Engadget is reporting on today’s launch of the next generation Zune audio players by Microsoft. These include the Zune 2 (also known as the Zune 80), the Zune 30, and smaller Zunes 4 and 8. In addition the new media software has gone live and is available for download or upgrade if you have the older version. In fact, the older Zunes will be privy to the upgrades of the new Zune 30 via firmware updates. That includes the wireless PC-to-Zune music transfer!
Author - Jerry Paxton
AICN has posted the latest leaked images of the actor Zachary Quinto in full Spock makeup on the set of JJ Abrams’ Star Trek flick. The makeup looks great and he really embodies Spock visually. I just hope his performance matches up to his look. Pictures down below along with an image of the retro-style teaser poster. Enjoy!
Joystiq is reporting that a non-profit group calling itself ‘Fun For Our Troops‘, or, FFOT is raising money to buy video games for troops in Iraq and Afganistan. They are currently accepting donations at their site linked to earlier and we would love it if some GamingShogun readers would give something too.
1up has posted their review of DiRT for the PS3, giving the racer a solid 8.4 out of 10. They seem to really like the rally-racer game which has sold very well on the XBOX 360 as well as the PC.
From the article:
DiRT still does the same man vs. clock thing McRae has always done. It continues to place drivers on unpaved tracks that feel too skinny for a tricycle, never mind a full-grown automobile, and it certainly hasn’t let up on a car-physics model that’s been dubbed by some as too difficult and by serious car jocks as admirably authentic. But now there’s so much more.
Joystiq is reporting that the Valve store if prepping to sell plush Weighted Companion Cubes (from the excellent puzzle game Portal). For those that don’t know, Portal is a single-player first-person action/puzzle video game developed by Valve. The game was released in a bundle package known as The Orange Box for PC and Xbox 360 on October 10, 2007, and will be released for the PlayStation 3 on November 23, 2007. The Windows version of the game is also available for download separately through Steam. The game consists primarily of a series of puzzles which must be solved by teleporting the player’s character and other simple objects using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (the ‘portal gun’). The goal of each puzzle is to reach an exit point. The ‘portal gun’ and the unusual physics it creates are the emphasis of this game.
Engadget is reporting that an ‘early-look’ version of Google’s Android OS SDK is now available. The Android OS, of course, will be the operating system used in any company’s Google Phone that is produced. The SDK will allow that OS to be largely customizeable while keeping the common OS for compatibility.
MSN Movies reports that Winona Ryder has been cast to play young Spock’s mother in the upcoming JJ Abrams Star Trek movie.
We can only hope the cast and crew of the movie take daily inventories of the equipment in light if Ms. Ryder’s light fingered history…
GameSpot has posted it’s review of Flagship Studio’s Hellgate: London and given it a 7.0 out of 10. This game was highly-anticipated for it’s procedural levels and enemy layouts but the actual execution is less-than-stellar.
From the article:
Hellgate: London is a likeable action role-playing game that answers the question ‘What would happen if you took all the loot lust from Diablo and fit it into a first-person shooter?’ OK, maybe you weren’t asking that question, but Hellgate is an interesting game. It will probably come into its own after a few more patches, but right now, it has almost as many issues as strengths.
1up has posted its review of Battalion Wars 2 for the Nintendo Wii, giving it a surprising 6.5 out of 10 rating. The generally anticipated game is a more action-oriented game (as opposed to Advance Wars) and, according to 1up, lacks the charm of its console predecessor and handheld cousins.
From the article:
The root of the problem stems from its simply failing to work the various personalities into the game well — this begins with the flat, cartoonish cut-scenes used to introduce each mission. The few attempts at humor come off as forced, but worse yet, much of the time they become little more than matter-of-fact presentations. You won’t be able to ignore them, though: On the dividing line between funny and disastrous, most of the exaggerated voice work falls on the painfully bad side.
Gamespot has posted its review of Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii. It ranked the highly-anticipated title with a 9.5 out of 10 Editors Choice and tout SMG as ‘the Wii’s game to beat and one of Mario’s greatest adventures yet’.
From the article:
Here is the game that Wii owners have been pining for, a game that has tons of appeal for both the less experienced player and the longtime gamer. A game that deftly combines accessibility and challenge, all wrapped up in a package that’s both deep and addictive. Super Mario Galaxy is all of this and more. It is simultaneously one of Mario’s best adventures and a game that doesn’t require fandom of the portly plumber’s previous engagements to appreciate. The sheer quality of Mario Galaxy’s wonderful level designs, tight controls, and brilliant presentation is the sort of thing that just about anyone who loves gaming should be able to appreciate, and that many will fall head-over-heels for.