Hey, Shogunites, here is GamingShogun.com Podcast #2 “Havana Nights”. This one runs a bit longer than our first podcast, but features talk of Supreme Court rulings, Aliens, Michael Bay, and a lot more. Enjoy!
[podcast]http://GamingShogun.com/GS-podcast-2.mp3[/podcast]
Runtime: 57 minutes
I would like to thank both Mike Lisenberry and Jon Autopsy for appearing in this podcast.
2K Games and Firaxis have teamed up to wish everyone a happy July 4th weekend. Additionally, they have announced that their upcoming Facebook title, Sid Meier’s CivWorld, will be going into open beta status next week! You can checkout more on the game at its official Facebook page.
In this first of a new series of video developer diaries, Eidos Montreal talks about the game world of their upcoming action-RPG, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which is due out August 23 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC platform.
Looks like classic cartoon series, Voltron, will be making its first appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con later this month in the form of a full panel presentation. The panel will talk about the franchise’s history as well as its future with the new Voltron Force TV show as well as the upcoming Voltron video game from THQ. The panel will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 21, in the Indigo Ballroom at the Bayfront Hilton hotel.
The panel’s scope highlights the transcendent nature of Voltron’s inter-galactic appeal,” says Peter Armstrong, executive producer of THQ’s forthcoming video game. “This is an epic year for Voltron fans and the Comic-Con panel is going to be a memorable event for them. It’s the perfect time for us to present the first-ever Voltron panel since this legendary robot action franchise is back right now in a very big way. We can’t wait to talk about what’s next for Voltron, and to showcase some of the best and most exclusive Voltron content for the first time.”
Carrie Keagan, current host of VH1’s Big Morning Buzz Live, lead anchor on No Good TV and known for her appearances on G4’s Attack of the Show, will moderate the hour-long event, which includes artists, producers and designers from the entire Voltron universe:
What really needs to be said about this? It is 12 awesome minutes of Batman: Arkham City gameplay footage. Enjoy and try not to drool all over yourselves!
Funcom has announced that their MMO, Age of Conan, has made the transition to free-to-play status. Now called Age of Conan: Unchained, the free game allows players to explore the world of Conan with enhanced, mature content that was edited down in the original release. Unchained also gives players the option of using a free standard account or paid premium account that will allow even more access. Checkout the access chart below for more info on account types.
“After 1.4 million copies sold, having experienced fantastic critical acclaim, and still to this day going strong with a large active player base embarking on thousands of daily adventures, there is no doubt that ‘Age of Conan’ has made a significant impact on the online gaming genre,” says Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing Morten Larssen. “The great potential provided by the hybrid business model, and with the ever growing interest for free-to-play games, bringing ‘Age of Conan’ into this market is undoubtedly the logical next step for the title.”
| Content | Free | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Character Classes | 4 available | Full Access |
| AC:HA Adventure Zones | Full access | Full access |
| AC:RotG Adventure Zones (including Faction system) |
Gateway to Khitai | Full Access |
| Dungeons | Non-premium | Full Access |
| Raids | 2 available | Full Access |
| Sieges | Unavailable | Full Access |
| Personal Bank Space | 50% | Normal |
| Character Slots | 2 (max 18) | 8 (max 18) |
| Guild Renown | Full access | Full access |
| Alternative Advancement | Unavailable | Full Access |
| Mount Training | Basic Only | Full Access |
| Offline Levels | Unavailable | Normal Gain |
| Veteran Points | Unavailable | Normal Gain |
| Item Shop Discount | None | 10% |
2K Sports has released a first-look screenshot from their upcoming NBA 2K12, which is due out later this year. This first screenshot features the Miami Heat’s Lebron James and Chris Bosh attempting to block Dirk Nowitzki, of the Dallas Mavericks, from making a dunk.
After much fanfare and anticipation, Disneyland has opened up its re-vamped Star Tours attraction. We finally got our chance to hit the park in Anaheim, CA and spent the day riding attractions and generally having a blast. We would like to thank Disneyland PR for making this possible, as they waived us in to check everything out.
The queue for Star Tours 2 takes the same path that the original’s did. In fact, very little has been done to the physical structure of the queue area. C-3PO and R2-D2 still verbally spar back and forth, with updated humor and dialogue that fully entertained us as we winded our way through the line. It was really nice to hear Anthony Daniels doing the voice of “Threepio” again. At this point, he just is that character. The queue’s large information screen has been greatly updated in terms of visual quality, now showing HD pictures and video of various Star Tours destinations as well as flight information. A hint on the videos shown throughout the queue – pay attention to the female voice you hear. Sound familiar? That’s Allison Janney! The conveyor belt of luggage and parts that used to speed overhead is now gone (kind of a bummer as it just feels empty above the audience now) and instead one of the web-footed droids is doing x-ray luggage checks below you. This provides a lot of humor and entertainment, mainly by what contents are found in the various luggage bags whizzing by. Stormtrooper helmets, droid parts, the uniform of Mr. Incredible… Lots of little nods to other IPs. In a strange anachronism, the “Rex” pilot droids from the original ride are found below the queue area in boxes marked “defective”. The new ride is set many, many years prior to the old one, however, so this doesn’t make sense as they were supposedly a new droid model at that point.
The ride visuals are outstanding, and the 3D effect works seamlessly with the physical pilot in front of you as well as the smaller screen on the forward-right side of the cabin. The CGI is crisp and believable – especially when in space and interactive with starships, etc. The CGI has come a long way since the new trilogy of Star Wars films and even the planetary sequences are a sight to behold. The ride itself is actually made up of 54 permutations of possible events/locations. There are several possible opening sequences and destinations that riders might experience, making the ride (hopefully) different each time you ride it. This was originally one of the ideas for the first Star Tours, but due to expense and logistical issues, it was unable to come to fruition. Riders may find themselves on Naboo, Tattooing, Hoth, the Forest Moon of Endor – and a lot more. Additionally, there are several characters from the Star Wars universe who also interact with the riders and other on-screen elements. From Boba Fett to Princess Leia – even Yoda! In one memorable ride-through, Darth Vader used the force to shake the ride cabin about without breaking a sweat. Now, before fans call “lamesauce!”, it is all done within the bounds of the Star Wars universe. Darth Vader does not force-jump onto the cabin in space-flight or anything like that – the cabin is in a space station awaiting takeoff.
The one negative part of the Star Tours 2 experience is in the cabin’s motion. The motion of the cabin itself was far too “squishy” and “soft” – actually taking away from the amazing visuals we witnessed. It felt more like we were watching a 3D movie with some minor movements rather than being inside a simulator experience. When the cabin was struck by an on-screen element in the ride’s previous incarnation, there would be a violent jolt and it made a sound similar to what you would hear inside an airplane when experiencing heavy turbulence. The hit effects in Star Tours 2 just don’t feel violent enough and you rarely feel as though you have to hold onto the arm rests throughout the experience. In fact, several people I spoke to in line claimed that they got motion sickness on the original Star Tours but had no issues now. While Disneyland and Lucas may be catering to a wider audience here – they are doing it at the expense of the ride experience.
Overall, the new Star Tours attraction is a wonderful ride that brings new life to the IP as well as to the ride itself thanks to its multiple twists and possible paths. I seriously doubt that the new Star Tours will age as quickly as the original did. The only thing that would make the new ride perfect would be tweaking the ride motions to be slightly more violent and simulation-like. Rating: A-
T3 Entertainment has announced that their upcoming online shooter, Hellgate (formerly known as Hellgate: London), has entered a state of open beta testing. T3 is celebrating the open beta launch with four special events.
Hellgate will celebrate the Open Beta launch with four special events to reward and entertain the growing Hellgate community – the Guild Reservoir event, the Daily Supplies event, the To Level in Hell event and the Level and Be Rewarded event, each awarding top players with valuable prizes. Additionally, the Open Beta will feature two new game modes – the PvP Duel Area and the zombie-infested Cow Room. Finally, there is a special prize waiting for everyone upon entering the Hellgate Open Beta today.
For us smartphone users, aside from cell connection, the thing that matters most is our precious battery life. As phones draw more juice with faster processors and bigger screens, power is at a premium. Tennrich International Corp and XPal Power have released the PowerSkin line of smartphone battery cases. We managed to get a hold of their iPhone 4 version, which fits both AT&T as well as Verizon iPhone 4’s.
The PowerSkin case is pretty thick, making your iPhone 4 increase girth to 0.77 inches. The width and length of the units also increase, making the iPhone 4 5.1 inches long and 2.5 inches wide – so it definitely makes your iPhone 4 larger than you are used to. It could be an issue for those people who keep their iPhones in cargo and carpenter pockets, so be sure to take note prior to purchase. The case itself is an attractive black silicone with a nice rubberized feel.
Inserting your iPhone 4 into the case is exceptionally easy – in fact, far easier than most cases I have seen. The phone simply slides into the case, bottom-first, then the top part of the silicone case snaps over the top of the phone. Along the bottom side of the case are four blue LEDs which display the battery cases current charge level. By pressing and holding the button on the bottom-side of the case, you can power on and off the PowerSkin. Once plugged in, I got about a day and a half out of the case with a standard amount of usage. Taking the phone to Disneyland today, I got about a full day’s worth (in the amusement park, I took hundreds of images and video for an upcoming segment).
PowerSkin was taking photographers into account with this case as well as the camera port is tapered to allow for a full field of view. Also, the material is a matte finish so you will not get any strange reflections from it onto your lens. In fact, it has enough depth to actually shield the lens from the sun in outdoor conditions while still allowing for photos to be taken.
The PowerSkin uses a mini-USB cable to charge and dock it to your PC. Thankfully, the cable allows for full iPhone 4 sync and charge functionality so you won’t be missing your standard iPhone 4 cable anytime soon.
Overall, I am very impressed with the iPhone 4 PowerSkin battery case. It features a smooth, sexy design with outstanding battery life. Plus, at $79.99 (right now on sale for $69.99) the unit is very reasonably-priced!
