HandbagsMaMa.Net Official Blog: February 2013

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Valve's fantastic team-based first-person shooter originally came out five years ago, but the developer reinvents it so frequently that it still seems like a new game. Last June, Valve made it free-to-play, opening it up to a new audience of lovers - and has made a mint through microtransactions such as weapons, armor and hats.

http://www.teamfortress.com/

Team Fortress 2

Ghost Recon Online

Ubisoft has transformed its popular Ghost Recon franchise into an online multi-player shooter that's entirely free to play, though of course players can enhance their arsenal by using either in-game points or microtransaction buys. Ghost Recon Online won't mean the end of single-player Ghost Recon games or retail versions of the game, but it's a huge lot cheaper.

http://ghost-recon.ubi.com/ghost-recon-online/en-US/home/

Ghost Recon Online

League of Legends

Riot Games' well-known multiplayer battle arena game has been around for a few years, but has seen a big increase in reputation recently. Earlier this year, it captured the headline of the most played PC game in the world. Be forewarned: it's got a pretty steep learning curve and a die-hard following, so don't expect success right off the bat.

http://na.leagueoflegends.com/

League of Legends

Tribes: Ascend

There are a lot of free Massive Multiplayer Online Shooting games, sure, but very few feature jetpacks and skiing. Hi-Rez Studios released this latest incarnation of the belovedTribes franchise in Apr to critical acclaim. It's also a really good looking game, powered by the Unreal 3 engine and featuring a detailed ranking system.

https://account.hirezstudios.com/tribesascend/

Tribes: Ascend

Dust 514

While most free-to-play games are PC-based, Dust 514 (currently in beta on the PlayStation 3) is a game console title. Set within the Eve Online universe, Dust 514 will take place in that franchise and then players can have direct interaction with Eve players.

http://www.dust514.com/

Dust 514

DC Universe Online

Like many other free to play games, DC Universe Online started as a subscription-only game. But with SOE's transition to a free to play company, fans of Superman, the Flash, Wonder Woman and more are now able to live out their spandex fantasies without paying money.

http://www.dcuniverseonline.com/

DC Universe Online

Battlefield Play4Free

This browser-based online first-person shooter offers high-resolution art and a contemporary combat setting, but is a lot less demanding on your system than its AAA cousin, Battlefield 3. The gameplay is familiar, though, with the Assault, Medic, Engineer and Recon classes and real world vehicles.

http://battlefield.play4free.com/en/

Battlefield Play4Free

Planetside 2

SOE is in the procedure of making all of its games free-to-play, and that contains Planetside 2. The sequel to 2003's massively multiplayer shooter is currently in beta and has been getting rave reviews from players. Sony Online Entertainment has shied away from announcing a formal release date, though, as it works to get the game balance just right.

http://www.planetside2.com/

Planetside 2

Blacklight: Retribution

Zombie Studios' First Person Shooting Game is a sequel to the popular title Blacklight: Tango Down. Like Tribes: Ascend, it's powered by the Unreal 3 engine and has obtained positive reviews since going live in Apr. It currently boasts a user base of over one million registered players.

https://register.perfectworld.com/bl_30days

Blacklight: Retribution

Spelunky

Like challenges? Then you'll love the Spelunky. Though it's a difficult game without doubt, it's a lot of fun, too. Friends might be chatting about the Xbox 360 version, which came out as a commercial game earlier this year, but you can play it for free on the PC.

http://spelunkyworld.com/original.html

Spelunky

EverQuest II

It may seem a bit long in the tooth, but Everquest 2 got a very active player base and receives regular updates. It's also the first SOE game to receive the SOEmote technology, which uses a web cammera to convert your real-world motion to in-game ones. The game can also get you amped up for EverQuest: Next, Sony's next-generation Norrath-based Massive Multiplayer Online, which will also be free to play.

http://www.everquest2.com/

EverQuest II

Microsoft Flight

Though they released this detailed sim a few months ago, Microsoft's not putting any future development into Microsoft Flight. But if you are a fan of the old Flight Simulator series, it's a must-have. Just don't expect it to evolve much.

http://www.microsoft.com/games/flight/

Microsoft Flight

Friday, February 22, 2013

OUYA console

With 60,000+ backers and generating over $8.5 million in pledges, the OUYA video game console has become one of the most successful kickstarter campaigns.
For those that missed out, the console can be ordered at the same price from the official OUYA webiste.
The main thing that has most impressed me from the OUYA developers has been their consistent transparency and openness with information. They have listened and reacted to backer comments and questions. Such that the console will now feature an Ethernet port, due to the demand.
The staggered structure of announcements, whether planned or spontaneous, across the campaign’s month, continually provided this virgin console with continued momentum and interest. Each new update on development always further enhanced the attractiveness and confidence the backers could have for the OUYA, despite the minority of the internet constantly voicing their doubts and cynicism for the project.
In some ways, the easiest part is over. Now the developers have to actually construct in large quantities a product that promises quite a lot, in a very short amount of time. I’m certain their will be hiccups, as all new technology inevitably suffers unforeseen delays and obstacles.
Nonetheless, I greatly look forward to receiving my OUYA console in early 2013, even though I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do with it? What I do know is that possibilities are unlimited and the future is exciting! It’s not going to be based on whether they have (a more expensive) Netflix, whether they have original TV/video content or interactive XBOX 360 controller kids television shows which integrate with Kinect. They will lose unless these two things are sorted out well and quickly.Microsoft is living in a naive dream-world. I have heard people still there arguing that the transition of the brand from hardcore gamers to casual users and tv-uses was an intentional and crafted success. It was not. It XBOX 360 wireless controller was an accident of circumstance that Microsoft is neither leveraging nor in control of. xBox was for years the only network-connected HD-ready device already attached to tv’s that had multi-use potential (games, DVD, Netflix) in the household to justify and amortize its high cost of purchase to the family’s bread-winners. The hardcore/soft-tv transition and any lead they feel they have is simply not defensible by licensing other industries’ generic video or music content because those industries will gladly sell and license the XBOX 360 controller cases same content to all other players. A single custom studio of 150 employees also can not generate enough content to defensibly satisfy 76M+ customers. Only with quality primary software content from thousands of independent developers can you defend the brand and the product. Only by making the user experience simple, quick, and seamless can you defend the brand and the product. The transition they are seeing (87 hours per month of use, more TV/music use than game use) will continue to happen despite their active “strategic” efforts to encourage it and get more Xbox Live subscribers.Apple is already a games competitor broadly, even if Apple-TV isn’t yet a game platform or a console. Mobile wii controller generally and iPad specifically have grown the total hours of game play and grown the overall game market. Only in the last 18-24mo has that overall growth turned from a segment-expanding rising tide to a tsunami swamping the console game vendor profit boats hitched to the docks. It is accelerating. Apple, if it chooses to do so, will simply kill Playstation, Wii-U and xBox by introducing an open 30%-cut app/game ecosystem for Apple-TV. I already make a lot of money on iOS – I will be the first to write apps for Apple-TV when I can, and I know I’ll make money. I would for xBox if I could and I knew I would make money. Maybe a “console-capable” Apple-TV isn’t $99, maybe it’s $199, and add another $79 for a controller. The current numbers already say a lot, even with Apple-TV not already an open console: 5.3M sold units in 2012, 90% year-over-year growth — vs. xBox 360 — about 9M units in 2012, 60% YoY decline.So, because these two critical issues – user expereince and indie content – are not nearly in order and I see big investments in future interactive content happening, as well as idiotic moves to PS3 Controller limit used games or put harder content protection into place than exists in mobile or tablets – i predict massive failure and losses here. 745TDBanty 130222

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Eachgame Links

Wii Accessories Nintendo Wii wholesale nintendo wii Wholesale Nintendo Wii Accessories Nintendo Wii Accessories Wii Controllers Nintendo Wii Controllers Wii Gun Wii Cables Wii Adapters Wii Cases Wii Repair Parts Wii Dance Mat Wii Skins Wii Battery Wii Chargers Wii Memory Card Wii Sports Pack Nintendo Wii Gun Nintendo Wii Cables Nintendo Wii Adapters Nintendo Wii Cases Nintendo Wii Repair Parts Nintendo Wii Dance Mat Nintendo Wii Skins Nintendo Wii Battery Wii Chargers Wii Memory Card Wii Sports Pack Xbox xbox 360 xbox 360 accessories wholesale xbox wholesale xbox 360 wholesale xbox 360 accessories Xbox 360 Accessories Xbox 360 DVD Driver Xbox 360 DVD Driver Accessories Xbox 360 Controllers Xbox 360 Cases Xbox 360 Repair Parts Xbox 360 Cables Xbox 360 wireless adapter Xbox 360 Battery Xbox 360 charger Xbox 360 Games Xbox 360 Console XBox 360 Hard Drive Xbox 360 Headsets Xbox 360 Memory Cards Xbox 360 Colling Devices Xbox 360 Skins PS3 controller PS3 move accessories PS3 accessories Wii Accessories Nintendo Wii wholesale nintendo wii Wholesale Nintendo Wii Accessories Nintendo Wii Accessories Wii Controllers Nintendo Wii Controllers Wii Gun Wii Cables Wii Adapters Wii Cases Wii Repair Parts Wii Dance Mat Wii Skins Wii Battery Wii Chargers Wii Memory Card Wii Sports Pack Nintendo Wii Gun Nintendo Wii Cables Nintendo Wii Adapters Nintendo Wii Cases Nintendo Wii Repair Parts Nintendo Wii Dance Mat Nintendo Wii Skins Nintendo Wii Battery Wii Chargers Wii Memory Card Wii Sports Pack Xbox xbox 360 xbox 360 accessories wholesale xbox wholesale xbox 360 wholesale xbox 360 accessories Xbox 360 Accessories Xbox 360 DVD Driver Xbox 360 DVD Driver Accessories Xbox 360 Controllers Xbox 360 Cases Xbox 360 Repair Parts Xbox 360 Cables Xbox 360 wireless adapter Xbox 360 Battery Xbox 360 charger Xbox 360 Games Xbox 360 Console

Even debug flags placed inside the dead zone code were printing to the console. It seemed that every so often, as well as the unwanted XBOX 360 controller inputs above I was getting intermittent spikes of 100% input for one out of every 30 or so frames. Too quick to pick up by viewing the inspector but a debug flag confirmed it.A new 360 controller was hooked up and still the same. After 2 or more XBOX 360 battery hours at this I took to the driver and the solution nearly made me tear my hair out.As you can see, the sliders to the left and below the left and right thumbsticks respectively have a slider. Moving these to the values above resolved the issue and still gave a nice amount of user control. Back to normal :)I like the fact that the game now supports 360 controllers on all platforms however I think upon release, I will have to include a list of supported drivers and settings for users to use. Setting these sliders back to 0 brought all XBOX 360 chargers the issues back. I shudder to think what a user would experience with the final game if using this driver without setting it first. If I could write a script to set the driver that would be great but for now, I’m happy just to have it working.Pitch scale value set as a positive number (as shown above) will give you the reversed pitch (looking up and down) like a airplane flight stick. So with the right analog stick, moving down on the stick looks up, and up on the stick looks down. To revert this, use a NEGATIVE number, this will flip the direction. I found that my controller had a LOT of drift on axis 4, so i set al my dead zone settings a bit higher than the default. Also note that axis 5 doesn’t exist on Xbox controller, but I use it on axis I’m not going to use (roll and zoom). But you may want to change the analog triggers (axis 2) for “roll” so you can get that airplane barrel roll effect as you cam around. For now the analog wii controller triggers are used for up/down motion. When in avatar mode, you’ll fly up and down instead, holding the left trigger while standing will make you crouch. If you crouch and move the left stick you’ll do a sneak walk animation (depends on your AO). While in avatar movement mode, the left analog stick will make you run if you move the stick all the way, if you move it partially your avatar will walk.Feathering I find problematic. Basically all this does is make your controls feel mushy, or slow. When you start or stop moving the flycam/avatar there’s a kind of delay that can either give a nice dramatic slow camera movement (when slider is to the left), or a wobbly flicker of camera (slider towards the right). This can get really problematic when in PS3 Controller busy regions (large population of avatars, heavy script use, etc) when your FPS drops, your camera can get out of control. 745TDBanty 130219

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

BlackBerry 10 launch, iOS 6 jailbroken, Key Lime Pie dated: This Week's Headlines

Good evening folks and welcome to another edition of This Week's Headlines. It's been an interesting week for sure, with new Android phone rumours, a new iPad and new iOS jailbreak, and the release of Windows Phone 7.8. There was even the BlackBerry 10 launch party!

Let's get into the headlines!

HTC CEO Peter Chou reveals HTC M7 at party

HTC CEO Peter Chou is pretty excited about his company's upcoming Android flagship, and to prove the point he showed it off briefly at the company's year end party. While he didn't do more than produce the phone and snap a few photos, we can see that earlier leaks look to have been accurate - the phone looks like a 4.7" smartphone with a beastly 13 megapixel camera. The M7 is expected to be announced for real at MWC.

Intel will reveal dual-core Android phones at MWC

HTC aren't the only ones that'll be showing off something new at the Mobile World Congress next month. Intel have also announced that they will be showing their latest x86 smartphones at the Barcelona event. The new phones will be dual-core models, which could offer excellent performance compared to even their quad-core ARM brethren.

Samsung Galaxy S IV may launch in April

One company that isn't expected to launch a new flagship phone at MWC is Samsung. The company's Galaxy S IV is expected to come out in April this year, according to New Zealand carrier Two Degrees Mobile. The company released an incentive plan to its employees, with multiple Samsung Galaxy S4 units as prizes after the contest ends on April 9th. It's not a full confirmation, but it would agree with existing rumours.

Internal Qualcomm Roadmaps suggest Key Lime Pie in Q2

According to internal documents from chip maker Qualcomm, they are expecting the next version of Android, Key Lime Pie, to be announced at Google I/O in May. The documents specify a Spring 2013 'Google Estimated Release', so they should be fairly accurate. Qualcomm also asked sites publishing the documents to take them down soon after publication, which again may be an indication that this is the real deal.

Apple announces 128 GB iPad with Retina display

Apple has announced their most expensive iPad ever - a new model with 128 GB of internal storage. The iPad will be available for an eye-watering £639 for the Wi-Fi only model and £739 for the cellular data model. The extra 64 GB of memory will cost Apple £22, but will be sold for an extra £80 over the 64 GB model.

First untethered iPhone 5, iOS 6.x jailbreak coming soon

The first untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 5 is coming soon. The jailbreak, which is called evasi0n, will work for all iOS 6 devices (including iOS 6.1) and is due for release later today. The website currently lists the jailbreak as being in an advanced testing status, 85% complete.

Judge rules Samsung did not willfully infringe Apple patents

According to Judge Lucy Koh, Samsung did not willfully infringe on Apple's patents. This ruling will mean that Apple's due payment of $1.049 billion will stay where it is; otherwise the ruling could have been multiplied by a factor of three.

Skulls of the Shogun is first Windows 8/ Windows RT / Xbox 360 / Windows Phone cross-platform game

Turn-based strategy game Skulls of the Shogun has been released this week. The game, developed by 17-BIT, has a rather wide launch given that's been produced by such a small studio - it's available on Windows 8, Windows RT, Xbox 360 and even Windows Phone. More interestingly, each of this versions play very similarly and cross-platform play is supported. The game is loads of fun and I'd definitely recommend checking it out if you can!

Windows Phone 7.8 updated released for Nokia phones

The long-awaited Windows Phone 7.8 update has finally arrived on schedule, at least for Nokia handsets. Nokia is instructing that owners of Nokia phones that want to get the update should connect their phones to their PCs and launch the Zune desktop software.

BlackBerry 10 launch event

Research in Motion had a crazy BlackBerry 10 launch event. They kicked off by renaming themselves BlackBerry, they showed off the BlackBerry 10 OS and also revealed two new phones - the touch-screen Z10, available now, and the physical-keyboard-equipped Q10, available in April. For more coverage, check out Kenlo's writeup of the event and its announcements.

So there we have it - all of the major stories of the week. Thanks for reading and I hope you've had a good weekend! If you've got any questions or comments, I'd love to read them below. Until next time!

www.eachgame.com

Monday, February 4, 2013

Video Game Review: CRYSIS 2 (PS3)

http://kobebasketball.blogspot.com/2013/02/video-game-review-lollipop-chainsaw-ps3.html

http://prettygirlhandbags.blogspot.com/2013/02/video-game-review-mass-effect-3-ps3.html

http://www.nqht.org/forum/viewthread/201/

http://www.nqht.org/forum/viewthread/199/

http://www.nqht.org/forum/viewthread/200/

I’d never had a computer powerful enough to have played the first Crysis game, so I came into playing its follow-up .. Crysis 2 – with a completely open mind. Having said that, First-person shooters are NOT my preferred genre, even though I seem to play a heap of them (perhaps that’s more a reflection on the current state of the video game industry?), and as usual, I concentrate on the single player campaign, as I have no interest with the online multi-player section of the game.
It took a little while for me to warm to this game, probably because I was initially presented with a barrage of different powers and abilities and it took some time to settle for that right combination which suited my game style. Indeed, I found invisible cloaking and sneaking up to or running away from the enemy to be my favoured method of game progression.
The future-war ravaged New York story is superbly presented (even though it mimics components I’ve already experienced in about a dozen other games I’ve played in the last couple of years), but the cut scenes are as impressive as any I’d ever seen, and the visuals in-game are equally as superb.
You control the nano-enabled marine soldier – Alcatraz, yet he appears constantly manipulated by other people that are seemingly determined to control him at all times. I guess the linearity of your actions may put some people off from completing the game, but I feel the game developers are making a statement of their own here, too.
So what are my complaints about the game? Not many, really. Except, I just often felt confused with the actual control-scheme for my various weapons and abilities, and never felt comfortable about experimenting beyond the power and tricks I knew I could execute well enough to get me to the next checkpoints. Checkpoints.. oh yeah.. some of them were truly ungenerous. Occasionally I traverse a section, kill some enemy but then get struck down by something random, only to be brought back to a long forgotten checkpoint, so that I’d have to continually repeat all that again (and sometimes again and again).
Don’t be discouraged by my score below. This is a great game and I completely recommend it, especially for those lovers of the first-person shooter genre. I’m also genuinely interested in seeing the continuation of events in Crysis 3!For more:www.eachgame.com

Friday, February 1, 2013

Video Game Review – NEED FOR SPEED: HOT PURSUIT (ps3)

http://happygirlhandbags.blogspot.com/2013/02/video-game-review-killzone-3-ps3.html

http://prettygirlhandbags.blogspot.com/2013/02/video-game-review-dragon-age-ii-ps3.html

http://videogamelooiskim.blogspot.com/2013/02/video-game-review-call-of-juarez-cartel.html

http://eachgamehere.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/great-dualshock-3/

http://videogameseachgame.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/ps3-slim/

http://eachgamehere.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-playstation-3-slim.html

http://eachgamevideogame.blog.com/2013/02/01/sony-playstation-3-160-gb/

I have good memories of the original Hot Pursuit games, from well over a decade ago on PC/PS1, in which you either take control of a police car to takedown criminals or play as a superfast racer outrunning the cops!
I was so confident that Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit was going to be awesome, I traded away all my racing games in the days before its’ release. It was the right decision.
Sadly, the last few Need For Speed games have failed to excite or match expectations, so it was with much relief that Burnout developer Criterion took control of making this game. Indeed, NFS:HP manages to take the best ideas of the past games from both franchise to form one complete focused gaming experience.
The leveling up is well measured, and the variety of racing types and challenges never makes the game a chore. Even failure goes some way to overall success. The game rewards you for playing.
Visually, the game is amazing. With a huge collection of state-of-the-art REAL vehicles to choose from, the gamer is never short of choice of excellence. Control of the cars is super sensitive, making for full concentration and good timing to achieve the best results.
In terms of online, nothing can compare to competing with and against other “real life” racers. The Autolog system, that reports all your friend’s times/success adds great motivation for you to achieve better results as well as help form a create sense of community within the game. This was something attempted a few months ago with Blur, but Electronic Arts seem to have achieved this with much more polish.
Time will tell what longevity the game has. I’m sure plenty of DLC and updates with be released in the coming year, and I’m hopeful motorbikes will be added to the awesome vehicle selection. Hot Pursuit is the only racing game I ever want to play!