Console Gaming

Wii Game Review: Monopoly Streets

As I have said before, my family loves playing board games, and rather obviously I am a big video game fan – something I share with my kids (my wife, not so much). So video-board games seem like an obvious attraction for us. Monopoly Streets is the latest one we have tried, involving family and friends once again to see how it compares to sitting around a table. Read on to find out! The Hype: Monopoly Streets reinvigorates the classic game of fortune in a whole new format. Explore the streets of your favorite town as you journey from the…


Gear Games Review: Atari C-100 Pong Home System

As anyone who has whiled away the hours playing Dungeon or Trek on your PDP-10 or S/360 knows – video games are fast becoming a BIG DEAL! Atari has caught on to this phenomenon, and already released the exciting Pong arcade game a couple of years back. But now they are ready to take it to the next level – with the C-100 Pong console they are bringing all the thrill of pong into your HOME! The Hype: Pong is a two-dimensional sports game that simulates table tennis. The player controls an in-game paddle by moving it vertically across the…


PC/XBOX360/PS3 Game Review: ‘Meh’dal of Honor

I would assume that the expression ‘meh’ as something average or unimpressive is widely enough known to anyone with internet experience that it is fair to say that I have ‘tipped my hand’ as far as my opinion goes. So you can leave now knowing I thought Medal of Honor was a mediocre and very skippable experience, or you can read on and find out WHY I felt that way … and also discover that aside from ‘meh’ my favorite word to describe this game is ‘unfortunate’. The Hype: Operating directly under the National Command Authority, a relatively unknown entity…


PC/XBOX360/PS3 Game Review: Alpha Protocol

What the HECK took me so long to get my review of Alpha Protocol done? Didn’t I mention months ago having finished the game? Didn’t I later say I was going back and replaying again … and haven’t some months ensued since THAT as well? It is all true, and since then I have gone back again, looking to reduce the ‘two minds’ I have about so much of this game into a coherent review … you’ll have to read on to find out how I did! The Hype: The year is 2009. Worldwide political tensions are at a breaking…


AAFES Still Says No to M.O.H. on US Bases, Even After EA Removes “Taliban” Label

Image courtesy of HDWallpapers Video game developers and production studios and publishers are no strangers to controversy over video game titles and content. In the past few weeks Electronic Arts and Danger Close have been under fire from the military organization AAFES (Army Air Force Exchange Service) about their new Medal of Honor (MoH) title. The new game has a multiplayer mode, where you can choose to be on either the American Force or the Opposing Force — which in the game was formerly called the “Taliban”. When the game was initially announced, AAFES made the call to ban MoH…


PC/XBOX360/PS3 Game Review: Dragon Age: Origins – Witch Hunt DLC

Last month I reviewed the Golems of Amgarrek DLC, the month before that I reviewed the Leliana’s Song DLC, and the month before that I reviewed the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC with each one representing very different types of gaming experiences within the context of the Dragon Age universe: one was combat driven and narrow, one was a character study that got us behind the scenes with one of the main characters from the main game, and the most recent one was a high-level combat-centric module. I also noted that the final DLC was coming, called Witch Hunt, which was supposed…


PC/XBOX360/PS3 Game Review: Dragon Age: Origins Golems of Amgarrak DLC

Last month I reviewed the Leliana’s Song DLC and the month before that I reviewed the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC, with each one representing very different types of gaming experiences within the context of the Dragon Age universe: one was combat driven and narrow, and the other was a character study that got us behind the scenes with one of the main characters from the main game. I also noted that a high-level combat-centric module Golems of Amgarrak was arriving. Now that I have completed playing through the newest DLC (and with only a week before the final DLC release) I…


PC/XBOX360 Game Review – Dragon Age: Origins Leliana’s Song DLC

Last month I reviewed the Darkspawn Chronicles DLC, saying that even at “$5 in Microsoft Points … it has questionable value.” I found it “a single-minded module that lasts about an hour, adds a single new item to the main game, and offers little replayability” … and was really just an average add-on in general. Now I am back after playing through the new DLC Leliana’s Song (announced here). So how did they do THIS time? Read on and find out! The Hype: Assume the role of Leliana, a young bard involved in a criminal ring that deals in political…


Nintendo DS News: R4 ‘Piracy Enabling’ Carts Now Illegal In UK

I think by now I’ve made it known that I am frothingly anti-piracy, so the new ruling in the UK that bans the R4 Revolution and similar devices thrills me. The high court set a new precedent by adjusting that it is illegal for the R4 card to circumvent Nintendo’s security systems in order to play content on the DS. In the US this sort of thing isn’t necessarily illegal to sell, but since they are such piracy-centric devices even Amazon who used to be a big seller of the devices has stopped supplying them. Basically the R4 is an…


NOX Audio Specialist Headphones Works For Gamers and Office Workers

I found almost the perfect headset for both gamers and office workers. What am I talking about? The NOX Audio Specialist headphones that’s what! Let’s go over the basics. First, the NOX Audio headphones comes in a great case that has some structure to it. This is great for those who just want to protect their headphones while they are in their backpack. Opening the case reveals the headphones themselves. They fold so they can fit in the case and the cable itself is detachable and can be secured in the case. The cable looks like a microusb on one…


My Summary of Sony’s E3 Presentation: Buy Our 3D TV’s, We Make a Better Wii-Mote, People Are Too Dumb for the PSP

I am honestly beginning to believe that hubris is so tightly ingrained in the Sony Corporate culture that ‘berate the customer day’ likely stands alongside ‘casual Friday’ as a regular occurrence. OK, perhaps that is a bit harsh, but what came out of the mouths of Sony at their E3 press event were definitely NOT the words of a company in DEAD LAST in every possible category of gaming for the last several years who should be looking to ingratiate themselves with the customers who had previously made them the biggest name in console gaming. How bad is it? Nearly…


Dragon Age: Origins The Darkspawn Chronicles DLC: PC/XBOX360 Game Review

I have already detailed my feelings about the epic role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins, stating in my review that “not only do I love nearly every aspect of the game, I also love how after finishing it a couple of times I am thoroughly enjoying a new play-through as I contemplate my actions and consequences from the prior runs.” After such praise, it is a pretty easy guess that I am a lock to get any and all new content for the game. There have already been several add-ons released, from the initial Return to Ostagar DLC to the much…


Dragon Age Origins: PC/XBOX360/PS3 Game Review

The other night I was watching VH1’s ‘100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80’s’, and was thinking about Bioware and the whole ’spiritual successor to Baldur’s Gate 2? thing surrounding Dragon Age: Origins. Baldur’s Gate 2 is the 2000 classic PC RPG that is not just one of the best RPGs ever but one of the greatest games in video game history. Not only that, it is one of those rare sequels that is better than the original – and the original itself is always on the ‘best video games ever’ lists! Put into that context, it is hard…


Mass Effect 2 (RPG, 2010): PC/XBOX360 Game Review

Way back in late 2007 (early 2008 on PC), Bioware released a game that was unique and interesting in several ways: it was their second game featuring all-new intellectual property (Jade Empire was first), a game designed from the start (or so we were told) as a trilogy, and the gameplay mechanic was a third-person squad-based shooter similar in some ways to Gears of War. The game was a tremendous commercial and critical success, thereby ensuring that the remainder of the trilogy would be produced, but there were some significant criticisms (even in the early 10/10 ‘bestest gaem EVAR’ reviews):…


Review: Wii Pedestal Base

Sometimes a product does not have to be complex to be great.  Little nifty things like the 3 beads on the Zagg  Smartbuds Dan just reviewed.  It seems so simple, but makes a world of difference in its use.  Is the Wii Pedestal Base one of these products?  Let’s find out.


Case-Mate PWND Case for iPhone 3G/3Gs Review

If we believe what Steve Jobs tells us (that argument’s meant for a whole different discussion) the Apple iPhone OS is an built to be one of the best operating systems for gaming.  Any look at the sheer abundance of games in the iTunes App Store and you might just have to agree. Do you do a lot of gaming on your iPhone 3G or 3Gs? If you answered yes, you’ll appreciate the Case-Mate PWND case.  It’s a silicone case that has severely reinforced corners which make it resemble a gaming console remote control.  When playing games that rely heavily…


Unboxing the Logitech G27 Racing Wheel!

The Logitech G27 racing wheel is the follow up to Logitech’s wonderful G25 racing wheel that came out a few years back. It is developed mainly for the hardcore gamers who love to experience every bit of the game, and play it in true sense. It is designed to provide the best racing experience to the PlayStation gaming station users and PC gamers. Having used the G25 in the past, I would say I am a very happy owner of the fantastic G25 racing wheel made by Logitech. The G27 racing wheel from Logitech is everything a racing simulation fan…


Thrustmaster Sports Pack – Review

I love the Wii I received for my birthday last year. I never cease to be amazing by its motion-sensing controls and the remarkable flexibility of the system. I’m not a golfer in real life but on the Wii… love it. I’m not a tennis player in real life… but in my den I sure am, thanks to the Wii. Yes, with the Wii I can fight dragons, play tennis and then, minutes later start a workout routine. Until now, however, I used the Wii Remote and imagined it was a golf club, a tennis racket or a sword. Thanks…


Review: Wolfenstein for PC, XBOX360 & PS3

As I’ve tossed out before while talking about the Wolfenstein iPhone releases, my history with Wolfenstein is nearly 30 years old. I’m not sure how I initially found out about it – it could have been an impulse buy at the local computer center – but from the moment I started playing Castle Wolfenstein on my Apple ][+ I was hooked. Locks that told you they would take 75 seconds to pick – and that was *real time*! During which you were vulnerable to the ever-roaming guard patrols. By the time Wolfenstein 3D came out in 1992 the gaming press…