Author - Ripper71

Wizard World Las Vegas Comic Con Wrap Up

2016/04/07

Las Vegas is a strange town. Internationally famous people like Elton John or Bill Marr might spend months here and just about every music act at one point or another will pass through, but when it comes to celebrity conventions there is a big giant hole. It may be due to the fact that the celebrities show up for non-celebrity conventions like CES or NAB, which aren’t always public. You find yourself standing and watching CEOs give presentations with one of the all time top scoring NBA players joking by your side or have a professional gamer who makes almost a million dollars sit down at their rig and take on retired special ops soldiers in a first person shooter match. Finally, it looks as though we have some conventions moving in that will bridge the gap of cultural celebrities and comic celebrities and I think Wizard World Las Vegas is a terrific example of this.

On The Floor:

To start it off each year and to make sure that the press gets a few words with at least a couple of the celebrities before the real craziness begins, Wizard World Las Vegas started as they usually do, with four celebrities attending a press mixer. This year two of the celebrities that struck particularly home with my wife and I were Barry Bostwick and Patricia Quinn, who played Brad and Magenta in the Rocky Horror Picture Show (which was our first date 24 years earlier, almost to the day). When it came time to snap pictures with them Barry called my wife and I over saying “I like the look of this guy!” Surreal is kind of an understatement on such a moment. Cosplayer Jackie Craft was definitely making an impressive scene in her full suit of armor from WoW though she was geeking out on seeing Victor Dandridge of Vantage:Inhouse Productions whose publishing work has inspired her for some time. Personally I dressed up in green beads, eyeglasses and ties and ran around with Dandridge seeing who could seeing who could make the sillier St. Patty’s Day drunk face. All in all a great way to start the weekend.

Once the show itself kicks off there are basically three things you have to decide between and sometimes more within them. If you have done a decent size con before this is no surprise. You have booths you can look through, panels you can see and autographs/photo ops to be had and how much cosplay you want to take in. Each one of these will each a surprisingly fast amount of your time and you really almost need to research as much in advance what is going on to catch what is most important to you. I spent only a few minutes the whole event at looking at booths, I brought help to take in cosplay and I did a photo op and then panels, panels, panels.

I am a proud Browncoat and a few years back at a Hollywood charity event Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk reached out to shake my hand on their way out of the event and the woman running the event screamed “NO!” and slapped my hand. Stunned we all walked our separate ways but that had been my last chance to meet part of the Firefly crew. So when I had a chance to meet the lovely Jewel Staite I ponied up the money, got my 5 seconds of happiness and have a lovely picture that everyone says has one of the biggest smiles they have ever seen on my face.

When it came to panels I saw a really long list of them but some of the highlights that if you have to pick from that you should choose are Michael Golden (Batman, Dr. Strange, The ,Nam), Women In Geekdom, Psychology Of (Insert Character), Jewel Staite, any WWE player, and the Cast Of SHIELD. Above all however (maybe not Staite but that is personal) the person you have to see at the conference is Michael Rooker Vs. The Audience. They just give him a microphone and he is off into the audience like a madman talking to everyone, answering all kinds of questions and the only way you can keep you eyes on him is if you pull The Exorcist maneuver and spin your head around. I met him in an elevator last year and realized what a wild man he was then saw him at Wizard World last year and was amazed and this year it was no different.

The only complaint I could have about the whole conference was putting Jason Mewes up against Rooker in the same time slots. I have had personal conversations with Mewes at other events in the past and he is quiet and very sensitive since cleaning up his act and having the energy being sucked out of his room by the Rooker panel made it so that a lot of people missed out on a really terrific guy.

I am so glad that Wizard World Las Vegas is established and growing and I look forward to next year’s already and if it passes through your town do yourself a favor and go regardless of your geekdoms there seems to be a bit for most.

Photo Gallery

Better Late Than Dead Review

2016/03/19

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

I often just jump into games and start playing them without knowing all the much about them. I feel if I get too much warning about a particular game, I might figure out the story too much, master the mechanics quicker than the average player and have general surprises spoiled for me. If I know I am going to be reviewing a game I usually don’t even check out the trailer until afterwards to see if it adequately represented the game.

Better Late Than Dead however had been bouncing around since early alpha as a chat topic among players and reviewers and at first it was thought to be just an interesting take on a survival… maybe survival horror with the key for survival being more defensive than offensive. Then along came the chance to play it and I went right at it, running around doing things maybe a bit faster than the average player from so many survival games on my shelf when suddenly I was literally getting bit in the rear-end by an alligator. A few bites and I was Gator Chow and going for the last save point… which was grayed out… after hours of work. Wait, Permadeath? It’s got… ok that’s fine. I remember where just about everything was located so I will just head back and… random drop rate and location? So in a feature I don’t often use much these days here are the game’s features which will help you stay Better Late Than Dead.

Features:

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Craft items using a combination of objects and methods like tying and cutting
Build a shelter to protect you from rain and dangerous animals
Online Multiplayer
Lose blood, break bones, become poisoned and stave off hunger and thirst
Varying weather conditions that affect gameplay
Procedurally generated items that the player must find to leave the island

[/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end]

Dangerous animals including wolves, spiders and bears
Capture animals using traps
Permadeath – Will you be able to escape the island or will you succumb to its menace?

[/ezcol_1half_end]

Hands On:

Accept you will probably succumb to its menace a few times. This is a simple act that will help you maintain your Zen while playing this survival which has it’s own set of rules that might not fit the normal world. Things sitting around that look sharp and pointy will not be usable for it’s sharpness or pointy unless it shows up as such in the menu or after crafting. So the first important thing to do in the game is run and find what you need for the different crafting recipes while watching for anything that moves or for the music to turn ominous. Scary music like in a movie means even if you can’t see the danger it is nearby.

It’s really easy to start feel comfortable like you have a good idea what is around, these are really the times you need to be cautious. Permadeath. To be hours into the game and have permadeath hit you again… the save points are only for when you quit the game alive, they are no safety net whatsoever. It is a great game to play when you have as few distractions as possible, no television in the background, no one else in the house telling you they just stocked something on *this* shelf of the fridge. Think of it more as a jigsaw puzzle on a rickety TV tray that anyone else might bump over so you tuck it safely in the corner when others are around.

Now that the whole permadeath thing has been drilled into your head this is what you imagined Robinson Crusoe was like probably as a kid. Only with body bags. And cryptic notes about madness. And instead of a shipwreck you bust out of a crate that was supposed to be your watery coffin. Otherwise you need to find items and figure out how to craft them together. Your inventory is limited but if you concentrate on dropped items such as a key or a knife first and only work on growing stuff like shaking trees for coconuts and mangos as needed then you are less likely to have a full inventory and find yourself dropping excess coconuts in weird places all over the islands.

This is a review and I have been mostly loading it with tips because this a fun game with a lot of mystery involved and permadeath can be a very cool aspect of a title if used properly which Better Late Than Dead does. It is still being tooled a bit, go in feeling for a beta at this point and you will be more than happy with the results. I haven’t had a second player join me for multiplayer yet which was introduced very recently so hasn’t fully caught on as the game probably will through word of mouth. The game has good quality, a good concept and so far pretty good devlivery, just make sure that permadeath survival is your thing and you’ll be just fine.

Last Breath:

Better Late Than Dead is a fairly rare entry into the survival series with it’s permadeath and the interesting ways it tries to cause them which I don’t want to spoil here. It still feels like it needs a bit of tooling and I think it is still getting it at press time but even without another coat of polish it is a fun and addictive game.

[easyreview title=”Better Late Than Dead Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Samurai Warriors 4 Empires PS4 Review

2016/03/19

Ripper71

News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 4 Review, Reviews

When I took the review for Samurai Warriors 4 Empires I thought, from just the initial images that I had seen, that it was an anime slasher with a few combo moves to remember – which I was more than in the mood for as my week of gaming was beginning. What I was pleasantly surprised by was that was just the beginning of this game’s adventure and I would be spending a lot of hours finding out just how deep it went.

Hands On:

The game started pretty much like I expected it to with a notice on the screen that our clan was in trouble and we needed to fight from certain destruction. I started swinging my sword, learning the minor power blows and being greeted by plenty of enemies flying through the air and and disappearing as they were wiped out. After a nice solid defense that had me prepared for more slash and dash suddenly the game entered Politics Mode. What?

Turns out is has a what at first sight is a light political section which actually winds up playing a fairly deep strategy section of the game which has as much say on what happens and the swords if not more. Actually it is through the strategy that weapons and troops upgrade for the hack and slash. The way I would describe it most simply is it is a strategy game that you then fight the battles through once it comes time to fight another clan/territory. You have advisers and generals who you must consider both their advice and battle prowess because after you use one aspect you use the next.

You also after capturing territories get new possible additions to your castle but they cost resources which then takes from battle… you quickly realize it is all a balancing act as you use a recuperating pool to bring back 200 of your men, but that leaves you with less resources in other places and then you still have to upgrade your castles as you capture them AND if you blow it in the hack and slash section which is timed it is all for nothing! Whew!

Luckily I love both strategy and hack and slash so I was adding up trophies on the PS4 like crazy and managing to mostly hold and maintain territories. It is definitely worth checking out the manual because though there are plenty of save times they are kind of hard to find most of the time and getting back to them means exiting out. I learned a lot of things through trial and error, the first time I lost a battle I didn’t understand how since I had dominated the map but I hadn’t defeated the last boss on the map before the countdown.

An interesting thing about the graphics are that they are a bit traditional strategy, looking like a Risk map then you go into battle and it is distinctly gaming anime with the big swords, dramatic ornate costumes and kind of hokey dialogue. I could see someone who isn’t really into both kinds of games being a little turned off by this but I personally enjoyed it, feeling that the mix worked and was a well rounded experience that went really, really deep.

Last Slice:

Samurai Warriors 4 Empires is an interesting game with a great mix of strategy and hack and slash gameplay – which winds up challenging your muscle memory as well as your muscle memory. You can easily expect hours and days of play with lots of replay on the campaign section alone and you can also do custom gaming and expect downloads in the future. So work on trying to plan strategically ahead in a game as well as being fast with your fingers, your life might thank you sometime in the future.

[easyreview title=”Samurai Warriors 4 Empires Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

Accessory Power GOgroove AirBand Wireless Bluetooth Headset Review

2016/03/14

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

When I was a young man I used to wear my headphones everywhere constantly listening to my favorite tape of the time. If you are thinking of the average headphones of today your imagination might be a bit off, these were little plastic arms with circular ear pods. The full ear coverage of the 70s had been replaced with the little portable pods and the concern for bleed out was replaced with with a minor concert for bleed in, very minor concern taking a big back seat to portable. It was all about that Walk Man on your hip and durability and lightweight of the headphones. New eras which were mostly cycles of the eras before would come back with some technological edge and so has the ear pods with a terrific example to be found in the GOgroove AirBand Wireless Bluetooth Headset.

Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
Adjustable headband design
Onboard playback controls
Integrated Microphone
30ft wireless range
Rechargeable battery with 8 hours of audio playback
AC adapter included

Hands On:

There are a lot of benefits to this style of headset such as that it drowns out exterior noise. If you have are sensitive to in-ear designs, that should not a concern with these, as they tend to be able to be knocked around and still maintain playable position. The open cup design means less ear sweat and people trying to talk to you can hear bleed out so they know you can’t hear them. These were all the reasons why this particular design was slow to drift from the marketplace back in the 80s and 90s. The full ear cups tended to be weighty as well and so the ear pods were a nice lightweight replacement and the following design that when into the ear like an IFB were often uncomfortable in people’s ear canals.

So with all this in mind I thought of some of the few drawbacks of the old ear pods and the biggest were more designs of the Walk Man itself, all the controls were on the Walk Man and the cable to the headset was constantly getting in the way. I made my own case for my Walk Man in Leather Working class in high school so I could try not to knock it off my waste every time I changed tracks or rewound my favorite song. My design looked great, got an A, but still didn’t solve the problem.

So here we are now decades later and the fashion cycle has come around again. We are still using big old headsets like we had in the 60s and 70s but we are incorporating new technology such as wireless play and play/calls from our cellphone. Still they are bulky. In an attempt to bypass the bulky we are into the ear IFB style and people are still plenty uncomfortable if not moreso these days with things being jammed in their ear. They do it for the purpose of fitness and stability which makes sense but doesn’t make it any more comfortable.

Enter The Gogroove AirBand Wireless Bluetooth Headset. I cannot say strongly enough how much I wish this headset had been around when I was strength and cardio training in my teens. The ear pods are actually more comfortable than they were back in day while at the same time having better ear stability. One of the major tests that companies like to do with ear buds is to have an athlete put them in then run in place or do high jumps. This doesn’t really simulate running cross country or obstacle course jumping but the AirBand would hand such exertions easily. When using wireless electronics then playback time definitely is important but whether you are working out or just at work 9 hours of playback (my test results) with a few hours of recharge should get you through it.

Trying to think of any problems or concerns the only one I really came up with is there is some minor bleed out. This really won’t matter unless you are in a work or other sensitive environment where lyrics may want to be taken into consideration (ie. dropping f-bombs on a preschool class).

Last Play:

The GOgroove AirBand Wireless Bluetooth Headset is the headset I have been waiting to come back into style for walks and hikes, I just wish I had had them when I was most vigorously in my body training. I will put it to good use now though with my physical therapy which when I find a product that can help I consider a blessing.

[easyreview title=”Accessory Power GG AirBand Wireless Bluetooth Headset Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

GOgroove BassPulse 2MX USB Powered Speakers Review

2016/03/02

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

It used to be when it came to your portable gaming rigs the only way it could look cool was by the the stickers you chose for it (you could never go wrong with VANS or Converse). Additional cool cred was given by your headset choice (full cups meant loaner and ear buds meant willing to teach a thing or two) and, of course, how big your hoodie was. Though, the hoodie and stickers are still solidly in play, your on-the-go speaker choices have definitely made an improvement and a fine example of that is the GOgroove BassPulse 2MX USB Powered Speakers.

Hands On:

The particularly nice things about the GG BassPulse 2MX is that they are quick and easy to setup but loaded with style. They have a plug and play USB power source which gets the speakers bumping nicely immediately (universal AC Adapter spot included) while bringing in the blue or red LED glow highlights (I went with blue like most most my system). An included 3.5 mm jack will take care of just about any of your input needs.

Once you have gone through the two minutes or so it takes you to get set up you are ready for rocking and clocking. The subwoofer system is surprisingly deep for such a compact speaker model, I was actually expecting to damage them a couple times with some of the levels and depths I was tearing through them but they held up surprisingly and even entertainingly well.

The key is to remember this is a plug and play portable speaker system not designed to be a replacement for your home surround system as and long as you keep this in mind you will be pleasantly surprised.

Last Blast:

When I am running around with my gaming rig you can definitely expect to see these speakers in with my gear. Whether it is watching an action movie or busting out a couple round of CODIII the GG BassPulse 2MX USB Powered Speakers has earned their place in my travel kit.

[easyreview title=”Accessory Power GG BassPulse 2MX USB Powered Speakers Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Plex Media System (Tech)

2016/02/25

Ripper71

Misc Review, News, Reviews, Tech News

Hearing of Plex at various electronic trade shows, I was curious how it might work for me, especially as a video game reviewer and a disabled individual. Being able to start playing personal media or sharing photos with fellow GamingShogun staff from bed when my body had finally failed out on me was something I was really hoping to find a way to simplify. Plex seems like it just might be the answer to those problems.

Features:

Enjoy your videos, movies, TV shows, music and photos anytime, anywhere. – Run Plex Media Server on your Windows, Mac or Linux computer and stream to your iOS, Android, Windows Phone or Windows device. Have multiple TVs in your house? No problem, Plex also works on Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox, PlayStation^®, NVIDIA^® SHIELD™, and many late-model smart TVs. Plex is even available on most network-attached storage devices.
Make your media beautiful – Plex gives you one simple interface to organize all of your media: your movie and TV collection, your music library, and all of your photos and home videos. Plex enriches your media library by adding descriptions, plot summaries, posters, and album covers. Enjoy your media on every TV in the house or on any mobile device on the go.
Plex keeps track of your media – Recently added content is presented front and center so you can instantly see what’s new. Plex also knows which movies and shows you’re watching, so you can easily pick up where you left off or play the next episode.
Manage what’s being watched on Plex – Control the media that your friends and family can access, both in and out of the home. Plex Home allows you to create customized, managed accounts, and restrict content those users can access. Restrict based on content ratings, or share specific items. Buy one Plex Pass for your home and share benefits like free apps.
High quality SSL certificates for all media servers – We’ve teamed up with DigiCert to provide high quality SSL certificates for your media servers, at no cost to you. Your media server will be able to securely communicate with your devices with top-grade encryption, it’s like having your own secret service escort protecting your data end-to-end, preventing hacks, attacks, and snooping.
Your music’s new home – Music on Plex is accessible everywhere and beautifully presented. With support for nearly all audio formats, all of your music gets airtime. Once setup, you can hear (and even watch!) your music anywhere, on anything, and even share access to your music libraries with your friends. Recent improvements include Vevo music videos and Gracenote functionality that improves the metadata of your music library.
Watch Video
Playlists, for endless entertainment – Create customized music or video playlists to fit any occasion, based on mood, genre, collection, and more. You can even import existing iTunes playlists, ratings, track counts, and other details! Playlists are currently available on most platforms, but we’re working hard to bring them to all as quickly as possible.
Automatically upload your photos – Now, photos from your phone or tablet can be wirelessly synced to Plex automatically thanks to Camera Upload. It’s a new Plex Pass feature that makes sharing special snaps with family and friends easy, lets you stream photos to different screens, and allows you to free up space on your mobile device.
Watch Video
Your big screen’s best friend – Plex liberates you from single-screen viewing. With Plex Companion, you can fling great content from your phone to your TV. Keep watching that movie on your tablet when you head to bed. Pause an episode when the phone rings, skip a track you’ve heard too many times or just find out more about what you’re watching with the world’s best remote control.
Movie trailers, interviews, and other extras – Automatically get access to high quality online trailers and extras for the movies you have in your Plex library. Also, our new Cinema Trailers feature lets you start off your movie with a few trailers for movies from your library or from new and upcoming releases. Don’t worry, if you already have extras in your library, Plex will make those look great as well.
Share your media with friends and family – Effortlessly share media among friends, so you can all discover and enjoy even more content together. Exchange precious memories with distant family members by sharing your vacation photos and home videos. Now, you can also see what your friends are streaming from your collection as everyone gets their own view into your library.
Your media is reachable, even when you’re not – Cruising at 30,000 feet, sailing across the Atlantic, or just taking the subway to work – even when you’re offline, Mobile Sync has you covered. Simply tell Plex what you want to take with you on your phone or tablet and we’ll take care of the rest, keeping your content up to date and presenting it with the same beautiful interface. Mobile Sync is available exclusively to our Plex Pass subscribers.
Stream directly from the cloud – Cloud Sync automatically optimizes the media you choose and uploads it to places like Dropbox, Google Drive, Bitcasa and Box. It’s like having a media server that’s always on. Cloud Sync is available exclusively to our Plex Pass subscribers.
Access your favorite online content – Plex Channels provide access to numerous sources of online content, like TED Talks, Vimeo, Revision 3, and more. No matter what your interests are, you’ll be able to find something great to watch or recommend to your friends, all presented in Plex’s gorgeous interface.
Save it now, watch it later – Easily save online videos from your favorite sites to watch later, even on the big screen. Or share the experience by recommending videos to a friend.
World class DLNA support built right in – Plex makes your media beautiful on thousands of DLNA certified devices like the PS3, Xbox 360, and WDTV Live devices without the need to install dedicated apps. Harness the power of the most sophisticated DLNA server available to effortlessly stream nearly any format to your device, right out of the box.

Hands On:
I wanted to cut down the list of features above but each thing I read seemed like something else that our readers might want to know. The Plex service has definitely have been designed to cover many possible aspects of user needs that each one I looked at had to be mentioned.

Let’s start with professional usage. I can have my Editor-in-Chief on my friends list and upload pictures and video from various events quickly and smoothly so that he can start choosing, editing, and watermarking them while I am still collecting them in the field. If I stumble on some news I want to pass along to him I can just send a quick upload while in the Plex app and he can see the press release that caught my eye or video I thought would make a story. There are other ways to do this but the real way to think of Plex is as a complex of media, pulling multiple applications and other media sources and putting them in one neat customizable interface. Time really can be of the essence in news and the faster it can be past along the better.

This also is important when I am doing my own writing. If I have found a bunch of media while running around with my phone and it comes time to write and all I have to do is log into Plex and all my different available galleries are right there at my fingertips and well as interviews for quotes I can cook through a story far faster than if I have to take the separate time to download or upload to the storage cloud the media I want to use. There has been more than a few times I have done a search for just the right trailer while on a monorail or something on my way home to write, found exactly what I wanted and when I got home had to open up a program and repeat the search. With Plex on my mobile devices I can have it all set up and ready to lay down in the article when I hit the computer.

During certain times of the year I also do quite a bit of traveling, part of it is flying, other times it is just through cell dead zones. With the most minor bit of planning through Plex I can make sure I have access to the media I want while off the grid. Trust me in rural parts of Nevada you really wish there was a cell tower hidden in the tumbleweeds, luckily Plex can help with music and videos so you won’t have to just listen to the sound of the engine and your own breathing.

The last part was a crossover of business and personal use that leads nicely into how I can use Plex when I am not on the road or even able to get out of bed or off the couch. Being disabled can be disheartening to say the least, not just because of feeling unproductive but sometimes the simplest things going to the living room to watch television is too much. On those days I often would just watch my phone because of the ease of interfacing. At the foot of my bed though is a television with an Xbox One and a PS4 hooked up to it. So if I wake up and can’t lift my head enough to watch television I can start by first watching a program or video on my phone then fire up one of my consoles and pick up on the same program on the TV even if the video was just on my phone such as a digital copy. Normally I would have to track down the the DVD, put it in the console or hope that it was on one of the streaming services we subscribe to and find the location. I can literally use the Plex app and fling video from my phone up onto the TV and go back to watching.

A much lighter use of the system is apparent in that one moment when you find a funny video on your phone and the whole family decides to circle around the device’s tiny screen and watch. Once again, with a smart TV and the Plex app, you can fling the video right onto the TV and let everyone watch it on a nice big format. Plex even adjusts the quality so it doesn’t look grainy.

Last Call For Now:
Plex is the perfect way to centralize all your media into one complex for business and personal use and ease. Whether it is watching videos and listening to personal music or sharing files with friends and coworkers Plex puts in all into one place with it’s own driving system. I have no doubt I will find new ways to put Plex to use every time I open the application.

[easyreview title=”Plex Media System Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

World of Tanks PS4 Edition Review

2016/02/10

Ripper71

News, PlayStation 4 News, PlayStation 4 Review, Reviews

I became a big fan of World of Tanks back in its original PC beta days. Most players who play it these days wouldn’t recognize the game from back then since it has had a constant evolution rather than relying solely on player loyalty. One of the biggest game developments was its going from PC to console platforms – a move which not everyone has wanted to make (this is okay, as the PC version of the game still gets plenty of updates and has a huge player base). So let’s take a look at some of the most recent additions to World of Tanks gameplay on the newly-released PlayStation 4 version of the game.

The basic game controls on the PC platform haven’t changed since they were first implemented, same for the console versions. This means that players who are used to one particular platform like the PC will always be able to jump into a PC game and play. First it was individual sections of the tanks which by the time it hit consoles had become modules so that instead of just upgrading the barrel of the tank you might upgrade the barrel and the tracks. Crews were added along the way which initially just added to the performance of the tank, then added to specific sections of the tank such as “repairs” then specific skill sets in that section. These latest evolutions in crew usage takes them from being a useful but mostly forgotten aspect of the game where now the crew choices can really effect your gameplay.

Tanks are added too, starting with the most common that were on the battlefields then less common tanks followed by famous tanks such as Fury. My personal favorite might be obvious but if I could afford to own the Ripper on every account I would be one happy, happy tanker. Each system also starts with just a couple of the country’s tank trees and adds to them little by little. Usually the first you will see is the Americans and Germans since their tank clashes have definitely gone down in infamy.

Each tanks class (light, medium, heavy, tank destroyer and artillery) have had their gameplay tweaked slightly over the years to maintain fairness and though their are very popular premium tanks that can give you a bit of an edge, a well practiced tanker can still easily come out on top of a player trying to just buy a win. With the exception of the Ripper most of my favorite tanks are earned anyways rather than purchased. There are vanity additions you can make to your favorite tanks too, temporary ones cost in-game currency while permanent ones cost RL money. I tend to spend my RL money on garage slots because I like all my tanks lined up and ready to play with their daily exp bonuses waiting to be earned. That being said I have been known to buy the jack o’lantern emblem for my tanks, anyone who knows me will not be the least bit surprised.

There really isn’t a whole lot of difference between gameplay on the Xbox One and PS4 versions, so if you only have one of the two consoles don’t worry about it, you are still in great shape. The difference between the PC and the console versions is pretty massive, but both are designed to be intuitive for gameplay of their respective systems. If you have played games such as Battlefield 4 on the consoles the controls are pretty much the same, if you have played any game with tanks or mechs on the PC then you will naturally slip into World of Tanks. The real key is in PC play you get used to targeting a certain way especially when sniping seems far less accurate in the console version. The key is to use features designed into the console version to try to make targeting smoother. Get pointed toward your enemy, do a system lock-on then zoom. You’ll lose the system lock but you will be now approximately where you want to be zoomed into on the enemy. Now it is a matter of fine tuning your aim and firing. I found that once you get used to using this style of play it is actually faster than the PC version. If you are going from console to PC not having this trick work for you will throw you off at first but once you get used to the zoom and tighter targeting system you will fall in love with this system’s version too. Targeting has been THE major complaint of PC players trying to play the console versions and since they hate to listen to someone else’s advice they have allowed me to easily pwn them in the game which I can’t complain about too much…

The second most common complaint is that there aren’t as many tanks on the console versionm which is true – but, they will be added over time just like they were with the PC, with longer tech trees and more nations added. Eventually, I will be pawing again at the screen for my Ripper tank to be in my vehicle garage.

The crux of this review is that the game has been ever evolving in a positive way on all its platforms so, while the PS4 version is latest version, all other versions are being updated at about the same time so they will all be on an even playing field. Because of the fact that the Wargaming dev team knew exactly what the system specs will be the next-generation consoles, World of Tanks got a beautiful upgrade in graphics which is very noticeable in the sway of tall grass, butterflies fluttering between flowers, and the explosive and fiery wreckage of tanks. As a result, the PS4/Xbox One versions of the game have slightly surpassed the other versions with me, and it only takes a couple of moments of watching your environment while sniping or in ambush to truly appreciate the details put into the game.

Last Shot:

World of Tanks is an extremely fun and entertaining game, no matter which platform you play it on. Each system has its strength and play characteristics which makes it fun to have on all of them instead of just one. With the arrival of World of Tanks for the PS4 came some additional play aspects that feel like a natural evolution and truly enhance the gameplay even more. As time passes, more tanks will no doubt be added from more countries and hopefully the “Ripper” tank will make its appearance and I will have yet another system to pine over it on…

[easyreview title=”World of Tanks PS4 Edition Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

Ditto Wearable Tech For Smartphones Review

2016/02/06

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

There are a lot of different kinds of devices that classify as “wearable tech” these days. After all, it is one of the top growing fields in consumer electronics with just about every niche considered. The one area that generally has a short coming though is affordability. While I would love to get a watch on which I could hit a button and have it order my favorite burrito from my favorite Mexican food place, I can’t even afford the band on that particular device. Luckily there are a few options finally coming along that fit the price point of those who spent almost every last dime on the phone and warranty and one of those is the Ditto.

Features:

– Notifications for Incoming Calls – You’ll feel it vibrate when someone you’ve chosen as important is trying to reach you.
– Notifications for Incoming Texts – You’ll feel it vibrate when someone you’ve chosen as important is trying to text you.
– Notifications for Incoming Emails – You’ll feel it vibrate when someone you’ve chosen as important has sent you an email.
– Notifications for When You Leave Your Phone Behind – Ditto has a built-in wireless tether. When you’re about to leave your phone behind, Ditto will vibrate to warn you!
– Silent Alarm – Ditto makes a great silent wake-up alarm. – Wear it on your wrist and don’t disturb your partner. Or use it as an alarm for important events, reminders or as a timer.
– Notifications for Third Party Apps – Use a third party chat service? Want to stay on top of your social media notifications? You can customize Ditto to alert you about notifications on a number of popular apps including WhatsApp, Hangouts, Facebook and Snapchat.

Hands On:

Most people can live without a favorite food ordering button but when it comes to not waking their bed companion with their alarm when they have to get up in the morning, they might wish to have a way to get around the loud noises. It is nice to know what time it is without looking at your phone but if you are in a dark theater the people around you might prefer if you set silent vibrating alarms that don’t light up during pivotal moments in a movie. The movie scenario also works for pretty much ever aspect of what this wearable can do, silent with no lights, just a couple quick vibrations. If you leave the theater with that phone having fallen out of your pocket or set it down at a counter after paying for something it will let you know when you are 50 feet away so you have a chance to get it before someone else does.

Then there are the main functions you want it for, you can have your phone put away in a pocket or purse and still know when you have an incoming call, text or email and even if they are people you would put on your favorites list. It even works with third party apps.

It doesn’t require charging, it runs for months off of one watch battery and is even waterproof so you can go swimming without worrying about missing and important call. It is a simple clip on so it can clip onto bra straps to be kept from view or under clothing even. Some packaging includes a little velcro band that it can clip on to look more like a standard wearable but the band isn’t necessary. Probably one of the best features is it has a standard retail price of $40 so it comes in nicely under the $50 and might even be able to be found on sale in some locations cheaper.

My only wish would be if you could program the number of vibrations for each contact, that way you could know exactly who it was and thereby judge the importance of the call/text/email.

Last Buzz:

The Ditto is a great piece of tech that gives you the essential features of a wearable without the price tag. It is also very low key which is great for both leisure and professional situations enabling you to know what is going on with your communications without making it obvious. It’s a must for those who can’t afford the higher tag priced gadgets but would probably be a good choice for anyone in a professional field.

[easyreview title=”Ditto Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

MyCharge HubPlus Review

2016/02/06

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

In press circles and at entertainment events, when you have an item that saves the day it can gain an almost mythical status. One of these such items was “Big Red”, also known as the MyCharge Hub 6000 mAh portable charger. Friends would show up at events having forgotten a backup charger and figured they were out of luck. Out came the charge with two different types of built-in charging cables (allowing the power pack to charge two devices simultaneously). If the MyCharge power pack’s reserves get low, it could be plugged into the wall with minimal fuss thanks to its design. At this last CES, someone broke into my car and, among my numerous electronics for the event that they stole, was Big Red. It was honestly the thing I missed the most. But maybe it’s time had simply come because now I have “Silver”, Big Red’s smaller cousin that packs in even more features! Enter: The MyCharge HubPlus!

Features:

Power Horse: 45 hours of power
Cables Included: integrated Apple® Lightning™ cable and integrated micro-USB cable
Smart-sense: ensures complete device compatibility
Hyper-charge: ultra-fast charging of your devices; up to 65% faster than competitors
Power-stay: maintains battery power for up to 1 year
Max-power: maximum power transfer from powerbank to device
High-density battery: the smallest and lightest powerbank
Safe-cell: provides the highest level of battery safety
Rapid-recharge: powerbank recharges up to 50% faster than competitors
Pass Through Charging: will charge the powerbank and connected device simultaneously

Hands On:

The MyCharge HubPlus 6000 mAh Portable Charger has the same built in cables as its predecessor, but with little tabs to make them easier to pull out. It also features the same amount of charging energy and even has pass-through charging. MyCharge’s HubPlus also features Smart-sense to ensure device comparability (does it only need 1.1 amp or 2.1?), as well as a 30% smaller overall volume. Additionally, devices can charge up to 65% faster, and the MyCharge HubPlus even charges up its own reserver 50% faster than before! In my household, we only had one debate about charging batteries and that was whether or not we needed “Big Red” or if we could get away with a smaller one. Now that the MyCharge HubPlus has come along, we don’t need to debate, it is just our go-to battery now for press events and entertainment outings.

Last Charge:

This may seem like a bit of a short review but that is because the numbers speak for themselves and I only needed to take the MyCharge HubPlus out a couple times to know it was an amazing portable charger that would replace everything else in our inventory. There was a big hole left by the theft of Big Red, but its next of kin was more than capable of charging the space!

[easyreview title=”MyCharge 6000 mAh Portable Charger Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

Silent Pocket XL Sleeve (Tech)

2016/02/05

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

If you live in the middle of nowhere where you can’t get cell coverage you may not take shielding too serious. It is much more than that though and we most of us take way too much comfort in the protection of a patch of denim on our jeans to protect our life held in portable form. Silent Pocket understands all too well dangers that we don’t take serious enough and provide us with a level of protection we should be regularly employing.

Features:

Smooth, supple Genuine Napa leather that is made to withstand years of daily use
High tension thread / drill lining
Diamond pattern shielding made exclusively for Silent Pocket
Shields up to 100 decibels (db); best on the market
Water resistant
Interlocking magnetic RF seal; easy to use without straps or velcro
Shields against EMR radiation
Blocks GPS tracking

Hands On:

Many of us just throw our credit cards in our pockets, or perhaps in a flimsy wallet, and out we go into the world. The funny thing is we give the tools to stealing our identity to others constantly, everyday, without any thought of it. We strangely give complete trust to the individual working the fast food window or the electronics department of the local store as we hand them our plastic.

We don’t learn to be more cautious even hearing about the stories of identity theft because we are very much an “it will happen to someone else” culture, we really can’t help ourselves as we move through it looking for convenience and ease over safety. Think of the last time you set your debit card down and couldn’t remember where it was, you were out shopping, so many possibilities… did you use it to buy lunch? Did you use it since the *insert coffee shop name* drive-thru? Did you pay cash for that trinket at the mall? The whole time you are thinking about it your gut is tightening because you know if it isn’t at one of these islands of possible safety it might be on the ground, maybe maybe being charged on at this very moment.

Or the other one is “hmm where is my phone?” especially now in these days of electronic debit and credit cards on our phones or swipe and pay. It is the same as above except you are thinking when was the last time I used it? Did it lock? Is my lock screen obvious? Will they guess a finger swipe of a “Z” (people if this is your lock or a “7” PLEASE change it!) and I don’t lock my picture section and there was that one night I was flirting and sending pics to OH MY GAWD! Oh and at these kind of moments you probably aren’t even thinking about how all of your emails have been compromised and anyone who have a business relationship with is about to get a penis enlargement email from you, I’m sure they will thank you later.

Speaking of business let’s say it was a business phone you are toting around with NDA information on it. Maybe even worse it is a business tablet with all of your company’s plans for the next two years, predictions, actions, models… and you leave it on the monorail or shuttle bus on the way back from a convention.

All these things would strike terror into you and yet holding in your hands or carrying case you feel all that data is secure, like phone cloning isn’t a giant criminal empire, like being in the proximity of you without the proper protection can keep that information safe. The person standing next to you may hack your phone without you ever handing it over to them, sometimes you even help them along by accessing the device right in front of them giving them a chance to note your password or swerve. The most terrifying thing is the person doesn’t even have to be right next to you to hack your device, major tech security companies have shown that many cell phone applications have far more access than they need to do their job and some of that access allows them to see everything from your personal information to, and this is no exaggeration because I saw it last your live at NAB, hacking your phone’s camera anytime they want… ew.

Well before you relocate your whole family or company to the nearest cave and/or spider hole there are very simple and downright elegant solutions to these worries. My personal epiphany of concern was probably born out of the phone hacking demonstration I saw, I honestly figured why would anyone hack my life? Kind of the same reason I guess someone broke into my car during CES, to see what might be there of value, on the surface maybe it doesn’t look like much but I may (and did) have a bunch of electronics in the trunk.

If you are a business professional protection of your business devices really shouldn’t be an option it should be a requirement. As I said the solutions can be as elegant and presentable as you are yourself when you head out for the day.

It was all this that had us reaching out to Silent Pocket, one of the industry’s most understanding companies that protection should not come at a cost of presentation. The first protections I tested like this years ago where plastic bags, now Silent Pocket has fine Napa leather beautifully stained with quality seam work. The XL Sleeve has two sleeves, one that has a simple slide in function and another that has internal wiring system that helps it snap shut after you open it, helping keep smaller items from accidentally sliding out or signal leakage. The simple in function sleeve allows for cell phone reception to come through so that you can place your phone in there and not expose your electronics to RFID / NFC access such as smart keys, credit cards, passports, and other RF enabled electronic devices. The other sleeve will not even let cell phone reception through and even block you off from GPS. That sleeve is what is known as going “off the grid.”

Going “off the grid” has gotten a lot of slack as a personal solution over the years and has become almost entirely associated with conspiracy enthusiasts and spy movies. There are many more simple reasons you might want to do this starting with reasons as mundane as you tend to use your phone right up until the moment of that important meeting. You don’t want to have your phone vibrating or even worse ringing while you are in the middle of important personal or business affairs. Toss your phone into the sleeve and it is not going to ring or vibrate and if there is a break in discussions you can pull it out and it instantly connects again without having turned it off or changed any features. Make sure there are no emergencies, send out a message or two and back into the sleeve it goes. Being made of Napa leather using it might even get you a compliment or two.

If you are having sensitive discussions in a high finance or very NDA meeting you don’t have to worry about having any hack breaking through your phone and hearing any details. If you are a boss at a meeting ask for all cell phones and put them in the sleeve for the duration of a meeting and the employees know that you aren’t messing with their phones but at the same time the distraction of the phones is completely eliminated. And of course if you don’t want to be reached or have someone use a “where is your phone” app to track where you are tossing it in the bag when you don’t want to use it takes you right off the grid on your terms. Since my wife and I have one of those programs this was really easy to test and prove.

On the health side there is still a lot of research being done to just how much damage the radiation given off by cell phones effects us and the Silent Pocket blocks the questionably harmful radiation to make it worry free. There are so many things out there to hurt us, this is an easy way to remove one of those possibilities.

Last Call On The Grid:

Silent Pocket XL Sleeve provides personal and professional protection of your important electronics in a professional looking design. How much access your electronics have to the world and the world to your electronics is in your hands literally. The protection is high security completely “off the grid” levels down to still being able to receive and send calls, just data blocked and radiation blocked. This is the level of protection everybody should be at and few are done with elegance, as well as being an excellent way to keep our sensitive items protected and organized.

[easyreview title=”Silent Pocket XL Sleeve Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]