Author - Jerry Paxton

Gatling Gears Review (PC)

Originally released for the Xbox LIVE Arcade and later on the PlayStation Network, Vanguard Games new top-down shooter, Gatling Gears is now available for the Windows PC platform (on EA’s Origin service). The game is set in the Mistbound IP (which is also where the strategy game Greed Corp. is set). Gatling Gears puts players in command of a two-legged walker equipped with Gatling guns, cannons, and grenade launchers. The goal of each mission is simple: move your walker (using WASD) while aiming and firing (using the mouse) through the various levels, dispatching any enemies along the way. You collect gold for upgrading your Gatling gear, and will run into several boss battles and ambushes on your adventure. The game, while simple and a bit repetitive, definitely has a fun quality about it that kept me playing for a long while. This game is most fun when played coop with a friend who will also command a Gatling gear. The action can get pretty hot and heavy, sometimes throwing so much on the screen at once it is hard to determine where your Gatling gear is amongst the carnage.

Visually, Gatling Gears is an attractive title, especially in its weapon effects and explosion effects. The characters and models all stay true to the Mistbound IP and, if you played Greed Corp., you will definitely feel like you are in the same game universe. In the sound department, the game does an adequate job of bringing the environments to life with ambient noises as well as the sounds of combat.

Overall, Gatling Gears is a fun, albeit sometimes-repetitive top-down shooter which excels when played in coop mode.

 

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Pro’s

  • Crisp visuals
  • Easy control system on PC
  • Fun coop play

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Con’s

  • Upgrade system is somewhat limited
  • Gets repetitive

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Screens

JackBacks Wood iPhone 4 Back Replacement Review

We just got our Natural Bamboo iPhone 4 back piece evaluation unit from the kind people at JackBacks. Basically, JackBacks allows iPhone 4 users the ability to replace the glass backing of their phones with one made from all-natural wood. They offer four types of wood – the standard Natural, Amber Bamboo, the premium Mahogany and Walnut backings. Keep in mind, these are not covers or skins – these are full back plate replacements. The standard wood types retail for $89 dollars while the premium wood backings retail for $129 dollars.

Installing the new back piece is completely simple, thanks to JackBacks providing everything you need for the job. They include both screwdriver and prod as well as some nifty buttons to promote their business. Also included was a paper with a link to the installation tutorial video located on their official website. After unscrewing the two screws located on the bottom of the iPhone 4, one simple slides the back cover off, revealing the internal workings of the phone. After this, you simply slide the new JackBacks replacement backing into place and screw the two 4pt screws back into the bottom of the phone. The entire process took me about ten minutes after watching the tutorial video. I encountered no unexpected hiccups or glitches in the process and, in the end, had a great-looking iPhone 4 to show for my efforts.

The quality of the back piece is incredible, and I just wish that JackBacks made “JackFronts” as well – having an all-bamboo iPhone 4 would be awesome. The back piece is durable and beautiful to look at. The only issue that I came across in using the iPhone 4 with the new back piece is that the JackBack is ever-so-slightly thicker than the standard back. While not an issue in so far as putting the phone in a pocket or silicone case – if you have a battery pack case (with a set connector piece), it could be too thick to use. In my case, I was still able to press the iPhone 4 into its battery case, with only slight bulging of the surrounding silicone.

Overall, we recommend JackBacks iPhone 4 back replacements to anyone looking for that extra something in their mobile device. Also of note is that for an extra cost, JackBacks will laser etch custom designs into the JackBack for your viewing (or marketing) enjoyment.

Photos of the Installation Process (Start, Middle, End)

FIFA 12 Soundtrack Revealed

EA Sports has revealed the official soundtrack for their upcoming FIFA 12, will be in stores on September 27 in North America and September 30 worldwide.

The complete in-game soundtrack for FIFA Soccer 12 includes:

ARTIST SONG COUNTRY
Alex Metric & Steve Angello Open Your Eyes England/Sweden
All Mankind Break The Spell Australia
Architecture In Helsinki Escapee Australia
Bloco Bleque / Gabriel O Pensador So Tem Jogador Brazil
Chase & Status No Problem England
Crystal Castles / Robert Smith Not In Love Canada/England
CSS Hits Me Like A Rock Brazil
Cut Copy Where I’m Going Australia
Digitalism Circles Germany
DJ Raff Latino & Proud Chile
El Guincho Bombay (Fresh Touch Dub Mix) Spain
Empresarios Sabor Tropical USA
Foster The People Call It What You Want USA
GIVERS Up Up Up USA
Glasvegas The World Is Yours Scotland
Graffiti6 Stare Into The Sun England
Grouplove Colours (Captain Cutz Remix) USA
Japanese Popstars Let Go England
Kasabian Switchblade Smiles England
La Vida Boheme El Buen Salvaje Venezuela
Little Dragon NightLight England
Macaco Una Sola Voz Spain
Marteria / Yasha Verstrahlt Germany
Monarchy The Phoenix Alive (Kris Menace Remix) England
Pint Shot Riot Twisted Soul England
Portugal. The Man Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now) USA
Rock Mafia The Big Bang USA
Spank Rock Energy USA
The Chain Gang Of 1974 Hold On USA
The Hives Thousand Answers Sweden
The Medics City Holland
The Naked & Famous Punching In A Dream New Zealand
The Strokes Machu Picchu USA
The Ting Tings Hands England
The Vaccines Wreckin’ Bar (Ra Ra Ra) England
Thievery Corporation Stargazer England
Tittsworth & Alvin Risk / Maluca La Campana USA/Portugal
TV On The Radio Will Do USA
Tying Tiffany Drownin’ Italy

Crysis for Consoles Trailer Released

Crytek and Electronic Arts have released the first trailer for their upcoming release of Crysis on console platforms. The game will be released next month for $19.99 on both the Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network services.

“We are extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish with Crysis. We set out to create a next-generation FPS and delivered a PC experience that became a benchmark for quality – and still is for many gamers even four years later,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO of Crytek. “By bringing the single-player campaign to console, we believe we are again setting a new standard for quality in downloadable gaming.”

Total War: Shogun 2 Rise of the Samurai Trailer

SEGA and The Creative Assembly have released a new trailer for their recently-released Rise of the Samurai DLC pack for Total War: Shogun 2. In the “Rise of the Samurai” campaign, players take on a brand new and independent campaign for Total War: SHOGUN 2 set in 12th century Japan, 400 years prior to the game’s main storyline.

Trailer

New Dungeons – The Dark Lord Screenshots

Kalypso Media has released some new screenshots from their soon to-be-released strategy game, Dungeons – The Dark Lord, which is due out on September 27th for the Windows PC platform.

Screenshots

Original Max Payne Going Mobile

Rockstar Games has announced that the original Max Payne will be coming to mobile platforms in March of 2012. Max Payne will have connectivity to the Rockstar Games Social Club and boast the same features as its PC counterparts — including HD graphics and high-resolution textures. No word yet as to pricing or which mobile platforms it will be released on, but stay-tuned as more is released!

The Parasites Come to Gratuitous Space Battles

Positech has announced the release of the latest expansion for Gratuitous Space Battles – The Parasites. From the Official Website…

What The Parasites Expansion Pack Contains:

10 New ships. 4 Cruisers 3 Frigates and 3 fighters, all in a new graphical style by the same artist who did the original GSB artwork. The parasite ships have multiple translucent sections in varying colors, coming accross as classy, expensive, but also not to be messed with..

3 New ship equipment:  The flak cannon is a cruiser weapon designed to target enemy fighter swarms. The cannon ahs an ‘area-of-effect’ damage as well as hitting the target ship. The Plasma slinger is a small but ultra-high-rate-of-fire plasma torpedo weapon. This is the first plasma weapon that can have multiple torpedoes in flight at the same time. The missile revenge scrambler is a whole new type of ECM weapon that actually sends missile back to attack the ship that launched them, rather thamn just scrambling their guidance systems.

New ship bonuses. The parasites build these ships to last. Most of the new hulls have both integrity and armor bonuses. The parasites aren’t so good on the shields front, but they make up for it with stronger armor.

You can find out more about this new race, as well as how to purchase the DLC pack, over at the game’s official website.