literally hundreds of television manufacturers have developed their own HD units to compete at varying prices.
Such is the competition in the market at the moment that the average price of a brand new HD TV is now around £500. That's a drop of around £500 from the original £1,000 average asking price.
While the electronic giants including Sony, Panasonic, Philips and LG have all released numerous models of all shapes and sizes, the market has allowed the lesser-known manufacturers like Technosonic and Digihome to release their own HD units at lower prices.
While many would rather trust the reputation of more well-known brands, the cheaper options are actually really quite good and well worth the money and the gamble.
However, if... like me, you feel safer in the knowledge that you have bought a brand name proven in the past then the prices are right at the moment to go for broke.
For the true tech-heads among us there are a number of product features to look at specifically when buying an HDTV.
Firstly the 'contrast ratio' is an important feature to look at.
Put simply, contrast ratio is the scale between the brightest and darkest colours that the screen can produce at the same time.
Fact: Televisions with a higher contrast ratio are considered to be better than ones with lower contrast ratios. Examples include 1,200:1 and 7,500:1 (the latter being considered better).
Secondly, it's worth looking at the 'pixel resolution'. Again, in layman's terms this refers to the number of pixels that can be displayed on the screen. The more the merrier!
Another important factor is the 'response time' for the unit. This is the amount of time taken for the screen to respond in milliseconds. The quicker the better. 8 milliseconds is a very good speed.
However it is worth remembering that manufacturers like to make things a tad difficult by making up their own features and renditions of them.
It is also worth remembering when buying an HDTV that 'HD Ready' is different to 'Full HD'.
Basically HD Ready means that it is ready to display high definition programmes/DVDs and game console graphics providing that the TV has high definition information fed to it.
The BBC and Sky are currently working on HD programmes and HD channels but they are not up to scratch yet and have not been fully launched.
Full HD means that it will feature full HD when the whole HD revolution is on line. For now, I wouldn't worry too much.
As long as you have the HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cables essential for relaying the information you'll be fine.
So if you use this blog as your checklist, you won't go far wrong in picking a good HDTV and vastly enhancing your television experience. ===========================================================
Congratulations to Ian Smith of Whitleigh for winning a fab Nintendo DS and a copy of Touchmaster.
===========================================================
And if you were one of the unlucky ones here's another chance to win some fab goodies!
Game On has teamed up with NCsoft to offer two blog readers a copy of city of heroes city of villains on the PC, a hat, T-shirt, NCsoft mouse, figurines, a Lord
Recluse statue, posters and a bag.
One mission, Two sides, An epic tale of good versus evil, NCsoft brings to you the ninth issue of City Of Heroes City Of Villains, Breakthrough.
Become a Hero and keep it clean in Paragon City or, get your hands a little dirty in the Rogue Isles. Join forces with the villains and hit the black markets for some dodgy deals and hell raising destruction.
City of Heroes City of Villains, Breakthrough, is the ultimate and unique online game play filled with thousands of other heroes and villains worldwide.
Choose your team and create your identity as you face your arch-enemies in head to head battles of good versus evil. Customize your character and select from thousands of powers, skills and costumes, then the battle begins. Prepare to defend the world you chose to live in.
Explore the stunning scenery and skyscrapers, dirty filled sewers and dangerous backstreets if you are brave enough?
To win a goodie bag all readers have to do is answer a simple question and email me the answer - together with your address and phone number - to tnichols@eveningherald.co.uk with NCsoft competiton' written in the subject line.
Couldn't be simpler if you've read the above text!
And here's the simple question - Which edition of the game is City Of Heroes City Of Villains, Breakthrough?
a). Third?
b). Seventh? or
c). Ninth?
When emailing in an entry please, please, PLEASE also include your daytime telephone number.
Closing date for entries is Friday 20th July. Only one entry per household is permitted. The editor's decision is final, and the first correct entry chosen will win the prize as stated. No correspondence will be entered into. The Herald accepts no responsibility for any damage or injury caused by competition prizes. Any inquiries should be directed to the manufacturer or retailer. Employees of South West Media Group Ltd and their families are ineligible to enter. The promoter is NCsoft, and you are advised to retain this information.
REVIEWS:
Title: Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix
Platform: PS2 RRP: &dollar39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Imagine Grand Theft Auto but with wizards. Now you have some idea of how the fab new Harry Potter game works.
Anyone will tell you that games based on films don't really work. (Look at the Spiderman 3 title). But this one is different.
In Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix you get to explore Hogwarts and complete missions and unlock new and exciting spells.
And this time players get to control only Harry with the other two main characters acting in supporting roles.
The game is addictive with its free roam playability, and graphically it's pretty good.
Title: Pokemon Pearl
Platform: Nintendo DS RRP: &dollar29.99
Hit count: 3/5
For me, this series is what the Nintendo DS is all about. Pokemon was one of the first games I played on the console... and one of the last games on it that I loved.
You set off either as a boy or girl trainer to the Sinnoh region where two famous Pokemon live. Your objective is to befriend the two Pokemon before Team Galaxy take control of their powers.
Over the years Pokemon fans have caught glimpses of Mime Jr, Lucario, Munchlax and Weavile in the movies - and now they have the chance to meet them in the game.
You can also utilise the DS's dual slots to transfer Pokemon from the GBA Pokemon games and you can link up with Pok?mon Ranger to access more special content.
I mean back in the old days it was simply a case of seeing a brand you liked, saying something like "ooh, that's cheap..." and before you knew it you were watching a brand new box in your front room.
Nowadays the choices are endless, the prices are bonkers and then you've got the whole HD era to confuse you.
I'm going through the whole process at the moment and, I must say, I've learned a lot about a whole bunch of things a month ago I never knew I was missing out on.
So in this latest blog I will try to break it down for you and help clear the mist (or is that static) of confusion.
Earlier this year I decided to upgrade (or pimp) my home sound and visual setup. Like many others I spent a fortune on buying a 60GB PS3 and, within hours of doing so, realised I needed an HD (High Definition) TV to make the best use of it.
Basically for those that have been living in a cupboard for the last year or so, we are now living in an HD world.
And for those that don't know what HD is, allow our friends at Wikipedia to explain...
"High-definition television (HDTV) is a digital television broadcasting system with a significantly higher resolution than traditional formats (NTSC, SECAM, PAL).
"While some early analog HDTV formats were broadcast in Europe and Japan, HDTV is usually broadcast digitally, because digital television (DTV) broadcasting requires much less bandwith.
"HDTV technology was first introduced in the US during the 1990s by a group of electronics companies called the Digital HDTV Grand Alliance."
Speaking in layman's terms, HDTV is the next generation of home entertainment viewing and sound. The picture quality is sharper, brighter and more defined and the sound is crystal clear.
The problem that people face when buying a new HDTV is deciding which one is better than any other.
Many people first became aware of the HD revolution when the Sony Bravia advert (remember the one with the multi-coloured balls bouncing down the street?) hit our screens.
Since then literally hundreds of television manufacturers have developed their own HD units to compete at varying prices.
Such is the competition in the market at the moment that the average price of a brand new HD TV is now around £500. That's a drop of around £500 from the original £1,000 average asking price.
While the electronic giants including Sony, Panasonic, Philips and LG have all released numerous models of all shapes and sizes, the market has allowed the lesser-known manufacturers like Technosonic and Digihome to release their own HD units at lower prices.
While many would rather trust the reputation of more well-known brands, the cheaper options are actually really quite good and well worth the money and the gamble.
However, if... like me, you feel safer in the knowledge that you have bought a brand name proven in the past then the prices are right at the moment to go for broke.
For the true tech-heads among us there are a number of product features to look at specifically when buying an HDTV.
Firstly the 'contrast ratio' is an important feature to look at.
Put simply, contrast ratio is the scale between the brightest and darkest colours that the screen can produce at the same time.
Fact: Televisions with a higher contrast ratio are considered to be better than ones with lower contrast ratios. Examples include 1,200:1 and 7,500:1 (the latter being considered better).
Secondly, it's worth looking at the 'pixel resolution'. Again, in layman's terms this refers to the number of pixels that can be displayed on the screen. The more the merrier!
Another important factor is the 'response time' for the unit. This is the amount of time taken for the screen to respond in milliseconds. The quicker the better. 8 milliseconds is a very good speed.
However it is worth remembering that manufacturers like to make things a tad difficult by making up their own features and renditions of them.
It is also worth remembering when buying an HDTV that 'HD Ready' is different to 'Full HD'.
Basically HD Ready means that it is ready to display high definition programmes/DVDs and game console graphics providing that the TV has high definition information fed to it.
The BBC and Sky are currently working on HD programmes and HD channels but they are not up to scratch yet and have not been fully launched.
Full HD means that it will feature full HD when the whole HD revolution is on line. For now, I wouldn't worry too much.
As long as you have the HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cables essential for relaying the information you'll be fine.
So if you use this blog as your checklist, you won't go far wrong in picking a good HDTV and vastly enhancing your television experience. ===========================================================
Congratulations to Ian Smith of Whitleigh for winning a fab Nintendo DS and a copy of Touchmaster.
===========================================================
And if you were one of the unlucky ones here's another chance to win some fab goodies!
Game On has teamed up with NCsoft to offer two blog readers a copy of city of heroes city of villains on the PC, a hat, T-shirt, NCsoft mouse, figurines, a Lord
Recluse statue, posters and a bag.
One mission, Two sides, An epic tale of good versus evil, NCsoft brings to you the ninth issue of City Of Heroes City Of Villains, Breakthrough.
Become a Hero and keep it clean in Paragon City or, get your hands a little dirty in the Rogue Isles. Join forces with the villains and hit the black markets for some dodgy deals and hell raising destruction.
City of Heroes City of Villains, Breakthrough, is the ultimate and unique online game play filled with thousands of other heroes and villains worldwide.
Choose your team and create your identity as you face your arch-enemies in head to head battles of good versus evil. Customize your character and select from thousands of powers, skills and costumes, then the battle begins. Prepare to defend the world you chose to live in.
Explore the stunning scenery and skyscrapers, dirty filled sewers and dangerous backstreets if you are brave enough?
To win a goodie bag all readers have to do is answer a simple question and email me the answer - together with your address and phone number - to tnichols@eveningherald.co.uk with NCsoft competiton' written in the subject line.
Couldn't be simpler if you've read the above text!
And here's the simple question - Which edition of the game is City Of Heroes City Of Villains, Breakthrough?
a). Third?
b). Seventh? or
c). Ninth?
When emailing in an entry please, please, PLEASE also include your daytime telephone number.
Closing date for entries is Friday 20th July. Only one entry per household is permitted. The editor's decision is final, and the first correct entry chosen will win the prize as stated. No correspondence will be entered into. The Herald accepts no responsibility for any damage or injury caused by competition prizes. Any inquiries should be directed to the manufacturer or retailer. Employees of South West Media Group Ltd and their families are ineligible to enter. The promoter is NCsoft, and you are advised to retain this information.
REVIEWS:
Title: Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix
Platform: PS2 RRP: &dollar39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Imagine Grand Theft Auto but with wizards. Now you have some idea of how the fab new Harry Potter game works.
Anyone will tell you that games based on films don't really work. (Look at the Spiderman 3 title). But this one is different.
In Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix you get to explore Hogwarts and complete missions and unlock new and exciting spells.
And this time players get to control only Harry with the other two main characters acting in supporting roles.
The game is addictive with its free roam playability, and graphically it's pretty good.
Title: Pokemon Pearl
Platform: Nintendo DS RRP: &dollar29.99
Hit count: 3/5
For me, this series is what the Nintendo DS is all about. Pokemon was one of the first games I played on the console... and one of the last games on it that I loved.
You set off either as a boy or girl trainer to the Sinnoh region where two famous Pokemon live. Your objective is to befriend the two Pokemon before Team Galaxy take control of their powers.
Over the years Pokemon fans have caught glimpses of Mime Jr, Lucario, Munchlax and Weavile in the movies - and now they have the chance to meet them in the game.
You can also utilise the DS's dual slots to transfer Pokemon from the GBA Pokemon games and you can link up with Pok?mon Ranger to access more special content.
Wednesday 27 June 2007
June 27
"Would you mind turning your bag down..." I said to a rock chick in a North Hill bar with a rather confused look on my face. I mean, it's not something you really hear yourself say too much is it? But there, on that Tuesday night last week, I found myself asking her to adjust the volume on her handbag.
Technology amazes me, like other people, at the best of times. It's cool to be surprised by the latest gadget or toy, and it's even cooler to be completely unaware that a certain gadget exists in this day and age.
In that North Hill student bar that chick was celebrating her 19th birthday and showing off her favourite present from friends.
From a distance it looked just like any other girls' accessory. But on closer inspection it was far more than a simple carrying tool.
This bag had two huge speakers underneath the flap with a connector for an iPod. The built-in amp pumped out some extreme sound.
The obvious question was 'why?' would anyone want one of those, but then I guess people like to go with the fashion flow. If you can combine something fashionable (the bag) with something cool (the iPod) then people will always buy it.
The week prior to that and I had been laying on a sun lounger on an island off the coast if Italy having one of those random discussions with a complete stranger about how technology has changed our lives.
You know, you're lying there listening to your iPod (which contains your whole music library) while taking photos on your camera phone and sending them back home for immediate viewing.
You pay for everything on your credit card - no signatures anymore, all pin codes - and you book a cab back to the airport online via email. Even on this tiny island in comparison to the world, it is as hi-tech and updated as central Europe.
Now sat up on that lounger and seriously discussing the topic, I found myself pondering what life must have been like, say 30 years ago.
I mean, when I think about it I got my first mobile phone aged around 19. Two years prior to that I had a pager, and before that I had nothing but the payphone at the bottom of our Dousland street.
At that time I also owned a tape walkman and a rather awful 'step' haircut. How times have changed.
The walkman has been replaced by the iPod mini, I have a pretty impressive Sony Ericsson phone and that horrible haircut has been banished to old pictures in a drawer somewhere best forgotten.
One thing's for sure in this new world we live in, you can't stop the juggernaut, you've just got to jump aboard for the ride.
That aside, Game On has teamed up with our friends at Indigo Pearl to offer one lucky reader the chance to win not only a copy of Touchmaster boasting 23 classic games - but also a fab Nintendo DS Lite console.
The wide variety of highly interactive mini-games that made Midway's Touchmaster a favourite in bars and arcades across the country are now available whenever, wherever with Touchmaster for Nintendo DS, exclusively for Nintendo DS.
Touchmaster is a natural fit for the touchscreen and stylus of Nintendo DS, and is perfect for a quick gameplay session.
There's something for everyone to choose from, with a wide variety of 23 of Midway's classic Touchmaster games, including Trivia, Solitaire, Gem Slide and Mah Jongg.
With the Nintendo DS WiFi connection, players can connect to the Midway Tournament Network for high score rankings, tournaments and daily rankings.
To win a Nintendo DS Lite and a copy of Touchmaster all readers have to do is answer a simple question and email me the answer - together with your address and phone number - to tnichols@eveningherald.co.uk with 'Nintendo competiton' written in the subject line.
Couldn't be simpler!
And here's the simple question - How many Midway classics are featured in Touchmaster?
a). 23?
b). 25? or
c). 30?
When emailing in an entry please, please, PLEASE also include your daytime telephone number.
Closing date for entries is Monday 9th July. Only one entry per household is permitted. The editor?s decision is final, and the first correct entry chosen will win the prize as stated. No correspondence will be entered into. The Herald accepts no responsibility for any damage or injury caused by competition prizes. Any inquiries should be directed to the manufacturer or retailer. Employees of South West Media Ltd and their families are ineligible to enter. The promoter is Indigo Pearl, and you are advised to retain this information.
REVIEWS:
Got a minute? Try your hand at one of these...
Title: Monster Madness
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
This game looks like a game that I lost many of the hours of my youth to. What the developers have done with this title is use the best of what the Xbox 360 has to crank up the graphics, create some stunning characters and locations and unveil a weird and wonderful world of fun!
The story goes that Zack, Carrie, Andy, and Jennifer were all looking forward to a party when Zack's parents left town for vacation. Unfortunately, some uninvited guests soon arrived... and the madness soon ensued.
Monster Madness is all-out action shooter with plenty of weapons to get your hands onto and plenty of hours of life to lose.
Title: Colin McRae: DIRT
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 3/5
The legend returns in a new guise. One might be excused for thinking that this is simply another racing game starring... yep, you've guessed it... Colin McRae.
However, on closer inspection the game actually boasts a far greater number of vehicles, environments and challenges than many of the other titles in the now long-running series. The intricate detail of the tracks and vehicles is impressive and you will be addicted by the third race.
While Mr McRae might well now be a well-established brand in himself and his games, it would be interesting to see how the game would stand without his name on it. Personally I prefer Motor Storm on the PS3.
Title: Everybody's Tennis
Platform: PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 2/5
Firstly it's worth stating that if you have tend to go for the whole cutesy sort of game then this game is definitely for you. Personally its mere existence makes me feel rather sick. Too many colours, too much flowery music and not enough realism.
However, if that sounds appealing then you'll love it. The gameplay is actually quite good and after a few goes you will feel like you've got the hang of it.
Technology amazes me, like other people, at the best of times. It's cool to be surprised by the latest gadget or toy, and it's even cooler to be completely unaware that a certain gadget exists in this day and age.
In that North Hill student bar that chick was celebrating her 19th birthday and showing off her favourite present from friends.
From a distance it looked just like any other girls' accessory. But on closer inspection it was far more than a simple carrying tool.
This bag had two huge speakers underneath the flap with a connector for an iPod. The built-in amp pumped out some extreme sound.
The obvious question was 'why?' would anyone want one of those, but then I guess people like to go with the fashion flow. If you can combine something fashionable (the bag) with something cool (the iPod) then people will always buy it.
The week prior to that and I had been laying on a sun lounger on an island off the coast if Italy having one of those random discussions with a complete stranger about how technology has changed our lives.
You know, you're lying there listening to your iPod (which contains your whole music library) while taking photos on your camera phone and sending them back home for immediate viewing.
You pay for everything on your credit card - no signatures anymore, all pin codes - and you book a cab back to the airport online via email. Even on this tiny island in comparison to the world, it is as hi-tech and updated as central Europe.
Now sat up on that lounger and seriously discussing the topic, I found myself pondering what life must have been like, say 30 years ago.
I mean, when I think about it I got my first mobile phone aged around 19. Two years prior to that I had a pager, and before that I had nothing but the payphone at the bottom of our Dousland street.
At that time I also owned a tape walkman and a rather awful 'step' haircut. How times have changed.
The walkman has been replaced by the iPod mini, I have a pretty impressive Sony Ericsson phone and that horrible haircut has been banished to old pictures in a drawer somewhere best forgotten.
One thing's for sure in this new world we live in, you can't stop the juggernaut, you've just got to jump aboard for the ride.
That aside, Game On has teamed up with our friends at Indigo Pearl to offer one lucky reader the chance to win not only a copy of Touchmaster boasting 23 classic games - but also a fab Nintendo DS Lite console.
The wide variety of highly interactive mini-games that made Midway's Touchmaster a favourite in bars and arcades across the country are now available whenever, wherever with Touchmaster for Nintendo DS, exclusively for Nintendo DS.
Touchmaster is a natural fit for the touchscreen and stylus of Nintendo DS, and is perfect for a quick gameplay session.
There's something for everyone to choose from, with a wide variety of 23 of Midway's classic Touchmaster games, including Trivia, Solitaire, Gem Slide and Mah Jongg.
With the Nintendo DS WiFi connection, players can connect to the Midway Tournament Network for high score rankings, tournaments and daily rankings.
To win a Nintendo DS Lite and a copy of Touchmaster all readers have to do is answer a simple question and email me the answer - together with your address and phone number - to tnichols@eveningherald.co.uk with 'Nintendo competiton' written in the subject line.
Couldn't be simpler!
And here's the simple question - How many Midway classics are featured in Touchmaster?
a). 23?
b). 25? or
c). 30?
When emailing in an entry please, please, PLEASE also include your daytime telephone number.
Closing date for entries is Monday 9th July. Only one entry per household is permitted. The editor?s decision is final, and the first correct entry chosen will win the prize as stated. No correspondence will be entered into. The Herald accepts no responsibility for any damage or injury caused by competition prizes. Any inquiries should be directed to the manufacturer or retailer. Employees of South West Media Ltd and their families are ineligible to enter. The promoter is Indigo Pearl, and you are advised to retain this information.
REVIEWS:
Got a minute? Try your hand at one of these...
Title: Monster Madness
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
This game looks like a game that I lost many of the hours of my youth to. What the developers have done with this title is use the best of what the Xbox 360 has to crank up the graphics, create some stunning characters and locations and unveil a weird and wonderful world of fun!
The story goes that Zack, Carrie, Andy, and Jennifer were all looking forward to a party when Zack's parents left town for vacation. Unfortunately, some uninvited guests soon arrived... and the madness soon ensued.
Monster Madness is all-out action shooter with plenty of weapons to get your hands onto and plenty of hours of life to lose.
Title: Colin McRae: DIRT
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 3/5
The legend returns in a new guise. One might be excused for thinking that this is simply another racing game starring... yep, you've guessed it... Colin McRae.
However, on closer inspection the game actually boasts a far greater number of vehicles, environments and challenges than many of the other titles in the now long-running series. The intricate detail of the tracks and vehicles is impressive and you will be addicted by the third race.
While Mr McRae might well now be a well-established brand in himself and his games, it would be interesting to see how the game would stand without his name on it. Personally I prefer Motor Storm on the PS3.
Title: Everybody's Tennis
Platform: PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 2/5
Firstly it's worth stating that if you have tend to go for the whole cutesy sort of game then this game is definitely for you. Personally its mere existence makes me feel rather sick. Too many colours, too much flowery music and not enough realism.
However, if that sounds appealing then you'll love it. The gameplay is actually quite good and after a few goes you will feel like you've got the hang of it.
Friday 8 June 2007
June 8
Bored of queuing up for hours on end at a festival waiting to charge up your phone at the Nokia tent?
Well scientists might just have made a breakthrough.
Brain boxes in the UK have demonstrated a simple way to transmit electricity through the air, raising the prospect of a world of wireless gadgets.
In the experiment, researchers lit a 60-watt light bulb from an energy source 7ft away using no power leads.
The research heralds a future in which mobile phones, MP3 players, laptop computers, and other appliances can be charged up without having to plug them into a wall socket.
Some devices may even be able to operate without batteries at all.
Now I don't mean to sound so nerdy because believe me, I'm not. I just like to know that small improvements are being made to deal with life's frustrating annoyances.
Festival goers will know exactly what I mean when I mentioned the Nokia phone charging tents.
Picture the scene... you arrange to meet your mate next to the blue tent in the big green - sorry - brown, field.
You say you'll text them and then 'doo-dull-beep' (pronounced) your phone battery dies. What to do, what to do! One of the few things you can do is go to a charge tent and wait patiently while it charges up. Nightmare!
Anyways, just imagine a world with no leads to trip up on! Or indeed having a world where the likes of Nokia wouldn't be able to charge you an extortionate amount of money for a replacement charger. OR indeed being able to charge your electric toothbrush while you clean your teeth without fearing it will conk out mid-brush. (okay that last one's a slightly pants example).
Anyways... I'm off on hols for a coupla weeks. Gonna give my PS3 a damn good thrashing (does that sound wrong?!)
Got a few moments out of the office and away from the hassle? Try this little beauty:
Title: Smash Court Tennis 3
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £24.99
Hit count: 4/5
Game, set and match... At last, a tennis game on a handheld worth owning! Smash Tennis 3 is the Pro Evo equivalent to tennis games.
It rocks and it rolls and it provides endless hours of fun in the sun!
Armed with a variety of rackets and sportswear, you can choose from a variety of top world-ranking players as you attempt to score game, set and match against your opponents.
As you progress through the game you can also develop new swings and learn to hit harder and faster.
Well scientists might just have made a breakthrough.
Brain boxes in the UK have demonstrated a simple way to transmit electricity through the air, raising the prospect of a world of wireless gadgets.
In the experiment, researchers lit a 60-watt light bulb from an energy source 7ft away using no power leads.
The research heralds a future in which mobile phones, MP3 players, laptop computers, and other appliances can be charged up without having to plug them into a wall socket.
Some devices may even be able to operate without batteries at all.
Now I don't mean to sound so nerdy because believe me, I'm not. I just like to know that small improvements are being made to deal with life's frustrating annoyances.
Festival goers will know exactly what I mean when I mentioned the Nokia phone charging tents.
Picture the scene... you arrange to meet your mate next to the blue tent in the big green - sorry - brown, field.
You say you'll text them and then 'doo-dull-beep' (pronounced) your phone battery dies. What to do, what to do! One of the few things you can do is go to a charge tent and wait patiently while it charges up. Nightmare!
Anyways, just imagine a world with no leads to trip up on! Or indeed having a world where the likes of Nokia wouldn't be able to charge you an extortionate amount of money for a replacement charger. OR indeed being able to charge your electric toothbrush while you clean your teeth without fearing it will conk out mid-brush. (okay that last one's a slightly pants example).
Anyways... I'm off on hols for a coupla weeks. Gonna give my PS3 a damn good thrashing (does that sound wrong?!)
Got a few moments out of the office and away from the hassle? Try this little beauty:
Title: Smash Court Tennis 3
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £24.99
Hit count: 4/5
Game, set and match... At last, a tennis game on a handheld worth owning! Smash Tennis 3 is the Pro Evo equivalent to tennis games.
It rocks and it rolls and it provides endless hours of fun in the sun!
Armed with a variety of rackets and sportswear, you can choose from a variety of top world-ranking players as you attempt to score game, set and match against your opponents.
As you progress through the game you can also develop new swings and learn to hit harder and faster.
Thursday 31 May 2007
May 31
It seems almost fitting that with the latest instalment of swashbuckling antics hitting our cinema screens that I write about pirates.
Now of course you're probably thinking to yourself 'what the hell does Johnny Depp have to do with a games and technology blog?'
Well, now I realise that it may be construed as a tedious link (and admittedly I dropped JD's name in there to attract the girlie readers) but I am of course referring to pirates as in piracy, as in people who copy DVDs/CDs etc.
Now I know that with this blog I am likely to come a cropper. All those people that believe that piracy actually does fund terrorism are probably going to want to torch my home for my outspoken thoughts.
Well, heck... what the hell.
Name me one home that you know that doesn't own a video or DVD recorder or a CD player? Name me one person that doesn't use that device to record from a terrestrial or satellite channel? Now name me one person who HASN'T lent a DVD/video or CD from time to time to a friend?
Surely recording for home use (which by law is allowed) and then lending it to a friend for their use (which by law isn't allowed) is a pretty pants ruling.
I mean, damn or be damned. Are we ALL pirates?
Personally (and here's the bottom line) I've got no problem with certain forms of piracy. Hell, when I was in Afghanistan last December with the city's commandos I picked up a pirated DVD copy of Casino Royale in an Afghan market for $2.
I don't care what that chap tells me every time I'm in the cinema staring up at the screen wondering when the 30 minutes of adverts are going to end.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but that pirated DVD's picture quality was awesome, the sound was perfect and, it's possibly the best $2 I have ever spent. Much better in fact than the £7 I paid for entry to Vue to see that film with annoying flickers on the screen.
If you want a definition of irony picture this. We are told that piracy funds terrorism right...? So imagine a bunch of Afghans (some of whom who might possibly have a brother whose uncle once shook a member of the Taliban's hand) selling COPIED (pirated) DVDs direct to the British/American and NATO forces in a market pitched next to their base.
Is that right? In the grand scale of things which is more wrong...? A bloke selling a couple of copied DVDs at Stonehouse Creek car boot? Or half the British forces making the most of cheap pirated DVDs sold by the nation we are supposedly at war with?
I'll leave it up to you.
Meanwhile, I have a new addition to the Nichols home... A Sony PlayStation 3. After all the umming and ahhing I gave up trying to convince myself that it was too much money to spend and went for it.
It looks bling it plays like a dream and I am - no doubt - soon to be a single man.
It's graphically awesome, the sound is great but it has one snag. It has convinced me that I need an HD TV to run it through to make the most of what it can do. Oh well, simple things they say...
Got a minute? Try your hand at one of these...
Title: SOCOM US Navy Seals: Combined Assault
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 5/5
Scoring highly on game title length alone, SOCOM US Navy Seals: Combined Assault is a bit of a beauty by all accounts.
Players can play as a single player, or one of four, in protecting America's shores from enemy attacks. Graphically the title rocks and its playability is pretty good and addictive. Best of all tho is the online co-op mode which sees you fighting alongside complete strangers. Brilliant!
Title: SOCOM US Navy Seals: Combined Assault
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 2/5
Looking like a cross between Monkey Island and Shadow Warriors, the outlook was not looking good for this title.
However, after playing it I couldn't help but feel sorry for my devastating preview and reckon it deserves at least a one-star rating.
It's actually quite fun. The graphics are okay but it is the gameplay that bumps it up. You can explore any number of locations across America, and meet any number of historic and mythical characters.
If you have got a few quid to lose and fancy something that might flutter away a few hours then try it. Expect less and enjoy a lot.
Title: Wario: Master of Disguise
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 1/5
Wario as a thief...? Hmmm.... Personally I'm not convinced by the series' appeal. This one sees him become a thief where players have to draw exotic locations and costumes.
A tad boring methinks.
Now of course you're probably thinking to yourself 'what the hell does Johnny Depp have to do with a games and technology blog?'
Well, now I realise that it may be construed as a tedious link (and admittedly I dropped JD's name in there to attract the girlie readers) but I am of course referring to pirates as in piracy, as in people who copy DVDs/CDs etc.
Now I know that with this blog I am likely to come a cropper. All those people that believe that piracy actually does fund terrorism are probably going to want to torch my home for my outspoken thoughts.
Well, heck... what the hell.
Name me one home that you know that doesn't own a video or DVD recorder or a CD player? Name me one person that doesn't use that device to record from a terrestrial or satellite channel? Now name me one person who HASN'T lent a DVD/video or CD from time to time to a friend?
Surely recording for home use (which by law is allowed) and then lending it to a friend for their use (which by law isn't allowed) is a pretty pants ruling.
I mean, damn or be damned. Are we ALL pirates?
Personally (and here's the bottom line) I've got no problem with certain forms of piracy. Hell, when I was in Afghanistan last December with the city's commandos I picked up a pirated DVD copy of Casino Royale in an Afghan market for $2.
I don't care what that chap tells me every time I'm in the cinema staring up at the screen wondering when the 30 minutes of adverts are going to end.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but that pirated DVD's picture quality was awesome, the sound was perfect and, it's possibly the best $2 I have ever spent. Much better in fact than the £7 I paid for entry to Vue to see that film with annoying flickers on the screen.
If you want a definition of irony picture this. We are told that piracy funds terrorism right...? So imagine a bunch of Afghans (some of whom who might possibly have a brother whose uncle once shook a member of the Taliban's hand) selling COPIED (pirated) DVDs direct to the British/American and NATO forces in a market pitched next to their base.
Is that right? In the grand scale of things which is more wrong...? A bloke selling a couple of copied DVDs at Stonehouse Creek car boot? Or half the British forces making the most of cheap pirated DVDs sold by the nation we are supposedly at war with?
I'll leave it up to you.
Meanwhile, I have a new addition to the Nichols home... A Sony PlayStation 3. After all the umming and ahhing I gave up trying to convince myself that it was too much money to spend and went for it.
It looks bling it plays like a dream and I am - no doubt - soon to be a single man.
It's graphically awesome, the sound is great but it has one snag. It has convinced me that I need an HD TV to run it through to make the most of what it can do. Oh well, simple things they say...
Got a minute? Try your hand at one of these...
Title: SOCOM US Navy Seals: Combined Assault
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 5/5
Scoring highly on game title length alone, SOCOM US Navy Seals: Combined Assault is a bit of a beauty by all accounts.
Players can play as a single player, or one of four, in protecting America's shores from enemy attacks. Graphically the title rocks and its playability is pretty good and addictive. Best of all tho is the online co-op mode which sees you fighting alongside complete strangers. Brilliant!
Title: SOCOM US Navy Seals: Combined Assault
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 2/5
Looking like a cross between Monkey Island and Shadow Warriors, the outlook was not looking good for this title.
However, after playing it I couldn't help but feel sorry for my devastating preview and reckon it deserves at least a one-star rating.
It's actually quite fun. The graphics are okay but it is the gameplay that bumps it up. You can explore any number of locations across America, and meet any number of historic and mythical characters.
If you have got a few quid to lose and fancy something that might flutter away a few hours then try it. Expect less and enjoy a lot.
Title: Wario: Master of Disguise
Platform: Nintendo DS
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 1/5
Wario as a thief...? Hmmm.... Personally I'm not convinced by the series' appeal. This one sees him become a thief where players have to draw exotic locations and costumes.
A tad boring methinks.
Thursday 17 May 2007
May 17
"Hi, I hope you don't mind me emailing you... you seem really nice so I thought I'd stop by and say hi." Sound familiar? It should.
For the tens of millions of people all over the world with an internet connection, the likes of Myspace and Facebook are the current cool tools to play with.
I mean, why settle for chatting to your next door neighbour about the weather when you can chat on an instant messaging service with Tom from Venezuela about how to cook rice, or Jacky from Mexico about the surfing conditions in Tijuana?
Websites like the aforementioned are new social networks for all walks of life: the loner, the lover, the geek, and even the chic.
I have to admit I became sucked in about two years ago... and I've only just managed to crawl my way out.
It's like web heroin without the side affects (that is unless you count the loss of normal friends and the making of cyber friends as as downside).
Like many will tell you, it becomes addictive. So addictive that, when you wake, you begin wondering whether your new-found 'friends' in Australia, Africa or Tijuana are up and thinking the same as you.
Before you know it you've skipped breakfast, and lunch, and you're straight into a three-course conversation about nothing.
And that's the thing. When you begin making 'friends' and chatting to them on a regular basis, you don't really talk about anything.
'How's the weather in your world today?', 'When are you coming up to London?', What are you up to at the weekend?. It's all drivel really.
But that's doesn't matter in Myspace world. It's more knowing that there's someone on this planet living (possibly) on the other side of the world who wants to know a). what you're doing; and b). who you are.
It's nice to know you have friends.
Also if you're single then the likes of Myspace is the Holy Grail - it is the communicative tool that thousands (if not millions) of unlucky in love boys and girls have been waiting for.
But if reading this you are thinking 'hmmm... I might give it a go', be warned. Like every bus station and train carriage in the world, your Myspace or Facebook profile will attract the weirdos.
You know the sort, the people that come up to you and spurt off some random tosh about squirrels and jam or something.
In cyber world they multiply. They have a free roam to pop up and say hello to whoever they want no-holds-barred as whatever character or personality they wish.
A colleague mentioned in a conversation earlier that there are rumoured to be around 15,000 paedophiles that use Myspace. And I can believe it.
Many girls of all ages (and women for that matter) believe posting pictures of themselves half naked will result in them attracting more 'friends'.
Agreed it ultimately will, but everyone and I mean EVERYONE can look at them, make a comment, and pass on to other friends.
It's scary but true.
That said to the millions upon millions of us who appreciate the site and use it for its main purpose - to meet 'nice' people, love it.
Personally I love Myspace for the music. That is the social glue that holds it together for me.
A band or solo performer sends you a friend request, you click on it and bang, you can experience a whole new sound that the world's record labels haven't discovered yet.
Like the Arctic Monkeys (who used the site to spread the word and ultimately launch their career) it makes gods of mere men.
Look hard enough and you'll also find the celebrities... or at least they sound and seem like the celebrities you and I know.
Is it Will Ferrell? Is that really Madonna? Would Kate Moss REALLY post those pictures of herself and take the mickey so much...?
Only they know the answer because so many people make up profiles to make themselves popular. Weird isn't it?!
One person that I know is very real, and really very nice, is former Eastenders actress and Bend It Like Beckham star Pooja Shah.
Pooja sent me a friend request last year and we've remained 'friends' ever since discussing her career etc.
The likes of Myspace are mindless fun for the new generation of web users.
Click on, tune in, drop out...
If you can pull yourself away from your new 'friends' then why not try out these...
Title: God of War II
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
If blood, gore and violence is your bag then you're going to love the return of God of War. Full to the brim of action, the hit saga of 2005 returns in fantastic form.
The story follows Kratos looking for an escape from his ultimate fate as the latest god of war.
Will he make the journey or will he fall foul of just about every mythological creature in the creepiest of creepy books. Your call...
Title: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 5/5
Get ready for what just could be the best Ratchet & Clank game ever released - on the Sony PSP.
Sony's favourite platform duo return in portable form in fantastic form in a version which looks a thousands times different from its old PS2 format.
The humour remains, as does the playability. However this one focuses more on the two characters and their story rather than the preferred online team battles.
It's a welcome relief and one which is aided by cutesy graphics.
For the tens of millions of people all over the world with an internet connection, the likes of Myspace and Facebook are the current cool tools to play with.
I mean, why settle for chatting to your next door neighbour about the weather when you can chat on an instant messaging service with Tom from Venezuela about how to cook rice, or Jacky from Mexico about the surfing conditions in Tijuana?
Websites like the aforementioned are new social networks for all walks of life: the loner, the lover, the geek, and even the chic.
I have to admit I became sucked in about two years ago... and I've only just managed to crawl my way out.
It's like web heroin without the side affects (that is unless you count the loss of normal friends and the making of cyber friends as as downside).
Like many will tell you, it becomes addictive. So addictive that, when you wake, you begin wondering whether your new-found 'friends' in Australia, Africa or Tijuana are up and thinking the same as you.
Before you know it you've skipped breakfast, and lunch, and you're straight into a three-course conversation about nothing.
And that's the thing. When you begin making 'friends' and chatting to them on a regular basis, you don't really talk about anything.
'How's the weather in your world today?', 'When are you coming up to London?', What are you up to at the weekend?. It's all drivel really.
But that's doesn't matter in Myspace world. It's more knowing that there's someone on this planet living (possibly) on the other side of the world who wants to know a). what you're doing; and b). who you are.
It's nice to know you have friends.
Also if you're single then the likes of Myspace is the Holy Grail - it is the communicative tool that thousands (if not millions) of unlucky in love boys and girls have been waiting for.
But if reading this you are thinking 'hmmm... I might give it a go', be warned. Like every bus station and train carriage in the world, your Myspace or Facebook profile will attract the weirdos.
You know the sort, the people that come up to you and spurt off some random tosh about squirrels and jam or something.
In cyber world they multiply. They have a free roam to pop up and say hello to whoever they want no-holds-barred as whatever character or personality they wish.
A colleague mentioned in a conversation earlier that there are rumoured to be around 15,000 paedophiles that use Myspace. And I can believe it.
Many girls of all ages (and women for that matter) believe posting pictures of themselves half naked will result in them attracting more 'friends'.
Agreed it ultimately will, but everyone and I mean EVERYONE can look at them, make a comment, and pass on to other friends.
It's scary but true.
That said to the millions upon millions of us who appreciate the site and use it for its main purpose - to meet 'nice' people, love it.
Personally I love Myspace for the music. That is the social glue that holds it together for me.
A band or solo performer sends you a friend request, you click on it and bang, you can experience a whole new sound that the world's record labels haven't discovered yet.
Like the Arctic Monkeys (who used the site to spread the word and ultimately launch their career) it makes gods of mere men.
Look hard enough and you'll also find the celebrities... or at least they sound and seem like the celebrities you and I know.
Is it Will Ferrell? Is that really Madonna? Would Kate Moss REALLY post those pictures of herself and take the mickey so much...?
Only they know the answer because so many people make up profiles to make themselves popular. Weird isn't it?!
One person that I know is very real, and really very nice, is former Eastenders actress and Bend It Like Beckham star Pooja Shah.
Pooja sent me a friend request last year and we've remained 'friends' ever since discussing her career etc.
The likes of Myspace are mindless fun for the new generation of web users.
Click on, tune in, drop out...
If you can pull yourself away from your new 'friends' then why not try out these...
Title: God of War II
Platform: Sony PS2
RRP: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
If blood, gore and violence is your bag then you're going to love the return of God of War. Full to the brim of action, the hit saga of 2005 returns in fantastic form.
The story follows Kratos looking for an escape from his ultimate fate as the latest god of war.
Will he make the journey or will he fall foul of just about every mythological creature in the creepiest of creepy books. Your call...
Title: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
Platform: Sony PSP
RRP: £34.99
Hit count: 5/5
Get ready for what just could be the best Ratchet & Clank game ever released - on the Sony PSP.
Sony's favourite platform duo return in portable form in fantastic form in a version which looks a thousands times different from its old PS2 format.
The humour remains, as does the playability. However this one focuses more on the two characters and their story rather than the preferred online team battles.
It's a welcome relief and one which is aided by cutesy graphics.
Thursday 10 May 2007
May 10
It sounds like one of the oldest jokes in the world - but there's actually truth in the fiction.
Scenario: An English businessman walks into a Japanese bar, he would like to order a drink but he doesn't know the language and the barman only speaks Japanese.
There are any number of predictable punchlines that could follow this story, however, all is not at it seems.
A few tippy taps on his phone and the phone itself speaks to the barman.
British company Echo Translator has developed the first application of its kind to deliver an instant native voice output from a convenient on screen menu, which includes 25 languages.
And it's SERIOUSLY cool.
(And here's the techie bit)... Using Echo Phraselogic technology phone customers can speak, learn and instantly interact with people of different cultures and tongues, without any prior knowledge of the foreign language.
Available for Windows Mobile or Java handsets, the Echo Translator is available to download FREE and try from www.echotranslator.com/.
Echo Travel Basics is free and Echo Travel Pro with more than 10,000 possible phrase combinations can be subscribed to weekly, monthly or purchased outright providing an on-device, personal and convenient alternative to phrase books and classical forms of language education.
Meanwhile... Want to speed up your broadband connection? Diagnose mysterious crashes? Move massive files across the Internet?
Sooner or later, you will - and you'll find step-by-step instructions for these and other common PC tasks on the website www.msn.com.
I was just browsing around the other day and discovered a whole bunch of answers to questions I didn't even know I had.
Here's the best from my desk this week:
Title: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: The latest instalment in the Command & Conquer series explodes quite literally onto the scene with style.
Boasting much improved state-of-the-art graphics, voiceovers by real (apparently) Hollywood actors and quality sound effects, it is the best C&C yet.
C&C's unique Real-time Strategy approach set the standard and with this new title the developers have shown they are on a role.
Further plus points of the game are that it will not be one that you complete over night, nor will you grow bored in a few minutes.
However you have to be fairly used to the controls and storyline of the original game to feel completely immersed in it.
The fate of the planet - and indeed humanity - is in your hands... fancy a challenge?
Title: Lineage II: Interlude & 15 Day Time Card bundle
Platform: PC (DVD)
RRP: £19.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Exotic creatures, epic battles and dramatic lands are promised in the ever-growing fantasy world of Lineage II.
Given its ingredients it might sound like your local newspaper offices but no - this is the realm of imagination.
Continuing on with the massive multi-player online role playing game, players are offered unrivalled gaming experience in a strange new world.
While it may be the coolest thing since sliced bread for many, I found it actually all too much.
Scenario: An English businessman walks into a Japanese bar, he would like to order a drink but he doesn't know the language and the barman only speaks Japanese.
There are any number of predictable punchlines that could follow this story, however, all is not at it seems.
A few tippy taps on his phone and the phone itself speaks to the barman.
British company Echo Translator has developed the first application of its kind to deliver an instant native voice output from a convenient on screen menu, which includes 25 languages.
And it's SERIOUSLY cool.
(And here's the techie bit)... Using Echo Phraselogic technology phone customers can speak, learn and instantly interact with people of different cultures and tongues, without any prior knowledge of the foreign language.
Available for Windows Mobile or Java handsets, the Echo Translator is available to download FREE and try from www.echotranslator.com/.
Echo Travel Basics is free and Echo Travel Pro with more than 10,000 possible phrase combinations can be subscribed to weekly, monthly or purchased outright providing an on-device, personal and convenient alternative to phrase books and classical forms of language education.
Meanwhile... Want to speed up your broadband connection? Diagnose mysterious crashes? Move massive files across the Internet?
Sooner or later, you will - and you'll find step-by-step instructions for these and other common PC tasks on the website www.msn.com.
I was just browsing around the other day and discovered a whole bunch of answers to questions I didn't even know I had.
Here's the best from my desk this week:
Title: Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Platform: Xbox 360
RRP: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Review: The latest instalment in the Command & Conquer series explodes quite literally onto the scene with style.
Boasting much improved state-of-the-art graphics, voiceovers by real (apparently) Hollywood actors and quality sound effects, it is the best C&C yet.
C&C's unique Real-time Strategy approach set the standard and with this new title the developers have shown they are on a role.
Further plus points of the game are that it will not be one that you complete over night, nor will you grow bored in a few minutes.
However you have to be fairly used to the controls and storyline of the original game to feel completely immersed in it.
The fate of the planet - and indeed humanity - is in your hands... fancy a challenge?
Title: Lineage II: Interlude & 15 Day Time Card bundle
Platform: PC (DVD)
RRP: £19.99
Hit count: 3/5
Review: Exotic creatures, epic battles and dramatic lands are promised in the ever-growing fantasy world of Lineage II.
Given its ingredients it might sound like your local newspaper offices but no - this is the realm of imagination.
Continuing on with the massive multi-player online role playing game, players are offered unrivalled gaming experience in a strange new world.
While it may be the coolest thing since sliced bread for many, I found it actually all too much.
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