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March 9th, 2009, 19:46 Posted By: bandit
PlayStation 3 Wireless QWERTY Keypad
Manufacturer: Sony
Site: Buy from GoldenShop
Price: $49.00
Overview : The Wireless keypad for the PLAYSTATION®3 system provides the freedom of easy to use texting and mouse input capabilities, all while maintaining full gameplay functionality in one easy-to-hold device. This Bluetooth® device attaches to any DUALSHOCK®3 or SIXAXIS™ wireless controller and enables effortless internet browsing, e-mailing and instant messaging on the PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Home. The unique touch pad feature allows for convenient scrolling and mouse input on the PS3™ system on-screen display. Dedicated short cut keys provide instant access to ‘Message Box’ and other online communication applications on the PlayStation®Network.
By integrating all these features in a sleek and elegant design, Sony Computer Entertainment, plans to further enhance online interactivity on the PLAYSTATION®3 system.
Features :- QWERTY keypad designed for fast, thumbs-only typing.
- Touch pad mode turns the main key area into a touch pad. When touch pad button is pressed, user can not use the keys for character input but can slide her finger on this area to select something on the screen. On the internet browser, user can see a cursor when this mode is set on.
- Dedicated short cut keys provide instant access to text-based communication applications on the PLAYSTATION Network.
- Automatic pairing with the PS3 system via a USB cable.
- Charges by connecting it directly to the PS3 system using a USB cable.
Technical Specifications- Bluetooth® 2.0
- Up to 33 feet (10 meters) operating range
- USB 2.0 full speed (for battery charging and Bluetooth® pairing only)
- Rechargeable Lithium-ion polymer battery (Capacity – 610mAh)
Quality/Usability : With new generation consoles and online play, theres voice/text chat. But what if you dont have a headset with microphone, let alone wanting to hearing immature people/kids smack talk or their squeaky voice. How about now wanting to suffer selecting each letter with the d-pad or on-screen keyboard? Yes, you can connect a USB keyboard to the PS3 but it so big and requires you to put your controller down. Like the Xbox 360 Chatpad, Sony has released their own QWERTY keypad for the Sony PlayStation 3.
The keypad is small, lightweight and fits over the Dual Shock or SIXAXIS controller and is held in place with a spring-loaded clap. On the face of the keypad are your typical QWERTY keypads as well as ESC, TAB, CAPS, SPACEBAR, BACK, ENTER, etc. Also on the keypad is SELECT, START and PS button. But some additional buttons that make it easier for gamers is the ability to view messages and friends list with their own dedicated buttons. With these two dedicated buttons, it cuts down on time and hassle of having to navigate through menus after pressing the PS button. Another nice feature is the touch sensitive keypad allowing gamers to swipe across the keypad surface. But the keypads themselves are a bit small and will require some getting use to.
The keypad has its own battery and does not run off the Dual Shock or SIXAXIS power. So this requires a Mini-USB to charge the battery.
To use the touchpad, you simply press the button that looks like a pointing finger cursor and the enter keypad becomes a touchpad. The idea is to sweep your finger over the buttons to navigate the XMB or web browser. The concept is nice but fails at what it does due to lack of a smooth surface.
Conclusion : Overall, the PlayStation 3 Wireless QWERTY Keypad makes typing a lot easier. However, they keypads are a tad bit small and the touch sensitive keypad isn't as responsive as I would like it to be. Another feature I hoped that they had incorporated was taking power from the controller rather than having its own rechargeable battery. This means another item needs to be charged. Is it worth the $50? Depends on if you're a heavy texter. It would look more eye catching if the MSRP was the same as MS Chatpad ($30).
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March 9th, 2009, 16:02 Posted By: bandit
Hori Arcade Fighting Stick EX2
Manufacturer: Hori
Site: Buy from GoldenShop
Price: $79.00
Overview : Now you have a complete fighting chance on your XBOX360. The Hori Arcade Fighting Stick for your XBOX360 is the premier fighting game fans' stick of choice. Stick features authentic Japanese style convex button layout & solid state mechanics.
Features :- Officially licensed for Xbox 360™
- Same style as arcade design
- Recommended for fighting and classic arcade games that are available on Xbox Live
- Comfortable button layout: The lever and buttons are designed and placed on same layout as the arcade for maximum comfort.
- Expansion port included: The port allows you to attach your headset to this unit!
Quality/Usability : Let me start off by saying that all the Xbox 360 Hori Arcade Fighting Stick EX2's are the same with the only difference being the artwork whether it be plain EX2, Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive or Virtua Fighter.
The Hori Arcade Fighting Stick EX2 does not feel heavy as it weighs a couple of pounds and is reasonably sized so that it will fit comfortably on your lap (measures 11" (W) x 8" (L) x 1½" (H)). The casing of the EX2 is made of white plastic. On the left, you have your joystick. To the right, you have your standard buttons such as A, B, X, Y as well as LT and RT. The top contains the LB, SELECT, Xbox 360 Guide with indicators, START and RB. Towards the bottom is an expansion port to connect your communication headset. The USB cord on the stick is fairly long (approximately 5-6 feet long) that you don't have to sit so close and it features a quick disconnect cord in case someone trips over it, it wont knock your stick or your console over.
Connecting the EX2 is simply plug and play. Plug the USB cord to the front of the Xbox360 and press the Xbox Guide to activate and power the stick. The EX2 works with all games but with the layout of buttons, it may be hard to play with. With fighting games, you would be able to configure the buttons to your liking while majority of games, you can't. So this should be used with fighting games or XBLA games.
While playing Street Fighter IV with the EX2, the controls were responsive. I'm not that big on fighting games but I play it once in a while. I felt that the EX2 pulled off majority of the moves that I wanted to do. I also tend to be a button masher and the EX2 withstood my bashings. The joystick clicked at every location I moved it to. However, the buttons did not click like the arcades. It had a mushy feel to it unlike the arcade as it is missing microswitches. The 6 buttons also have a domed shape top to it. It would have been better if the buttons were concave. This would of made the experience better.
The parts used on the EX2 are stock and good but not as great as Sanwa or HAPP parts. These parts are used in arcades and in tournaments. If you're skilled and brave enough, you can mod the EX2 with these parts but I heard the EX2 is difficult to mod (link on how to mod below).
Conclusion : Overall, the Hori Arcade Fighting Stick EX2 is a sturdy arcade stick. If you're a hardcore gamer who's into fighting games, you might want to stay away from this. Either get a better high end fighting stick or get a custom one with better parts. For those who are novice or rarely play fighting games like myself, may want to look into this. However, for something you'll probably rarely use, $80 is a bit pricey. But if you can find this cheaper, it worth taking a look. Do know that this will not replace your regular controller.
If you're really brave or skilled with hacking accessories or electronics, you can mod and upgrade your EX2 with Sanwa or HAPP parts by following this guide, here is another or how about this one. There are probably more guides or tutorials by searching Google.
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March 5th, 2009, 19:34 Posted By: bandit
Gioteck PS3 Sixaxis Real Triggers
Manufacturer: Gioteck
Site: Buy from Amazon
Price: $4.99
Overview : JUST A LITTLE TO THE LEFT AND...HAHA! OWNED!
How many times have your fingers slipped off the L2 and R2, and always at a crucial moment in the game? RealTriggers put a stop to that happening ever again!
Simply put... if you use a Sony™ PS3 Controller, and your serious about your gaming, you should be using these!
Quality/Usability : The Gioteck Real Triggers isnt really new. Its been available for sometime exclusively in Europe. The Real Triggers are made of two plastic pieces that clip over the L2 and R2 triggers on the PS3 controller. By doing so, this makes the triggers bigger and provides a ledge.
The Real Trigger has the same color, texture and feel as the actual trigger itself. This makes it feel like it was originally on the controller and not a cheap plastic 3rd party attachment. It doesnt feel out of place at all.
Having tested it with a couple of racing games and shooters, there was an improvement in my controls as well as the comfort when I hold the Dual Shock.
Conclusion : Overall, the Gioteck PS3 Sixaxis Real Triggers improves the L2 and R2 triggers on the PS3 controller. Whether you have a Sixaxis or Dual Shock controller, the Real Trigger will fit. This seems to be available only in Europe (at the moment) but it seems that Gioteck plans to release it globally. When? No idea but they should release it soon. The price is very very reasonable but hopefully the shipping doesnt cost as much as the triggers themselves.
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March 3rd, 2009, 16:57 Posted By: skynes
Platform: PSP
Developer: TOSE
Publisher: Square-Enix
Ratings:
PEGI:
  
      
     
     
     
   
ESRB:
Star Ocean: First Departure is a remake of Star Ocean on the SNES. It has received a large graphical update, including some FMVs, as well as extra characters. Other than that it stays very close to its original on the SNES. The SNES version was never officially released to the West, so this is the first time Western games can experience the original Star Ocean.
The story is an unusual concoction of sci-fi and fantasy, it is based upon the planet Roak, a undeveloped planet of elf like creatures with tails. It involves the people of this backward world, the human race exploring on space ships, demon kings, global pandemic diseases and lots of monster fighting.
Your party can consist of a maximum of eight characters, of which four participate in combat. Four of these characters are storyline characters and will always be in your party, the other four are your choice. Some of these extra characters you encounter as part of the story and are given the option to invite them to join you, others require a lot of backtracking and side quests and some more are mutually exclusive to the others, you get one or the other. As each character has their own skills and story and quests, these leads to extra dungeons and story segments depending on who is in your party. The main quest however is unaffected regardless of party.
Story speech is mostly done through voice acting. Unlike many games which include voice acting Star Ocean's actors convey emotion. In a panic filled situation you can hear the panic and urgency in their voices which is a welcome change from monotonous speech. This is to be expected since most of the actors have experience in voicing other computer games or anime.
Star Ocean features a real time combat system, you control the party leader who is the character of your choice, whilst the other three follow a basic AI, you can give orders such as “avoid the enemy” and “attack with all your might”. The controls are very fluid and natural, the techniques are easily performed by use of the L and R buttons. The loading times for combat is also very quick and most non-boss fights can be won simply by mashing the X button. This is both a good and bad thing. It's great if you don't want to have to think too deep and just want to kill some monsters, on the other hand its lack of any kind of tactics leave the item and AI system a little redundant. It's possible to beat the entire game using only a handful of items and having no character die.
The levelling is very well balanced in that grinding is almost non-existent. While it is beneficial to gain a few levels before a boss it's generally unnecessary due to the low difficulty level of the standard difficulty setting. Unfortunately, unlike other Star Ocean games there are no harder difficulty settings available. This means the standard game will little challenge to an experienced role player and even less to those familiar with the Star Ocean series.
A common feature of the Star Ocean games is a crafting system and First Departure is no exception to this. Every time a character levels up they gain so many skill points. They can use these skill points to increase their levels in crafting skills or combat skills. Some of these crafting skills have a combat side-effect. For example the cooking specialty requires knowledge of Recipe, Keen Eye and Knife. Increasing your skill in Knife will also increase your Strength by 10 for every level of Knife you have. This means that even dedicated crafting characters are combat capable.
The crafting system allows access to very powerful weapon and items, unfortunately it's completely random what you end up with. It's possible to use hundreds of raw materials without once ever getting a useful item. This leads to constant loading of save games so as not to waste rare components.
After completing the story, you can reload the save file and find a post-game dungeon called the Cave of the Seven Stars. It's a 30 floor dungeon with monsters much much harder than anything in the regular game. There is also a summonable monster named Gabriella who can be called using the Music specialty. Due to the low difficulty of the game even this isn't very challenging. Overall the entire game including hidden dungeon can be completed in 20 to 30 hours.
Despite all the attention to detail in the game it becomes obvious early on that the interfaces weren't given as much love. The inventory screen is broken into a variety of categories such as 'One use only', 'Weapons', 'Armour' and 'Newly Acquired'. It is possible for an item to be in multiple categories at once and sometimes what you think is the right category is the wrong one. The really poor interfaces are the shop selling window and crafting screens. Unlike the inventory screen you can't break these down by category, so in the case of selling items you must scroll through every single item in your inventory to find the one you want to sell. This becomes tedious very quickly. This same flaw applies to some of the crafting screens, finding the item you want to modify or create can be annoying.
Star Ocean is a good RPG. It has an interesting crafting system and a very fluid and intuitive combat system. The story is interesting enough to hold your interest to the end and the tie-ins to earth mythology are welcome, but the path through the game itself is glaringly linear. Overall Star Ocean is worth a look but if you've played its successors don't be too surprised by how superior they are to First Departure, which after all, is an upgraded version of the original Star Ocean.
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March 3rd, 2009, 16:33 Posted By: skynes
Platform: PC, XBLA (2009)
Developer: Hidden Path Entertainment
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Ratings:
PEGI: Not yet rated
ESRB:
Defense Grid is a tower defense game. A tower defense game is a form of real time strategy, but instead of building bases and armies all you build are a series of turrets and gun ports who will shoot at anything that comes in range. The goal is to protect your main base from any and all invaders. Every kill your turrets make gives you resources that you can spend buying new turrets or upgrading existing ones. Each turret and enemy have different effects and abilities that must be taken into account when planning your defense.
The tower defense genre is normally found in flash form or on Warcraft 3 custom map sites. This make Defense Grid one of the few retail defense games. The quality difference is noticeable immediately, Defense Grid makes use of full 3d models, large maps, multiple zoom levels for the camera and beautiful graphics for the areas. Furthermore your AI assistant who also serves as your tutorial teacher has excellent voice acting.
The story of Defense Grid is that you are the last line of defense against an invading alien force who seek to steal the power cores of your bases. Assisting you is the uploaded mind of the previous commander who fought the aliens 1000 years ago with little success. The game follows a linear progression path of 20 levels, each level consists of a series of waves, during and in between which you must build and upgrade your line of defense, aiming to secure and guard as many power cores as you can. Some of these levels have a linear path, with your turrets being built to the sides of the path, other levels allow you to build turrets to block off entrances and pathways forcing the aliens to take the route that you choose. Should you block them off totally to the cores, they will instead walk through the force fields surrounding your turrets taking the shortest route they can.
A staple of the defense genre is the variety of turrets and enemies, each having their own abilities and effects. Defense Grid is no exception to this and has a wide variety of weapons at your disposal. Some of the common turrets such as anti-air missiles and slow down are available, as well as unusual turrets such as stealth detection, long range meteor storm and even a satellite cannon can be used to protect your cores.
The replayability of Defense Grid is very high. Each level has multiple 'advanced modes' such as harder enemies, fixed starting cash with no resource gain from kills, a limited number of turrets or the grinder mode. Grinder mode has 99 waves of average strength enemies who are constantly on the march, each wave contains more and more enemies that seek to overwhelm you with numbers. Each of these modes has their own worldwide high score table, comparing your score with every other player.
Excellent voice acting for your assistant, a wide variety of enemies and turrets, multiple levels, multiple difficulties, achievements, beautiful graphics for the levels and high replayability make this an absolute must buy for anyone who loves the Tower Defense genre, or even for those who enjoy strategy games. At the very least trying out the demo should be a priority.
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Seems I can't get copies of the images from Games Press without their watermarks.
Any ideas?
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February 28th, 2009, 02:32 Posted By: quzar
Platform: Windows (XP or Vista) PC
Developer: Haemimont Games (official US game page)
Publisher: Kalypso Media
MSRP: £29.99
PEGI: 7+ (Based on box art, PEGI site has no info)
ESRB: Rating Pending
Scheduled for release on 09 March 09
What they had to say about it:GRAND AGES ROME is the long awaited sequel to the best-selling strategy game "Imperium Romanum".
You are a Governor of a Roman Province in the time-honoured Roman Empire, its fortune very much lies in your hands. Choose one of five Roman noble families such as Caesar's Julii with different abilities to accomplish the comprehensive missions.
Defend yourself against barbarian tribes, trade with other cultures, build a wealthy economic environment and fullfil the needs of your people in a huge single player campaign or with up to 3 human players in the multiplayer mode!
And remember - even Rome was not build in a day!
What I have to say about it: click here
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February 27th, 2009, 22:23 Posted By: bandit
There's not exactly a wealth of information about this one just yet, but peripheral maker mLani (started by the former founder of SplitFish) looks to be doing its best to make PC gamers feel a bit more at home on the PS3 with this new FPS-minded controller which, coincidentally, looks to compete directly with some of SplitFish's own offerings. Apparently, in addition to improving your aim in Killzone 2, this one can double as a mouse for your PC and, as you can see above, it's also wireless, although it's at least possible that the cable between the mouse and the Wiimote-esque controller has been conveniently omitted. No word on a price, but this one's supposedly on track for a release in the next three months or so.
Source: Engadget
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February 26th, 2009, 17:59 Posted By: bandit
Nintendo's Japanese site is now showing a new version of the dual-analog Classic Controller for Wii. The "Classic Controller Pro" replaces the original's tiny secondary shoulder buttons with a traditional Dual Shock style "two rows of buttons" set up, moves the two analog sticks out a bit from the center, and adds some hand grips. Hand grips are for pros.
Basically, if a Dual Shock and a Wii Classic Controller had a baby, it would be -- a disgusting thing to think about. But if someone were to design a video game controller that used elements of both of those controllers, it would be the Classic Controller Pro.
Nintendo plans a summer 2009 release for this controller, which should dovetail nicely with Monster Hunter 3 -- no doubt irritating Capcom, who is bundling a port of its predecessor, Monster Hunter G, with a special blue version of the original Classic. No pricing or information about a release outside of Japan is given.
Source: Joystiq
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February 19th, 2009, 20:44 Posted By: bandit
Within a day or two of us posting our reviews (here and here) on the Cross Battle Adapter for the PlayStation 3, we got word that XCM has released Cross Battle Adapter Plus which now supports rumble feature.
Here is a video of it in action...
Now those who purchased the original Cross Battle Adapter is now stuck with an obsolete product. If they want the rumble feature, they must go out and purchase an entirely new product. This was the same for XCM's XFPS lineup.
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February 18th, 2009, 17:26 Posted By: bandit
XCM Cross Battle Adapter
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Play-Asia
Price: $50.00
Overview: Finally a way to enjoy your favorite PlayStation 3 games using your wired Xbox 360 controller! This unit allows you to connect any wired Xbox 360 controller to your PlayStation 3 with ease. Just plug and play! With built in Rapid Fire / Turbo modes for each button controlled independently.
Features:- Compatible with ALL PlayStation consoles and models.
- Requires the wired Xbox 360 controller.
- Built in Rapid Fire / Turbo for each button with independant controls.
- Easy to Use - Just Plug and Play!
Quality/Usability: There are haters and fanboys, debates and arguments as to which controller is better. Some hate the Dual Shock controller while others hate Xbox 360's controller. But there are some who want to play that one exclusive title that is only available only for the PS3 or 360 but would not subject themselves to putting up with having to play with a controller they dont feel comfortable with. If I was like that, I wouldnt blame them but XCM has come up with a solution.
They have come up with an adapter called the Cross Battle Adapter, that lets you use Xbox 360's controller on the PlayStation 3. Yes, those who dont like the DS controller in their hands, can use their beloved 360 controller on the PlayStation 3 and play games. The Cross Battle Adapter is housed in a clear blue casing with toggle switches on the front. These switches are for the TURBO function. Each switch is also labeled to tell you what each buttons are. For instance, the [X] button on the PS3 is the [A] button the 360. The R1 button on the PS3 is the RB on the 360.
The CBA connects to the PS3 via USB cable and is simply a plug-n-play. Unfortunately, this adapter does not work with wireless Xbox 360 controllers. You'll need to connect it via wire/corded controller. The moment you plug the wired 360 controller and CBA, you can start navigating the XMB immediately. Thanks to Goozex (US/CAN / EU) and trading my games, I was able to review the following games without having to waste too much money..
Little Big Planet - LBP doesnt require much except for timing. A slip of the button and you have to start at the last check point. Buttons felt comfortable.
Metal Gear Solid 4 - This was my first time playing MGS with a 360 controller. It took a couple of mins for me to get accustomed to the controls but once I got it down, it was very easy to play and controlled really well.
Motorstorm - When it comes to racing, I actually prefer the 360 because although its a bit clunky, it contoured my hand. Controlling the vehicle, braking and accelerating all worked without a problem. I think I actually did better with the 360 controller than I did with the Dual Shock.
Resistance 2 - I think this is the genre where most of the debate is revolved around...First Person Shooters. Some PC owners will even chime in and say get a mouse and keyboard..but that is a different product (XFPS RateUp) and debate. Having played Tom Clancy's Rainbox 6 Las Vegas, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2, Gears of Wars 2 all on the Xbox 360, I was so use to holding the controller. How does the CBA with 360 controller work on a FPS gamer on the PS3? Pretty damn good. My 360 controllers are equipped with KontrolFreek's FPS Joystick and GelTabz for that added grip. There was no lag and the accuracy was spot on. Luckily, the developers gave the gamers the ability to map the controls to their likings. Some games dont even have this option so you would be stuck with their awkward controls.
Conclusion: Overall, the XCM Cross Battle Adapter works great in allowing you to use Xbox 360 controller on the PlayStation3. However, there is no motion sensing since 360 doesnt have one built in, requires a wired controller and there is no rumble support! The TURBO feature is a nice feature but I barely used it. The price for this adapter is mixed feelings for me. I think its worth the $50 because I can use my 360 controller but the lack of rumble and having to use a wired controller makes me think that it should cost $30.
But for you Dual Shock lovers and own a Xbox 360, dont worry, XCM will be releasing Crossfire Battle Adapter. This will allow you to use your DS controller on the 360. Be sure to check back as we'll have a full review on it as well.
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