SO the iPad has been named as one of the coolest gadgets of 2010.
Rightly so I feel. I’ve not actually held one, or even seen one in the flesh (or metallic casing), but it does look pretty sexy in every picture I’ve seen.
More to the point, a world-wide search has begun to find its missing USB port and SD card slot.
I find this issue winds me up even more than the ridiculous price bracket it has here in the UK.
NOTE: £429 for the cheapest (16GB) wifi version and £529 for the cheapest (16GB) 3G version.
Lord Jobs says the iPad bridges the gap between the iPod and a laptop.
Maybe the price yes, but not in its user-friendly sense.
I mean, a glorified mass storage device WITHOUT USB port? What is the point in that?
Of course the answer is simple. Apple want people to download movies and games etc through iTunes.
I’d rather transfer movies and games etc from my home mac onto it.
And there’s the reason. They want us to spend more money on filling it full of software.
While writing this I’m now told you can actually buy an ‘adapter’ for the iPad to allow you to connect other mass storage devices in order to transfer data.
I mean come on. The question has to be: a). is the iPad what the world has been waiting for? A technological breakthrough equivalent of what toasters did to bread?
Or b). Is the iPad a technological breakthrough designed to milk every last penny out of its buyers.
I’m not a betting man but I’d go for the latter.
I’m also sure the world will prove me wrong and each and every one of us will have at least one in our household in the future.
But for now I’m reserving judgement.
Anyway, it’s been a bit of a blinding fortnight for games releases.
Half the reason for my relative no-show on here has been down to those nice people at Rockstar for giving us Red Dead Redemption.
Here are the reviews:
Title: Red Dead Redemption
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 5/5
Rockstar Games releases don’t come along that often, but when they do, they’ve almost always been worth the wait, and invariably justify every last bit of hype that surrounds them. Well, here we go again, as Red Dead Redemption comes swaggering into town, jingling its polished spurs with every step and gunning down pretty much every sandbox action adventure opposition that dares to stand up to it. A huge open-world environment set in the final years of the Wild West is the backdrop to the story of former outlaw John Martson’s adventure across the American frontier. So much to pack in to so few words, but let’s just say it’s an essential purchase – huge rolling regions of towns and outposts, cracking characterisations, a morality system based on your own gaming actions and Western-themed mini games are all in the mix. And, of course, you can ride horses. Yee-hah, just get a rootin’ tootin’ move on and buy it!
Title: Split/Second
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Racing
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
The Burnout series has turned lavish, explosive arcade racers into a fine art, and there’s no doubt that Split/Second is aiming squarely at a similar gaming market. The intricacies of suspension, engine tuning and other simulation options are forgone for the fabulous feeling you get from blowing up a trackside building to wipe out the two cars in front of you. Yes, your drifting around corners and jumping and slipstreaming all add up to god-like power-plays that can transform a track – and a race running order – in seconds. And that’s your key skill as you progress through 12 extreme racing episodes, unlocking more motors from the credits you earn and more lethal races for you to enter. It’s big, ballsy racing from the outset, with sharp reflexes and a power-play sense of timing required to succeed. Burnout may have blazed the trail, but Split/Second is certainly following up with a fiery flourish.
Title: Alan Wake
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
Alan Wake will have been a game on the radar of action thriller fans for some time, and after what seems like an eternity (over five years), you can finally get your hands on it. Alan Wake is a famous novelist with a serious case of writer’s block, which he seeks to cure by upping sticks from New York and settling down in the village of Bright Falls. However, when night falls in his new place of residence, the shadows that have haunted the area for decades rear their head again, sending Wake on a superb psychological adventure, delivered masterfully in TV-style episodes. The pacing is impeccable, with Alan’s atmospheric narrative musings building the tension and moving the story on seamlessly. It’s darn creepy too, with numerous freaky beasts lurking in the shadows to scare your socks off. If story-driven chillers float your boat, a trip to Bright Falls will be one visit you never forget...
Title: Skate 3
Platform: PS3
Genre: Skateboarding
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
EA has taken the skate-gaming world by storm with its Skate series, riding toe-to-toe with anything that Tony Hawk can turn out, and producing what is arguably a more authentic analogue experience than its competitors. And for the third instalment we’re moving out of San Vanelona to an all new urban playground called Port Carverton. And that’s not all that’s new – a career mode brimming with devilish skate challenges awaits all newcomers, as you set about building a your own board brand. And you can get a little help from your friends here, too. Co-operative gaming allows you to tackle challenges together, get yourselves photographed in action in the same shot, and a host of teammate-based benefits. The online aspects of Skate 3 are what makes it really stand out from the crowd, but even if you’re more of a solo skater, there’s more than enough in this new city to keep you kick-flipping into the early hours.
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