Author - Jerry Paxton

Novint Falcon and Pistol Grip Review

2009/04/20

When looking at the Novint Falcon, the first thing I thought of was some sort of new computer-aided design peripheral. Little did I know that Novint Falcon was specifically-designed to be used with virtual game environments (those pesky ‘video games’ as the kids say). So it was with great, geeky enjoyment that I hurriedly un-boxed the Novint Falcon as it sat on my desk. Pulling out the pod-like peripheral, I could not help but think about the artificial life-forms known as ‘Exocomps’ from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Our Novint Falcon’s main pod is white with silver accents (there is also a black-accented offering) and it sits on two bowed, silver legs. The Falcon actually has a wider overall footprint than I had expected but, at 9”x9”x9”, it still fits in the space usually taken up by my mouse pad. Installing and setting up the unit is straight forward. Simply install the drivers via included CD and then plug the Novint Falcon into the included AC adapter. After, plug in the USB cable and you are all set.

While the included mini-games do a fine job of introducing the user to the full Falcon experience, we were more interested in how the peripheral works while doing some hardcore gaming. So we downloaded the demos for the HaptX (~~Novint’s Falcon~~ Reachin’s SDK Engine) enabled Penumbra: Requiem, Penumbra: Black Plague, as well as the HaptX mod for Crysis. Having been a fan of Frictional Games’ Penumbra series, I figured it would be a good place to start.

For those of you who do not know, the Penumbra titles are really Portal-style puzzlers wrapped up in a survival-horror skin. The dank and dark atmosphere of Penumbra: Requiem’s opening room washed over me. It is some kind of cell and you awaken there with no idea where you have been taken or who brought you there. This is creepy enough without the Falcon, but I was about to find a whole new level of immersion awaited me. Walking over to the table, there are several drawers which can be explored. So I moved the Falcon’s control orb inwards and to the right. That’s right, ‘inwards’. The Falcon is capable of the movement in three dimensions at the same time which allows for inwards and outwards motion. So as I move the Falcon control orb inwards and to the right, hoping to match up the reticule on the screen with the door I am met with a sudden and jarring stop. I did not control the reticule correctly and, instead of gracefully moving to the drawer, I collided with the table. I was completely impressed with the force the motors inside the Falcon are able to produce. I could not budge the thing with any normal amount of force. Sure, I could have really tweaked on it, but that would have undoubtedly broke the Falcon which is not your intended goal. I pulled the orb out a little bit to retry my approach at the drawer. Upon successfully mating reticule to handle, I depressed the grab button on the orb and pulled outwards, opening the drawer. The experience which the Falcon provides in puzzle titles is comparable, albeit with realistic forces and control limiters, to the experience of using the Nintendo Wii’s wireless Wiimote in a game like, say, Elebits. For 3d puzzle titles, the Falcon is a huge leap forward in PC peripherals and we were soon blown away with the other Penumbra demo we downloaded as well.

Puzzle games are all well and good but sometimes a gamer needs to do a little bit of ‘wet work’ and fire off some rounds from his or her battle rifle at enemy troops, am I right? So we switched over to the HaptX enabled mod for Crytek’s visually-breathtaking Crysis. Crysis places you in the role of a special operative working within a team of soldiers selected to employ a new power-suit in the field. The field, in this case, being an island near the Philippines. Again, the Falcon blew me away with its delivery of in-game forces to my hand. Driving around in vehicles actually provides you with acceleration and inertial forces while switching suit modes to the ‘armor’ setting will lessen the amount of knock-about force you feel when getting shot, which hopefully doesn’t happen for you as much as it does me… But I digress.

The standard orb-grip does a fine job of allowing the player to navigate 3d space, but for a shooter title we felt that we needed to step up our game and, thankfully, Novint was way ahead of us. Enter the Novint Falcon Pistol Grip. For a very reasonable $19.99, you can swap out the standard orb grip with the handle and trigger of a semi-automatic pistol. This allows for a much more realistic control of in-game weaponry and even makes recoil effects feel that much more authentic. The beauty of this switchable grip system is that any number of grips could be created for the unit for all manner of applications and we are excited to see what they will come up with next.

Gamers should be warned about taking the Novint Falcon into a death match tournament environment unless other players in the game were using the peripheral as well. Due to some of the movement restrictions presents in navigating 3d worlds as well as force feedback effects, this can actually make you slower to respond than other gamers who don’t have to contend with them at all. For heightened single player and co-op multiplayer experiences however, the Novint Falcon just brings it to a whole new level. Just be ready to relearn how to ‘play’ your favorite games while you get used to the peripheral. There are different muscles used in controlling the Falcon than your standard mouse and you will need a bit of time to adjust.

On the whole, the Falcon may seem expensive during this troubled economic time at $190 dollars. However, hardcore gamers looking for the best gaming experience possible would be remiss to pass up on the chance to use the Novint Falcon, especially with the pistol grip! It has added a whole new dimension of immersion into some of my favorite titles and looks to be adding support for more at a rapid rate. The beta version of a HaptX-enabled Left 4 Dead was absolutely incredible, with the controller even getting all sluggish when splashed by a ‘boomer’. There is also a good message board community on Novint’s official site to help with technical issues and the developers seem to patrol it frequently, taking consumer questions and opinions when not finding out where the demand for the next HaptX-enabled titled lies. If you can afford it, the Novint Falcon is not to be missed!

The Novint Falcon’s Official Product Page

Creative Labs Gigaworks T3 Speaker System Review

2009/04/07

Jerry Paxton

Reviews

Multi-channel speaker systems were all the rage for quite some time in PC gaming. In the upswing of the economy, we saw PC sound cards attempt to add as many channels as possible into their designs, sometimes way before speaker systems were out to utilize them! Well, now we have an economy in downturn. More and more gamers are moving into smaller domiciles, most often without enough space for a 7.1 channel system. What is a gamer to do? Well, thankfully, there are a slew of 2.1 channel desktop systems out right now to help you out. Creative Labs’ latest offering, the Gigaworks T3, offers exceptional quality for its $249.99 price point.

I must admit that, at first, it was quite deceiving with the Gigaworks T3. Unboxing the small, 3.7”x3.0”, satellite speakers I thought to myself that there was just no way these could be any ‘good’. They are diminutive, albeit classy, little things in appearance, being all-black except for the inner driver components which are silver and gleam through the black filter covering them. The subwoofer is definitely more impressive in appearance, measuring 11.3”x9.3”, and comes in a black, semi-gloss frame. With this relatively small form factor, though, both satellites and subwoofer fit nicely into my already-cramped desk space.

The satellites simply plug, along with the volume control pod (we’ll get to this later), into the back of the subwoofer which houses most of the system’s inputs and outputs. Aside from the satellite and control pod jacks, the back of the subwoofer also features the bass knob as well as a set of stereo audio inputs.

The subwoofer uses a new technology from Creative called SLAM: Symmetrically Loaded Acoustic Module. This system can be a bit hard to understand at first in that the big drivers you see on the subwoofer are actually not drivers you think of in most speaker systems. The powered driver is a small, unseen model within the subwoofer. The outer drivers are called ‘pressure drivers’ and simply help move the bass out of the case. It is like taking a small speaker and putting it at the smaller end of a megaphone. The pressure drivers help carry the bass out from the subwoofer in three directions, creating very rich and ambient bass. Basically, this allows you to get a ton more performance out of this 80W system than would normally be possible.

The volume control pod is a stylish remote which mainly controls the volume. However, it also houses an auxiliary-in and headset jack. This makes switching over to headsets for some stealthy rounds of Call of Duty 4 a breeze. Just plug them in and you are good to go. The auxiliary input is perfect for quickly hooking up your MP3 player to. A small blue light on the control pod indicates that the Gigaworks T3 is activated. By rotating the volume knob all the way to the minimum position, the light will simply turn off. There is no detente on the rotary control.

We played many games with the Gigaworks T3. I tried it with everything from Combat Mission Shock Force to Call of Duty: World at War. I found no instances of poor sound reproduction and as one of my US Marine’s M1A1 main battle tanks rolled past my camera view, the rich bass actually rumbled my feet – a very nice effect. While just kicking back to the songs on my iPhone or on my PC’s MP3 library, the Gigaworks T3 performed exceptionally, and you can definitely hear the quality put into its construction and design. I actually had to turn the bass knob down quite a bit during regular music listening to get a more realistic response. The subwoofer packs quite the punch!

My previously mentioned preconceived notion about the satellites being under-powered was severely mistaken. I am reminded of Jedi Master Yoda’s wisdom: ‘Size matters not’. Indeed this is true in the case of the Gigaworks T3. The speaker system truly has it where it counts. It is just a shame that they are priced at $249.99 on the official Creative website right now. Well worth every penny, in this economy it is a tough sell for any pricey electronic item. You can take refuge in the fact, however, that you can see this as an investment into your listening future. Their small form factor and big performance makes the 2.1 channel Creative Labs’ Gigaworks T3 speaker system an A+ device for gamers and music lovers alike.

Gigaworks T3 Official Product Page

Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard Review

2009/04/01

Jerry Paxton

Reviews

Logitech has been creating PC peripherals since 1981. In fact, one of the first gaming peripherals I ever owned was a Logitech T-CM14 trackball, with which I owned the skies in Sierra/Dynamix’ Tribes. Of course, there have been other peripherals in my gaming history, but Logitech has always been there in some capacity. They have had their fingers on the gaming populace’s pulse for some time now and their latest flagship product offering, the G19 Gaming Keyboard, shows they still have it where it counts.

The G19 is the continuation of the LCD-equipped gaming keyboard line started with the G15. The G19 has a much sleeker design, with a ‘sexy’ black plastic exterior and silver Logitech logo plate on the wrist rest. The aforementioned screen on the keyboard is a 320×240 LCD and is really the centerpiece of the keyboard. The ‘GamePanel’ screen allows players to see critical information from the game(s) they are playing so long as the game has been set up to use the LCD. If you are playing something that does not make use of the screen, fear not, as Logitech includes a bunch of GamePanel applications such as an RSS reader, CPU/Memory monitor, and even YouTube player. That’s right, you can actually play YouTube video on your keyboard! At the time of this writing, being that the G19 is not technically out yet, Logitech is being pretty mum on what games will support the GamePanel LCD. The only one so far confirmed to us is World of Warcraft, which will allow you to do cool things like look at your wait queue status, battleground info, etc.

Logitech has also added a Windows/Gaming mode slider key that disables the Windows button should you be of the type of gamer who accidentally presses it during play sessions, costing precious lives and potentially endangering the whole planet. I won’t mention any names…

The G19 is different also in that it comes with its own AC adapter. The adapter plugs into a cable that is tethered with the USB cable. The power provided by the adapter not only powers the screen but also allows the G19 to use devices in its two USB ports that requre additional power. This is an exceptional feature to have an can eliminate the need to have an extra USB hub lying about, freeing up much-needed desktop space.

For fans of creating your own keyboard macros, the G19 has 12 macro keys layed out in three groups of four. You can also program three different, selectable profiles allowing up to 36 different combinations to choose from. Logitech’s included software allows for easy editing of the macros in a very user friendly interface.

Under the standard media keys on the upper right quadrant of the keyboard you will find the mute key and volume roller. Logitech’s volume control on the G19 is an actual roller. The volume roller takes a bit of getting used to and seems to be meant almost for small adjustments. This is partly due to the fact that Logitech did not want you blowing your eardrums out by accidentally swiping the roller with your hand. So, rest easy my little ear drums… The inner ear is safe tonight, thanks to the gaming peripheral power of Logitech!

To the right of the Windows/Gaming mode slider you will find the controls for the GamePanel screen. The directional keys control the current app you are using as well as switching between available apps. One nice thing about the GamePanel system is the cross communication between the keyboard and PC. If you see a story you like on your RSS reader and want to visit the source, simply hit the ‘ok’ center button in the directional controls. Your PC will open up a browser window with the source site in the address bar. The same thing applies to the GamePanel YouTube browser, if you want to see the vid on your PC, just hit ‘ok’. Of course, this could cause some problems if you are in the middle of a game which does not use the GamePanel LCD, but I digress: Watch what you are touching!

Being a huge Fallout 3 fan and known that I would be reviewing the new DLC pack, ‘The Pitt’, I figured that would be a good place to start using the G19. The keyboard performs very well in first-person shooters with smooth key action that is neither too hard nor too soft. I have had the displeasure of using some heavy-duty metal keyboards and such material makes your fingertips numb after a while. Not the case here, I am thankful for. As the day slid into night, I switched on the keyboard’s power button and the GamePanel LCD came to life as did the white backlighting of the keys. I have to applaud Logitech for just using soft white lights as opposed to some gimmicky red or blue like you find in most other gaming keyboards. Not to say that red or blue is necessarily ‘bad’. It is just nice to see something fresh and different.

The biggest hurdle for the G19 to overcome is its $199 dollar price point. The keyboard is definitely targeted towards hardcore gamers, but every hardcore gamer I know is having money issues at the moment so I do not know how the product will do. The G11 is going for $69.99 while the mid-level G15 is going for $99. Perhaps another jump of thirty dollars would be sufficient? The G19 at $129 or $139 would be far more palatable to consumers.

Price point aside, we would highly recommend the Logitech G19 Gaming Keyboard for the hardcore gamer out there. It has a great action, good amount of macro keys, powered USB ports, Windows/Gaming mode slider, and a whole lot more. Average users will probably not find as much use for all of its gamer-centric features and would be better off with the G11 or one of Logitech’s ‘standard’ keyboards. However, if you are a hardcore gamer looking for an exceptional gaming keyboard, start saving your pennies now and get yourself a G19.

Official Logitech G19 Product Page

TN Games 3rd Space Gaming Vest Review

2009/03/27

Jerry Paxton

Reviews

We got the chance to check out the 3rd Space Gaming Best and HTX Helmet at the 2008 CES event in Las Vegas. Originally developed as a medical examination technology the company turned to gaming applications as the system is still under review by several medical bodies. During my brief encounter with the vest, at the show, I was surprised at how startling the hit effect could be (as demonstrated in the afore-linked video). However I could not, at that point, see it as a practical, effective home system. Now that we actually have a 3rd Space Gaming Vest here to play with, I am happily changing my tune…

The gaming vest comes nicely packed in an environmentally-conscious box. There is no unnecessary space and it all fits just right. In the box you will find the air compressor, ac adapter, gaming vest, USB cable, Gaming Vest driver disk, and a special version of Call of Duty 2 modified to use the 3rd Space Gaming Vest.

Installing the software is a breeze. Simply put the driver disk in and use the setup feature. The process will install the driver utility, a C++ runtime library, and TN Games’ proprietary FPS, Incursion. After installing everything, I began setting up the actual vest itself. We got the ‘S/M’ sized vest, which is what TN Games recommends for most people. Accommodating people who would normally wear up to an extra-large t-shirt, it has plenty of room for expansion. Donning the vest just makes you feel cool. It was modeled after a generic modular tactical vest used by various special operators around the country and comes in black, camo, and pink. There are two horizontal straps and two vertical shoulder straps which should all be snugly fastened before play. The more snug the fit, the better the hit effects will be felt.

The air compressor unit simply plugs into AC power using the adapter and switches on with a slider. Unfortunately, the biggest issue we see with this unit is the noise. There is no logic between the compressor and the vest telling it when to turn on and off. The compressor always stays on blowing air into the vest. A better system would be a slightly more expensive compressor that could sense when air capacity was reached, and then turned on when appropriate to refill a temporary air reservoir, but I digress. While the compressor is not the loudest one I have ever heard it is definitely noticeable and makes the system ill-advised for quiet gaming sessions. For normal play however, noise be damned, lets turn this thing on and see how it works.

The vest works by sending blasts of compressed air into one (or more) of the eight ‘impact cells’ which are housed within. There are four of these impact cells in the front of the unit and four on the back of the vest. By sending blasts of air in a coordinated manner, the vest is capable of producing tactile feedback which mirror’s what is happening to your character in a given game. Getting shot feels different in both intensity and duration as, say, being stabbed. Grenades can activate the entire front of the vest as opposed to single impact cells going off by way of small arms.

I first tried the vest using TN Games’ Incursion. This is not a review for Incursion. Suffice it to say the app is definitely a great place to test out the vest before moving on to more mainstream games. The test runs we made in Incursion were amazing. The hit effects create a much-heightened sense of tension than usual. At one point, I ended up being pelted by a barrage of enemy fire. The vest acted accordingly, sending a shot of adrenaline through my body as I tried running away…and failing.

We are so used to hearing the direction of our enemies using 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound systems, bringing actual tactile cues into play jacks up the immersion to a whole new level. After playing around in Incursion I fired up Combat Arms, a free to play FPS title from Nexon. Unfortunately, no matter what I tried I could not get the vest working in the game. Even though the newly-updated drivers claim it works with the title there was no vest response at all.

Unfortunately, the version of Call of Duty 2 provided with the vest, which was specifically altered to natively use it, was not compatible with Windows Vista. So, after Combat Arms we started up Call of Duty: World at War to check out how the vest would help us dispose of Nazis, of course the most important function there is! With this title however, the vest performed as promised and was a blast. ‘Feeling’ where your enemy is shooting at you from is actually more efficient than hearing it first or seeing come sort of visual cue signaling your impending doom. The initial shock of the impact is enough to startle you and that quick reaction could mean the difference between avoiding the next flurry of shots and getting mowed down.

The biggest problem TN Games has had to face (and still does to a degree) is title support. Currently, there are three options to use the 3rd Space Gaming Vest inside a game. The first is to have the game be developed and coded to use the peripheral. The second is to add the game’s ‘signature’ and all the rest of the tech stuff to the vest driver utility which will then listen in on the game process for hit detection. The third option is for game communities or developers to release after-launch mod’s which enable support. Unfortunately, there are only 30 titles supported by the vest at the time of this writing. In this economy, a $139 dollar feedback vest is a tough sell but, once experienced, you will understand how useful and effective it is. It will, without a doubt, increase your gaming skills. If not by the increased hit effects, then by the frosty state of mind that ‘suiting up’ in the tactical vest gives you. Thankfully, TN Games has been working its tail off garnering more mainstream support, and we hope they get it. This technology is way too cool to lose like we did with Force Feedback.

Aside from the noisy compressor and small stable of twenty supported titles (at the moment), I would highly recommend TN Games’ 3rd Space Gaming Vest to anyone looking for the next step in immersion. It engages one of your senses that usually does not get involved in gaming much and, in doing so, is sure to make you a more efficient killer in no time. The 3rd Space Gaming Best is sold in $139 dollar bundles at TN Games’ official site. Also, their HTX helmet is due out sometime before the end of this year.

Official Product Page

Men of War Review

2009/03/25

Jerry Paxton

Reviews

The sequel to Soldiers: Heroes of World War II, Men of War is a tactical, real-time strategy game which takes place in North Africa. It allows you to control three different sides of the conflict in three separate campaigns consisting of 19 single-player missions total. You will take command of Russian, British, and American forces while able to access Japanese units in multi-player games only.

Visually, the actual game is pleasing enough. It won’t break any records in the looks department, but the presentation works for the type of game it is. Typically, hardcore strategy fans can overlook lackluster graphics if the gameplay is good enough. The environments in Men of War are some of the most destructible I have ever seen in an RTS. Pretty much anything can be blown to smithereens. This makes cover precarious as today’s sand bag barricade is tomorrow’s scattered pile of sand. Also, camera system is generally well-designed and fully 3d by way of the middle mouse button. Unfortunately, the cut scenes are sub-par at best.

Sound design is decent, giving you a good amount of queues as to what is happening in the battle at hand. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the voice over work and writing of the game’s dialogue. Perhaps it is because the developers, Digital Mind Soft and Best Way Games, are located in Germany and the Ukraine, respectively. Actors are wooden and obviously do not understand the nuances of North American English. Also, the writing they were provided also lacks the language’s natural flow a native speaker is accustomed to.

Controlling your units can be very tricky as well as confusing, especially if you are a long-time PC RTS gamer. Instead of freely being able to select units with the left mouse button, Men of War requires you to right-click in order to clear your selected units first. Clicking the left mouse button while having troops selected will issue a move order. This seemingly simple system is sure to give you more than a few headaches, especially when the action starts heating up. I found myself, on more than one occasion, left-clicking a tank in order to select it while already having infantry selected. Instead of switching over to the tank, this just made my infantry huddle around the vehicle, using it for cover.

Speaking of cover, something that Men of War does very well is implement a VITAL cover system. Utilizing this cover system effectively is the only sure way to win the game’s difficult missions. After selecting unit(s), hovering your mouse cursor over coverable-items will illuminate various positions your troops can take. If there is no cover available, left clicking will simply order your troops to move to the location. Double-clicking will order them to perform the action ‘on the run’.

Your units are capable of a number of actions not normally seen in RTS titles. You can select their stance (e.g. prone or standing), weapons, fire modes… The list goes on. You can even loot boxes and other items to better equip your units. Sometimes, all of these possibilities can be overwhelming, especially when controlling a ton of units on the field and having. Usually, the unit AI is forgiving enough to take cover, etc. Pathfinding, however, is a totally different story. I have seen tanks attempt to plow through whole buildings to reach a destination. This is one area where the game needs some serious work. If I have to micro-manage how exactly a unit reaches a location, I will never get anything else done!

Battles are frenetic and sometimes leave you in a wreck of adrenaline as to the number of actions you were required to pull off in order to achieve your goals. Mission difficulty is spotty regardless of difficulty level selected, and will require all of your experience, reflexes, and tactical planning to complete them. Many missions are multi-stage, scripted event-based and provide plenty of the aforementioned challenge and excitement.

Provided out of the box are both LAN and Internet-based multi-player gaming options with all manner of game types including co-operative missions. Something I would have liked to have seen is a random mission generator for the single-player gamer as it would seriously increase the replayability (look at Battlefront’s Combat Mission Shock Force as an example).

Overall, Men of War is worth you time only if you are looking for an in-depth, tactical game of combat on a large scale. At times it will be frustrating from a technical standpoint and, at others, it will provide you with exceptional joy at completing what looked to be an insurmountable mission. Men of War is a very in-depth RTS game that should definitely be given a look, especially at the Direct2Drive purchase price of $29.99

Direct2Drive Product Page

Razer Mako THX 2.1 Desktop Sound System Review

2009/03/18

Jerry Paxton

Reviews

Razer was kind enough to let us take a look at their Mako 2.1 channel desktop audio system. Co-designed by THX using some very special methods of aural trickery to create the best sound possible.

First up Razer and THX’s creative sleeves is what they call the THX Ground Plane and Slot Speaker technology. THX explains that this delivery system is used to eliminate the ‘desk effect’, in which audio in standard speakers not only moves directly from the driver to the listen but also ricochets off the desk below and into the sound stream. This disrupts the sound waves, muddling them down slightly. With the Mako, the drivers are actually downward-facing inside the tweeters. This forces sound to move downward out of them, bouncing off of your desk or equivalent surface and directly into your eager ears.

The second patented technology THX is using inside the Mako is their ‘Class HD’ audio processing method which actively scans the audio output for the most optimal method of eliminating background noise. Most audio systems eliminate a static range of highs and lows to get rid of background noise. The problem with this method is that in some cases, it still allows ambient noise in and in others it cuts off important audio pieces. With Class HD, the Mako scans the output and constantly adjusts to maximize the elimination of background noise while minimizing the loss of important audio information.

The control pad included with the Mako is definitely one of those ‘whiz-bang’ devices, utilizing a touch-pad interface. One arc of the cylindrical pad is the volume indicator. Brilliant blue hash lines turn to red the higher you push the levels. Changing levels is as simple as rubbing your finger on the front of the pad in the direction you wish the level to go. It doesn’t take much to change and was surprisingly responsive. Also on the control are touch-pad buttons to change the volume indicator to a bass indicator and back. This will allow you to change the amount coming from the sub woofer. Another cool feature of the Mako is that it accepts a second input line from another audio source. Switching between the two inputs is accomplished through a touch-pad button on the controls as well. The final topping on the scrumptious cake which is the Mako’s control pad is the headphone jack. This makes going into stealth mode much easier as the Mako has a tendancy to get away from you in terms of volume. The sound is so crisp you just have to pump it up to the next volume hash mark to see if it distorts. Thankfully, getting the Mako to distort is VERY difficult to accomplish.

Some reviewers claim the Mako’s bass levels are not ‘thumping’ as much as they like. To this, we respond that true music lovers know that producers often load down a band’s audio tracks with bass to cover-up other ‘chinks’ in the band’s performance-armor. Also, speaker-developers will sometimes increase the bass response in their units as a cover-up to the higher-end shortcomings. The Mako reproduces music as faithfully to the original performance as possible. While not appropriate to rattle your neighbor’s windows the Mako could make them think there was a live band playing in your living room or office.

The Mako has been designed with Razer’s sense of style in mind. The sub woofer is a black dome-like structure with a flat top harboring the Razor logo while on the front is the THX name. The back of the sub woofer features all of the units inputs and outputs. There you will find the power input, satellite speaker outputs, control pad input, audio input and power switch. To make the Mako even more flexible, white and red stereo audio inputs are also available in this area of the sub. The two satellite speakers are attached using what appears to be Cat 5 network cable, although not quite as standard Cat 5 cable will not work, and look like the smaller offspring of the sub woofer in design and style.

The Mako’s greatest shortcoming is its price point. At an MSRP of $399 dollars, they are just too expensive for the average PC gamer these days. Once you can save up for them though, we can’t recommend them enough. It is the kind of thing like how standard-definition commercials were trying to demo high-definition signal – it is just not possible. The best way to get a feel for them is to hear them, either at a trade show or your friend which has them or perhaps even a commercial retailer if possible. Once you do hear them, you will begin the process of saving your pennies. They are really that good.

Gamestop Resident Evil 5 Launch Event – Irvine CA

2009/03/13

Jerry Paxton

Articles

Gamestop had been advertising its Resident Evil 5 pre-launch events at numerous locations around the country. Being local to the Irvine area, Gamestop was kind enough to let me in to the happening to take some photos and whatnot. I would like to thank Laura Mustard, Gamestop PR, as well as the staff of the Barranca street store for their cooperation and hospitality.

Arriving at 10pm sharp, I was amazed that more people had not begun lining up yet. With only a few people having shown up at that point, I figured it would be a good time to go on in and fully-pay for my copy of the game. Gamestop had a system setup in which everyone would have to go inside before midnight, finish their transaction, and obtain a voucher letting staff know you did in fact pay for the game. This would allow staff later on after midnight to not worry about exchanging cash. Their only concern would be checking the validity of a person’s voucher and handing them a copy of the game…

Check out the full story after the jump!

Spirits
were generally high throughout the two hours with gamers geeking out
over topics such as the whether or not the upcoming Fallout 3 DLC pack,
‘The Pitt’, will be better or worse than their first offering and even
some breaking out into trading card games.

One gamer I spoke to
who referred to himself only as ‘Shinragod’ told me that he was their
to make sure he got ‘all the goodies that came with the game’. For
instance, Gamestop was giving out limited edition lithographs with
every collector’s edition sold. He did not want to take the chance they
would have run out by time he could get in the next day. There were
even some people at the event who did not plan on getting the game.
They just seemed content in hanging out with their friends that did. By
the time 11pm rolled around, there was much more of a crowd in place.
Also, at about this time Gamestop employees brought in three extremely
ginormous pizzas. Originally planned to be green and ‘fleshy’ these
were just normal as the pizza-artist tasked with this chore was not
available for some reason. Fleshy or not, many of the crowd partook of
the sacred pies and satiated their hunger.

Quite
a number of people in attendance had opinions on the new direction the
series has taken starting with Resident Evil 4, becoming more of an
action-shooter than its predecessors’ survival-horror gameplay.
‘Shinragod’ appreciated the ‘less puzzles, more gameplay’ style while
gamer ‘Sephiroth11’ hoped that the series would return to its roots at
some point in the future. Regardless of what type of Resident Evil game
they liked better, it was clear that everyone there had a lot of love
for the series and was looking forward to this latest offering.

Minutes
before midnight, Gamestop staff solidified the ragged semblance of a
line into a much more organized single-file. At 12:01am, they began
letting groups of five at a time into the store, beginning with our
HUNK friend, who only referred to himself as ‘Rohan’.

The only
one in attendance donning costume, he entertained the crowd at one
point during the two-hour wait with various Resident Evil trivia
questions. Now, with everyone having games in-hand (including yours
truly), it was time to go. While many were rushing off to start their
journey into Kijuju, I would be writing this up and then getting as
much sleep as possible.

FEAR 2: Project Origin Review

2009/03/12

Jerry Paxton

Reviews

I fondly remember playing the original FEAR in a darkened room on my PC several years ago. Gripping my gaming mouse tightly, shoulders firmly tensed, I would creep down hallways and jump consistently at every in-game scare. I was also taken with the game’s presentation which was considered to be, at the time, very well-done. Enter the sequel, which after skirting the harrowing shoals of developmental hell, has finally been released. Good news is, most sources seem to echo sentiments that the game is comparable no matter what platform you play it on (Windows PC, Xbox 360, or PlayStation 3). So let’s take a deeper look at FEAR 2: Project Origin and see if the sequel is true to the original scare fest. Just to be clear, we are taking a look at the PC version.

In FEAR 2: Project Origin, you play as a member of a Delta Force team which gets caught up in a gigantic corporate conspiracy/supernatural hell-fest where you will encounter a good variety of enemies of all types, human and…other… Thankfully you are not the standard, mk1 human as you will obtain psychic powers such as the ‘reflex’ ability which allows you to slow down time (think bullet-time).

One of the key features which really pushed FEAR over the top were its scary moments, and there were plenty. Bizarre scenes and encounters which seemed to jump straight out of the gigantic, mutated minds of Clive Barker, Dario Argento, and Hideo Nakata. I am VERY happy to report that FEAR 2: Project Origin does not disappoint in this department. The supernatural encounters are genuinely scary and are sure to make even the most die-hard PC gamer jump at times. The best part about these sequences is that they fit within the framework of the story given. I never felt that they were added into the game ‘just because’. These scares are also very well-spaced out in the game so that they do not become routine.

Visually, the game is very pleasing when in most of the indoor environments. The game does dark and foreboding well. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the outdoor levels which don’t come out looking nearly as nice. In fact, when compared to the original game, this one does not push the graphical envelope nearly as much. Again, not say it doesn’t look nice, it just doesn’t require a super high-end machine to run it. Perhaps this is the console influence, but I digress.

Monolith has done a bang-up job on the sound effects in this game. From the ambient noises to minor details like shell casings hitting the floor, you are barraged with realistic audio. These ambient effects are critical, as the audio is at least half of the scare during the supernatural sequences. The score also plays a big part in creating the proper mood and I can safely say that they succeed in spades. From eerie childlike ‘toy box’ melodies to military marches, it is all good in the FEAR 2 music department. The voice actors do wonderful jobs in their various roles and never sound wooden or unbelievable. It is really nice to see the amount of quality WB Games and Monolith have put into the title.

Combat is one area of the game we found to be lacking in contrast to the more supernatural sequences. Controlling the character feels very linear in that there is not a lot of animation or movement to the camera to give a sense of motion. The cover system works well enough, being able to interact with various objects such as tables and flip them over to crouch behind. You will not find a Gears of War style cover system here. The combat in FEAR 2: Project Origin hearkens back to earlier days in PC first-person shooters when, in order to take cover, you hit the ‘crouch’ key and did you best to pop up from and down behind whatever you could find. This is also trye for the health system, in which your character does not suddenly ‘recharge’ his health and armor after taking cover for a while. You actually have to acquire and use health kits and body armor which is scattered throught the game’s levels. Overall, the game’s combat could have been a bit more challenging. Once you obtain the ‘reflex ability’, most enemies don’t stand much of a chance against you. There are not many different types of weapons in the game, but enough to cover most categories of weapon types. You can pick them up and drop them at will over the course of a mission. Obviously, this is very convenient when you find yourself out of ammo in your assault rifle. Just grab the nearest dead guy’s weapon and get back into the fight.

Overall, we found FEAR 2: Project Origin to be a very fun playthrough which is definitely going to make you jump at least a few times. Games like this are like great scary movies: enjoy it in a darkened room with either good surround sound speakers or a headset. The more intimate you can make the playing experience, the better. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself reaching for the light switch after a while to break the tension. Also, the good people at WB Games and Monolith have not skimped and taken the easy, politically-correct road here. Enemies explode into giblets on numerous occasions and well, without spoiling anything (you really should play it through but YouTube can also show you what I am about to mention) the ending is one of the most messed-up (in a good way) endings in the entire history of PC gaming. Seriously…

If you are looking for a ride like this, you would be remiss to pass up FEAR 2: Project Origin.

Official Product Page

Microsoft SideWinder X8 Wireless Gaming Mouse Review

2009/03/11

Jerry Paxton

Reviews

The pinnacle of Microsoft’s Sidewinder gaming mouse line is their new X8. Their first wireless gaming mouse, the X8 brings some new features into the fray not previously seen on Sidewinder mice while also bringing back some features not seen on some newer ones.

The design of the Sidewinder X8 was definitely inspired by the original Sidewinder model. The new X8 is a bit smaller though and features slightly more ‘stealthy’ angles to it. Like the new X5, the X8 is of all-black coloring, although the X8 has actually two different sheens depending on the area. The main primary and secondary button fuselage is a shiny black while the separated grip areas are a flat. The scroll and Vista Games’ Panel buttons are silver, which really pop out in contrast. While plugged-in (we will get to this feature later) a red LED shines out of the back of the mouse. Overall, it is a very visually-pleasing design and is sure to attract attention at tournaments.

Tournaments, you say? Yes, I would happily take the X8 into a tournament any day of the week. The issues that plagues wireless mice, making them unsuitable for tourny use are all taken care of. A 2.4 GHz signal connects the mouse to its base unit, making interference very difficult, especially given how close you can sit the base unit to the mouse. Battery life is excellent with up to about a day of real usage per charge. The polling rate, while not as good as other gaming mice out there it seems fairly adequate for most DPI settings. I did find that when at the X8’s full 4,000 DPI setting it did tend to feel a bit jerky in some shooters. When scaling the sensitivity down to sub 3,000 it leveled out and became smooth and playable.

The X8 runs off of one rechargeable AAA battery, and can be replaced at any time with a fresh one should the need arise. However, you will not really need to given the awesome charging method Microsoft has designed the X8 to utilize. Charging the battery is done via a magnetic charging cable which connects to the front of the mouse. This magnetically-connected cable allows the mouse to still be playable while charging. Charging the battery back to full usually takes a couple hours or so, but being connected did not hurt my gaming performance at all.

One thing that was disappointing with the original Sidewinder was that the DPI-switching buttons were set so far back from the primary and secondary buttons you would have to actually move your whole hand back slightly to depress them. This could cost you your in-game life and made for a not so smooth gaming experience. In the X8, these buttons have been moved closer to the buttons which allows you to hit them without having to slide your hand back on the unit.

Microsoft has included a few different ‘feet’ designs inside the receiver dongle ‘box’ (it is actually a cylinder) allowing you to customize the level of traction your X8 gets on your prefered gaming surface. The receiver dongle is a a black, cylindrical box which contants the multiple feet as well as a track around the perimeter with which to wrap the magnetic charging cable. The unit is simply with a classy aesthetic that complements the X8 quite well.

Speaking of surfaces, thanks to Microsoft’s BlueTrack laser technology, the X8 is able to be used on a ton more surface-types than before. We were even able to get the mouse functioning, although admittedly-sloppily on the side of a ceramic, shiny mug.

The software needed to use the X8 was a breeze to install and integrates itself with the standard Windows Vista mouse properties screen where you can assign every one of the X8’s seven programmable buttons to whatever you like. Another addition to the X8’s programmability is its macro record button which allows you to set a macro while in-game on-the-fly.

The new scroll wheel, which hearkens back to the original SideWinder, is all metal and an attractive silver. The down-side is that we found the scroll wheel to be very difficult to roll. It feels clunky with very pronounced detentes and poor friction. A rubberized wheel might have been a better way to go, but would have clashed with the color scheme they were going for. A plus to this scroll wheel is that it now has tilt-clicking, something which no other SideWinder mouse has featured until now.

Microsoft has chosen to replace the original SideWinder’s two fore-mounted side buttons with ones actually located on the side of the mouse this time. This side-mounted design makes it very easy for your thumb to use, especially with their vertically-mounted layout. Tilt your thumb up slightly and tag the upper side button, tilt it down and, well, you get the idea.

SideWinder X8 also shows the return of the left-mounted LCD display on the thumb area which was not present in their more bare-bones SideWinder X5. This time, it shows not only what DPI mode the mouse is in but also the battery charge level.

Overall, we found the SideWinder X8 to be a very good gaming mouse made even better by its wireless capability. We would not have any problem taking the unit into a tournament situation or even using it for simple desktop applications. While it does have its flaws, the X8 is the best wireless gaming mouse on the market at the time of this writing, although at an original MSRP of $99.99 it could be a strain for those on a budget.

Microsoft SideWinder X8 Product Page

Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II Review

2009/03/05

Jerry Paxton

Reviews

When we saw Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II at this year’s CES, we learned from Relic’s Johnny Ebbert that the game would take the ‘best’ elements from the first game such as ‘brutal melee combat’ along with features from their Company of Heroes RTS such as unit cover. Well, this is true. However after starting on the game’s campaign mode, what we did not know is that base building is not just cut-back, but really gone altogether. Imagine our shock! Not to be denied our Dawn of War II fix we pressed on past this point of shock and found a much deeper experience within.

Dawn of War II’s campaign mode takes the player(s) by the hand for a short while, introducing characters as well as gameplay tactics and then let’s them loose on three different worlds where they have a ton of free reign over which missions they take and how far along the actual storyline they progress. This open-world campaign mode adds a ton to the game’s replayability, as does the campaign’s character development. Character development in an RTS? Well, yeah!

In the campaign, you will eventually have six squads to command, however you may only chose four to take on your per mission. As an aside, I think the number of troops in each of your squads feels a bit low, but I digress. As you play missions, your squad leaders (and hence their squads) will gain experience points that go towards increasing their levels. When a new level is reached, the player can reward these team leaders by placing an additional two attribute points in any of the following categories: Health, Ranged Combat, Melee Combat, and Energy. Every additional point into one of these categories will help give the squad’s attribute modifiers in the appropriate way, however when certain places along the attribute bars are reached the squad will gain additional ‘traits’ with which to use on the battlefield. For instance, the stealthy scout squad can gain the ability to use up no energy while standing still and cloaked. The attribute points you distribute really decide how your character fights and what its role should be. Don’t go buffing your tactical squad with full melee points if you are planning on equipping them with bolters and havig them plink at the enemy from range.

Also, sometimes when killing a mob, you will find that it dropped a special item, armor, or weapon. Click on this item to pick it up and you can find it in your squad’s joint inventory at the start of the next mission. These items can be mixed and matched between your squads to fully-customize how your units fight. From maces to plasma weapons, you will find it in the game. After all, a big part of Warhammer 40k’s combat is the mixing and matching of melee and ranged weapons. Seeing a force commander shoot at Orks with his pistol before going in for a giblet-filled kill with a chainsword.

This action-RPG style of character development is further enhanced by the bantering of your characters as well as other NPCs in-between missions while setting up the next one to come. Each squad leader’s personalities really emerge and since you only have a finite number of squads, there is a high-level of responsibility you feel for them. You end up really caring about keeping these guys alive and bringing everyone home.

Along the way, you will fight not only the Orks but also the advanced Eldar and insectoid Tyranids, which serve up some of the game’s most awesome and intense moments. Let’s just say Tyranids never fight alone….Actually, there always seems to be hundreds of them, so use that cover well. Getting a handle on the game’s cover system is key to being successful at the missions. A covered squad is worth the equivalent of three uncovered ones. Whats more, you will have to think quickly in order to stay covered and out-flank your enemies before they out-flank you.

Visuals in Dawn of War II are beautiful, with incredibly detailed particle effects. This is nowhere better seen than in the game’s explosions. The presentation of the visuals is also very important. Heavy ordinance shakes the ground and created massive fireballs and plumes of smoke. The camera is fairly versatile and makes zooming into watch your troops dismember the enemy a ton of fun.

With all the stuff going on, it is a wonder you can discern any sound apart from another. The sound design in the game is exceptional and manages to capture all of the nuances of the game’s combat without getting muddled down. The voice actors a fine job of bringing their characters to life and never sound wooden or take you out of the experience.

The game’s skirmish modes seem like more of a nod to the RTS fans, but even then the actual base-building is really not there. Instead, you capture points a la Company of Heroes which adds to your power and renown, then spending these attributes to create or upgrade units.

I am one of those RTS fans that does not like ‘zerging’. I like a ‘good’ RTS match where players have a bit of time to build up their bases/defenses and get some real armies made with which to battle against each other. I would not normally like a game such as Dawn of War II because of its focus on keeping the action moving all the time. However, due to it not feeling much like an RTS, the lack of base-building and flow of combat did not phase me in the least.

That being said, Dawn of War II is not a real-time strategy game. It is a hybrid between an RTS, action-RPG, tactical shooter, and hack ‘n slash game. This combination is masterfully put together by Relic and they are to be commended for actually doing something original. Sure, a tried and true RTS sequel would have been great too, but this is not just great. Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II also pushes the bounds of multiple genres in a very clever way and that masterful originality can mean the difference between a game you play for a week and a game you find yourself wanting to play a year later.