Doubling as a hacky-sack, the MovieWedge is a convenient way to view media horizontally on your iPhone or iPod touch.  The MovieWedge is lightweight and portable beanbag-esque cushion that supports your iPhone for prime viewing.

Embracing a brutally simple design aesthetic, the MovieWedge can effectively adapt to most any surrounding.  Capable of changing shape to a small degree, the MovieWedge can easily fit in where ever you need it.  From a stiff but moving airplane tray table, to your bed or your grassy backyard, the MovieWedge is unlike any iPhone stand you have used before.

The MovieWedge is pretty durable due to its impressionable footbag design.  I can see at some point down the line it becoming a bit worn or frayed from general wear and tear but with any amount of TLC, the MovieWedge should last for years.

For only $10, the MovieWedge is a great gift idea for this coming holiday season for anybody that owns an iPhone, iPod Touch, or any PMP or smart phone that displays media horizontally.

The only thing I didn’t like was the made in China tag dangling off of the MovieWedge.  I would have liked to have seen the logo embroidered on the cushion itself but it’s not a huge sticking point.

Any consumer would be happy with what the MovieWedge provides for the price and anyone looking for an iPhone stand/pillow should look no further.

It can also be used to clean the screen of your iPhone no problem!

Pros:

• Cheap
• Versatile
• Lightweight and durable

Cons;

• None

Buy it here for $10!

**Update**

Since the posting of this review, news has come in about a new tag that is now attached to the MovieWedge.  While still not embroidered, the new tag looks much nicer than the previous one.  See Pic below.

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When the Joby GorillaPod hit the scene some time ago, it amazed consumers worldwide with its tenacious approach to all things tripod related.  Capable of countless angles and poses, the Joby GorillaPod is a must buy for anyone that owns a digital camera or camcorder.

Lightweight and easy to use, the Joby GorillaPod can quickly mold itself to your surroundings allowing for some really creative photo and video ideas.  With your camera connected, you can detach it at a moments notice thanks to the GorillaPods’ locking clip.  To get an idea of the GorillaPod’s reach, it will fit around your standard pole size but isn’t long enough to stretch around a tree.  It works best when attached to something that you can weave its legs around like a chain link fence or a lamp.

The only design features I wish I could change would have been to make it a bit heavier.  I had some trouble keeping it secure on my bike and it would have been easier with some more weight added.  It also didn’t do that well holding up a heavier SLR (see pic below).

What could also help would be some velcro tethering strips so you could tie it in to whatever your trying to connect it with.  All I wanted to do was wrap it around my dog, but it just wouldn’t stay put.

The Joby GorillaPod is super durable, though.  It folds up really tight and looks like it could withstand quite the beating.  The rubber feet also give the GorillaPod great traction on a variety of surfaces from glass to finished wood and plastic.

Anybody that’s in the market for their first digital camera needs to buy this inexpensively awesome tripod as you will not be disappointed.  Also worth mentioning is that Joby has a bunch of other GorillaPods out there that are worth checking out.  This is the standard original one.

Pros:

• Cheap
• Fun
• Unique

Cons:

• Needs tethers for for aggressive fastening
• could be a bit heavier

Buy it now for $12.50!Similar Posts:

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In a land where product names have nothing to do with anything, Yubz reigns supreme.  Put the word Magnum next to Yubz and now you’re onto something.

The Yubz Magnum is a wireless speaker that will connect to any BlueTooth device.  The Magnum is capable of playing music as well as acting as a hands-free loudspeaker for your cell phone.

Resembling a “pleather” meat log of sorts, the Yubz Magnum is a cylindrical device with speakers on both ends.  It feels really nice actually, and is soft and lightweight.

Taking power wirelessly through 4 AA batteries or a USB wall charger, the Magnum will also accept devices through its 1/8″ input.  That means it is ready for a host of scenarios making it accessible to those un-hip to BlueTooth or wireless styles.

Setting my iPhone up to “discover” the Magnum was quick and easy and I was playing tunes wirelessly as soon as I put in the AA batteries.  Even when the iPhone 3G shut off, the music was still playing and the 30 foot range between the two allowed me to put my phone in my pocket and walk around my house.  Very cool.

What is not very cool is the barely legible button markings on the Magnum.  It’s really, really difficult to tell what the buttons read.  Even with my glasses on with a light shining down I could barely distinguish the volume buttons from the…?  Yeah it’s that bad.

In regards to the sound, the Magnum was decent.  It could go pretty loud but was heavily distorted when it got there.  Due to the way the speakers are angled, it presents an interesting stereo field, but not one that’s unlikeable.  I didn’t mind the distortion too much actually, and you can really tell that the Yubz meat log is working its little ass of to bang out some tunes for you.

The loudspeaker feature was more novelty than anything else and while it works fine I probably never really use it just for that.  That basically means that I never use it to make a call but would take a call through it if I was already playing music.

The Magnum comes with a handy carrying case that lets you use it while on the go.  It has a shoulder strap and also what appears to be bike handlebar attachment straps.  Or you can wear it around your forearm.  What I didn’t like about that case was that it was hard to align the input jacks with with the cords because the holes are so small and everything is so black it’s difficult to see what you are doing.

Despite some flaws in design and performance the Yubz Magnum still finds itself in a good place among other similar gadgets.  The loudness and the wireless BlueTooth connectivity should attract consumers far and wide as this is a great item for the beach, campsite, or any other place you need loud music.  The BlueTooth feature should also allow groups with multiple iPhone users to connect back and forth and compliment each other on how tech they are.  Just stock up on some rechargeable AA batteries and you are good to go.

I like this product much better than the eWoo eFizz iPod Dock I reviewed a while back, and the Yubz is a lot cheaper.  Just for the record, my buddy Naiche’ has a Gen 1 iPhone and could not connect to the Yubz Magnum.  I’ll also mention that this does not work wirelessly with the “I Am T-Pain” App unfortunately.

Pros:

• Loud
• Easy to connect (iPhone 3G)
• Competitive price

Cons:

• Distortion
• Illegible buttons
• Carrying case could be easier to use

Buy the Yubz Magnum here for $65!Similar Posts:

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Style.  The all time most over used word in the hip-hop language.  It’s also my favorite word and I don’t really even like hip-hop.  Need For Speed Shift is all about Style.  Your style.  Leaving behind the concepts found in the last several iterations of the Need For Speed franchise, Shift comes away as a much more focused and exciting racing game.

Anyone familiar with the series will no doubt be impressed with what has been done with Shift and happily accept the new direction the game has taken.  Gone are the open world Midnight Club style races in favor of a good old fashioned racing game with some modern flair to boot.

Plot/Story/Set-up

Reminding me a lot of CodeMaster’s Toca RaceDriver 3 for the original Xbox, the story is your basic rise to the top of the heap scenario with an unseen coach/manager guy chatting in your ear about different race events and such.  In a meat and potatoes sort of way I really liked the non-existent story approach by Slightly Mad Studios, as it allowed me to imagine my racing destiny and stay concentrated on my cars and the upcoming events.

That’s not to say that the unimaginative will have nothing to think about.  There are plenty of cut scenes to help you feel engaged and the sense of achievement can often be staggering.  Checklist and complete-ist freaks will have a ton to do and even novice and beginner players new to the series will find it easy to pick up an play.

Graphics:

Everything about Shift visually is very competent.  While not as pretty as other high profile racers such as Forza 3 or GT5, it does look nice at all times and runs smoothly race after race.  Car models and damaging are accurate and all the tracks look believable.  Nothing about the graphics ever really pop on screen but it really doesn’t take anything away from the experience.

Car customization is moderately deep, letting you apply your favorite colors and styles to the cars in your garage.  I felt like a lot of the menus and icons looked stock and Slightly Mad could have taken some more time with the presentation.  One could also apply that last statement to the fact that perhaps they weren’t going for a super polished presentation so they could deliver a solid and robust racing experience.  I agree.  My qualms with the presentation, while they could have been nicer on the eyes, have no bearing on the gameplay whatsoever.

The physics felt wonky when it came to high speed collision as cars would just pop up in the air like they weighed nothing.  Other than that, the weight distribution was accurate but not precise.

Sound

Loud and blaring. In a good way.  You get a great deal of immersion with the sound design and it pays to crank the volume.  Screeching tires, colliding bumpers, and the overall sound of speed are captured to the extreme in Shift.

On the flip side the music supervisor on Shift must have had IBS when choosing the tracks.  A bunch of them are really annoying and what makes it worse is the start/stop nature in which they are presented.  It makes it feel like a game from generations past in the way it will play a song for one screen and then abruptly change so it can play different music for a loading screen only to change again when it reaches the next screen.

I can deal with bad music in a video game and have been doing so for a long time, but the inconsistent switching back and forth drove me (pun intended) crazy.  Sort of like a baby crying on an airplane.  I could deal with it better if I was prepared for it.  Overall, the sound design is quality with the music being not so much.

Gameplay:

Back to what I was talking so adamantly about at the beginning of the review. Styles.  The whole point to Need For Speed Shift is about what style of driver you are.  Are you and aggressive or precision driver?  Most of the time you end up being both.  At the end of each race the game judges you on the tactics you deployed on the race track.  Clean laps with earn you precision points while banging into another car will earn you aggression points and so forth.

I really liked this aspect about Shift as it really allowed the game to progress and keep you interested.  During each race there is a bar at the top of the screen that tallies your points as you earn them and they help you earn stars.

Stars is another novel thing about Shift that is a basic idea but it works well given the scenario.  Each race has a certain amount of stars that you can earn through points and the more stars you achieve the farther you progress in the game.  There are four tiers in the game that each represent car and event classes.  The goal is to gain enough stars to qualify in the final event and win the championship.

Easier said than done.  The difficulty in Shift is actually quite hard.  Veteran racers may have no problem completing all the events but casual players such as myself will find the curve quite steep.  I could hardly control any car in the tier 3 category.

What almost made it harder for me was the sense of speed achieved in Shift.  Once you get past 100mph you literally start to get scared as one false move will totally wreck you car.  The in-car view which I’m normally not a fan of, is done here with absolute detail and gloss.  The sense of space and depth is widely developed and I recommend anybody who normally likes the behind-the-car view to give it a try.

I will say this.  Just when you think you have learned how to control your car, enter a drifting event.  The drifting events are so hard and the physics feel so lopsided that I could not bare to play them at all.  Screw that.  It is so frustratingly difficult, it made me want to pass a stone in a way that’s not paying it forward.  Ugh!

Car handling is highly customizable and Shift explains everything via the voice of your manager to help out those who don’t know about gear ratios and downforce and other aspects of car tuning.

To round up this section, the gameplay sans the drifting fiasco, is the most compelling part to Shift.  Once you start roaring around the track everything else falls to the wayside and your attention will be undivided.

Multiplayer:

The Multiplayer portion of Need for Speed is pretty basic in its offerings, but there’s always someone to race against.  I usually got tooled on pretty hard. There aren’t many modes to choose from but with rank races you get awarded points that are applied to your single player campaign.

While it’s always fun to play online, the only games that seemed to be available were the ones hosted by the die-hard gamers that had maxed out to level 50 and using only tier 4 cars.  I never found a race that took it down a couple notches to say tier 2.

Furthermore, it was too easy for online opponents to smash you off the road to the point of spinning out, thus making it impossible for you to catch up.  The only way I ended up winning anything was when I came in last place but there were only 3 racers in the event so I was awarded 3rd place cash bonuses.

The multiplayer could have been given some different modes like league play or tournaments, or even borrowed some modes from the single player game such as eliminator.

Replay Value:

There is a ton to do here.  Those who love to complete everything will vastly enjoy the sheer amount of content available in this game.  Events galore, you could really spend a lot of time getting all the stars.

You never really have a problem buying the cars you want due to the fact that you can keep racing easy events to stock up on cash which is cool and it allows you to try out a bunch of cars.  All the tuning an customization options available in Shift, you can really get deep with it and fully pimp out a car in each class.

Final Endings:

Though it would have been nicer to see more cars and more tracks, one can’t deny the progress the franchise has made.  The music is whack and the multiplayer could have been more fun, but the single player campaign is compelling enough to warrant a purchase from race fans of novice and veteran skill level alike.

Those looking for a very accessible racer “need” to look no further.  Shift, while not perfect, fires on enough cylinders to keep it in race next to high profile racers this fall and should not be overlooked.

Pros:

• Easy to pick up and play
• Robust single player campaign
• Fun and exciting

Cons:

• Drifting events are lame
• Music doesn’t work well with loading screens
• Multiplayer lacking in modes

Buy Need for Speed Shift here for $57!Similar Posts:

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Talk about a party favor.  I mean who doesn’t like to trip?  Having recently experienced CornField Electronics’ Trip Glasses, I’m very glad there is not one part of me that is epileptic.  The packaging makes note of some sort of meditation that can occur when you wear the glasses but I don’t believe that malarky one bit.  Perhaps if your definition of meditation is in fact hallucination, then maybe.

To explain it bluntly, the Trip Glasses are less like glasses and more like a kaleidoscope of blunt force trauma to your senses.  Some people who tried it had mixed results, but I can honestly say that I could trigger my inner shroom no problem. 

Back to what these things are.  I suppose you could call them a personal light show.  They are really easy to use and are great to have around when partying, hitting the bong, or stuffing LSD into open wounds with a shovel.

All you do is put the glasses and earphones on and hit the start button.  The light show sequence lasts for 14 minutes and there is no off button.  The best way I described how to use the glasses to those who tried it was to gently close your eyes and try and look through your eyelids.

I couldn’t last all that long before I had to remove them, but it didn’t matter.  I’d say if you like that type of artwork where you have to stare at the pixelated image until an object appears, than the Trip Glasses will definitely work for you.  I felt like I could really control the patterns I was seeing and it was crazy.  Hippies will love this thing no doubt!

What didn’t really help was the droning brain freeze noise that oozed out of the attached earphones.  That’s not to say that you couldn’t listen to your own jam band music while using the Trip Glasses and the earphones are removable as well.

Over the course of the 14 minute sequence the lights inside the glasses change without warning and you’re instantly teleported to all new trip zone.  Using them in the late afternoon into the early evening they looked really sweet in the dark as the wearer resembled Satan, or some other type of evil being to say the least.

What more can I say about these things?  If you like to trip out or know someone who does the Trip Glasses are a real one of a kind “legal” way to trip.  I wouldn’t recommend wearing these all day or putting them on someone who’s sleeping but like anything else, moderation is the best approach.

Priced at $40, some of you will say “hey, that’s about the price of a bag of weed”, but these Trip Glasses will last way longer.  End result is that you should take a week off the weed and buy these glasses.  Jerry thanks you.

Pros:

• Visually trip out immediately
• Great for parties and times of inebriation
• Legal

Cons:

• Don’t use them for too long
• Sounds could have been cooler
• Not suited for everybody

Buy the Trip Glasses here for $40!!!Similar Posts:

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4Bugs 200 is a picture hunt game from Root9 Media.  I had previously reviewed their Yeti Sports game and I’m here today to talk about Bugs4.  Sort of a weird name for a picture hunt game, the Bugs are merely the character that you represent when playing by yourself or in multiplayer.  You end up seeing them a bunch during scoring screens and they always look pretty happy regardless of how bad you are at the game.

I was pretty bad at this game.  Its set-up is brutally simple and intuitive but the pictures are really, really hard.  I’m not that attuned to this type of game but I don’t think I even cleared one level, I found it that difficult.

Each round consists of you finding the 4 differences between the two photos as a timer counts down.  Pressing the wrong area shortens your time.  So hard!  Attention to detail was a trait I thought I had, but this game makes me seriously question that.  I’m sure the designers had some good laughs in photoshop making the smallest possible adjustments to the pictures so that are just barely noticeable.

Features included localized and online leader boards as well as FaceBook integration.  Two players could take turns playing on on one screen and as you can see from the above picture that neither my dog or myself could score any points.  The picture below demonstrates that every so often the game will throw you a bone as the 4 differences aren’t as hard as the bulk of the 200 photos.

For $1, 4Bugs 200 is a well designed game but you really need to be good at this sort of game or you’ll get quickly frustrated.  The interface is simple and effective and for the dudes there are some sexy female pics thrown in there for good measure (pun intended).

A free version is available to see how good or bad you are before you commit to the full version.  Both free and paid versions are available now in addition to some specialty 4Bugs games like World Tour and Octoberfest when you search 4Bugs in the App Store.  You’ve been warned!

Pros:

• Intuitive Interface
• Happy Bug Avatars
• Online Leaderboards and FaceBook

Cons:

• Really, Really Difficult Photos

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During my quest for the ultimate earphone I have had the chance to review several pairs from companies I had not previously heard of.  Being pleasantly surprised on many an occasion, The Cresyn C750E’s are just that. Having a solid sound and a comfortable fit, I am compelled to recommend these earphones to anyone looking for a great package at the $100 price range.

Judging today’s current batch of earphones you are not only looking at sound but you are also grading how they fit and what features they flaunt.  I can say right off the bat that the Cresyn C750E’s possess all of the above.  Embracing a sturdy fit and competent sound reproduction in a lightweight and compact package, the Cresyn C750E’s easily rank as some of the better earphones I’ve used all year.

In comparison to other earphones I’ve unboxed, the Cresyn C750E’s was pretty basic.  Three sizes of inserts and a nice feeling carrying case.  That’s it.  Not that the Cresyn C750E’s needed anything else anyway.

Besides what I mentioned earlier in regards to what I liked about the Cresyn C750E’s, I also really liked the shaped of the earphone.  While the majority of the time they fit great, they would sometimes need adjusting.  The beam shape of the Cresyn C750E’s really help you readjust them on the fly and without looking, you could grasp them and instantly know their orientation.  I have ran into earphones in the past where it was more difficult to adjust them because you couldn’t tell how they were fitting in your ear without looking in a mirror.

The C750E’s featured a sturdy clip that slid up and down the cord with ease and really helped pull slack off of the weight of the earphones.  Not that they were heavy or anything but another anchor point always helps.  Other than that the earphones don’t have any other standout features.

In the area of sound, the Cresyn C750E’s have a lot going for them.  They’re nothing that will blow your mind but will compete bravely with anything you can throw their way.  They never distorted when I cranked the volume and were never too harsh on my ears regardless of the bit rates my MP3’s were running at.

They could have used a bit more gradual bass in my opinion but the whole mix felt generally pretty balanced and I enjoyed my overall listening experience.  Through my main testing grounds of riding my bike and going to the gym the Cresyn C750E’s performed well under those parameters and they didn’t get in the way whatsoever.

All in all, Cresyn is a company that I will now recognize and be able to speak highly of the C750E’s as a great pair of earphones.  Most of my earphone reviews are usually not this glowing and it’s nice to not really have to gripe about anything.

Pros:

• Lightweight
• Awesome Sound
• Easily Adjustable

Cons:

• Might Be A Bit Pricey For Some

Buy Them Here For $106!Similar Posts:

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By now we all know what a behemoth the Madden franchise is and the impact it has had on sports gaming in general.  Some cherish it and some loathe it, but it’s the only licensed NFL game available, so play it you must.

I remember a time when football gaming was competitive.  Visual Concepts and Sega had released ESPN NFL 2K5 for $20 and EA Sports must have been straight spun.  But alas, no more.

Soon after that I read in utter dismay that EA had monopolized football gaming through an exclusive and costly NFL license.  In the years that followed, all the Madden reviews that I read couldn’t help but mention that EA was just dialing in their biggest and most lucrative franchise and that the series never really stepped it up from year to year.

While I agreed with these reviewers whole heartedly, I never stopped playing Madden.  It was firmly lodged in my gaming subconscious from the days of the early 90’s on the Sega Genesis to the late 90’s on the Sega Saturn to every other console after that.  I would never abandon it.  I loved NFL 2K5 for the strides the developers took to give EA a run for their money in regards to gameplay, presentation, and fun-factor.  But by no means was there ever a “bad” year of Madden, and it was often just a case of misallocated focus.  But, in the end, it was never the best it could be.

With that said, Madden 2010 is by far the most impressive rendition of football gaming EA Sports has created in years, but one can only hope and wait for what will someday be a truly complete and epic John Madden NFL Football experience.  Fingers crossed right?

**Before I get started on my review of Madden 10 I just want to note that I have been playing on an 2005 Xbox 360 that has already seen the three red lights.**

Presentation:

Receiving a positive and fresh overhaul this year, the whole look and feel of Madden NFL 2010 has a TV style sheen to it.  Each game information about the stadium is given and there are some animated tie-ins that show tailgating, consumerism, and social banter.  The in-game advertising is present once again but it would have been nice to have more of a variety instead of the same brands we’ve seen for years.  And I’m not talking about Snickers.

I would have liked to see some major networks (ABC, NBC, FOX, EPSN, NFL Network) involved in the process with each game being broadcast by the corresponding network with all the appropriate graphic, such as that stupid FOX football robot dancing around (never gonna happen).  Now that’s what should be the future of Madden, right? I swear I just cursed myself.

There could even be the specific announcers for each network.  While this review is traveling down a wish list path already, I can’t help but think about all the possibilities.  If EA truly wanted to champion an all great version of Madden NFL Football they wouldn’t have to make one every year.  They could release roster updates and other downloads, and a perfect game of Madden wouldn’t require you to buy one every year.  Would you pay $100 for a Madden NFL game that lasted you 3 or more years?  Not that EA would ever do this (-$$$), but it’s not a bad idea to ponder from a non-technical/financial standpoint.

At the end of the day – let’s make that day be Sunday – the TV-style presentation is truly evident and a nice leap in the 2010 version.   But with EA’s big slogan of the year being, “If It Happens On Sunday, Then You’ll See It In The Game”, what happens if I see it on Monday Night Football?

Graphics:

What you’d expect for the most part. Madden 10 doesn’t look all that different from years previous.  Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing, but you won’t really be taken aback by anything that’s happening on the screen.  The animations have been touched up this year in addition to the inclusion of the new “Pro-Tak” system that allows for up to 9 man gang tackles to occur.  Some of the momentum animations are a bit puzzling in terms of aesthetic, but you’ll get used to it.

Player models look standard and solid as always with some minor improvements like animated quarterback hand towels thrown in to spruce up the realism.  I would have liked to have seen some more attention given to the field and how it changes over the course of the game.  Divots, chunks of torn up turf flying off the back of the offensive line’s cleats or stuck in a players facemask are all absent.  Plus I’ve yet to see a field that has a partial baseball diamond on it.

Wind is another gripe.  While is has it’s apparent effect on the ball during field goal attempts, you can’t tell it’s there during regular game play.  I hope I’m not complaining about the impossible here, but hopefully my comments can be taken as constructive criticism at the very least.  Rippling jerseys, trash on the field, crowd reactions, or even bellowing gusts from the blimps POV are all ways to convey a windy football game and these too are absent.

In terms of the instant replay feature, I noticed that the resolution on manual replays had dropped significantly, as I remember them looking better in past Maddens.  While I’m on the topic of instant replays I really don’t understand what EA’s problem is.  First of all the frequency of replays is weak and second it never shows an instant replay right after a touchdown is scored.  **Note: Madden just received an update over Xbox Live and I just saw my first two replays after a touchdown** Doesn’t that happen all day long on Sunday?  Isn’t that the time we want to see a nice angled replay the most?

To add insult to injury when I attempt to run a manual replay often times it doesn’t even finish playing out.  Just before the ball carrier crosses the plane of the endzone the replay is halted.  WTF EA?!  You’ll also notice that this happens during the highlights at halftime or post game as well.  It’s super annoying and takes away from the feeling of achievement and satisfaction after a great touchdown is scored. One last thing about replays is that it also seems like it can’t make up it’s mind.  It will flash the NFL logo indicating that it’s about to show a replay, then it immediately flashes the logo again and there is no replay.  Easily my greatest disgust with this game, but I’ll stop now.

Frame rate issues were in abundance on my old machine and it was bothersome to say the least.  It seemed to happen the most at kickoff.

Sound:

Another aspect of Madden 2010 that isn’t going to win any (sound design) awards, but is fairly competent in its own right.  From the blaring hum of the crowd and stadium announcer one-liners to the on field chatter from the players and coaches I can’t really think of anything missing.  Except for creativity that is.

Madden was one of the first games I can remember that used licensed music and some bands have even blown up (Good Charlotte blah) due to the exposure.  This year’s collection is really quite good.  There’s a bunch of late 90’s jams in there from Korn, Rage, Helmet, Public Enemy, as well as some awesome new stuff including Set Your Goals.

The Dolby Surround Component could be a bit stronger in terms of variety.  There should be more of a 360 degree sense of immersion attached to whatever player you are controlling.  For example, you are a halfback running down the left side of the field .  On the right you should hear the offensive and defensive lines clashing and fading in volume as you run further away as well as oncoming defenders and blockers trying to catch up to you.  On the left you should hear the sideline team and staff, either for or against shouting and jeering.  And while all this is happening you should hear 360 degrees of crowd noise.  I know that this is a review, but I can’t help but use this platform to get some of my ideas out!

IGN’s review blatantly disliked the on-field commentary, but I didn’t really think it was any better or worse than subsequent Madden’s.  I like Cris Collinsworth a bit less now, but I’m always going to talk shit back to the TV no matter what.  Other than that it was noticeably fragmented and spliced at parts which you’d think would have been fixed by this stage in the game but…

GamePlay:

As always, a staple of the Madden experience has been about the gameplay.  That is no different this year.  You can tailor the speed of the game to your liking, which is a nice feature to see what works for you as a slower game will give you a bit more time to decide what move you want to pull off before the tackle animation takes over.  The spin move is far less effective this year leaving the side-to-side juke and forward press on the right analog to put your head down as the best offensive moves.  The stiff arm works well, but timing is key and you have to really anticipate the approaching tackler.

No longer does momentum carry you out of bounds on a screen pass (except for the AI).  It’s totally fixed and makes those type of plays useful again.  Sometimes while catching the ball, the animation takes over to an unrealistic effect but it usually works out in your favor so I can’t complain about that.

The right analog has also been added to quarterback controls to help you evade sacks in the pocket.  It’s really awesome that that has been implemented, but I just can’t seem to remember it’s there.

Also included this year are errant passes from quarterbacks who get hit in the pocket.  This opens up for some realistic-ish interceptions and odd catches by the offense.  EA has also included a button mashing fight for the fumbled football feature that’s cool and unexpected when you witness it for the first time.  Reminds me of the days when controllers had turbo buttons.

Other than that, everything you’d expect is intact and the game plays great.  Solid gameplay is synonymous with Madden and this year it’s definitely no different.  It’s just as fun as always and the randomness and unexpectedness of pro football really makes every game different.

Replay Value:

There are literally tons to do here.  Between franchise on and offline, superstar mode, online co-op, practice and Madden Moments, there’s no way you are going to exhaust this game anytime soon.  Franchise mode is really deep as per usual and you could spend hours on end just noodling around your off-season.

Online co-op is a bit janky due to some camera angle constraints, but is a fun alternative to playing with close friends (you can play with random strangers).  It’s great that the online franchise companion iPhone app has finally arrived but I can’t seem to access the app with my Xbox Live Gamertag so I can’t really tell you how it is.

Beyond that, you will definitely get a bang for your buck with this year’s Madden and something you’ll easily be playing into 2010.

Final Endings

Through all my gripings and delusional wish list manifesto-isms, Madden NFL 2010 is the best football game we can play on this generation of consoles.  Is it the best EA can do?  No.

EA still has a long way to go in my opinion to create the definitive football gaming experience, but I haven’t given up hope by any means.  I really think that other developers deserve a shot at the NFL license as it will only make football games better for the consumer.  Hopefully some of my ideas are taken into consideration and thanks for reading!

Oh, one final thing.  The Madden shop is ridiculous and exemplifies what is wrong with American sports.  Allowing you to buy upgrades and boosts for teams and players in specific games is like sanctioned steroids.  That’s why the New York Yankees will always be one of the best teams because they have the most money to BUY the best players.  Where’s the sport in that?

Pros:

• Pick up and play- What you’ve come to expect from a Madden game
• Online Franchise Mode
• Great replay value

Cons:

• Lame instant replays
• Sound design could use some creative improvements
• No real surprises-What you’ve come to expect from a Madden game

Buy it here for $58!Similar Posts:

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Finding a good armband for your MP3 player can be a tricky thing.  Does it stay fastened to your arm without sliding?  Does it get in the way of what your doing?  I have tried a couple of arm bands in my day and I always ended up going with an around the hip accessory (tucked into my waistband) just because it worked better for what I was doing.

ArmPocket is an Eco-Friendly company that makes a variety of quality and utilitarian armbands for your Apple iPhone or iPod Touch.  To say it right now, the ArmPocket Sport 20 is the best arm band I have used yet and I highly advise you to check it out if you are looking for a competent and fairly priced exercise accessory.

Let’s start with features.  Assuming that you don’t have any other storage on your person, the ArmPocket Sport 20 has got you covered.  In the main chamber there are two elastic slots for an ID and credit card and it is big enough to hold an energy bar or gel in addition to your MP3 player no problem.  On the outside there is also a small loop to hold a keyring.

In the looks department, the ArmPocket Sport 20 is not very elegant but its form factor is what is visually apparent and oddly enough, the brand logo actually resembles the bottom portion of the Under Armor logo.

A reflective strip wraps around the face of the armband to add an element of safety but you should still wear other shiny gear if you are planning on being out at night or other low light scenarios.  The transparent plastic that allows you access to your iPod’s controls is heavy duty but requires a concerted effort at times to register your touch.  Not a performance problem whatsoever but you do have to look at what your doing and won’t really be able to access the controls haphazardly.  Being that the Sport 20 is capable of holding so many things, it does look a tad bulky but never really got in the way of anything is was doing during my time at the gym or riding my bike.

In terms of build and construction, the ArmPocket Sport 20 is testament to quality and ruggedness.  The entire armband is made of recycled PET fabric (yarn fabric made from plastic bottles) and natural bamboo giving the Sport 20 a tight textured weave with great solid feel to it.  The zippers and the strap/band are sturdy as ever and look to last for quite a while.

When riding my bike and working out at the gym the Sport 20 never slipped on me.  Sometimes it felt like it was going to but it never did.  The band itself felt especially secure and comfortable thanks to the ergonomic memory foam, and reminded me of getting my blood pressure taken at the doctor’s office.  While boasting moisture protection, the Sport 20 was also quite capable of fending off water.  Not to say that it’s submersible, but the texture of the Sport 20 could totally work well in rainy conditions.

What I really liked about the Sport 20 was the fact that it could easily be worn upside down.  Depending on the way you like your earphone cord to dangle or the way you want to view your iPod/iPhone, the Sport 20 exudes accessibility regardless of vertical orientation.

My only gripe comes when I need to remove my iPod Touch or earphones.  It could have been a bit more easy to do.  The rubberized earphone input area is tough to get the jack through, especially if it’s a horizontal one.  If you are looking to evade this hole entirely, you will also find it tough to zip the ArmPocket up fully without the headphones poking out the top.

Other than that, if you are looking for a sport armband for your iPhone or iPod Touch you owe it to yourself to check out the ArmPocket Sport 20.  It is an absolutely quality product that should give you many years wear and tear.  Coupled with the company’s green and recycling efforts it makes you a smart consumer as well.

Pros:

• Super comfortable
• Steady non-slip grip
• Plenty of room for other things besides MP3 player

Cons:

• Can be bulky and protruding
• Earphone input area is a bit tough to navigate
• Controlling iPod/iPhone can require a hard touch

Buy one here for $29.95!

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Computer speakers are another one of those gadgets/accessories where there are literally countless options for you to choose from.  Most everyone who has a desktop or laptop computer can greatly improve the sound of their set-up with one of these after-market speaker kits.

Hercules has been around for a while now but they have yet to make any huge waves here in the US.  Hopefully this review will help!  The XPS 2.1 50 speaker system sports some versatile features out of the box, and for it’s price range (around $60), it sounds really nice.

Compact and sleek. the aesthetic of the XPS is complimented by orange (and not even close to my favorite color) rings around the speakers and volume/power knob.  The front of the speakers is covered in glossy black while the rest of the system (sub woofer included) is draped in a black matte finish.

Construction and build wise, the XPS didn’t feel all that sturdy as all the units in the system seem overly lightweight for some reason.  Simply put, the XPS speakers could be easily knocked over by a flailing limb holding a coffee mug, or the base of each speaker could be broken off if not aware of how frail the connection was between the two during storage or travel.

When it came to the sound performance, I was rather impressed with what the Hercules XPS brought to the table.  Despite the small speaker size, the XPS was capable of some significant banging.  It actually got pretty loud.  The speakers suffered from some mild distortion at higher volume levels but they did a great job of entertaining friends from around a 30-40 foot radius.  The XPS system handled my MP3 collection with precision and ease and sounded competent across multiple genres including metal and hip-hop. The sub woofer gave the bass depth that the speakers lacked and they blended very smooth together to create a quality mix that I was pleased with.

I liked how the XPS system had input jacks on the “right” speaker for headphones and an AUX IN for an iPod or PSP making it very travel worthy (if you’ve got the room), and accessible to multiple scenarios.  It worked great when friends came over with iPhones with different music libraries as they could easily plug right in.

I didn’t really run into many problems while reviewing the Hercules XPS 2.1 50 Speaker System.  The only thing I came across was a scratchy loose connection of the volume knob.  It was a bit annoying at first but after a week or so it disappeared.

I hope that my high remarks in regards to this system helps consumers navigate through the sea of comparable products to find the right one for them.  By no means is this product stellar but it provides a great listening and user experience for the price.  I am interested in reviewing other products by Hercules to see if they hold the same level of quality.

Pros:

• Good sound for size and price
• Attractive design and aesthetic
• Versatile features (Aux-In)

Cons:

• Slightly shoddy construction and build
• Mild distortion at peak volumes

Buy it here for $63!

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A few choice words come to mind when I think about the Nintendo DS.  Those words are, in no particular order: Imaginative, innovative, and children.  The DS has made a name for itself with its unique brand of gaming that cannot be found on other systems thanks to its touch screen and penchant for new ideas.

Having never really considered myself an actual adult, it’s easy for me to relate to DS games to find the good and bad in them from an open minded “manchild” like perspective.

The movie tie-in G.I.Joe: The Rise Of Cobra game is definitely geared towards a much younger crowd, but contains enough simple carnage to satisfy anyone looking to blow things up.

Storyline/Plot:

In direct correlation with this past summer’s blockbuster movie of the same name (I haven’t seen it),  Cobra is bent on evil and world conquest and it’s up to the “Joe’s” to foil their dubious intentions.  Simple as that the, story has to be the absolute worst part of the game.  Boring as all hell dialog plagues the flow of the game and really detracts from the destruction.  Due to the turtle like pacing of the dialog, you can’t help but grind your teeth as you try and hurry up the scrolling text as fast as you can so you can get on with the game.  I can’t imagine even anyone younger finding the story presentation one bit compelling.  Anyway enough about that.  On to the better stuff.

Graphics:

I know I just said “on to the better stuff” but the graphics, unfortunately, are not that.  Pixeled-out to the point of chunky, the top down view, while mildly effective in the gameplay department, is not at all flattering.  Some of the effects are cool, but the graphics are just plain ugly.  Let me try and find something nice to say about the graphics.  They compliment the storyline?  Nope.  Okay, the gameplay is not totally marred by the graphical limitations.  That’s positive right?

Sound:

Average at best.  Gunfire and explosions are the stars of the show with little to no supporting cast.  Background music is your stock action adventure fare with some mixed in dialog bleeps to let you know you should be looking at the bottom screen.  The guns and explosions are not all that varied between characters but it the midst of battle it is often hard to gripe on that anyway.

Gameplay:

Playing G.I.Joe is a mixed bag.  The controls are accurate and it’s easy to figure out what you’re doing, but you often get hung up on objects that surround the battlefield.  From enemy cover to barbed wire fences and rock formations, getting stuck on these things is a regular occurrence.  Not that it hampers gameplay entirely, but you might end up losing some lives because of it.

The leveling up of characters adds a nice bit of depth and the weapons are fun to use.  As you level up you unlock different colored uniforms and upgraded weapons.  I ended up using my stronger characters more often because the game got harder as it progressed and therefore making the weaker characters obsolete. Vehicles and fixed weapons are also a great feature that brings some immersion to the game and some of the vehicles are throwbacks from from the early days of G.I.Joe toys.

What could have added to the immersion level would have been the use of the touch screen.  It goes largely under utilized and is only used to display the map and dialog boxes.  Bomb setting and defusing, inventory management, weapon load outs, and dialog options are all easy ideas that would have made the game differ from say a GameBoy Advance game.  It also makes no use of the DSi camera which could have also added some innovative ideas.

Multiplayer:

Offering a local only multiplayer scenario, I didn’t get the chance to play.  Simply guessing I would think that this could be a fun way to play this game because you could negate the story entirely and skip straight to the core gameplay.  It would have been nice if there was WiFi connectivity so you don’t have to actually know anyone else with the same game.

Replay Value:

The game itself is very point-A to point-B with each level requiring the same basic linear objectives, but you could play through it a couple times by leveling up different characters to mix it up a bit.  If you can find someone to play multiplayer with I’m positive it would add some quality replay value to this game as well.

Final Endings:

Despite all the shortcomings I mentioned above, G.I.Joe: The Rise Of Cobra is actually a fun game.  A mildly lengthy single player campaign coupled with some visceral action makes for some appealing gaming.  The game would have received higher marks if it weren’t for the constant dialog interruptions and weak graphics.

In the end, The Rise Of Cobra is a game for those of you who like top-down shooters in the vein of the retro Ikari Warriors with some modern twists thrown in.  Give it a shot if you are looking for some simple, destructive fun.

Pros:

• Intuitive control scheme makes it easy to play
• Mild depth
• Decent replay value if you care about playing with different characters

Cons:

• Dated and uninspired graphics
• Dialog and story poorly implemented
• No use of touch screen or DSi camera

Buy it here for $28!

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Over the last year or so the iPhone has seen many quality games that have brought smart phone gaming to new heights.  EA has helped bring many classic and high profile games to the iPhone and The Sims 3 is one of them.  A well rounded and robust package, The Sims 3 can really swallow a lot of your time if you let it.

I’ve never played the Sims before, so I was mildly surprised with the playability and all that one could do with your Sim.  But at the same time it was hard for me to get excited or look forward to playing it.  I felt like I was limited to the parameters of ‘living” too much, and that nothing I did was very interesting or compelling.

Storyline/ Plot:

The whole object of The Sims 3 is to replicate a microcosm under your direct command.  Make friends, get jobs, repair stuff, cook meals, and numerous other activities will keep you and your Sim occupied til’ the end of the day.  It’s up to you to decide who your Sim will be based on the choices you make and the effect you have on other SIMs and your surrounding environments.  The game is very open ended with a myriad of possibilities at your disposal so in the end the “ultimate goal” is to be whatever person you want to be.

Graphics:

Considering the scope of the game and the size of the screen, I thought that the graphics were great.  Zoom and rotation controls were smooth and I never felt like the iPhone 3G couldn’t handle the graphics.  Character models were on the large side and interior and exterior environments were decent.  I wasn’t blown away by anything in particular nor was I ever disappointed.  I would have liked to have seen more enthusiasm in the design of the exterior environments as they were kind of stale and tepid.

Sound:

Minimal at best.  Not a whole lot going on.  No voice acting and the majority of music was during menu screens.  There are some environmental noises like birds chirping and such, but the sound design in general left much to be desired.  So although the sound is probably the game’s biggest flaw or altogether missing component, though, it doesn’t really impede upon the playing experience.

Gameplay:

All the controls worked flawlessly and I never had a problem doing what I wanted to do.  From the menus to the in-game commands, the iPhone layout had a great design and was very fluid.  The screen seemed a little crowded at times, but it never really hindered the gameplay; easily the best part of the game in my opinion.  Never do you need help performing the various tasks and actions of your Sim such as moving or buying furniture and cooking on the stove.  The implementation of the controls for the iPhone is a novel achievement that any “non” gamer could instantly find accessible.

Replay Value:

Quite limitless.  With all the different wishes, goals, and character set ups there are a ton of ways to play The Sims 3 and it is totally worth the asking price.  It’s actually on sale right now at 30% off for $6.99.  My problem with The Sims 3 is just all the menial meandering that is inherent in the game itself.  Monitoring my Sims bowels and hygiene quickly became redundant and having to go to work (just like in real life) was a real snore.  I even set up my character to be a maniac and that still didn’t make things more exciting.  Watching people sleep and using other people’s showers and toilets just wasn’t that cool.  With that said, The Sims 3 is a real time sucker so if you have the time, The Sims 3 will definitely be there for you.

Final Endings:

EA Mobile has truly done an impressive thing with The Sims 3.  It’s a full game and you can tell that not many corners were cut in order to bring this game to the iPhone.  And while I found the game to be extremely tedious and boring that’s not to say that others cannot enjoy all that The Sims 3 has to offer.

Pros:

• Quality game design and iPhone interface
• Endless amounts of replay value
• Impressive graphics

Cons:

• Redundancy for days
• Sounds is weak
• Did I mention that I was bored?

Buy it here for $6.99

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Earphones.  Now that the MP3 fully dominates we are seeing more and more products associated with them.  As a result earphones are being manufactured by a countless number of companies in an attempt to capture even a fraction of the MP3 accessory market.  Although I’ve never heard of Maximo, they reached out and asked us to review their iM-590 earbuds.  I happily obliged.

The first thing I noticed about the 590’s was they were very feature intensive.  They sport a cord clip, several rubberized inserts, a 2 foot extension cable, an airline dual plug adapter, a 2.5mm adapter, and a circular carrying case that holds the inserts and lets you wrap the cable around the inside.  Out of the box the 590’s should have most any scenario covered, minus the 6.3mm adapter.

The clip while functional was a bit ‘chintz’ and a bit too small and slippery for my liking.  Either way a clip is a dire necessity and it does work to provide adequate slack.  The cord is comprised of a braided fabric that is slightly malleable and lends itself to crimping, especially at the base of the input jack.  I would have preferred the cord to have been a little thicker as it still falls into some of the rubber/plastic trappings.  It does have a nice feel, though and is lightweight.

The box states that the 590’s are Enhanced Definition Isolation Earphones.  Listening to them as I write this review, I can still hear incoming messages in iChat on my computer, but I cannot hear my dog’s toenails scraping against the hardwood floors upstairs.  I use earphones for about 30 hours a week when riding my bike or working out at the gym, so active travel and exercise scenarios are my main testing grounds.  The 590’s dealt with wind noise well due to its tiny design and the farther you jam them in your ears the more sound they blocked out.  That leads me to my main problem with the 590’s.  None of the inserts fit me very well and they needed constant adjustment. They seemed to fit better for a moment if I rotated them, but eventually they would slide out.  Sitting still they stay in fine, as they are right now.  So to reiterate, they’re not great for exercise and moving around, but good for fixed postures and sitting still.

On to the good stuff.  The sound of the 590’s is a well rounded spectrum that did well with the majority of my MP3’s.  I listen to mostly high production value metal and the 590’s didn’t leave me hanging.  They did not distort when cranked and presented better bass than expected.  Never shrill, the 590’s had buttery smooth mids and highs.  So if you don’t buy (i.e steal) your music you’re probably going to end up with a collection of MP3’s of varying bit rate and as a rate varying sound quality.  The 590’s feel like they are tailored to this type of digital soundscape and really shine in the audio reproduction department.

So, even though they don’t really work for my type of lifestyle (e.g bike riding, running), I can wholly recommend the Maximo iM-590’s to anyone looking for high quality sounding earphones for under $50.  I see so many suckers with crap earphones (I’m not going to mention any one company name) out and about, and I just chalk it up to them not caring about sound quality.  What would I do if I didn’t care about sound?

Pros:

• Exemplary sound
• Lightweight and Small
• Lot’s o’ features

Cons:

• Not good in active scenarios
• Clip could be better
• Cord crimps too easy

Buy it here for $44!

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Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is an epic RPG game that provides gamers with an almost endless amount of gameplay in a fantasy land that is tarnished by greed and battle. Using very similar mechanics found in the first Sacred game, the second installment of the game actually serves as a prequel to the original. Unfortunately, this iteration doesn’t feel like a step forward but rather a step backwards in the evolution of the series as the game is hampered by choppy graphics and a set of menus that are more of a carbon copy of the PC version than a translation.

Plot:

In the land of Ancaria T-Energy is oil and whoever controls it rules the world with maniacal laughter.  Sounds like oil right?  Basically T-Energy is the lifeblood of magic and all things living.  No one can share it, and those that consumer or use it have to fight over it.  ‘It reminds me of the saying, ‘Without struggle there is no progress’, and that holds quite true for Sacred 2.

The major power players are the High Elves, all the other races in Ancaria seek to obtain the power of T-Energy for their own domineering purposes.  While approaching somewhat of a generic and uninspired synopsis, the intro cut scene really seals the deal and leaves you wondering who made these creative green lights.  Anyway, Sacred 2 is less about plot and storyline than it is about raw plunder and pillaging.

Graphics:

One word: dated.  While the cut scenes were decent looking, the game itself could easily have been done on the original Xbox or less.  And although there’s an enormous amount of attention given to the details of the land at hand, screen tear was abound like an itchy rash.  Anytime you rotate the camera while moving the the graphics would hiccup and look jagged and fragmented.  The character design looks like art school mock ups and the animations aren’t anything to speak fondly of.  Granted the top down view can be zoomed back and forth from close to far, all you really want to do is tilt the camera so you can see what’s in front of you. For instance, I wanted to see some vistas of Ancaria beyond my immediate perimeter of 50 yards or so and found it a challenge.  So while the top down Diablo style is what this game is all about I just feel that is was too limiting given the overall scope and breadth of the game and the Ancarian landscape.

But beyond that the game features day and night cycles and the colors were bright and vivid and did a good job of conveying “fantasy” while you explore the vast lands of Ancaria.  Overall,  the graphics were wholly unimpressive but I felt like they actually worked for what the game was trying to accomplish.

Sound:

Another word.  Stock, but funny at times.  The characters give themselves “dap” and proclaim their destiny at interesting times and I was often amused at what my character would say.  Protective footwear on cobblestone never sounded so crunchy and neither did grass!  Everything else sounded as it should minus varying degrees of detail.

The voice acting seemed competent but not as “old world” as I thought it needed to be.  Not in dialog but in the delivery from the voice actors.  Most of the dialog is actually text based, but again I did really like the character quips when they were said.  That said, the mild humor saves the sound design from being whatever.

Gameplay:

The gameplay did not lend itself that well to console play.  There are way too many menus to filter through and it was too daunting to really care about.  You can tell that that aspect of the game was straight PC style and that it is just too much for the Xbox 360.  In it’s defense, the world of Ancaria is so behemoth that there might not have been any way to actually streamline it.

Combat is a mishmash of button pounding and gear allocation.  You can assign multiple items for use at anytime and you can switch between firing an arrow and stabbing someone with only two button presses.  However,  there are so many items, spells, gear that it is just crazy and I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

While I myself could not find the inner passion to care about all the item hoarding, I feel like this is Sacred 2’s best aspect.  If you like killing things and vulturing their remains for gear of all types, then this could be the game for you.

Character development and customization seemed robust and you could spend hours retooling your character in a variety of ways.  You must care though, as time will be spent in order to gain something valuable from this game.  So while gameplay is slightly marred by its PC constructs, it is saved by its wealth of loot and customization.

Multiplayer:

Multiplayer is a cool concept here actually.  Letting you use your character in someone else’s multiplayer realm while retaining all your statistics once your back in your single player campaign is really novel.  More games should feature that.  Riding beasts and clobbering fools with peoples online really brought me back to playing Gauntlet with kids at Round Table Pizza and it felt quite nostalgic.  There isn’t much more to say except that multiplayer is not essential to Sacred 2’s allure, but it is a great ancillary feature that adds a fair bit of replay value.

Replay Value:

Endless!  Provided that you don’t get bored.  From the mountains of gear to collect, to all the different character classes, the 22 square miles of territory to explore, Sacred 2 would be a great game to play in jail.  While not that compelling as a complete package, it really does have some cool things going for it.  If you had some dedicated multiplayer friends it could last for a very long time, and the open ended nature of choosing the “light or shadow” path has great value as well.

Final Endings:

Like I mentioned, Sacred 2 is more of a PC gamer’s game but that doesn’t mean console devotees can’t enjoy all that it has to offer.  I honestly think I would play this more if it was on the PSP or the DS.  All the meandering would do me much better on an airplane or during times of travel as I feel like I have better games to play at home.  If you love Role Playing Games and have a basement full of stuff you’ll never throw away, Sacred 2 might be what you looking for.

Pros:

• Tons to do, collect, and customize
• Multiplayer is worthy of attention
• Replay value is unheralded, if you can withstand the repetition

Cons:

• Last gen, glitchy graphics and lackluster character and sound design
• Too many menus to navigate!
• Can be overwhelming for a newbie

Buy it here for $56!

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Clue is one of those classic board games that you undoubtedly played as a child before your parents bought you a video game console.  Mashing the two together, EA games has brought Clue to the iPhone and iPod Touch for only $5.

Offering a very streamlined approach, Clue works extremely well on the iPhone and feels very natural right out of the gate.  Played entirely in landscape mode, Clue is often best experienced in bed with the lights off.

Storyline:

Self explanatory to say the most.  A wealthy older man has a dinner party sleepover and somehow ends up dead in the end.  Having invited some potentially unsavory characters it’s up to you to figure out the who, the what, and the where.  Using your deduction skills you have to come up with an accusation before the time runs out.

Graphics:

While there’s not a whole lot going on graphically, Clue looks really nice for what it set out to do.  Strongly resembling a GTA art style, Clue’s main visual scaffolding is built around colorful backgrounds with small animated pieces that add to the atmospherics.  While basic in its delivery, Clue does ooze a certain amount of sophistication that really adds to the level of immersion necessary to bring the player into the unfolding mystery.

Sound:

Not a whole lot of sound actually.  Beyond the clicking sounds of pressed buttons the score is very reminiscent of trendy music you’d hear playing at a boutique hotel.  While hearing recorded voices might have been nice, I think that Clue does well without it.

Gameplay:

Intuitive, the gameplay never really leaves you hanging.  You always know what to do and how to do it.  Navigation through screens and menus is about as robust as possible and the format of the game comes off really polished.  EA did a stellar job at bringing this game to the iPhone as it’s just really easy to play and it accessible to all age groups.

Replay Value:

High.  While the actual career arc isn’t all that deep, all the scenarios can be played multiple times for a variety of different endings.  Each game can be as short or as long as you’d like but the game clock itself plays rather quickly.  Every move you make, be it to a different room or a conversation, takes time off the clock.  Essentially the game forces you to be astute in your observations, as wasting time is definitely not in your best interest.

Final Endings:

Clue is a great game for all that it is.  It takes a classic board game and seamlessly translates it to a portable medium with virtually no glitches at all.  I really have no problems with this game whatsoever beyond the fact that sometimes I feel stupid when I make an ill fated accusation.  This is the first Ea game I have played for the iPhone and I am rather impressed with the overall quality and sheen of this product. Well worth the price of admission, Clue is one of those apps that will stay on your iPhone for quite some time.

Pros:

• Strong design and build make for an easy and accessible experience
• Attractive GTA art style
• Solid replay value

Cons:

• None

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E-Ink has long maintained a character of anonymity but in the last few years its grown to become an almost house hold recognizable technology. Okay, perhaps that is a bit of an overstatement but with the launch of the Kindle 2, Kindle DX and numerous other e-readers anybody in the know has heard of E-Ink. Bringing E-Ink to the masses in a slightly more affordable albeit smaller package is Phosphor. They make a set of watches that instead of a standard LCD from the 80s, uses E-Ink to display the date and time.

Aesthetically the Phosphor watch is rather stylish. I received the model that shows both the time and date and is finished with a leather band. Although I prefer a complete metal package, the leather actually turned out to be a nice compliment to the large metal face and probably lightened the load a bit as the Phosphor’s large display makes it rather hefty. The leather itself is actually pretty supple and flexible unlike some other watches in this price range, which meant that it had a nice fit and didn’t require yanking on the strap to find the right size. It’s worth noting that if you’re expecting a display that will get people asking ‘is that E-Ink?’, then forget it because it isn’t that distinguishable from other LCD watches, although Phosphor’s are particularly large and very easy to read.

At first glance the Phosphor appear to display date and time simultaneously. Although this does stand true, setting the watch’s date and time is a bit more cryptic. You see, there are two modes: date mode and time mode. You know you’re in date mode when the minute counter, or the two small digits aren’t displaying. Enter the setup mode while in date mode and the double digit counter will blink. This is actually the setting for the year, which ranges from 0-99. Once that is set it is just a process of setting the month (large number) and the day of the month. From their the Phosphor watch will determine the day of the week. Setting up time mode is a bit more straight forward and is the usual minute and hour process. Which brings me to my next point.

My biggest complaint about the watch are the two buttons: one for toggling between modes and the other for setting them up. To increase the time by an hour, I really had to mash down on the button to get it to change. Additionally, the watch didn’t exactly cruise through the numbers, so if you go pass the year by one, you’ll finding yourself with a numb thumb and waiting at least a few minutes to cycle through the remaining 98 digits.

The watch’s screen alternates from a positive to negative screen, which denotes when a minute has transpired. A nice subtle touch that lets you know the watch is in working order. Unfortunately, there is no ‘time only’ mode in this version, which is far from a deal breaker but since this is the more fully featured version it would be nice to have the option to turn off the calendar and declutter the screen.

So the way I see it is that if you’re in the market for an E-Ink product, your money is probably best spent on a Kindle or a comparable product since it will probably garner that ‘wow’ factor from on lookers. But if you’re in the market for a watch with a large, crisp digital display and a power efficient one at that, then I can only recommend Phosphor’s line of E-Ink watches.

You can order them direct and they start at $185 ($195 for a model comparable to the one I reviewed).

Pros:

• Stylish
• Large and easy to read display
• Nice leather band

Cons:

• Expensive if you want just e-ink
• Thumbing numbing buttons
• Cryptic calendar settings

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I remember back in 2004 when “Escape From Butcher Bay” had audiences and critics alike praising its first person stealth approach with an emphasis on melee combat.  I however, was not that excited about the repetitive environments and jankey gameplay from the demo that I had played.  Since then I have played through both Condemned games and enjoyed their atmospherics as well as their melee stylings.  Five years later comes the direct sequel to Butcher Bay, “Assault On Dark Athena”, which places buff super villain Riddick on a rogue mercenary ship in a fight for his continued existence.

Not much has changed since those five years have passed.  Picking up where the last game left off, Riddick spends most of his time assaulting Dark Athena and groveling through his bad attitude one liners.  While the game has some nice aspects to it, it’s just not all that compelling.  From a short single player campaign to a multiplayer component that no one’s playing, Assault On Dark Athena is a better game bought used through GameFly or elsewhere rather than paying $60 for it new.  Let’s break it down.

Storyline:

If you have played the first game or seen the movies you know that Riddick is the most feared super criminal anomaly in the universe and has the power to see in the dark.  The premise is way simple in that you are trapped on the Dark Athena and must escape by any means possible.  Beyond that, the mythos and universe are pretty cool with multiple planets and systems being referenced throughout Assault on Dark Athena.  Other than that, Riddick is a direct character that doesn’t beat around the bush and wants nothing but to thwart the plans of his captors.  Nothing standout, but not a bad premise by any means.

Graphics:

Very dark.  The whole glitz of the game is the fact that Riddick has special night vision and that he has an undisputed advantage in low light situations.  This gives the game its whole schtick.  I think that a game like this often times gives level designers an easy out when it comes to creating atmosphere.  While the game has a definite graphic novel “bleeding” type of visual style, the environments quickly become redundant as you’ll just get plain tired of seeing the same stacks of boxes and other inanimate objects.  Graphically, the game has a very sterile style that actually works for the “cold steel” feel that I think the developers were going for which makes you really feel all by yourself on the Dark Athena.  Character modeling looks decent but isn’t that inspired in terms of design and animation and you generally face the same opponents throughout the game.  What also effects the graphics are the two modes that change the way the game looks.  The whole screen will change to a dark blue when Riddick is totally enveloped in darkness and then again when you activate his “shine” or night vision.  I honestly found this a bit annoying because it became more of a strain on my eyes and would have preferred a light meter a la “Splinter Cell Style” to gauge my detection exposure.  Overall, I thought that while the graphics were good and capable of conveying a sense of immersion, there were no “wow” moments like I have had in other games.

Sound:

Mixed bag.  I was really impressed with the voice acting of the NPC’s with the exception of the main bad girl Rivas.  The voices matched up great with the animations and I easily found them to be one of the best aspects of the game.  Gun and weapon sounds seemed pretty standard issue and were not that striking or standout.  After just playing Dead Space, which took place on a space ship as well, I thought that the atmospherics could have been a bit more imaginative.  Riddick’s voice is one of acquired taste and you either love it or hate it.  He’s always going on about being such a solitary bad ass and that you better do what he wants or else.  For the record, I did really like him in Saving Private Ryan, but not so much since.  In the end, the voice acting is stellar at moments and saves the whole category from being somewhat dreary.

Gameplay:

While the controls react accurately, it’s a bit hard to tell depth in relation to Riddick and his enemies.  The camera shifts back and forth when in crouch mode and will some times be confusing when you are trying to sneak up on fools.  Melee combat in my opinion got boring fairly early, and while the animations could be slick and gory, there could have been a deeper system in place.  There’s a fair amount of ranged and melee weapons to futz around with and the AI is plenty willing to let you demolish them.  The AI in fact is a bit weak in terms of reaction to other enemies and to Riddick.  They don’t seem to know what’s going on half of the time.  I guess you fight a bunch of “drones” for the majority of the game but you’d think they would have more of their collective shit together.  I felt that when the camera shifts to 3rd person view when climbing or shimmying it is often very disorienting especially when knowing your distance from a ledge or when you have to be precise and fast with your movements.  I thought they would have done better if they had kept the game entirely in 1st person as you really don’t ever need to see Riddick.  That’s the point right?  So while the gameplay is not bad, some faulty design decisions keep it from being better.

Multiplayer:

Standard fare at best.  Not a whole bunch of people playing really. Recently I could only find one game online and the custom match option proved useless to find a game.  All basic modes were available to play but I couldn’t play some of the different ones like arena or riot because no was was there to play with me!  Boo!  Like anything online, large numbers are needed for a community to thrive.  There are just too many other games out there vying for that top spot.  While the multiplayer seems robust it just basically goes uncharted by the masses of online gamers.

Replay Value:

Good.  The simple fact that Assault on Dark Athena comes with an enhanced version of Escape from Butcher Bay is a great value, especially if you are like me and haven’t played the first game.  Multiple difficulty levels and collectibles will coax you back, and vast array of achievements will always get the hardcore gamers to keep on playing.  While the emphasis is on stealth, you can always play the game run and gun style as there are no penalties or scores associated with your style of play.  I found it boring to go the stealth route the whole time because of the nature of the melee system and lack of environmental integration.  You basically have to wait out the designated pattern of the AI and it just took too long.  So while the game design itself is linear, you can essentially play it once all stealthy and once again all commando style.

Final Endings:

If you skipped right to this part and haven’t read the rest of the review I will say again that Assault on Dark Athena is a good game just not mind blowing by today’s high standards.  With the inclusion of the entire first game it’s a nice package indeed, and perhaps a game you can save for later when you are in a gaming lull perhaps.  As I mentioned previously, this game would be great bought used or new for around $30-$40.  All things said, go buy this game used.

Pros:

• Decent attempt towards a different first person experience
• Nice package that contains two full games
• Voice acting is occasionally stellar

Cons:

• Uninspired level design and AI
• Confusing at times field of depth and third person to first person switching
• Nobody’s online

GadgetReview Overall Score:  7/10

Actually buy it here new for $40!

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The last pair of JVC earbuds I reviewed I didn’t like so much.  These are much better, and cheaper!  The JVC HA-NCX78 Multi Noise Canceling EarBuds claim to reduce up to 88% of ambient noise interference.  How you could accurately gauge that is beyond me but I can tell you this, these JVC’s attempt to have every angle covered.

From wind and ambient noise to electrical and cord friction noise, the JVC’s do their best to keep your ears and mind totally focused on the music at hand.  The first noise reduction system is that of ambient noise reduction but there is nothing you can see actually working.  You just have to believe and envision the climb to 88%.  Most visually notable is the active monitoring system that hangs between the earbuds and the input jack.  Powered by a single AAA battery and featuring a shirt clip for tethering, the monitoring system lets you toggle on and off electrical noise reduction.  Aside from the on/off button there is a monitor button that you can press if you need cut all sound to hear your surroundings, like the pilot speaking on an airplane, etc.  For wire friction noise, the JVC’s have detachable “over the ear” loops that actually fit really nice and keep the earbuds nice and snuggled tight.  Wind noise is prevented by the candy corn shape of the actual earbud.

So do these 4 noise reduction components really work?  I’ll break it down:

• Wind Noise Reduction: Not so much.  This was the worst of the systems actually.  Riding my bike and walking I noticed a lot of wind, partially I’m sure because of the creeping placebo effect but still.  I have recently been using the Razer Moray’s and noticed that they had little to no wind due to their shape.  I think the actual design of the JVC’s makes them suck the in the wind and that they are just too flat.  I know I’m no earbud engineer but the design just seems backwards to me.
• Ambient Noise Reduction: Pretty good.  I’d say around 70% rather than 88%, but they held up pretty well in public areas.  While I did not have the chance to try them on an airplane, I did test them while bike riding around Portland and working out at 24 Hour Fitness.  They performed well in the gym and blocked out the painful gym music and most of the other ancillary sounds like weights clanging or people talking.  On the streets where sounds were louder and sharper, the JVC’s did well but could not contain the shrieks of big muffler on a motorcycle or the brakes on a bus.  Understandably, though.
• Electrical / White Noise Reduction: I honestly didn’t notice anything.  Turning it on did make the sound much brighter and a little bit louder.  Oddly enough, when turned on and no music is playing you actually hear an ever present hiss.  No matter as it wasn’t bothersome.  One thing, though, was that you have to remember to switch it off when you are done as it doesn’t power down with your device.  Kind of annoying but there is an on/off switch.
• Wire/Cord Noise Reduction: I also didn’t notice much of any type of cord noise and or reduction.  I will say that adding the detachable ear loops adds a greater stability to overall fit and feel of the HA-NCX78’s.  Without them you kind of feel like you should be wearing them upside down as the cord sort of leads you that way.  With them on, the earbuds fit firm in your ear, allowing you to remain active.

So while all these noise reduction systems may be a little bit of unfound hype, they definitely work.  Sound wise, the JVC’s are nothing glaringly astounding but hold their own with plenty of other earbuds at their price range.  Having a well rounded and compact sound reproduction they got a little shrill at higher volumes.  Bass response was moderately tight with no signs of muffling or overbearing swell.  Midrange and treble frequencies were mild but not dull.

Other areas of note:  I like the bent input jack as it worked with my setup well.  The JVC’s come with 3 sizes of rubber inserts and one foam one to ensure a custom fit.  They also come with a pleather carrying case and an airplane adapter.

In conclusion, the JVC HA-NCX78 Multi Noise Canceling EarBuds score well in most areas and while being slightly gimmicky, would be an ideal choice for a traveler or music enthusiast.  However, I highly don’t recommend them if you like listening to music while riding bicycles.  The wind noise reduction system was the biggest disappointment for me but I have no problem giving these earbuds a higher than average score.

Pros:

• Decent noise reduction in a variety of scenarios
• Good features: shirt clip, ear loops, active monitoring
• Fair price given performance

Cons:

• Noise reduction systems can be more placebo than reality
• Wind noise reduction is weak
• Sound reproduction can always be better!

Buy them here for $46!

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Nowadays everybody is jumping on the iPod car charger scene but it’s not too often you see one of these.  Tailored to de-clutter your dash area while giving your iPod/iPhone all the power it needs comes the 3 foot retractable Scosche reCoil.  Lightwieght and pocket size, the reCoil will be an ideal choice for those looking for an automotive charging solution.

Operation is dead simple, requiring you to plug in either end to their appropriate sockets.  A vivid blue LED shines to let you know it is receiving power from the car and your normal charging screen will appear on your iProduct.  To set the cord length, all that’s required is a type of “pull and release” motion to get it where you like it. That’s it.  Normal charging times apply and the length of the cord will still let you use your iProduct no problem.

A minor gripe includes the quality of construction in that I’m just not that sure how long it will last.  The main body is made of two pieces of plastic that could possibly see the glue holding them together crack if dropped a couple times.  Other than that I could envision a child totally yanking the cord past its spring loading but that again is a considerable longshot.

Contrary to the review on Amazon, the reCoil charges my iPhone 3G just fine.  If you are looking for a one piece charging solution for for your car and iProduct I suggest checking out the Scosche reCoil.  It’s easy to use, compact, and is on the cheaper side.

Buy it here for $18!

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While iPod speakers are a dime a dozen these days, it’s often hard to find a really good one for the money.  Ewoo, while sounding like an overseas car manufacturer actually makes a travel speaker dock for the iPod called the eFizz Travel.

Boasting up to 20 hours of wireless battery charge, the eWoo eFizz is an ideal companion when the scenario calls for no electrical outlets.  Featuring an attractive all black finish the eFizz is head to toe speaker grill.  Being one of the smallest iPod speaker docks I have used it is fairly lightweight and easy to hold.  My iPod Classic 80g fit very snug and secure and the eFizz had a very cushioned and balanced posture sitting upon any level surface.

Operation was pretty simple overall.  Colored lights denoted what was going on with the rechargable lithium-polymer battery and the remote while very basic, performed well.  One of the touted features though, the “One Touch Info Button” did not work whatsoever.  The user manual CD was vague at best and the email I sent two weeks ago to customer service has yet to be replied to.  What it is supposed to be is some on screen iPod interface that shows battery level and some other things but I could never get to it.  Not that it was a truly imperative feature it would have been nice to explore all of the eFizz’s offerings.  Note:  I did actually see this screen twice for a couple seconds at a time.  It was totally random and I could not get back to it.  All it displayed was the level of charge for the eFizz.

The eFizz connects easily with iTunes via supplied USB cable which is cool if you have it near your computer for transferring music or downloading new firmware.   Note that you need to have power supplied to the eFizz in order for it to sync to iTunes. Though the eFizz has no real body controls to speak of, it’s easy to scroll through the actual iPod as it sits in the dock.  What I would like to see most of these travel docks are storage areas for the remote and power cord so there’s not so many loose pieces.  Also of note is that while wireless, the eFizz will not charge your iPod.

Sound wise I was’nt super impressed. The max volume wasn’t all that loud and the speakers were a bit tinny.  Not that they were bad, they just sounded really small, because they are.  At low volumes everything sounded fine as long as it didn’t have to compete with any extraneous noise. There was a bit of volume muffling that wasn’t totally distracting but noticeable to say the least.  By my bed I did enjoy the low volume as everything sounded clear and crisp.

What will make the eWoo eFizz Travel stand out amongst the hundreds of speaker docks will be its wireless capabilities, long battery charge, and extreme portability.  While the sound won’t blow you away, it will be best heard at small gatherings and picnics, or by your bed.  FYI, the iPig is still the loudest and best sounding speaker dock I have heard yet.

Pros:

• Very small and compact
• Wireless with extra long battery life
• Syncs with iTunes

Cons:

• Sound could be better given price
• Poor customer service “One Touch Info Button”
• Sporadic volume muffling

Buy it here for $122!

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