The Nightwave Sleep Assistant hit my mailbox a few weeks ago, and we thought the trial needed to be longed than a couple of days. I mean, how can a little blue light put you to sleep? Now here I sit, the sarcastic insomniac that I am, writing this review because I think it works! The Nightwave Sleep Assistant itself is a small rectangular box that shines a calming blue LED light onto the ceiling at night. The device slowly pulsates the brightness of the light, and you sync the timing of your breaths to the rhythmic … [Read more...]
Nintendo Wii 2 Controllers: An OnLive-like Experience?
When announcing the Nintendo Wii 2 will ship in 2012, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told Bloomberg News, "We would like to propose a new approach to home video game consoles" with the Wii successor. Meanwhile, the Wii 2 hardware rumors mention features like dual analog sticks, a six-inch touchscreen and games that stream directly to the controller. Add multiple cores and a much better GPU, not to mention improved memory specs on top of that, and what do you have? Well, from the sound of things, you have a Zelda 4 … [Read more...]
Wii 2 Guaranteed
Nintendo uses Japan as a litmus test for change. And right now and for the past year or so, the Wii routinely it outsold by the PS3. In America it is little different; just replace the PS3 with the Xbox 360. Take that and mix in the Wii's game lineup, which is the most sparse of any first half since the Wii was released, and an announcement of the Wii 2 is guaranteed this E3. The first-half first-party Wii lineup this year is Mario Sports Mix and ....... WiiPlay packaged with a Motion Plus remote control. That's a … [Read more...]
It’s Not Too Late for the 3DS
A person who was nine years-old in 2004 is now 16 and getting their driver's license. Those kids have probably entered iPod Touch land. But a whole new crop of kids is entering the 3DS's prime demographic. Kids that probably haven't played many Nintendo games before, if any. Because of this, the 3DS will sell plenty still. It's just a matter of what size of a hit will it be: giant, medium or small. Besides the 3D functionality, you have the famous franchises and the new tricks Nintendo always comes up with. Nintendo … [Read more...]
Battlefield Free2Play Runs Like Crap
EA/Dice took Battlefield 2 from 6 years ago and turned it into a free2play game. It is still in beta, but seems to run like garbage. And it looks funny to boot. The soldiers look string beans. Meanwhile the new Battlefield: Bad Company 2 runs much better and it's a 2010 game with 10x the graphics, destructible environments etc etc etc. They've got a ways to go on that one. Battlefield play4free (sorry not free2play) also loads the customizations of other players in every time you respawn. Why do I need to … [Read more...]
PC Gaming is Back!
The longer consoles stay stuck on this generation the more it benefits PC gaming. And PC gaming has been calling me back for awhile now. So I whet my appetite this weekend by installing Win7 and playing a little BF:BC2 on my Mac. And wow! It's been awhile. First thing I realized this weekend is how the mouse aiming fit like a glove. An old favorite glove. And as smooth as the white-gloved one doing the moonwalk. Effortless. It's instant relief from the claustrophobic console world. I also realized how … [Read more...]
Donkey Kong Country Returns Preview (Final Hands-On)
Back in the days of the SNES, Donkey Kong Country wowed just about everyone with its graphics, gameplay and downright fun factor. We've seen plenty of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong since then, but it's primarily been in secondary roles such as in Super Smash Bros. or in arguably obscure titles like Donkey Konga. Yes, we were among the unfortunate gamers who bought the Donkey Bongos. But Donkey Kong Country has been a relatively quiet franchise for one reason or another, and with all the attention paid to high-definition … [Read more...]
Fans flock to Glastonbury opener
Vivamus id nisi nec mauris pellentesque egestas vel sit amet diam. Etiam rhoncus risus non est pretium egestas. Nunc placerat tempor dignissim. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Pellentesque sollicitudin scelerisque varius. Cras volutpat sem vulputate quam feugiat a luctus erat feugiat. Nullam blandit, sapien non venenatis tristique, nunc quam pulvinar nunc, at sodales nunc libero a purus. … [Read more...]
Guitar Hero: World Tour Preview (Wii)
Guitar Hero: World Tour is set to release in late October for PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, and you likely already know that Guitar Hero now focuses on guitars in name alone. World Tour is a full-band affair, with bass, drums and vocals added to the musical mix, much like Rock Band and Karaoke Revolution. We recently traveled to Los Angeles to get some hands-on time with Guitar Hero: World Tour, and appropriately enough, the event took place at an actual recording studio. Much like the new song-creation mode in World … [Read more...]
de Blob Preview: Hands-On at THQ Gamers Day
When we first saw Katamari Damacy at E3 several years ago, nothing the PR reps said could have convinced us that the game was particularly compelling, let alone that its would be so successful that gamers would be clamoring for sequels as well as King of All Cosmos T-shirts. With that history as our guide, when we first heard about de Blob, a game that's part platformer, part action game and part color-mixing tutorial, we were puzzled but less pessimistic about its potential. When de Blob dropped off gamers' radar … [Read more...]