If you do any kind of computer graphics, animation or design work on a daily basis there’s a good chance you already use a Wacom tablet. But while that Intuos or Cintiq (you lucky bastard) might be ideal for your workstation, their size makes them not so ideal when you’re on the go, working on a laptop, or anywhere with limited space. And it’s those times when Wacom’s more affordable Bamboo line really shines.

Not only does their compact size make them easy to stash in a laptop bag, but they provide similar functionality to their larger counterparts for a lot less money. And they’re the first Wacom tablets that can also be used with your fingers, including multi-touch gestures on a Mac or a PC. As someone who’s used a Wacom tablet pretty much every day for the past 7+ years I was curious how the company’s new Bamboo line stacked up against their more professional models. And if you’re curious too, you can find my full review after the jump.

Like I’ve already mentioned, the biggest reason I’d recommend Wacom’s Bamboo line to a digital artist is their relatively compact size which makes them easy to travel with and use when you don’t have a large desk at your disposal. But I do have to caution anyone who’s already used to a larger tablet, the smaller footprint of the Bamboo Pen & Touch does take some getting used to. It has an active pen area of 5.8 x 3.6 inches and I often found myself wandering off the edge of the tablet with the stylus. Now for the most part I’ll chalk it up to muscle memory from using a larger tablet for so long, but it’s something you’ll want to keep in mind if you’re thinking of picking up one of the Bamboos for design work on-the-go. But if you’re just starting out with a tablet, I don’t think the size will be an issue.

Another limitation of the Bamboos, and previous lower-end Wacom tablets, is the reduced sensitivity of the stylus. The tablet can actually tell how hard you’re pressing with the stylus, and the Bamboo can detect about half as many distinct pressure levels as the company’s higher-end models. But again, I think it’s only an issue if you intend to do a lot of painting work in Photoshop or Illustrator, and even with the reduced sensitivity, the Bamboo Pen & Touch is still a far superior alternative to a mouse for that kind of work.

Like all of Wacom’s tablets, the Pen & Touch is very stylish and extremely well built, and should survive extensive use (and even travel) on a daily basis. In fact I can’t remember ever having a hardware issue with any Wacom tablet over the years, so if you’ve been discouraged by their pricing, even with the relatively cheap Bamboo line, I can assure you they’re worth every cent.

Here’s a shot of the underside of the tablet, and while there’s not much going on here, you will find a set of four rubber feet that will prevent it from sliding all over your desk. Not a very exciting shot I’ll admit, but I like to be thorough.

Since the higher-end Wacom tablets aren’t really designed for traveling, the only stylus storage they usually include is a small stand that gives you a place to stick the stylus preventing it from rolling all over your desk, or getting misplaced when it’s not in use. But like I’ve already said, the compact size of the Bamboo tablets means a lot of artists will be buying them for portability, so instead of a stand, Wacom included this stylish red fabric loop which not only provides an extra place for corporate branding…

…but also serves as a very convenient place to store the stylus. You probably won’t be using it every time you set the stylus down for a few minutes, but when stashed in your laptop bag it will ensure the stylus and tablet don’t get separated. It’s a simple yet clever solution that works quite well.

On the other side of the tablet you’ll find a set of four buttons or ‘ExpressKeys’ which can be programmed with specific functions or custom software shortcuts in the Wacom driver settings. The buttons can be used to reproduce additional mouse button clicks, launch specific applications or even quickly toggle the tablet’s touch functionality, which is almost a necessity. (More on that later.)

And while the ExpressKeys happen to appear on the left side of the Bamboo in the previous photo, the tablet’s actually designed so that it can be flipped around and used the opposite way if you find it more comfortable. (I don’t really think it’s a right-handed vs. left-handed thing.)

Up until now, the whole point of buying a tablet was so you could use a stylus for interacting with a PC instead of a somewhat clumsy mouse. And in my opinion, it’s the design of their stylus that’s made Wacom the defacto standard when it comes to tablets today. (Go ahead, name another tablet manufacturer, and Koala Technologies doesn’t count.) It’s completely wireless, but doesn’t need batteries, making it as light and as easy to use as a regular pen. And while the stylus included with the Bamboo line might be lacking the sleek ergonomical curves of the styluses included with Wacom’s more expensive tablets, it works just fine. It’s kind of like comparing a Bic pen to a fancy Montblanc, they both get the job done, but the latter provides a more pleasant experience.

However, I have to say I’m kind of disappointed with the design of the ‘eraser’ on the Bamboo’s stylus. It’s no where near as rounded as the eraser button on the stylus I regularly use, and the flat design results in somewhat of a sharp edge, even though it looks rounded. In fact it actually ended up leaving scuff marks on the tablet surface when I used it. Now perhaps I was being a bit too zealous with my erasing, but I used it no differently than I would my regular stylus. So I’m not sure if it’s the design of the button, or a result of the type of plastic being used, but I can’t say I’m completely happy with it.

But like I mentioned earlier, if you don’t like using the stylus that’s no longer a problem since the Bamboo Pen & Touch is one of Wacom’s first tablets that can be used with your fingers instead. You can basically think of it as a considerably larger version of the touchpad featured on Apple MacBooks these days, though I have to admit it’s not quite as accurate or responsive.

Now don’t get me wrong, the ‘Touch’ aspect of the Pen & Touch works just fine, but there’s something about using it that just doesn’t feel as slick or as immediately responsive as Apple’s touchpad hardware. Even with the handy multi-touch gestures that worked just as well under Windows XP as they did under Snow Leopard (if you happen to forget the motions there are handy little animations in the driver settings to remind you) I can’t see myself using the Bamboo Pen & Touch with my fingers that often.

Thankfully, like I mentioned earlier, you can set one of the ExpressKeys to easily toggle the touch functionality on and off. You don’t really notice how often your hand brushes against the tablet surface on Wacom’s older models when using the stylus, but since the Bamboos can detect those touches in addition to the stylus, you end up accidentally doing things you didn’t mean to. So disabling the touch functionality is pretty much the only way you can effectively use the stylus I found.

Conclusions:

If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to Wacom’s Intuos tablet line, or just want a tablet with a smaller footprint than your laptop, the company’s Bamboo line is absolutely the way to go. With a price tag of just $99 the Pen & Touch is priced comparable to higher-end mice, but in my opinion it provides far more functionality, particularly if you’re a digital artist. Unfortunately at the moment the touch functionality comes across more as a novelty than something I’d use on a regular basis, but I think it’s just a solid driver update away from being as usable, or even a better alternative, to the touchpads found on a MacBook.

Pros:
+ Compact, though still large enough to be productive.
+ Convenient fabric loop for storing the stylus.
+ Relatively inexpensive.
+ Superior alternative to a mouse for digital artists.

Cons:
- Compact size could throw off artists who are used to a larger tablet.
- The design of the eraser on the stylus tended to scuff the surface of the tablet.
- Touch functionality could be a little more responsive and accurate, and it can be problematic when using the stylus. (Though it can be easily turned on or off.)

Links:

Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch Tablet – $99

If you have any questions about the Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch Tablet you’d like answered, please feel free to leave them in the comments, and I’ll try to respond to them as best I can.

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

Borderlands sets you down on the desolate planet of Pandora. Here is a world that few people would ever want to set foot on, save for the prospect of treasure. It has been rumored that a vault lie hidden somewhere in the vast wasteland which contains riches beyond measure. Treasure hunters, mercenaries  and even large corporations want to get their hands on whatever is contained within.

The world of Pandora seems like a barren wasteland, yet the art styling makes the landscape seem rich and exciting. The prominent black lines and shading remind me very much of a comic book, while at the same time it feels like something entirely different. The overall landscape doesn’t change much from zone to zone, but each has its own characteristics that makes it seem unique.

You start out the game as one of four mercenaries hoping to strike it rich. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses, along with special abilities and weapon proficiencies. What really makes each stand out is their singular action skill. This is a special ability that you can trigger when you need to kick a little more ass. At their very basic, the action skills are thus:

• Soldier – Can drop an automated turret that takes down baddies while also protecting you.
• Siren – Can briefly turn invisible and move with increased speed. Also does damage when phasing in and out.
• Hunter – Releases his bird of prey to attack nearby enemies.
• Berserker – Becomes temporarily invulnerable while dealing extra melee damage.

As you level up, you earn skill points which are spent on your skill tree. Each character has three branches on the tree. The abilities unlocked generally revolve around your action skill. How you spend your points can also help determine your role when you’re playing with friends. One tree might make you better equipped for healing, while another could give you the tools you need for maximum destruction.

The game starts off with an awesome opening scene featuring a great song from Cage the Elephant. You then select your character and begin making friends with the locals (mostly by killing bandits and such). You’ll take on quests from various NPC’s which take you all over the world. Along the way you’ll slowly find out more and more about this mysterious vault which you are searching for.

The quests usually take the form of “kill someone”, “kill a bunch of someones” or “find these things”. As basic as these are each quest did feel somewhat unique, and you rarely had the feeling that you were simply grinding for XP. Your main quest line flows rather naturally, while the optional sidequests have enough background flavor to keep your interest. You are rewarded with XP, cash and/or weapons/upgrades.

One of my favorite aspects of this game is your variety of weapons. The game’s case boasts “bazillions of guns,” and they aren’t kidding. Weapons are broken down into seven different categories. These include pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles and launchers. The more you use each type, the more proficient you become. As you level up a type of weapon you’ll get increased damage, faster reloading, etc.

Weapons have a number of different stats to be concerned with. Damage, Accuracy and Fire Rate are the major ones. You’ll also want to pay attention to how many shots are fired per round, and if it does elemental damage. Some guns also have special attributes like increased reload speed, higher accuracy and more zoom.

The more rare firearms will even have a small bit of red text, which alludes to a special ability. This is something that both intrigues and annoys me. To my knowledge, there is no official listing of what each piece of text means. I have found a decent fan-made list that gives a decent description of some red text abilities. However, most of the time I just have to experiment with the gun to figure out what is special about it.

Guns are found all over the place in this game. You’ll get them as rewards for a quest, off of corpses, in boxes and even in scrap piles. Guns can also be purchased from vendors, which unlike some games can actually be somewhat useful. Generally the good guns are very expensive, but at times worth the price.

When you come across weapons and upgrades on the ground (or in boxes) you’ll be greeted with a popup just above the item. This tells you all of the stats (including cash value) so that you can easily determine if it’s worth picking up.

Other important items are your personal shield, grenade modifier and class mod. The first two are fairly self-explanatory. The class mod will give you bonuses to various stats that compliment the class you have chosen. This might mean increasing your damage with a particular weapon, or adding to the abilities you have chosen in your skill tree. Changing one of these out before a battle can have a significant impact on the outcome, so I recommend holding onto a couple of different ones just in case.

Combat is a blast. The enemy AI is fairly adept, so you’re generally kept on your toes. Your foes come in a variety of forms (humanoid, insect-like, beastly and so-on) and even those have their own sub-categories. You might have a bandit that smartly takes cover and fires off a few shots when the time is right, or a large brute who walks confidently toward you while laying down a barrage of bullets. My favorites are the raving lunatics that will light themselves on fire and just run toward you in a frenzy. (Though the midgets with shotguns are a close second).

Since you spend a good deal of the game killing things, it’s only right that they should die in an interesting fashion. Body parts will get blown off, or an electrified show might make them convulse and fall over. If you’re using the right elemental weapon, you can even disintegrate the foe, leaving only their mask hanging in mid-air for a moment before it falls unceremoniously to the ground.

Travel is broken down into three things. You can hoof it, drive a bad-ass vehicle (armed with your choice of guns) or use the Fast Travel system. Vehicles are generated at various places throughout each zone. These places are plentiful enough that you don’t really have to walk a lot, except in areas that can’t be reached otherwise. Driving them can be tricky at first, but eventually you’ll be able to get around well enough. Each vehicle has room for two; a driver and a gunner. The weapons on these aren’t the most powerful, but they do the trick. Your best bet is to simply run over whatever enemy might be in your path. They make a wonderful squishing noise when you do, it’s rather addicting.

The Fast Travel system is simple enough. When you reach one of the stations, it can be used to instantly transport you to a different station that you have previously discovered. I use the term “instant” very loosely here. Loading times between zones are annoyingly long, taking anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds. Even when are finally loaded into the zone, most of the objects are a little fuzzy for a few extra seconds before they become clear. This wouldn’t be so bad if you weren’t jumping from zone to zone for your various quests. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it certainly doesn’t add to the excitement either.

I was disappointed by the overall lack of voice acting in this game. Only a handful of NPCs had any real dialogue and even that was forgettable, save one.  Scooter, the country bumpkin that supplies your vehicles is hilarious. Every time you approach one of his stations you’ll hear is redneck voice spouting of something like “This is where the cars live, git you one!” As for your own character, they will have little quips when they level up, enter a vehicle or occasionally when you kill an enemy.

Multiplayer is where most people are going to spend a considerable amount of time. Things go a lot quicker and are much more fun when you’ve got other people to run with. The enemies do a good job of scaling to larger groups, provided that you’re at least close to the same level. There are arenas setup for dueling, for those times when you’re convinced you can kick everyone’s ass. My biggest complaint here is the lack of a trading system. For a game that relies so heavily on loot, there is no way to trade items between two characters. One must simply drop an item that another player wants, so that it can be picked up by the right person.

Overall, Borderlands is a fun game. The pace is just right (maybe a touch slow for solo play, depending on your preference) and there are enough characters and weapons to warrant a considerable amount of replayability. This is definitely a game that’s going to be around for a while.

[ Borderlands ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

If you play PC games with other people online, there’s a good chance that you use some sort of voice chat. When playing WoW, our entire guild would use Ventrilo in order to stay coordinated in raids, or just to chit-chat. I never cared for free-standing mics, so I would always be wearing a headset. Sometimes it can be hard to find one that sounds good, picks up your voice properly and feels comfortable during long-term gaming sessions. This is why I love getting to review new headsets, so you don’t have to figure out the hard way whether or not one is worth buying. Well today I’m going to be sharing my thoughts on the Logitech Gaming Headset G330.

First Look

The G330 headset is of the behind-the-head variety, making it smaller than more traditional headsets. You’ll see that the width is actually adjustable on these, which is a welcome feature not often seen (on behind-the-head styles). The mic extends from the left ear and is adjustable. You will find in-line controls and your choice of standard stereo jacks or a USB adapter for hooking the device to your computer.

Installation

There’s really not much to talk about here. If you’re completely out of USB ports, you can just plug this into your standard audio jack. Of course if you do have a free port, I would recommend using it. On Windows 7, I needed only to plug it in and the computer automatically switched over to using the headset as my primary audio source. On my Mac (Snow Leopard) I only needed to Option-Click on my volume icon to switch my source. No software was required on either OS.

Comfort

One of the most important features of a headset is comfort. Great sound quality doesn’t matter if you can’t wear them for more than an hour at a time. I’ve never been a fan of behind-the-head sets for this very reason. I’m pleased to say that these are my favorite to date. They still aren’t as comfortable as traditional headphones, but they are the closest I’ve found. One of the biggest reasons these are so comfortable is because of that adjustable band in the back. Most others I’ve used are too loose or tight, which eventually causes pain or discomfort. This was eventually felt on the ears themselves, but only after extended use.

Audio Quality

Sound quality is almost as important as comfort, but I’m more likely to deal with average sound if the headphones are comfortable. The G330 is nothing to write home about, especially when using the stereo jacks. When plugged in via USB, the sound was a little more crisp during gaming and when listening to music, but not very much. If anything, I’d say the audio was a little flat, regardless of how you had the headset plugged in. It was not enough to dissuade me from using them on a regular basis.

I’ve had a lot of issues with microphones in the past. The biggest problem was generally that it wasn’t adjustable. I honestly don’t know why anyone would make a headset without an adjustable mic. I will never purchase one again. The G330’s is very flexible, allowing you to find the perfect position. Once you’ve found that sweet spot, you’re going to be impressed. When at home, I make all of my calls via Skype (thanks to AT&T’s abysmal coverage in the area). Even with a bit of music or a movie on in the background at a moderate level, the people I spoke to would rarely notice any background noise due to the noise-canceling abilities of the mic.

Verdict

If behind-the-head is your thing (and it really does come down to a matter of preference) then you’ll love the G330 Gaming Headset. It is the most comfortable of its type, and while the audio output isn’t phenomenal, it is perfectly acceptable. The clear audio input and its ability to use either stereo jacks or USB definitely make this $50 headset worth the money.

[ Logitech ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

To round out our trio of NZXT cases, I present the Lexa S Mid Tower Chassis. This is the higher-end of NZXT’s case offerings. As such, it bears a premium price over the other two that we’ve reviewed in the last week. Do the extra features justify the extra cost? Read on to find out.

Features

You’re going to see most of the features that were on the Beta EVO and M59 cases here. Bottom-mounted PSU, pre-cut holes for cable management and holes for a liquid cooling system are all present. The SSD bracket and smoke colored window from the M59 are also found here. Not everything is the same, as you’ll find an extra pair of fans, as well as individual controls for the intake and exhaust fans. They also included rubber inserts for the cable management holes. These help keep the cables exactly where you want them, and are certainly appreciated.

First Look

The fist thing you’ll notice with the Lexa S is the large “shield” covering most of the front. It is rather minimalistic from the front. You’ll find a grill on the bottom for the front ventilation, a single chrome accent and a trio of LED bars. If you swing open the front, you’ll find something not on the other two cases. A pair of knobs is present, which gives you control of two sets of fans (up to two fans per knob can be controlled). This allows you to adjust the noise:temperature ratio as you please.

Inside you’ll see a familiar sight, as it looks virtually identical to the M59, complete with an all-black interior and SSD bracket. The only things that you’ll notice are the extra fans and the rubber inserts for the cable management.

Installation

There’s really not much to add here that wasn’t covered in the M59 review. Since the two are almost identical on the inside, I’d hate to bore you with all of the details again. I will mention that the rubber inserts do clean up the look of the finished product a bit. I’m a big stickler for proper cable management, so that means big points in my book. You’ve also got a few extra wires to deal with, thanks to the fan controls on the front. In a case without dedicated cable management features, this sort of thing would be annoying. However, once everything was in place I barely noticed the wires, as they were hidden behind the other side panel.

Verdict

The Lexa S rounds out our trio of NZXT reviews, taking its place as the highest priced of the three. The $69 price puts it $10 above the M59 and $20 over the Beta EVO. For the extra price you’re getting dedicated fan controls, extra fans and rubber inserts for the cable management holes. In my opinion it’s more than worth it. That said, this is my favorite cases to date.

[ NZXT ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

It’s no secret that advancements in battery technology have not kept pace with advancements in gadgetry. Smartphones equipped with giant LCD displays that are capable of playing movies, surfing the web, GPS’ing your location, taking photos and even occasionally making calls are great and all, but they’ve made the ugly downside of poor battery life even more of an issue.

Now sure, it would be fantastic if companies like Duracell stumbled across some miraculous solution to the problem in their research labs, but for the moment external backup batteries like their Instant USB Charger are the next best thing. I had a chance to try it out, and you can read my full review after the jump.

The Duracell Instant USB Charger is essentially a rechargeable lithium-ion battery inside a pocket-friendly housing that allows you to connect and recharge a wide range of gadgets that are USB-charging friendly. According to the packaging the Instant Charger’s battery is rated at 1150mAh and there’s a chart listing the average additional run/talk times for various gadgets. For example, the iPod Classic will run for an additional 50 hours when connected to the Instant Charger, while the iPhone 3G will gain an extra 180 minutes of talk time, give or take. From my own testing I had no problem fully recharging an iPhone 3GS that was down to about 25% battery life, and doing so didn’t completely drain the Instant Charger either.

Included in the packaging is the Instant Charger itself as well as a USB to mini-USB cable which can be used to recharge the battery when connected to a PC, or used to recharge a device that features a mini-USB jack.

The best part of the Instant Charger is that it’s dead easy to use. The only button is a simple on/off switch that ensures the rechargeable battery doesn’t get depleted while it’s not in use. Otherwise it’s quite literally plug and play. And while it’s not visible in this photo, there’s an LED-powered light-up ring inside the half-circle ‘copper top’ on top of the charger that glows green while it’s on, or orange when the battery is dead.

On one end of the Instant Charger there’s a mini-USB jack used to charge its lithium-ion battery. Out of the box it did take a good couple of hours to completely charge it up, and the charge status is indicated with a small LED light that glows orange during charging, and green when the battery is full.

And on the other end is a standard USB connector where your device’s charging cable can be attached.

Of course if you ever forget which end is used for charging and which end is used for providing power to a gadget you can always flip the Instant Charger over where the underside is clearly labeled with the words IN and OUT and a couple of hard to misinterpret arrows.

As for its size, the Instant Charger is very compact, thin and most importantly, light. I would actually compare it to the more recent iPod Nanos when it comes to size (though thanks to a plastic housing it’s far lighter) but here you can see it sitting next to an iPhone. It’s very easy to stash in your pocket if you happened to need to recharge a device while walking around.

And while the included USB to mini-USB cable is handy for recharging many cellphones and other portable devices, we all know the iPhone and iPods use their own proprietary connector, so you’ll have to use the charging cable Apple provides. But since anyone with an iPhone probably already carries the charging cable with them at all times anyways (just in case) it’s not a big issue in my opinion. In fact the finger gets pointed at Apple here, not Duracell.

Conclusions:

It’s really hard to find anything wrong with Duracell’s Instant USB Charger. It does exactly what it’s designed to do and it does it well. It’s small enough that it’s not a hassle to carry or use wherever you happen to be, and until batteries improve, it’s really the perfect solution for portable devices that don’t allow you to swap out the battery with a backup when it’s dead. And with a price tag of just $30, I would say it’s an absolute must-have accessory for any gadget bag.

Pros:
+ Compact, light and easy to carry.
+ As easy to use as it gets.
+ Supports pretty much any device that can charge over USB.
+ Inexpensive.

Cons:
- Just the fact that my cellphone requires me to carry a backup battery, just in case.

Links:

Duracell Instant USB Charger – $29.99

If you have any questions about the Duracell Instant USB Charger you’d like answered, please feel free to leave them in the comments, and I’ll try to respond to them as best I can.

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

Last week I showed you the M59 chasis from NZXT and promised reviews on a couple of their other new cases. Well you can stop holding your breath, as today I’ll be reviewing the Beta EVO Mid Tower Chassis. This is one of their sub-$50 cases, which makes it more of a budget offering. When you start getting into that price range, many cases tend to be lacking in both features and quality. Lets see if that’s the case here.

Features

Being the budget case that it is, it’s not surprising to see a general lack of extra features. You’ll find punched-out holes for cable management, as well as one beneath the CPU (just as the M59 had) and holes for accommodating a liquid cooling setup. You’ll also find room for 6 fans (only one is included) and a screwless installation solution for your optical and hard drives.

First Look

Once again, the budget case won’t win any awards in the looks department. Granted, some people prefer more of the plain black look, with nothing flashy going on. If you’re one of those people, then this will be great for you. You aren’t going to see a side window, or fancy LED lights here. It’s something nice and clean that would look good sitting in an office or at your house. Surprisingly, the interior is also all black, despite the fact that it isn’t visible without the side being removed.

Installation

Just as with the M59, the pre-cut holes work wonders for cable management. Even though there’s no window showing of the inside of your PC, it’s still nice to have all of your cables out of the way. The same hole is also there to access your CPU bracket in the event that you want to change out your heatsink/fan for something a little more heavy-duty.

NZXT has chosen to go with a screwless installation design for your optical and hard drives. I’m not a huge fan of them in general, but I don’t have any specific complaints about their screwless solution. It works well, and does make it fairly simple to install and remove components. The Beta EVO is also setup for a bottom-mounted power supply for better airflow. There is also a removeable air filter for the PSU.

One of the biggest issues I tend to see with budget cases is the quality of the material used. I’ll commend NZXT for not sacrificing quality on this case. You won’t find a sharp edge in the case, and the metal used is thick and sturdy. I always say that you can tell the quality of a case by how heavy  it is. I don’t know the exact weight, but it feels solid when you pick it up.

Verdict

The Beta EVO Classic Series Mid Tower chassis is a good solid budget case. If you aren’t looking for anything fancy and don’t want to spend any more than you have to, then this $49 case might be what you need. However, For the $10 difference, I think that you’d be much happier with the M59. It’s got more in the looks department, and you’ll find things like an SSD bracket and extra fans.

[ NZXT ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

To say that I’m a fan of rhythm games such as Rock Band would be an understatement. I’ve owned each game, a bunch of instruments and bought tons of DLC. I will however admit that the games are starting to grow a little stale these days. New songs are great, but the excitement just isn’t there like it used to be. I can’t remember the last time someone had a Rock Band/Guitar Hero party, and it’s no longer the staple of my weekly gaming sessions with the gang. So the question is how to renew interest in the genre. Activision has chosen to simply release as many Guitar Hero titles as possible, which proves only to increase the number of discs you must swap to play. Harmonix, on the other hand, has decided that band themed games might just do the trick.

Yes, we’ve seen standalone band-themed games already. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and Metallica weren’t exactly a failure in my book, but they just didn’t feel complete. Sure, the models seemed alright, and there was some story included. However, the fact that the games were littered with songs from other artists just turned me off. If I buy a game with a band’s name on it, I really expect to be playing their songs, not stuff from people they toured with.

This isn’t even Harmonix’s first venture in the single-band titles. If GH:Aerosmith didn’t feel complete, then I wouldn’t even call the AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack a game. Hell, they even call it a ‘Track Pack’. This was a standalone title that featured a measly 18 songs from one live performance. There were no new character models, no special venues, no story, nothing. The only reason this was worth buying was because you could then import the music into your Rock Band library and play it without inserting the disc. The music was good, but nothing that couldn’t have easily been DLC.

So with two band-only titles out there that weren’t exactly marked with high praises, why would Harmonix give it another go? Because this time they had one of the greatest bands in the history of rock to work with: The Beatles. Nothing against AC/DC, but when you have the opportunity to create a game based around The Beatles, you’re going to put every ounce of creative ability to work on it. Harmonix did just that, and it paid off.

Being in my mid-20’s, The Fab Four stopped making music together well before I was even born. That didn’t stop me from growing up hearing their songs, and knowing people my own age who were struck with Beatlemania. Of course growing up in a musical family also gave me a deep appreciation for what the group contributed to modern music.

Now that I’ve rambled on for a good long while, lets just dive into the game. First, let me say that The Beatles: Rock Band is first true single-band game game in the genre. It includes only tracks from the group, exquisitely detailed character models of each member, and some of the most beautiful venues to be seen in a rhythm title.

This is the first Rock Band game where they have included playable characters based on real people. I have to say that they pulled it off rather well. The level of dedication to detail is obvious, and the the fact that they worked closely with Paul, Ringo and the widows of George and John is apparent. There are no people in this world who know the movements and details of each person than these four. The different costumes and hairstyles used throughout the game are certainly a nice touch.

When I play Rock Band, I pay very little attention to what’s going on in the background. Sure, my customized character is there rocking out on a stage, but I could really care less while I’m playing. As a spectator, it does very little to keep me entertained. This is most definitely not the case here. Each of the venues is a beautiful reproduction of the most famous Beatles performances.

Of course the group eventually stopped touring and became a studio band. Since there were no real venues to use, Harmonix instead opted to create what they call ‘Dreamscapes’. These fantasmical visual representations of each song are awe-inspiring. The imagery used strikes an emotional chord on par with the music it represents. Usually I don’t enjoy being the person in the group waiting out a few songs so that someone else can play. However, I made it a point to sit out for a while just so I could truly appreciate the visuals.

The game has 45 Beatles songs to play, which is obviously its biggest feature. I can imagine that narrowing down the selection was one of the more difficult parts of the design process, as there are so many great ones to choose from. For the most part, I’d say that they did a good job, though there were a few more obscure ones that I could have passed on, and plenty that I wish they’d have included. There will be plenty of DLC, so no worries there. I’d also like to state for the record that Yellow Submarine has been banned from being played in my house. It’s an iconic song that really had to be included, but no one I played with (all huge Beatles fans) wanted to play it a second time.

As for the gameplay itself, it plays pretty much like Rock Band 2. A game with ‘Rock Band’ in the title that plays just like Rock Band, big shocker, right? There are some noticeable differences. First, the ‘No Fail Mode” is found on the same page where you select your difficulty level. As a bonus, if anyone selects Easy, then No Fail Mode is automatically enabled. This was done largely in part because they’re aiming this game at casual players that may or may not have ever played a rhythm title. It does nothing to hinder the enjoyment of the game, and even instills a bit of confidence in newcomers.

Of course if you’ve been playing Rock Band and Guitar Hero for a few years, you’ll probably discover that the songs are relatively easy. I’m really not sure what else to say here, except that Harmonix stayed true to the music. Every song is beautiful and amazing in its own way, and they did nothing to artificially increase the difficulty. Honestly, you spend less time concentrating on wild guitar strumming, and more time just enjoying the music.

The biggest change comes in the way of how vocals are done. In order to stay true to the music, you are allowed up to three vocalists on each song. You get to select whether you’d like to sing the Solo parts, or Harmonies. Each has a separate line to follow, and specific lyrics to sing. When I first heard about this, I was rather indifferent, as it just meant more people poorly singing along to the music. However, after playing for a while, it really does add a new dimension to the game.

As for extras, there are plenty to be found and unlocked. One particular one that I thought I should point out is the “Realistic” mode that can be found in the options. Now how would one make a Beatles performance more “realistic” you ask? With a crowd that is so loud you can barely hear yourself play. That’s no joke, The Beatles complained about that very thing when they toured and the guys over at Harmonix gave them a little hat tip with this feature.

I could probably go on about this game for several more paragraphs, but I’ll wrap this up now. There is only one question you have to ask yourself. Do you love The Beatles? If you answered ‘yes’, then I can almost guarantee that you will enjoy this game. Not only will you enjoy strumming, drumming and singing along with these classic tracks, but you’ll be re-living the music in a whole new way. If you’re not a Beatles fan, then this probably isn’t the game for you. It’s fun to play along with, but 45 songs from a band you don’t particularly care for is bound to get old fast.

[ The Beatles Rock Band ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

Batman. One would think that the rich history and “one man against all villainy” plot of this comic would have lent itself to a gaming classic by now. For one reason or another it just hasn’t happened with most games in the Dark Knight’s vault being shoddy movie adaptations. I’d long since given up hope of a decent Batman game and that’s why I was taken by surprise earlier this year at E3 when I got my hands on a playable demo of Batman: Arkham Asylum. This was the Batman game I’d waited for my whole life.

Immediately when starting the campaign you’re drawn into an engaging story, picking up with Batman just having apprehended the Joker and delivering him back to Arkham Asylum. During the intake procedure the Joker manages an escape and reveal his plot to take over the facility. Inmates are turned loose and the first introduction to combat begins.

In Arkham Asylum the combat controls are very simple. You have a context sensitive attack, a stun, a dodge and a counter. These simple moves can then be chained together to create complex combat sequences against multiple enemies. With enough moves in a combo series you can also perform a throw or takedown. Practice makes perfect in successfully chaining combos while fighting against multiple enemies, but once you get a rhythm going the Arkham inmates really start to take a beating.

In your pursuit of Joker across Arkham Asylum you encounter a number of enemies, from run-of-the-mill goons to classic super-villains such as the Bane, Scarecrow, Killer-Croc and Poison Ivy. Each boss provides a unique challenge, from Bane’s brute force attacks to the Scarecrow’s mind altering subjugations. On the higher difficulty settings they will be enough to put any Jr. Detective to shame.

Of course, Batman has more than his fists at his disposal on this tromp through an island of criminally-insane wacko’s. In his arsenal the Dark Knight carries the obligatory Bat-a-rang’s and grapple hook in addition to explosive gel and a device to assist in getting past locked barriers. The most useful tool up Batman’s sleeve is his detective mode; when triggered this allows you to see through most solid objects to spot and analyze enemies as well as detecting various things in the environment.

No discussion of this game would be complete without touching on the voice acting, which is nothing less than stellar. Most of the cast from the Batman the Animated Series cartoon reprise their roles and time has only made them better. Mark Hamill’s take on the Joker will leave you both laughing and horrified all at once with a perfectly chilling maniacal laugh.

In all I’d say this is the single player game I’ve played this year besides the Fallout expansions and with all of it’s unlockables and challenges it will keep me involved for some time yet.

[ Arkham Asylum ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

Everyone knows they should be backing up their PC or laptop on a regular basis, but it usually requires a devastating loss of data before most users get serious about it. However, even if you have a giant RAID sitting on your desk, backing up your files on an hourly basis with ridiculous levels of redundancy, is your data still safe? Viruses and failed hardware are only a couple of problems a backup drive can protect against, but what about more serious situations like a flood, fire or other natural disasters? Should the worst case scenario occur, the data sitting on a backup drive next to your computer is just as much at risk as the data sitting on the computer itself.

Unless of course your data happens to be backed up on a drive that’s built like a tank. And that’s where the ioSafe Solo disaster proof external hard drive enters the picture. If you’re looking for a drive you can throw in your laptop bag the ioSafe Solo isn’t for you, but if you want a relatively affordable backup solution for your home or business that can withstand most of what mother nature can throw at it, you’ll want to check out my review of the Solo after the jump.

Unboxing the ioSafe Solo you’ll find the drive itself, a power cord with inline brick transformer and a USB cable, pretty much everything you’ll need to get going. But it’s at this point where the “built like a tank” aspect I mentioned earlier starts to become apparent. The ioSafe Solo weighs 15lbs and while that might not sound like much, take my word that it’s remarkably heavy. But I have to admit it’s hard to complain about the drive’s weight when it’s a result of the metal housing and heat & water insulation inside that help protect the hard drive from extreme disasters.

But how extreme is the drive and just what can it protect your data from? Well according to ioSafe the Solo can withstand fires and temperatures up to 1550° F for a full 30 minutes (according to ASTM E119 testing standards) and it can remain submerged in water, up to 10 feet deep, for up to 3 days. And as a bonus, that 15lbs of protection also serves as a handy way to stop someone from easily walking off with your backups.

Of course the most important part of the ioSafe Solo, the company’s data recovery services, isn’t pictured above. You see the whole point of the ioSafe Solo is not for the enclosure to survive a disaster, but for the data inside to be protected. So in the event it’s subjected to a worst case scenario like a fire or a flood, you can’t just plug it back into your computer and expect it to work again. It actually needs to be sent back to ioSafe who will extract the drive, recover your data and send it back to you on a brand spanking new Solo.

Now since this service is an essential part of the ioSafe Solo, registered users have access to it for a period of one year. And that can be extended to 3 years for $49.99 or 5 years for $99.99, which in my opinion is a worthwhile upgrade. But what happens if the damage to the hardware is too extensive for ioSafe’s technicians to recover your data? In that case the company will cover third-party data recovery services for up to $1,000, but I imagine anything over that amount will come out of your own pocket.

As for the hardware, the ioSafe Solo is a pretty basic looking monolith of a drive, so if you want something stylish or fancy, companies like LaCie will be happy to overcharge you for a nice design. The main goal of the Solo is to protect your data, and I suspect that’s all that most consumers interested in such a device will care about. However, the metal casing and rounded corners are far from being an eyesore, and the front even features a set of perforated holes that are backlit with a blue LED light when the drive is on.

Even the back of the Solo is pretty minimal. There’s a power switch, a USB 2.0 port, a place to connect the power cord, a vent for the cooling fan and a metal plate featuring the drive’s serial number. From what I can tell the ioSafe Solo is only available in a USB 2.0 version, and while I can understand not wanting to include firewire or eSATA ports as well (more holes = more places for water to get in) the option to choose a faster interface would be appreciated.

Most USB backup drives you can buy today have managed to ditch a noisy cooling fan in favor of clever heatsink designs to dissipate the heat built up by the drive while it’s operating. But the insulation that protects the hard drive inside the Solo from external heat also prevents the heat generated by the drive from escaping. So a cooling fan is pretty much a must. But the one used on the Solo is completely silent and doesn’t add to the white noise that’s probably already being generated by your PC.

But at this point you might be asking yourself how the Solo’s enclosure remains waterproof and heatproof when there’s a series of ventilation holes perforating the back of the case? Well ioSafe has developed something they call FloSafe vent technology that detects an ‘emergency’ and automatically closes a series of vents inside to protect the electronics. And the system still works even when the drive doesn’t have power, which is usually not available in the event of a fire or natural disaster.

As I mentioned before, ioSafe’s data recovery services are an important part of the Solo, so you’ll want to make sure you register the drive with the company as soon as possible to be eligible for it. But there’s a good chance the white sticker that most companies use to indicate your hardware’s serial number isn’t going to survive a fire or flood. In fact, it will probably just fall off on its own after a particularly humid day. So to make sure the Solo’s serial number can still be read after a disaster it’s actually engraved onto a metal plaque that’s riveted to the back of the case. Nothing short of an explosion is going to make the serial number illegible, and in that situation your data is probably unrecoverable anyways.

And even though the drive’s 15lbs of girth makes it difficult to steal, walking away with one is not an impossible task. So at the back you’ll also find that the enclosure’s bottom metal plate extends out with a hole that can be used to secure the Solo with a metal cable or even a bolt if you’re worried about it falling off of a shelf or desk in the event of something like an earthquake.

Now I’ve already made it pretty clear that the ioSafe Solo is not intended to be used as a portable drive by any means, but if you were wondering just how much protection surrounds the hard drive inside, here’s a size comparison shot showing the 500GB Solo we were sent and an external 500GB notebook drive in its own external enclosure.

Conclusions:

They say you can’t put a price tag on peace of mind, but I think ioSafe might have found a way. The 500GB model we were sent will set you back $149, while the 1TB and 1.5TB versions run $229.99 and $299.99 respectively. And yes, that’s more expensive than what an external drive from Western Digital or Seagate will cost you these days, but when you factor in the cost of data recovery services or how simply losing a large chunk of important data could affect your business, that extra money seems completely reasonable in my opinion.

It would be nice to see options for a firewire or eSATA interface, as well as an upgrade plan considering that hard drives get larger and cheaper every year (you can’t upgrade the drive yourself) but as it stands the ioSafe Solo is a great solution for those who are truly concerned about protecting their data.

Pros:
+ Peace of mind in knowing your data will survive worse situations than you can.
+ Includes 1 year of data recovery service with reasonably priced extensions to 3 & 5 years.

Cons:
- Heavy! 15lbs might not sound like much, until you pick it up.
- USB 2.0 only.
- Large footprint.
- Hard drive not upgradeable.

Links:

ioSafe Solo – 500GB $149.99
ioSafe Solo – 1TB $229.99
ioSafe Solo – 1.5TB $299.99

All drives include 1 year of data recovery service which can be extended to 3 years for $49.99 or 5 years for $99.99.

If you have any questions about the ioSafe Solo you’d like answered, please feel free to leave them in the comments, and I’ll try to respond to them as best I can.

By Chris Scott Barr

Last week Logitech announced two of their latest mice, equipped with Darkfield Technology. If you’ll recall, this feature allows mice to track on any smooth surface, regardless of whether or not it is reflective. While some people might not see the benefit in using a mouse on a reflective surface, those who want to use a mouse on their glass desk, or even something with a mirrored finish will be pleased. I’ve actually been testing out the Anywhere MX mouse for about a week now, and I thought I’d share my thoughts.

Features

The Logitech Anywhere MX packs a lot of features into one tiny package. Obviously the Darkfield Technology is a big selling point, as you never know where you’ll be using your laptop next. The mouse also utilizes the new Unifying receiver, which is small enough to stay plugged into your laptop all the time (and not risk getting broken off like larger ones) and allows you to use a compatible keyboard without needing a separate receiver. Hyper-fast scrolling, extra buttons and 2.4GHz wireless round out the feature list.

First Look

The mouse itself is rather small, as any good travel mouse should be. The shape is comfortable enough for extended use, even for someone with large hands such as myself. You’ve got two thumb buttons for forward/backward which are a must-have feature for someone who spends as much time on the web as I do. There’s also another button below the scroll wheel for switching between programs, if you’re into that sort of thing. The on/off switch underneath is actually a sliding cover for the laser, which seems convenient enough. Lastly, I love the the tiny Unifying receiver, as I haven’t bothered to unplug it from my MacBook since I got it.

Comfort

If you’re using your laptop enough to need a mouse, then you’re going to want something comfortable. It’s this logic that  has kept me from replacing the desktop mouse that I always carry in my laptop bag. The Anywhere MX is one of the first laptop mice I’ve found to be comfortable enough to use for more than an hour or so at a time. It is still small, so I wouldn’t replace my regular mouse at my desktop with it. That’s what the Performance MX is for (which we’ll get to another day).

Performance

As a regular mouse, the Anywhere MX performs about as well as any other. The only thing that really stands out is the Hyper-fast scrolling. I really thought the use of the word “hyper” was more  marketing hype than anything else, however, that’s really not the case. If I flick the scroll wheel with my finger, it can spin for a good 6 or 7 seconds. If you really want to fly through a huge document, you can flick it harder and get more like 17 seconds of spin (my personal best is 17.5 seconds). To give you a better idea, I can scroll through about 35 pages in OpenOffice Writer with one flick, whereas on my old mouse I can’t even get past the first page.

This awesome scroll wheel does have one small drawback. Since it is “hyper-fast” it is also easily triggered. You’ll need to keep your fingers away from it when mousing, lest you find yourself halfway down the page you were reading. It was a fairly rare occurrence, but still worth mentioning.

Darkfield Technology

I actually used to own a glass desk, which my optical mouse did not work on, which is why I’m pretty excited about Darkfield. Knowing a friend with the same desk, I packed up my MacBook and the Anywhere MX and promptly headed there for testing. The desk is made from rather thick tempered glass (not the frosted stuff, just clear), and the mouse had no trouble whatsoever tracking on it. Being the geeks that we are, we proceeded to find other reflective surfaces to test it on. A drinking glass, a 2mm-thick piece of acrylic (Plexiglass to some of you), my iPhone and even the screen of my MacBook all worked flawlessly with the mouse. The only thing that we found that didn’t work was a CD, which we honestly didn’t expect to work in the first place.

Verdict

The Logitech Anywhere MX is a solid travel mouse. It’s comfortable, the Unifying receiver is small enough that you don’t have to worry about  removing it and the Darkfield technology works like a charm. My only complaint is that the scroll wheel could potentially get annoying if one were to bump it very often, though it only happened a couple of times to me. The Logitech Anywhere MX can be found for $79, which is a tad pricey for a notebook mouse, but well worth it in my mind.

[ Logitech ]