Archive - 2014

X-Doria Defense 720 Hybrid Phone Case Review

2014/03/10

Mobile News, Mobile Review, News, Reviews

We hear at Gamingshogun.com love to bring you cell phone case reviews because we know that nowadays just about everyone uses them. They are our desktop from ten years ago shrunk down to fit into our pockets and carry such vital information as our medications to whether or not Lindsey is flaking out on dinner tonight. In the case of techies like our team it is even taken up tenfold, we might do final drafts on Word Press on our mobile wonders or try out the latest port to iOS or Android while we wait at the DMV. We can choose our seats and pay for them at our local theater, tweet about the great new seats and check our FB events to see if anyone else planned to catch that showing of the Lego Movie. In short plenty of us wake up reaching for the phone and listen to it while going to sleep at night. It needs protection and in the case of klutzes like yours truly it had better have a screen guard too. That’s why it is a safe bet that the X-Doria Defense 720 Hybrid Case would catch my eye.

Features:
– Full screen protection, full touch control
– Protects your device, front, sides, and back; with an added bumper for drop protection
– Two-piece shell design easily snaps on for a secure fit
– Patented polycarbonate front shield provides maximum protection for your screen

Hands On:
At first glance this case isn’t that exciting to look at, but that is because it’s key is in potential. It is designed to protect 720 degrees of the phone so it has a thicker colored bumper around the outside with transparent casing on the front and back. Created with the color schemes of the iPhone 5/5s in mind so that you can show your phone’s color through the case while accenting it with bumper I see the real possibilities in the clear case being customization. Instead of just having your phone show through the back you can put one of your favorite photos or shrink down a print of your favorite poster and put it in there. You can save your favorite fortune cookie messages in there or tuck stickers that you don’t want to stick to your phone inside it. What these cases really represent with their clear back is self expression however you choose to do that while at the same time keeping your phone safe.

In the area of keeping your phone safe the bumpers are solidly designed to help protect from edge impacts which can really ruin your phone and your day and have a simple pattern carved into them that accentuates the edge just a touch. Almost as importantly though is the removable front shield which is very solidly designed and I can’t stress the enough, the front screen has excellent connectivity. Being a phone gamer as well as needing to do social media I can’t tell you how frustrating a front shield can be if it lowers the touch response. If it is a little you might weigh the value of the protection versus the frustration of response issue typos or game mistakes, if it gets so that you audibly are hitting your screen for each letter of a tweet you may get as aggravated as I did the time I ripped the shield off the case and actually cut it up with scissors so that it would no longer darken man’s domain.

Last Call:
The X-Doria Defense 720 Hybrid Phone case is simple in appearance and design but solid in construction and possibilities. If you use your imagination this case could easily be the one that shows who you really are, it is a blank page simply waiting for your touch.

[easyreview title=”X-Doria Defense 720 Hybrid Phone Case Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Turtle Beach Ear Force XP Seven Headset Review

2014/03/10

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

Turtle Beach has long been a benchmark in the consumer audio market and among gamers as gear to strive for. Their headsets are famous for their quality and customization, there are people out there that just buy the headset interchangeable plates to mount them on the wall as art, Turtle Beach even had them displayed at CES 2014 in a shadow box artfully done. Looks mean nothing though if the product itself isn’t effective and comfortable so the question of the day is whether or not the Turtle Beach Ear Force XP Seven Headset is worthy of being the Major League Gaming official headset.

Description:
The Ear Force XP SEVEN, our newest premium console headset, offers the ultimate in game tournament and lifestyle performance. The official headset of Major League Gaming (MLG), the XP SEVEN is the perfect headset for the elite e-sports player or any gamer seeking a pro-audio gaming experience, featuring Dolby Surround Sound and a fully programmable digital signal processor (DSP). The programmable DSP allows gamers to enhance and personalize the entire audio experience with fully customizable game, chat, and mic signals. On-the-fly audio preset switching, independent game and chat volumes and more are now at players’ fingertips thanks to the Audio Control Unit. With a sleek and distinctive new design, gamers can now also customize the look and feel of the XP SEVEN thanks to its removable mic boom and easily interchangeable speaker plates; it’s the ultimate audio weapon for competitive console gamers.

Features:
· Programmable presets that change your sound environment and allow you to hear sound cues you’d normally miss the Advanced Sound Editor tool to download, manage or create presets for your headset.
· The XP SEVEN uses Dolby Digital surround processing technology – the industry-standard format for encoding multi-channel game audio. Dolby Digital processing recreates 5.1 channel surround sound using the XP SEVEN headset so you can hear the sound all around you, as if you were listening to a 5.1 speaker system.
· Adjustable surround sound angles for the optimum surround sound experience.
· Auxiliary line input for use with a digital music player or mobile phone.
· The Audio Control Unit (ACU) is fully compatible with the Turtle Beach TM1 Tournament Mixer facilitating multiple player communication.
· Durable 4-pole, 3.5mm breakaway cable connects to the Control Unit, portable game systems and mobile devices for great sound across all your gaming and digital media.

Hands On:
The Ear Force XP Seven puts us in one of the strangest but probably most wonderful situations we at GamingShogun.com have faced when it comes to a headset review: this product is designed to go with pretty much every system. If it has a stereo jack or USB output, odds are this system will work with it. To try and try and give this product its due justice we will first do an overview of what you get with the XP Seven then break it down on how it works and how well it works with different systems.

The Ear Force XP Seven System:
To make it compatible with all these different systems it comes with a bunch of varying cables, but breaks down into three distinct sections. The first section is the console interface, this part is used exclusively for the console you are playing. I found when trying it out on the PC, laptop, iPad and iPhone I just left this section plugged into the last console I was using it on. At this point in time a majority of games I am playing or reviewing console-wise are on the Xbox 360 so that is where it is, especially with the XO Seven hitting the market soon for the Xbox One. The console section basically serves as an adapter between the console and the rest of the system.

The main diversity and interactivity with the system lies in the next section, the Audio Control Unit. This is a small device with buttons ringing it and a knob on the top. The back has a clip to attach it to your belt or shirt while playing as well as some small peg legs to rest it on a surface if you choose. The audio control unit is used in all interfaces except “portable/mobile”, it is also the only section that requires a learning curve. If you start off using this system with a PC the accompanying software and more detailed user’s manual help this curve a lot. If you jump in on a console, this will take a little bit longer. The Audio Control Unit does what its name implies, controlling the levels and routing of audio to and from your game, your chat, your mobile phone and to your stereo speakers. It has 8 presets so that you can have saved audio configurations for different games and systems and with a push of a button you can configure how the surround sound “speakers” are set up around you.

The final section is the Headset and headset cable. This can be used and plugged into anything with the right size aux output jack (or adapted). The cable has a mic in it so that you don’t have to use the detachable boom mic if you are on the go as well as a breakaway cord so that you can disconnect the headset from the system about six inches from the ear to enable you to leave the headset on when you need to leave the system or in case you forget you are wearing it and get up and walk away it won’t be torn off your head (hence the name “breakaway”).

There is also detailed software involved with the hardware but that will be covered under the PC section.

Console Use:
The console interface system allows for optical audio cable use as well as a digital input, USB input and digital input with a nine pin and USB going to the Audio Control Unit. This makes it adaptable with with all the systems and since we have most of them I was able to give it a run on them. The Xbox 360 was one that had digital out (earlier models didn’t) and the game sound was absolutely amazing. In shooter games where it is crucial to know where the enemy is by listening for footsteps or opening fire, this headset performed like a champ. The padded and sewn headset arch and memory foam ear cushions were extremely comfortable even after long periods of use (exceeding eight hours) and blocked out any external noise very well. I found when someone wanted to talk to me and I didn’t want to take the headset off, I would point the boom mic in their direction to hear what they were saying as long as I wasn’t in team chat. Opening and closing your mic is as simple as brushing a spot on the control unit and mixing game sound versus chat was a matter of turning a couple of dials while adjusting the overall sound involved cranking the main knob. After a little getting used to, it was easy to do on the fly in case you had your chat turned up to listen to a quiet spoken teammate and suddenly a burst of obscenities came screaming through the channel from a dead team member.

If you do feel like taking off the headset and you have a speaker system hooked up to the control unit you can hit the mode button and make it so that the sound starts playing through the speakers. If you are worried about a phone call or text or want to play your own music you can plug your mobile into the control unit. This can be used with any audio source with an aux output but if you decide to pick up a call the phone mic on your cord can be handy and used to talk both to the phone or in team chat. Personally I liked the boom mic for each since then it can be adjusted directly to your mouth and give perfect speaking clarity.

The PS3 was a similar experience though I have it on a different part of my entertainment center so I was able to utilize the cable extenders provided to give me a little more length between the console unit and the audio control unit so I could reach the extra distance. The extender didn’t seem to weaken or degrade the audio quality any so it might just become a standard part of the console connection to give more leeway.

One thing to note about the system is that if you use it with the Xbox One you won’t be able to hear team chat except through your Kinect which by now you are probably used to yelling at anyways. Also the headset system can be used plug and play but for the best experience and control follow the directions in the manual and go into the console systems and perform a proper setup.

PC Use:
The XP Seven works great with consoles but it truly shines when on a PC with the proper software installed and a decent sound card. The software alone could be a 20 page story loaded with techno-babble, graphs, diagrams, and charts that would make the common gamer’s head spin and the professional gamer geek out. I know this because that is how long the user guide is for it and it has all that information. The real keys are you can adjust every aspect of the sound and how you hear it from every source, pitch, frequency, complete equalization. You can download audio presets the Turtle Beach community has come up with so that if you want to sit down at a game and play it without messing too much with the controls you can download a preset designed specifically for that game, and use it immediately. If you want to go in and build a custom setup you like you can save it to a preset or even upload it to the community for others to use.

If you are a gamer gal and are tired of all the smack talk you can morph your voice into a guy, a robot, a little kid, you can play with pitch to make yourself sound like whatever you want. This has been a particularly popular feature and I’ll admit to a certain fondness for robot voice, I blame the movie “War Games”.

Really when it comes down to it with all the things you can do with this headset the most important thing is you are getting amazing quality sound exactly how you want it whether or not you are plug and play or a Major League Gamer who has precise settings you have found the performance of this headset will only further the Turtle Beach name.

Mobile:
This is where the headset gets simple but still has some customization. You just need the headset and cable, remove the detachable boom mic, plug into your phone or other aux output device such as an iPod and away you go. It has a fashion style all its own yet fits nicely in with the popular full cup headset culture. Some might not be fans of the black and white subtle color scheme but with the removable speaker plates you have dozens of options on how you can make them look, jazz them up. Personally I love the Halloween Pumpkin speaker covers but I know Marvel fans who like those covers so much they are now wall decor.

Last Call:
The Turtle Beach Ear Force XP Seven headset never failed me in any sound tests I threw at it and gave absolutely outstanding performance on all devices. If someone is concerned about the possibly prohibitive cost, you just need to think about how the system can replace every other headset you use for all the devices in your house. That diversity should appeal to the common player as well as those who aspire to the MLG ranks!

[easyreview title=”Turtle Beach Ear Force XP Seven Headset Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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Saitek X-55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. Review (Peripherals)

2014/03/10

Ripper71

News, Peripheral Review, Peripherals News, Reviews, Windows PC News

When GamingShogun.com hit CES 2014 this year, one of the main things we wanted to make sure we saw in person was the Saitek X-55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. (Hands On Throttle And Stick) system. Once I got to give it a feel I HAD to know what it was like to give it a play. So, about a week ago, the Saitek X-55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. arrived that was still so prototype in packaging it didn’t include any of the papers – just the peripherals themselves. Like a kid at Christmas I had it unpacked and hooked up in no time, popping open games and running it through its paces.

Description:
The Rhino features brand new, fully programmable drivers, enhanced 16-bit hall-effect sensors in the axis, swappable springs for the joystick so you can dial in your preferred stick tension, twin lockable throttles and a friction adjustment that can be set on the fly.

The throttle and stick have their own dedicated USB allowing more freedom of customization and compatibility with some of your favorite classic games. Saitek’s new software provides the ability to completely customize all of the X-55 Rhino’s axes and buttons. On the axis side, you can adjust deadbands and response curves to fine-tune axes to respond just like an aircraft’s real-life counterparts. On the buttons and toggle side, you can assign any number of in-sim directives, such as speed brake, flares, target lock and pickle weapon. The software also allows programability for an array of mouse and keyboard commands – from basic single-key inputs to very advanced, timed, and macro commands.

Hands On:
I had to give it a run in some of the games I have been playing a lot. War Thunder was the first thing I tried it on, since it was on the list of games that would be compatible. At the time of this review, most of the profiles aren’t set, so I went into settings on every game I played and built my own profiles. If you have never done this I would highly recommend it, just be in your “Zen place” and in a good humor. Nothing like going to start a dog fight and finding your yaw is entirely stuck to the left so all you can do is fly in circles. This might be fine for sight-seeings, but not so good when someone realizes that is all you are doing and easily shoots you down. Or the controls didn’t register the pitch axis and you find yourself only able to fly up to max altitude, stall, then shoot anyone who happens to be below you. In some cases it still maintains keyboard instructions and I just had to jump on that real quick but in a lot of cases it over writes them. So if you happen to not program a gun/cannon fire then you just go ramming speed into another plane or the ground.

Once everything was nicely programmed I played War Thunder on a couple different modes, one that was arcade and one that was more realistic controls. It was only my second time playing War Thunder and my first time playing the new system but what amazed me was how quickly I felt comfortable with the separate throttle. It felt so natural to pull back on the throttle as I pulled an evasive maneuver then go into a dive to hit a ground target, maxing the throttle when the aircraft was about to go into the deck. I have a couple other flight sticks for different systems and each of them has a built-on lever to be used as a throttle but since that lever is so tiny and a bit awkwardly located next to the center of the stick it really took away from the experience. This system not only has the stick and throttle on separate units for placement in your personal cockpit (in my case TV trays and cardboard boxes) but it also has extra toggle switches, buttons, dials and mini sticks all over the two sections to allow programming for the more complicated sims. With an arcade style game you only need the buttons on the stick for the most part along with the throttle handles to do all the commands. The system also has a know to adjust the tension on the throttle and a complete spring system to adjust the force required to move the stick.

When you get in a full system flight sim you need to assign toggles for starting each power supply, engine, flaps, brakes and plenty of other stuff which the Rhino H.O.T.A.S. can easily accommodate. The dual throttle levers can be locked as one unit or you can even throttle up the left and right engines separately which in some flight sims and games greatly increases your capabilities. You can even build three separate profiles for the same game, save them down to one of the three event memories and turn a dial to choose between each. So if you see yourself jumping into a black hawk you are probably going to want an entirely different control scheme than a fixed wing aircraft like an F-16. Doing your profile building before hand means just turning that knob for seamless play.

After building a few profiles you really get the hang of it. Saitek expects to have a decent collection of profiles at launch with the community no doubt creating more as it goes. Don’t feel you have to be limited to what the site or paperwork states as compatible games, if you think a H.O.T.A.S. system will enhance your experience on any game feel free to give it a try, you might be surprised. I tried the system with listed ones such as arcade style play like World of Warplanes where my D/K ratio showed immediate improvements to serious sims like the realistic mode on War Thunder and DCS World. I didn’t let that stop me though, I got onto Battlefield Play 4 Free and built profiles for the planes, helicopters and even the land vehicles such as the Humvee and tanks. There is a satisfaction to pulling pushing the throttle forward on a tank while using the stick to turn and aim the guns. It felt a bit like operating an automatic transmission, I put the throttle back to back up and forward to speed ahead, especially in “technicals”, weaponized civilian vehicles. I think the only time it didn’t feel quite right was when I set it up for first person shooter just running around, then the WASD and mouse just felt better but that may very well be because of decades of using that setup for that.

Some games weren’t friendly towards control customization or recognizing a separate throttle system but those were in a tiny minority – usually older games and really only a couple. Most games are very friendly to changing the key settings and peripherals that you might want to bind them to. There is even a system on the side of the throttle that can be used as a mouse so that if you are able to program the interface outside of matches to choose vehicles and matches you may be able to play games without the use of a mouse as well as a keyboard.

One of my favorite factors about the X-55 Rhino is that it doesn’t feel the slightest bit cheap, no part of it. Quite the contrary it feels like it could have been pulled right from a military vehicle and had USB cables attached to it. It feels solid in every aspect including whenever you click a toggle or switch and pressing every button this system was made to last and feel exactly like the real thing (I have been in the seats of everything from Hueys to Globemasters and I know how the real deal feels).

Last Call:
Saitek’s X-55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. performed terrifically in all the expected ways and often surprised me with its amazing versatility. The Rhino not only delivers as a great system for flying everything from arcade style games to hardcore flight sims, it enables you to use it to control just about anything your imagination can come up with. I plan on getting Titanfall on the PC simply because I can’t wait to see the Rhino in action driving mechs. I am also going to track down some other mech games just to give the system a run at them. I can honestly say that the Saitek X-55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. has changed the way I look at PC gaming by expanding the experience.

[easyreview title=”Saitek X-55 Rhino H.O.T.A.S. Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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Warlords of Draenor Now Available for Pre-Order

2014/03/10

Jerry Paxton

News, Windows PC News

IRVINE, Calif.—March 10, 2014—This fall, World of Warcraft^® players around the globe will clash with the legends of Warcraft^®’s brutal past when Warlords of Draenor^™ charges into stores worldwide. Azeroth’s heroes can prepare for the coming onslaught today by pre-purchasing the expansion digitally at www.worldofwarcraft.com/warlords. Players who answer this call to arms will receive their character boost to level 90 immediately^†, allowing them to join friends on the battlefield or experience the latest content from a whole new perspective.^††

The fifth expansion to Blizzard Entertainment’s acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game leads players to the untamed world of Draenor, where the orc warchief Grommash Hellscream is forging his twisted Iron Horde into a world-shattering weapon of conquest. Faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, the champions of the Horde and the Alliance must establish a base of operations on Draenor and seek out courageous allies to make a stand against Hellscream’s mighty war machine.

“We’re sending players deep into uncharted territory with Warlords of Draenor,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “New features like the Garrison will give players a commanding role in the Warcraft saga like never before, and everyone can get in on the action right away with the included level-90 boost. There’s never been a better time to go to war for the Horde or the Alliance.”

When Warlords of Draenor launches this fall, it will introduce a wide variety of epic features and content for players of every kind, whether they’re longtime veterans or new recruits. With the expansion, players will be able to:

Explore a Savage World: Explore the hostile world of Draenor, home of the orc and draenei races, as it once existed, and adventure in all-new zones alongside characters central to Warcraft history.
Build a Garrison: Construct, command, and expand your own customizable stronghold on Draenor, and gather NPC followers to collect resources and embark on missions on your orders.
Instantly Upgrade to Level 90^†: Upon pre-purchasing the expansion, boost one character of your choosing to level 90, making it easier than ever to enjoy the latest content together with your friends.
Step Into New Character Models: Character models and animations for World of Warcraft’s original playable races are being fully revamped while maintaining the game’s iconically epic style.
Adventure to Level 100: Reach new heights of power and unlock bonuses to further enhance your abilities on your way to the new level cap of 100.
. . . And More: Take on a wide array of Dungeons, Raids, Scenarios, Battlegrounds, Challenge Modes, and more—no matter what kind of content you enjoy, new adventures await.

Warlords of Draenor will come in a Standard Edition (physical and digital versions available), which players can pre-purchase now at a suggested retail price of $49.99. Players also have the option to upgrade their pre-purchase to the Digital Deluxe Edition (SRP $69.99), which contains the following in-game bonuses for World of Warcraft and other Blizzard games (each available in-game at the time of pre-purchase):

World of Warcraft—Dread Raven Mount and Dread Hatchling Pet: Swoop down from the dark of night on the black-winged Dread Raven, a mortal progeny of Anzu, and devour your prey in your next Pet Battle with the adorably ferocious Dread Hatchling.
StarCraft^® II—Warchief Portraits: Summon the strength of two of the most fearsome Iron Horde warchiefs—Grommash Hellscream and Blackhand—as you clash in the Koprulu sector in StarCraft II.
Diablo^® III—Warsong Pennant: Brandish this battle-torn pennant on your back, and channel the rage of the Warsong Clan against the demonic forces of Sanctuary in Diablo III.

Players who pre-purchase either the digital Standard Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition from Blizzard at www.worldofwarcraft.com/warlords will be able to immediately^† boost one character of their choosing to level 90, allowing them to experience the latest World of Warcraft content alongside their friends^††. Players who wish to boost multiple characters to level 90 also now have the option to purchase additional level-90 character boosts directly through the game at $60 apiece. Further details on character boosts, including information on the gear, skills, and provisions boosted level-90 characters will receive, can be found at www.worldofwarcraft.com.

Warlords of Draenor will also be available in a retail-exclusive Collector’s Edition, which comes equipped with the digital bonus items from the Digital Deluxe Edition as well as a full-color hardcover art book, a behind-the-scenes two-disc Blu-ray/DVD set, a CD soundtrack, and a Warlords of Draenor mouse pad. The Collector’s Edition will be available at select retailers for a suggested retail price of $89.99. Players should check their local retailer for details and availability and be sure to lock in their preorder, as supplies are limited.

In addition to the English version, Warlords of Draenor will be fully localized into Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, European Spanish, Russian, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese. For more information on World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor and to pre-purchase your copy, visit www.worldofwarcraft.com/warlords.

With multiple games in development, Blizzard Entertainment has numerous positions currently available—visit http://jobs.blizzard.com for more information and to learn how to apply.

Tales from the Borderlands Unveiled at SXSW

2014/03/10

Jerry Paxton

Mobile News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Gearbox Software and Telltale Games unveil Tales from the Borderlands at SXSW. The episodic game series is due out later this year.

Video

Ballistic Tough Jacket Maxx Phone Case Review (iPhone 4/4S)

2014/03/08

Ripper71

Mobile News, News, Peripheral Review, Reviews

My latest reviews of cell phone cases could have been described as “these are a few of my favorite things”. I am a klutz, I have come to accept this aspect of myself even if I haven’t come to love it. As a result I have come to love my phone cases and have developed a system of usage. If I expect to be at business meetings I use a very slim design. If my plans take me on vacation to theme parks where I may drop my phone down some of the world’s longest escalators, I go with my bulky, “safe if run over by a car” case. Then there is everyday wear, when I am more likely to drop it than at a business meeting but not likely to drop it multiple stories. For just my everyday klutziness I often rely on the Ballistic Jacket Maxx phone case for the iPhone 4s.

Description:
In addition to HexTec Six-Sided Drop Protection Technology, Tough Jacket Maxx is equipped with a replaceable screen protector and 7ft. of high impact drop protection. Be bold, be tough, live your life to the Maxx.

Features:
– Reinforced Ballistic Corners that provide protection against cracked screens due to corner drops
– Raised lips and corners provide protection from surface shock and scratches
– 7 ft. high impact drop protection
– Multiple layers
– Replaceable screen protector
– Opening and port covers
– Rugged holster clip available

Hands On:
I became familiar with Ballistic a year ago at CES 2013 when I was walking around with a decent, but ugly as hell, case and one of the Ballistic sales reps winced when they saw it. It was quality, but at the expense of visual appeal. They offered me a trade-in deal they were doing and said that they would even sweeten the deal and go up one grade in quality of their giveaway since the case I had had a higher price tag. I thought that was probably hype, you hear a lot of it at trade shows but I liked the look of the new case so much better and it looked as solid as my last one so I thought I would give it a shot. Little did I know it would become a regular in my case rotations, something I considered as seriously as shoes when planning my next trip (anyone who ever wore the wrong foot gear to a theme park or convention can attest to that).

I’ll admit in the first week I managed to kill the two hip clips on the only two phones that had them but three of my cases soon proved themselves to be solid and reliable and rotated between to try to make them last as long as I could. The Ballistic Tough Jacket Maxx became my most used (even though I didn’t know it’s proper name at the time) servicing as a solid survivor with a fairly low profile. If I found myself on sudden business it didn’t look like I brought it in from a construction site yet if I fumbled it down a short flight of stairs it would survive.

When I went back to Ballistic this year I found out the details I didn’t know last year. Ballistic tests it’s phone cases at 6 feet instead of the military drop minimum and the Tough Jacket Maxx is actually tested at 7 feet. I did a toss test where I tossed it up in the air in my living room and let it land, it bounced off of a couple things then bounced on the ground a bit before settling. The rubber corners act almost like a Kong ball, it deflects the energy away from the phone, causing it to cartwheel and bounce wildly. This was the first on purpose test dropping I had done with the phone, over the last year it has fallen in a lot of locations and never damaged the case or the phone inside. All my favorite cases have rubber interiors with harder exteriors for shock absorbency because that is the combo I have found works best.

The only complaint I had was the screen protector requires a bit more pressure to make it work and then sometimes can be a little unresponsive. Doing everyday things this wasn’t really a problem but I did sometimes take the protector off when gaming since I need absolute responsiveness then.

Last Call:
The Ballistic Tough Jacket Maxx Phone Case will take what every day life throws at you and your phone and keep your phone safe. It’s design isn’t as bulky as many protective phone cases but provides protection a level far higher that a normal case. I liked the case before I even knew what model it was.

[easyreview title=”Ballistic Tough Jacket Maxx Phone Case (4s) Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

The Wolf Among Us Episode Two: Smoke And Mirrors Review (PC)

2014/03/08

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

The folks at TellTale Games made a smart move when they made The Wolf Among Us Episode One available for free during a limited time. Even though this is the same company that has brought us The Walking Dead episodic series, the Fables comic franchise is far less recognized. It is an easy enough premise to describe, but not necessarily to grasp: Imagine all the creatures of stories, all those “happily ever after” tales and parables were real and due to issues beyond their control were forced out of their lands and into a seedy section of New York. There, those who can pass as humans do, those who can’t either have to have a glamour or move out to “The Farm,” an isolated place where they can be the forms they are but hide from the outside world.

I really haven’t spoiled anything of the story, just a background that isn’t developed in the episodes but that any Fables fan can tell you are stories worth reading in the Vertigo comic titles the game is based from. The preview for Episode One also lets you know that Bigby Wolf, who was known back in the day as “The Big Bad Wolf”, isn’t such a bad guy for a werewolf. He is actually the sheriff of a bunch of characters who are used to being in their own limelight and not answering to an authority figure, especially one with a checkered, misunderstood past. With all that in mind hopefully faithful reader you are ready to be a faithful player of The Wolf Among Us, a game just as good and touching as The Walking Dead with a much more vast variety of characters.

Without giving storyline away, which is really difficult in an episodic review since it is the same gameplay as the last just new story, the title “Smoke and Mirrors” is a fitting one.

Those who played the first episode had that shocker cliffhanger ending which Fables fan or not was definitely a “Wow!” moment. The second episode picks up right where that one left off and it doesn’t take long for the smoke and mirrors to start twisting the tale. Your choices from the first episode carry over as well and you find yourself wondering if things would have been different had you made different choices, if maybe your sheriff skills had been a bit more polished (and trust me it does make a difference, I played both episodes through a few times to get different storylines and results). The characters remember how you treated them and others in previous encounters so it really makes it a personal story, if you go charging through all huff and puff your case might not go so hot.

Conclusion
The Wolf Among Us Episode Two: Smoke And Mirrors is just as good as the first one, maybe better since the characters require less establishing dialogue and scene setting and jumps right into the action. Try not to think too much about the title when playing it, you might be able to figure out a twist or two early if you do. Just enjoy the play and then look back and decide if you think it was as fitting a name as I did. Because the game is based off such a rich world, Fables could become a great source for seasons upon seasons of great gameplay if it receives the attention it so richly deserves.

[easyreview title=”The Wolf Among Us – Episode Two Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

Line of Defense Tactics Review (PC)

2014/03/08

Jerry Paxton

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

3000AD, the company founded by long-time PC game developer, Derek Smart, has released its real-time squad tactics game, Line of Defense Tactics, on the PC. Originally a mobile title, Line of Defense Tactics puts you in command of a four-person squad as they undertake 16 missions of various goals and settings. Of course, one must ask if a game ported over to the PC from a mobile experience can successfully make the transition. For example, what used to be all gesture controlled is now a keyboard, mouse, and gamepad affair.

Unfortunately, the controls are Line of Defense Tactics biggest hurdle for players to overcome. Controlling your squad with the mouse and keyboard causes great frustration as you “chase” your units around with the mouse cursor in order to select them. Sometimes, selecting a unit will not actually select them, instead it brings up an interaction menu based on the last character that was selected. This is a huge problem as Line of Defense Tactics has some enjoyable gameplay moments which are ruined by the controls.

Aside from the glaring control problems, Line of Defense Tactics doesn’t really have any discernible storyline. This is not always a bad thing, and Line of Defense Tactics doesn’t lose anything because of it. Throughout the game’s 16 levels, your 4 squad members will level up, gain new skills, and be able to purchase new weapons and gear. Doing these things is essential as the difficulty level of the game’s AI bad guys grows rapidly after the first few missions. Each member of your squad has his own area of combat expertise, but the clunky controls make wielding them effectively very challenging.

Visually, Line of Defense Tactics lacks a lot of detail – I would imagine a symptom of its mobile game roots. The camera keeps back a bit to try and cheat the lack of detail, but it doesn’t do much to help the situation. The game’s music and voice acting are equally “so-so”, and I just kept wishing that this game had been developed for the PC platform first with a lot more detail, story, etc and then ported over to the mobile platforms. 3000AD has made some of the most complex PC games in history, so it is surprising to see something like this come from them.

Overall, Line of Defense Tactics is an “okay” port of a fun mobile game. It has a few interesting, engaging moments, but lacks overall polish – especially at a $24.99 dollar price point. If this game were on sale for $9.99 dollars or less, I would be a lot more generous in evaluating it.

[easyreview title=”Line of Defense Tactics Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”2″ ]

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Wargaming.net League Grand Finals to be Held in Poland

2014/03/07

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Windows PC News

March 7, 2014 — Wargaming today announced details about its first ever Wargaming.net League Grand Finals, slated to take place on April 4–6 at the Multikino Zlote Tarasy in Warsaw, Poland.

“In the first year of the Wargaming.net League we’ve seen tears of joy and tears of anger from some of the best World of Tanks players around the entire world,” said Mohamed Fadl, eSports Director of Europe and North America at Wargaming. “The Grand Finals in Poland are going to be the ultimate culmination of that intense competition, and we cannot wait to finally crown our very first world champion.”

The championship will assemble 14 top-performing teams from around the world, including Fnatic and SIMP from North America, ARETE and NOA from South Korea, PVP Super Friends and UAD from Southeast Asia, Energy Pacemaker and E-Sports Club from China, and Na’Vi and RR-UNITY from CIS region. The European game’s cluster will be represented by Virtus.pro and Synergy, as well as two wildcard teams—Lemming Train (Poland) and Team WUSA (Germany). After taking part in three seasons of qualification matches, tournaments and championships, teams will battle each other over three days until only one is awarded the title of world champion.

The event is organized in cooperation with the Warsaw’s city authorities and sponsored by Razer, Alienware, and PayPal.

“World of Tanks is a tour de force that brings the excitement of tank warfare to the top of competitive gaming, requiring unprecedented skill, focus and strategy, which the global eSports community has taken to at a massive rate,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. “It is our pleasure to support Wargaming in every way possible, as we partner together in uniting World of Tanks athletes from around the world at the Grand Finals tournament.”

For more information on the Wargaming.net League Grand Finals, please visit: www.thegrandfinals.com

Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar Gets Early Access Patch

2014/03/07

Jerry Paxton

News, Windows PC News

March 7th, 2014, Ridgewood, NJ – Secure your supply lines, rally the troops and prepare to continue your campaign of conquest under the ruling hand of Julius Caesar. Steam Early Access for Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar updates today: adding chapter 3 to the campaign, improved enemy combat AI and many other features, tweaks and bug fixes.

Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar is available to play now via Early Access. For more information on Steam Early Access head over to the Steam page here.

Full Update Change Log:

Content:
– German Localizations
– Chapter 3 added
– New objective rewards in chapter 2
– Miscellaneous AI, balance, and objective tweaks in chapters 1 & 2

Features
– All friendly unit formations are now visible on the battlefield
– Randomised enemies for some battles
– Improved enemy combat AI
– New background asset loader to improve performance
– Unit selections can now be assigned to the number keys

Bugs:
– Fixed bug with non-english characters in the load/save game screen
– Fixed “Unit formation index” bug
– Fixed some “Error caching brigade” bugs
– Diplomacy options that would break the campaign are now locked
– Fixed potential freeze when units rout
– Fixed bug with drag selection when a lot of units were onscreen

Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar takes you to the plains and forests of ancient Gaul where Julius Caesar wages a decade long war to subjugate the barbarian hordes. It will immerse you in history like no other real time strategy game ever before, forcing you to pay close attention to the changing seasons and rapidly changing military situations.

For more information on Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar please visitwww.kasedogames.com