Tag: Xbox 360

Razer Chimaera 5.1 Wireless Gaming Headset Review

Here’s a video review of the Razer Chimaera 5.1 wireless gaming headset. Although it can be used with any console or PC, it only allows for chat on Xbox 360. It’s a high-quality product from Razer, a company that’s known some of the best mice and keyboards for gamers…

Here’s a video review of the Razer Chimaera 5.1 wireless gaming headset. Although it can be used with any console or PC, it only allows for chat on Xbox 360. It’s another  high-quality product from Razer, a company that’s known some of the best mice and keyboards for gamers.

Here’s the Cliff Notes version:

Like

  • Super Comfortable — I wore the Chimaera for several gaming sessions of two hours or more and found it perfectly comfortable the whole time.
  • Great Sound — Although it’s not as impressive as headsets with multiple drivers, I really enjoyed the sound output. At the very least, it blows away TV speakers in terms of clarity and detail.

Didn’t Like

  • Microphone — The mic isn’t noise-cancelling, which could be a deal breaker for gamers that play in crowded living rooms, doorms, etc.
  • Possible Interference — I’m positive that interference won’t be an issue for most people, but if you live in a crowded apartment complex (like me) with lots of 5.8GHz devices fighting for signal then you’ll probably experience occasional dropouts. At home, I experienced a few dropouts but when I brought the Chimaera to my friend’s house in the suburbs I didn’t have any.

Kindly watch the review when you have a chance and let me know what you think! Is the Razer Chimaera 5.1 something you want this holiday season?

This Week’s Videogame Releases (Uncharted 3!!!)

Huge week for PlayStation 3 fans as Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception brings the noise. PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers get an updated version of a James Bond classic in Goldeneye 007: Reloaded. If you’d rather enjoy combat with swords and shields instead of guns then take a trip to Middle-Earth in Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Sega’s iconic hedgehog is back in Sonic Generations. Capping things off are two Konami games with outstanding names. Otomedius Excellent wins on its name alone. Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With an Engine cracks me up every time I hear the name since in my head it’s Jimmie Johnson’s Anything With a Pulse.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Ken Levine Talks Occupy Wall Street and BioShock Infinite

The Washington Post has a great interview with Irrational Games creative director and co-founder Ken Levine. Similarities between BioShock Infinite and the Occupy Wall Street movement are discussed. I highly recommend giving it a full read; it’s a fantastic interview with one of the sharpest minds in game development…

The Washington Post has a great interview with Irrational Games creative director and co-founder Ken Levine. Similarities between BioShock Infinite and the Occupy Wall Street movement are discussed. I highly recommend giving it a full read; it’s a fantastic interview with one of the sharpest minds in game development.

One curious aside in the interview is Levine talking about BioShock Infinite getting heat from leftists and white supremacists alike. Check it out:

The games tend to be a Rorschach for people, and I’ve heard both sides of reaction [to the demo]. I had the displeasure of going to a white supremacist site that made a point of saying this game by “the Jew” Ken Levine was about killing white people. But then I went to this leftist site that said this is about discrediting leftists movements. Games, as I said, are a Rorschach, and I don’t want to be making games that are expressing a political or philosophical view.

For some reason, in my head I hear a white supremacist calling him “the Jew Ken Levine” similar to how South Park’s Eric Cartman says “that damn Jew Kyle”. Though perhaps that’s just me….

Anyway, head on over to The Washington Post, enjoy the interview, and let me know what you think (please).

Source

Rockstar Games Announces Grand Theft Auto V

Rockstar Games’ web site is currently taken over by a large graphics that officially announced Grand Theft Auto V. Being the useful sort, Rockstar also let its fans know that a trailer is coming on November 2, 2011 and that the Roman numeral “V” stands for the number five. Thanks for that. This whole time I thought the movie was called Rocky “Vee”.

Anyway, are you psyched for the announcement and trailer? What do you expect? Leave your Grand Theft Auto V thoughts in the comments section (please!).

Source

This Week’s Videogame Releases (Battlefield 3!!!)

Battlefield 3 hits stores this week and millions of gamers are psyched to get their hands on this military shooter. On the other end of the spectrum, which is decidedly pink, is Kirby’s Return to Dream Land. Continuing with Nintendo’s cutesy theme is Pokémon Rumble Blast. If you’re look for action that doesn’t involve wars or pink creatures with incredible suction powers then you might want to give The House of Dead: Overkill and Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi. Lastly, if motion floats your ocean then perhaps Dance Central 2 and Kinect Sports: Season Two are for you.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Skylanders Action Figures Video

Please, please, please check out this video of some of the 30+ action figures that can be used in Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures. The action figures themselves have some cool designs and the marketing copy is hilarious. Most of the action figures have tag-lines that are so silly that you have to laugh at them.

I’ve actually started my second run of the game and the main reason I’m playing it again is because it’s fun to use the action figures to swap characters. I’m positive that the game and the toys will sell like crazy this holiday season. Well played Activision. Well played.

Coffee Talk #414: Skylanders — Brilliant, Evil, or Both?

I’ve started playing Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures for a Machinima.com review. I’m completely fascinated by the Skylanders business model. For those of you not familiar with the deal, Skylanders is an action-RPG available for most…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Lindsay Lohan’s latest mugshot, the outstanding customer service at Verve Coffee Roasters, or Bernard Hopkins getting suplexed in a boxing match, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve started playing Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures for a Machinima.com review. I’m completely fascinated by the Skylanders business model. For those of you not familiar with the deal, Skylanders is an action-RPG available for most videogame systems. What makes it unique is that it uses toys to enhance and unlock gameplay. The $69.99 starter kit comes with the game, the “Portal of Power” accessory that plugs into your console, and three action figures. Additional action figures can be purchased for $7.99 and up.

Now here’s the kicker: from what I’ve seen, you have to buy more toys to get everything out of the game. That’s brilliant…and possibly a little evil. So far, the game is surprisingly fun; I had low expectations for it and they have been greatly exceeded. The toys look cool. On their own, I’m not sure they’re worth $8 each or $20 for a three-pack, but considering that they unlock in-game features, they’re pragmatic as well as decorative. There are more than 30 toys, with more action figures and DLC on the way, so it’s entirely possible to spend hundreds of dollars on Skylanders…and I’m sure some kids will do just that.

Fascinating, hey? I’m not really sure what kids and tweens like these days, but I imagine Skylanders is going to be hugely popular this holiday season. While most of the videogame business has been focusing on DLC and $10 online solutions to make more money of off each title, Activision is probably going to strike gold with dollies action figures. If this game does well, can you imagine a Transformers, Pokemon, or Disney game using a similar business model? This dolly thing could be huge…and more than a little exploitative.

Anyway, I wanted to see what you thought about Skylanders and its business model. Is Skylanders brilliant, evil, or both?!?

Read My Dead Rising 2: Off the Record Review (Please)

My review of Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is up at Machinima. Kindly check it out when you have a chance. It’s a fun game, but largely the same as DR2. Most of the same art assets and levels are used, with some new dialogue, a sanbox mode, and the photography gimmick thrown in. It’s “only” $40…but it’s kind of a tough sell. Here’s the part where I quote myself:

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record offers hours of visceral zombie mashing and allows gamers to have fun slaughtering the undead with all manner of weapons. The problem is, I’m not really sure who this game is for. Only the most ardent Dead Rising fans should buy this game. Gamers that liked or really liked Dead Rising 2, but didn’t love it, will find that it’s too much of the same. Even though this game retails for a relative bargain of $39.99, gamers that only played the first game will be better off playing Dead Rising 2, which can be found for half the cost or less. As for people that liked Dead Rising’s potential but didn’t like the actual game, there aren’t any significant improvements here to make them believers. Off the Record is a must-buy only for those with an irrational love for the series.

I know that several of you enjoyed Dead Rising 2, but are you going to pick this one up? Or are you going to wait until it hits the bargain bin? When you have a chance, please head on over to Machinima and check out my review. Thanks muchly!

Source

Paul Dini Talks About Writing Batman: Arkham City

Most of you have been dazzled by Paul Dini’s work in Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and more. Although Dini is a relative newcomer in the videogame world, most gamers were thrilled by his writing in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Early reviews indicate that he’s better than ever in Batman: Arkham City. Dini recently discussed the differences between writing for animation and writing for a game. He told  Gamasutra:

It’s like writing the same movie about 12 times, you know? For every variation. You go down and the character has a certain goal to accomplish — like he’s got to get to this room and then there’s a certain boss along the way, and he’s got to go through the other guys. But every loop has to be written, and scripted, and accounted for.

So I find myself looking for variations of thug dialogue a lot, like “What’s that?” “It’s the Bat!” “The Bat, he’s here!” It’s like, how do you say the same thing over and over again? Because every movement — “We got him!” “He got away!” — has to be done over and over again.

As you’d expect, I’m a total Dini mark. The guy is just frickin’ awesome. He owns in the animation and comic-book worlds. His videogame writing is also super good; perhaps one day he’ll be as captivating as the bloke that wrote SmackDown vs. Raw 2011. *joke*

What did you think of Dini’s writing in Arkham Asylum? I know that some of you are picking up Arkham City tonight. When you have a chance, kindly leave your first impressions of the story.

Source