Author - Ripper71

HauntX Haunter’s Retreat And Trade Show (Halloween/Review)

2014/05/12

Geek News, Halloween, News, Special Interest News

Being a person who could devour as many “haunt” events as you can throw at me, I have become accustom to having travel great distances often by car to get my fix of the creepy crawlies throughout the year. So imagine my great surprise when I heard that the HauntX Haunter’s Retreat and Trade Show was coming to the town I currently haunt – good old Reno, NV! HauntX is not a new name to those in the business but it recently came under new management and they decided to spend this year in one of the West’s most haunted territories, especially since Reno is just a crow’s flight from Virginia City and its very dark history.

First thing folks need to realize is a haunter’s trade show is different from a haunt convention. There aren’t rooms filled with the cast of Planet of The Apes waiting to sign autographs or panels with the cast of The Monster Squad – this is an event where home haunters, experts on makeup and electronics, and professional grade special effects companies get together and talk serious shop all day and unwind all night. You get to learn tips on Disney grade animatronics or watch a winner from Faceoff (Nicole Chilelli) perform makeup work using the highest quality makeup all in an effort to up your haunting game.

The weekend started on Thursday with some heavily advanced classes followed by a haunt tour of Virginia City. A limited number of people were bused up and guided to the creepiest places in an already creepy town where EMPS were recorded and the night was full of spirited fun with spirits flowing when everyone returned to the host hotel Circus Circus.

Friday morning started off a bit quiet with weather issues slowing arrivals down and attendees recovering from the night before (hey it is a retreat after all!). As winds died down and everyone started rising from bed things started to get going with sessions during the day on how to take purchased plain skeletons and make them look freshly dug up, how to program animatronics, even sliding stunts and safety from GamingShogun.com friend, Ron “Wilson” Rivera. I took my first lesson in soldering and want to send a special thanks to Mike Warren of Indstructables and Haunt Hackers for their amazing patience with me. All the classes were taught by legends in their field, many of which have multiple decades of experience. These are the folks that can make your haunt an event that receives hundreds of guests a night.

Speaking of night time fun, each evening featured a different activity. Friday night, the organizers of Reno’s annual vampire crawl worked with HauntX to throw the event on this weekend so that Reno could show some ghoulish hospitality. Luckily most of the vampires didn’t sparkle (just a few). Saturday was the HauntX Masquerade Ball where costumes were encouraged but not required and the DJ mixed tunes with greatest hits of creepy flicks. Personally I was delighted to see a Dr. Horrible cosplayer and a couple of Pirates Of Emerson folks decked out in their seafaring garb. When the weekend was all said and done and the props, makeup and electronics were all stored away there was a pizza party and viewing of Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

As a haunt reviewer I have a greater appreciation of some of the techniques employed and how haunts can better utilize them. Now I can not only review whether or not scares or illusions are effective I can tell if a fog machine would benefit from a chiller or whether or not a haunt is due for a new or higher quality spray system. It was a fun and exhausting weekend and I am already looking forward to next year. I promise to practice my soldering before it rolls around again!

HauntX Image Gallery

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Review (PC)

2014/05/11

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has been around in movies, television and video games for decades and he always has his young, sarcastic wit and super-human abilities. Still, when it comes to video game titles based off movies there is a stupendous fail rate. The recent exhumation of all the buried E.T. Atari cartridges in the desert is the supreme example of this. If you tell someone you are about to play a super hero game they smile, then when you tell them it is the tie-in to the latest movie they cringe! That brings up the question, can the world’s favorite web-slinger survive the curse?

Hands On:
Fret not, true believer, the makers of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 approached the game as one part comic, one part movie tie-in, and one part super hero game. To start with there are cutscenes and witty comments that feel like a comic book. The voices are mostly cartoony as is the dialogue to make sure this game played to the true fans of Peter Parker and his alter-ego. It is done so well I wouldn’t be surprised if the comic decided to add the storyline to its hallowed pages.

The game is setup in a sandbox style so you have missions which directly relate and tie to the movie’s plot but at the same time there are tons of side missions and challenges to do. These side missions fit in with all the best sandbox games these days. Playing the main storyline will feel like playing out the movie as film tie-ins should but the sandbox freedom makes it so that it doesn’t seem like just a retelling of the movie on rails which is where a lot of film games go wrong.

Spider-Man gets to use his most recent film suit but he can also use his originals such as his coat with a red ski mask and the one that was his first actual Spider-Man costume that got shredded up. He can also unlock new suits, each with strong points and weaknesses, as well as the ability to be leveled up. So, for example, one of his suits add a lot to stealth ability for when he has to sneak past an enemy. Another suit is all about power and critical hits. Doing side missions, challenges, and objectives will increase the suit’s level and unlock your abilities, giving you a better chance at completing the main quest line.

Spider-Man has the spider sense, part of which will let him know if an enemy has sighted him and plans to attack and another part that shows you where enemies are nearby. It also shows you which way they are facing and how aware they are of you being there. At this point for gamers who like to run the gambit of super hero games things should really have begun to sound familiar. These are all things that the Batman: Arkham game series have perfected and implemented a while ago. The Dark Knight has even developed a way of using the bat claw that makes you feel like you are swinging from a web and the exact same technique is used in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. This “enemy sense” and radar have been used in other games like Assassin’s Creed and Dark. It really brings up the concept that if it works well and fits the play model, why not use it? So what if it is the same technique in all the games as long as it is successful. Plus, it makes the game’s learning curve a lot faster which helps make your gameplay smoother.

Spider-Man has some of his own unique moves, and web-swinging throughout the city has to be one of the most fun. It takes a little getting used to, especially if you want to get a particular place the temptation can be to use the webshot (bat claw) technique and shoot from perch to perch or scale building after building (a technique perfected in Saint’s Row The Fourth). It is really easy to overshoot your turns or miss a web when trying to make one. Once you get the hang of it though you will find the thrill that Spidey always exhibits when he is doing it.

Your web-shooter soon becomes your best friend in fighting since you come to a gun fight in your tights. There are a lot of different techniques you unlock and some are fun to do just for the heck of it and some are the only way to beat mini-bosses. I won’t give too much of this away, discovering these powers and their best uses is one of the greatest parts of the game and had me walking around pretending to shoot fake webs between game times. As a kid my best friend had web-shooters that shot silly string… I was jealous of it then and I am even more jealous of it now.

I have to mention that I love Stan Lee cameos in all things Marvel and this is probably one of the best ones of all time. Excelsior!

Last Call:
I’ve learned we no longer have to fear the movie tie-in games because developers have gotten the point that they can create their own games with all their favorite gameplay styles and techniques and still work in the story. It has been said that “Life is what happens between the panels” and that is so true in a well done video game based on a comic or a movie. Tell the story but make the character breath by his action outside the storyline. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a great game, a blast to play, and worthy of the franchise’s name.

[easyreview title=”The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

Elder Scrolls Online Imperial Digital Edition Review (PC)

2014/04/15

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

Zohar Scourmont lowers himself to a crouch, his boots digging into the wet sand as he approaches the blind side of the guards. His attack must be perfect and swift if he wishes to survive the battle and rescue the hostage tied up in the tent. By the looks of it, one of the guards is a spell-caster, decked out in dark gray robes. The other an archer, with a strong looking bow strung across his back. Zohar slides silently into position behind a rock with plans of launching across it… right as three adventurers run past him firing balls of magic, swinging massive blades of steel and firing arrows with true aim. As they run pass the corpses they jump up and down and run full force into the next set of guards. With a sigh, Zohar walks behind them and waits his turn at the tent to save the hostage while the merry band of adventurers open every box and chest in sight then go running off again, jumping a lot.

This is what happens in the opening weeks of a new MMOrole-playingG and The Elder Scrolls Online isn’t any different. When a game officially launches, there is always a mad rush as if the game will disappear overnight with servers finding themselves overwhelmed and being pushed to the crashing point. No matter how hard a company tries to make an online experience with the depth of a solo player experience, it is always going to come up short. If the game is lucky and has legs, it might be able to overcome this adversity and get back to its roots but luck plays so much a part of it that most of them find themselves with LFG and LTS spam on the chat channel, no role-playing whatsoever and players with names l

ike “Deeznutz”. MMOs often face the ultimate test: Can they survive as a subscription-based game or will they have to fall into a F2P model?

Description:
It is a time of strife and unrest. Armies of revenants and dark spirits manifest in every corner of Tamriel. Winters grow colder and crops fail. Mystics are plagued by nightmares and portents of doom. Four years ago, in 2E 578, an arcane explosion of energy in the Imperial City set off mystical aftershocks that swept across Nirn. Mages died or went mad. Supernatural abominations from the plane of Oblivion, the Daedra, appeared in greater numbers than ever before. The constellation of the Serpent grew so large that it dominated the night sky.

So began the grand scheme of Molag Bal, Daedric Prince of domination and enslavement. His Dark Anchors, vortexes of evil magic, weaken the barrier between worlds, threatening to merge Nirn and Oblivion into a single, nightmarish hellscape. In the midst of this chaos, three alliances vie for control of the Imperial City and the White-Gold Tower. High Rock, Sentinel, and Orsinium stand as one, united under the rule of the High King in Wayrest. Valenwood and Elsweyr have forged an alliance of their own with Summerset, while Black Marsh, Morrowind, and Skyrim have formed a third, uneasy pact.

The Daggerfall Covenant. The Aldmeri Dominion. The Ebonheart Pact. Three armies will take up arms against the Empire, and against each other, to wrest control of the Imperial City and White-Gold Tower from the dark forces of Oblivion itself.

Where do your loyalties lie?

Hands On:
It sounds like an Elder Scrolls game for certain and I was excited to make my mark in this new story. The graphics are fantastic, the music fitting and it all creates an atmosphere that feels very much like the lands you have traveled before in previous TES titles. There has been time and love put into this game and it shows in the enemies you face and the choices you have of who you will be and what alliance you pledge you life to. The extra bit of money to get the Imperial Edition is well worth it with a vanity pet and a mount easily making it worth the price yet alone. The ability to play the Imperial class, which can craft its armor into its own style, is an even bigger bonus. Pretty much every aspect of the game that is controllable has been considered and made into an Elder Scrolls adventure. The problem lies in the uncontrollable aspects, those being the player’s perception and individual approach to the game.

When EverQuest was huge and Neverwinter Nights was in its prime, there was roleplaying galore and players, in some cases, were even forced to roleplay or gain fines. When the juggernaut that is World of Warcraft took over the scene, MMO role-playing began to slip away. Yes there are role-playing servers but their populations are usually small and the role-playing can be a mixed bag with so many players wanting to be King. Since role-playing online slipped, games that are based on famous IPs such as The Lord of The Rings Online, Star Wars Knights of The Old Republic, and many others tried subscriptions systems but found that players weren’t as interested in role-playing world anymore or at least they didn’t want to pay for them… As a result they adopted Free To Play model that manage to support the game and keep it running through micro-transactions. Players cared less about the legend of the armor and more about its gearscore.

This seems to be the approach a lot of players are taking towards Elder Scrolls Online, which is worrisome. There are only a finite number of players willing to pay subscriptions and only into a finite number of games. In previous, single-player Elder Scrolls games, you paid one price and then bought some expansions and add-ons if you wanted. You bought your game, you fought your fights and you adventured your way into legend. Now you have everybody racing for the same enemies and same treasure chests while paying to play, it makes the game feel like an overcrowded WoW server.

There are great considerations the developers took when creating The Elder Scrolls Online. It looks terrific, there are plenty of races to play. You pick a class, but there is a lot of wiggle room on how you do things and your skill selection. As a Templar, I have decided to put my shield and sword away to fire a frost staff at an enemy because of their strong melee abilities or numbers. As a result, age-old MMO class rules for groups don’t necessarily need to apply. There are three alliances to choose from and though the experience with each of them is the same to start off, they will take their own stands over time. The game can also be played in the first person, making it very immersive. The “non-grouped group” is a stroke of genius, making it so that a group of players can work together to take down some foes and everyone who fights gets credit even if they aren’t in a group. There are certain events that involve actually needed to be formed groups but the world in general lets you band together without grouping.

Last Call:
The Elder Scrolls Online did just about everything right, yet it still doesn’t feel like an Elder Scrolls game. However, much of that is the fault of the players who are approaching it like World of Warcraft. This is a pretty big worry since players are only willing to pay to play so many games and if it feels too much like another game they play they might pick something else instead. The developers of The Elder Scrolls Online have made a great game, the only question is whether or not it stays subscription or becomes F2P with micro-transactions in the future.

[easyreview title=”Elder Scrolls Online Imperial Digital Edition Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Roccat Kone Pure Core Gaming Mouse Review (PC)

2014/04/15

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

We here at GamingShogun.com can be a little rough on our gaming mice – not only in the way of passionate writing but, also, from passionate gameplay that, on occasion, borders on insanity. We not only have to play a game we have to review it with, but also break it down into its parts and push its limits. Furious clicking results as does a need for a solid, dependable mouse that can hold its tracking and register every move and handle a frustrated squeeze as well as a delicate touch. We need to know that if there is some kind of movement or response problem, it is the game and not the equipment.

Features:

Easy-Shift[+] technology, which lets you set two functions for each mouse button and the scroll wheel giving you the power to pack a massive amount of quickly-accessible control into a clean, uncluttered space.
ROCCAT Driver software lets you easily program and fine tune a multitude of settings and gives you sound feedback with most changes so you can game exactly how you like.
Comfort is essential when you?re gaming to its perfectly-weighted design allowing for smooth, cozy and rock-steady gliding the Pure features a soft-touch, ultra-comfort surface that lets you game long without the slightest irritation.
FULLY-ADJUSTBALE 8200DPI PRO-AIM (R3) SENSOR with 41 true DPI setting ranging from 200 to 8200
ROCCAT CLICK MASTER switch tech powered by Omron
16.8 MILLION-COLOR LIGHTING SYSTEM for customizable colors + effects, 7 MOUSE BUTTONS + SOLID 2D WHEEL for a full complement of command options, SOFT-TOUCH SURFACE for extended gaming in total comfort
EASY-SHIFT[+] BUTTON DUPLICATOR with Easy-Aim + Easy-Wheel functions, 32-BIT TURBO CORE V2 PROCESSOR for lightning-fast computing speed
TRACKING and DISTANCE CONTROL UNIT for less pick-up flight and more precise gaming, 576KB ON-BOARD MEMORY for storing a wealth of macros and settings

Hands On:
I remember when 576KB of memory was respectable so, yes, you could say I have been in the game a while. I have been using a keyboard and mouse combo while many schools were still teaching people how to type on typewriters. This has given me a unique perspective of seeing the evolution of computers and gaming in general. One of the most interesting product evolutions being that of the mouse. It used to be a roller ball contraption with a couple buttons that you had to take apart and clean out periodically. Now it has built-in memory, programmable buttons, adjustable angles, and can hold macros. The ROCCAT Kone Pure is a prime example of this with a body built to be tough enough to satisfy just about any gamer’s needs. The Kone Pure Core has seven buttons on it, and one of them can be held down and used much like the shift key on your keyboard, giving all the buttons a second use. The cool thing is that all the info you program is stored in the mouse itself in the 576KB of internal memory and executed with a 32-bit V2 processor. You can also program this mouse to how you like it then if you are going somewhere that you will be using a different computer. All of your information and settings are saved in the mouse, so you just plug it into the next system and all your macros are there and ready to go.

This mouse is particularly good for MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft. Battles can often be complicated requiring different attacks for groups as opposed to individuals, the weak points of the enemy or whether or not you want to use area of effect spells or damage over time. All these different considerations can be built as macros on the mouse and with the shift technology there will probably be buttons to spare.

During my testing of the Kone Pure Core, I had not one single problem with its tracking. In fact, I was laid up in bed during part of the time using a flimsy mouse pad and was still able to perform space battles in Star Trek Online and boss battles in WoW. I surfed the web, wrote emails and the mouse performed flawlessly through it all. The buttons and programming really were handy since it made it so that I could leave the laptop on a stand next to me without touching the keyboard and comfortably use the mouse for all my needs. When on a solid surface I was able to make those subtle moves to take out the top of a turret on an enemy tank in World Of Tanks and snipe through scopes on a multitude of FPS.

Just in case all that isn’t enough to get you interested, the mouse also comes with software that tracks how many clicks you make with which buttons as well as having achievements and leveling!

Last Call:
The ROCCAT Kone Pure Core Performance Gaming Mouse is what it says, their core gaming mouse model. It has the memory, toughness and responsiveness to make it a go-to mouse. It’s also very affordable compared to other mice on the market with comparable features and during testing gave no problems at all. The lighted ROCCAT logo is a very nice touch as well and can be adjusted to any computer or room lighting scheme. When I switch it out it will be for a new mouse review and I might go back to it which is pretty good testimony alone.

[easyreview title=”ROCCAT Kone Pure Core Performance Gaming Mouse Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Kingston HyperX Cloud Headset Review (PC)

2014/04/15

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

Most people know the name Kingston if they use anything with electronic memory, mostly for their product’s reliance and quality. Now that Kingston has thrown its hat into the gaming/mobile headset arena customers are going to expect that same level of excellence. So the question is: does the Kingston HyperX Cloud Headset live up to the name?

Hands On:

First off kudos for understanding that some gamers like nice packaging, it’s an extra detail that draws gamers to metal boxes and swag, so putting the headset in a beautiful case that easily rivals Turtle Beach in presentation is a great start. The second is design colors, a few popular brands of general use headsets have gone with flashy colors but professional and aspiring professional gamers tend to go for a much more understated look so the black with accenting red threads and a simple but stylish red emblem on the ear cups is something that will look professional while gaming and while listening to tunes when hitting the streets.

Nice looking design and packaging won’t get you far if the headset isn’t comfortable for full gaming sessions or long flights. Not only is there an ample amount of stitched-in fabric in the bridge of the headset the full cup ear pieces have interchangeable cup pads so you can use leather of foam depending on which you feel more comfortable with or if you are in a particularly long and tense gaming session you might switch out cups to give the others time to dry out. They have are nice and light weight with a removable boom mic and they all fit in a nice little included nylon bag.

This brings us to the sound and mic quality which is of course the ultimate deciding factor (though the previous points could easily be deal breakers when buying a headset). The HyperX Cloud uses separate mic and sound plugs which when going mobile can be adapted to a single plug for a mobile device. Most PCs however still use separate plugs for these functions, so it takes just a matter of minutes to get all set up and ready to talk and listen. Because it isn’t a USB system it didn’t require special drivers I literally plugged the headset in and started using them. The 53mm drivers and pure Hi-Fi sound where obvious in the crystal clear delivery of lasers, cannon shots, explosion, warning alarms, beeps as well as music from classical to house. Any sound I through at the headsets came through perfectly and the quality of the boom mic made recording videos or talking in team chats all completely clean. One of my favorite tests for a mic is talking quickly to Siri texting and see how many words she translates properly and the mistake rate between the phone mic and the boom mic was amazing, with the headset there were usually only grammatical mistakes if that whereas since I am cursed with dry mouth using the phone speaker had me correcting every third word.

Last Thoughts:
Kingston’s HyperX Cloud headset is a welcome edition to the gaming headset market and maintains the high quality expected from the Kingston name. These will be one of my go-to headphones, especially when I want to look professional while listening to professional grade audio. I look forward to them becoming a household name in headsets like they already are in the RAM markets.

[easyreview title=”Kingston HyperX Cloud Headphones Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]
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Strike Suit Zero Director’s Cut Review (Xbox One)

2014/04/14

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Xbox One News, Xbox One Review

This was a particularly exciting review since it is our first review of an Xbox One title to review on GamingShogun.com! The other particularly exciting reason the review was fun to do was though it has the sexy graphics that next gen can bring it has an old school arcade style that dates back to… well some of the first arcades. Strike Suit Zero is a challenging throwback without a throwback feel or a high price tag.

Description:
In the year 2299, an interstellar war rages on. In a bid to save Earth from destruction, you must take control of the Strike Suit – a revolutionary fighter craft with the ability to transform into a lethal suit of space armor. Immerse yourself in massive fleet battles where your dog-fighting skills will directly affect the fate of the cosmos.

Discover a colorful and vibrant universe, with an epic story where the fate of Earth hangs in the balance and your actions will determine the outcome: preventing Earth’s destruction is your immediate concern but preserving its future is your ultimate goal.

Engage intelligent enemy fighters and take on colossal capital ships, exploiting weak points in their super-structure to blow them apart. Upgrade your ships and customize your weapon load-outs to tailor combat to your tastes. Take advantage of four unique craft, including the Strike Suit, to experience dogfighting action as you’ve never seen it before.

This Is Space Combat Reborn.

Features:

Fast, frantic space combat: freely engage multiple enemies, dogfight other pilots, fight massive fleet battles and defend vast structures.
The Strike Suit: strategically switch from Pursuit Mode (speed and power) to Strike Mode (a powerful, highly maneuverable combat mode)
Capital Ship Destruction: take capital ships apart piece by piece – take out their turrets or target weak-points to blow out entire sections of their superstructure.
Multiple endings: your choices in game directly affect the state of Earth at the end of the game.
Vibrant and vivid universe: space is far from the dark, featureless void it’s supposed to be. Discover the color and vibrancy of the Strike Suit universe across 13 unique locations.
Ship Designs from renowned Mechanical Design engineer Junji Okubo (Appleseed: Ex Machina, Steel Battalion.)
Music from award-winning composer Paul Ruskay (Homeworld) including a collaboration with Japanese singer/songwriter Kokia (Tales of Innocence, Gunslinger Girl: II Teatrino)

Hands On:
Oh the games I wish I owned an Oculus Rift for… Strike Suit Zero Director’s Cut can be played both inside a cockpit view or out of cockpit mode in a third person view. If I had the latest-gen Oculus Rift or a flight stick for the Xbox One, I would totally go crazy with cockpit mode and this would be a different game experience. Instead, I found myself using the third person mode quite a bit and it was a very familiar, but still very fun experience.

In the main campaign you play a flight jockey who gets a new toy. There is a lot more to the story than that, but the story doesn’t draw you in that much and you mostly feel like different bosses are fighting over where to point you to kill. That’s fine, there is lots to kill and crazy space battles result.

When in ship mode, your fighter feels like a space ship or airplane and flying around can easily disorient you without a horizon until you get used to it. As a result, there are large boundaries, resembling nets, to your flight area that keep you from going off into the vastness of space a la Darth Vader at the end of Star Wars. These are handy at the beginning but, as you get more comfortable flying (or if you already play a lot of arcade flight games) you can find these boundaries as a challenge instead as you try to clear gun range to refresh your shields for another strike. These also make if feel a lot like an airplane flight sim with a deck, max height and area of combat. You dog fight with smaller ships and perform strafing runs on larger ones.

It’s when you go into robot mode that Strike Suit Zero Director’s Cut starts to have a different feel and, in many ways, an older arcade feel at that. It reminded me a lot of SEGA’s Space Harrier from 1985 – but without the ground. You move around the screen as a robot shooting at enemy ships an moving around the screen to avoid incoming fire. There is nothing wrong with Strike Suit Zero Director’s Cut reminding me of such a classic game, as they have done things to perfect its play – adding limited missiles and the ability to switch back and forth to fighter form. As a result you spend your time going back and forth between the two ship modes, strategically picking the times when moving around the screen and shooting is preferable to flying around a map dogfighting and strafing.

Last Call:
Playing Strike Suit Zero Director’s Cut is like playing a mix between two styles of games using the style that works best for each enemy. No matter the mode you play in, it is all arcade action and makes for challenging hand-eye coordination fun. There is some strategy to gameplay but the story only plays into it for the different endings. I see replayability in trying to get through the game a second and third time staying in fighter mode or robot mode the entire time. That or if you get frustrated about missing time marks or high scores on levels. No matter how you play it, Strike Suit Zero Director’s Cut is a very fun experience and it is only a scant $15 dollars.

[easyreview title=”Strike Suit Zero Director’s Cut Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

The Incredible Adventures Of Van Helsing II Preview (PC)

2014/04/02

Ripper71

News, Previews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Preview

I was a big fan of the first Incredible Adventures Of Van Helsing. It had a Diablo feel to it but with enough of its own take on the random dungeon crawler to feel like a fresh play. There were a couple titles that came out around the same time but Van Helsing was definitely a standout with its fun interactions with Katarina, loads of Easter eggs and enough pop references to keep you smiling if not chuckling all through the game. It took gameplay serious but let the script be campy – which might not be for everyone but definitely hit home with me. So the question begs… does the second hold up to the standards set by the first?

Description:
Put on your wide-brimmed hat, grab your weapons and embark on an incredible adventure in the gothic-noir world of Borgovia, where mad science threatens the fragile peace between monster and mortal. Be Van Helsing, monster-hunter extraordinaire and save the day with your charming and beautiful companion, Lady Katarina (who happens to be a ghost, by the way). Explore the savage wilderness in the mountains and the soot-stained brick districts of a grim metropolis twisted by weird science, and don’t forget: you might never know who the real monsters are!

Features:

Enter a memorable gothic-noir universe filled with monsters, magic and weird science.
Play through a refreshingly unique story, spiced up with wry humor and snappy dialogue.
Fight fierce battles against supernatural foes with diverse skills and abilities.
Use the special abilities and tailor the skills of your remarkable follower.
Customize your character through a detailed level-up system where you decide which skills and abilities you’ll need for the hunt.
Modify your skills on the spot with a unique power-up system.
Learn the secrets of mystical alchemy and forge powerful items.
Build and develop your hideout and place traps to defend it from waves of terrible monsters.
Become the greatest monster slayer of all time while playing a cooperative multiplayer monster hunt up to four players.

Hands On:
First off it is important to note this is a closed beta and a fairly early build at that. If you pre-order the game you get instant access to this beta but it is only about an hour long right now and most of the loot isn’t named yet. You will pick up an axe that has no image and is named “vh2axe” as a working title. There is a very good chance the stats on all the items will get completely reworked as well so don’t put so much stock in looting up, try to take in the experience.

At time of press, normal difficulty levels aren’t available (1-30) only veteran (31-60) but after character creation you will be geared up with a nice class appropriate set of rare gear that outshines most of what drops so you will be able to jump right into the ass kicking. There are six classes to start with with the ability to import a character from the first game (if you leveled it high enough and finished the game) but for the beta you are probably better off just going with a new character since it will be finely geared. There will also be a chance to create a custom class somewhere down the road. Currently the classes are Blade (primarily melee and recommended for newcomers), gunslinger (ranged combat with sniping), spellkeeper (elemental caster), adeptus (power caster and crowd control), bombardier (steampunk AoE damage), and contraptionist (steampunk necromancer). The classes and their armor really reinforce the gothic steampunk feel of the game, particularly the contraptionist who makes mechanized spiders (not skinned yet) and turrets.

Just like in the first game Katatrina can be set and armored up to compliment your class so make sure if you are range dependent you set her to melee or visa-versa. Like amazons in Diablo she has many but not all gear slots so think of her needs as well as your own when gearing and make sure she has plenty of potions. Particularly nice things about Katarina are you won’t be trading her in and if you decide you need her to perform a different role whether it be melee/range or defensive, assist, etc in battle you can set all that at any time. She even has her own inventory and you can order what she picks up off the field such as gold, commons, or magoc items and when her inventory is full or you need money you can send her shopkeeping and she will go sell it all to the vendor. It takes the tedium of running back to the shopkeeper in the middle of a dungeon simply because your bags filled up. You can even expect a playfully, snarky comment as she does it.

The beasties are brand new even in the closed beta, where you get to see magical monsters fighting side by side with steampunk nightmares. There is a pretty wide variety though sometimes it is hard to tell during the beta because you will have massive hordes of them all piled on top of each other trying to get at you. in those cases you do whatever aoe and crowd control your class allows for and just watch for critical hits to thin the herd so you can get a better look at them. In a beta, especially one with press and pre-order invites, it is usually more about showing off mechanics and variety so if you find yourself in the beta and not sure if you like the massive hordes or level builds don’t give up on it, they are simply trying to showcase elements of the game.

Characters are highly customizable through skill trees as well using points earned leveling. The category sheets are are basically melee, ranged, tricks and auras and each one has an unlockable general trait with upgrades and refinements available. So for example your gunslinger might have explosive shot which can be leveled to 10 but it also has refinement bubbles around it such as hex round or shrapnel that you can put a point into to add that damage to your explosive shot when you use it. Auras are passive effects that can be activated so that using mana might give you health or increased range and damage. WoW players who have rolled hunters have a pretty good idea about what this is like. In these ways when combined with random equipment drops it is very easy to have two characters of the same class with completely different builds and play styles.

When it comes to single player play there is storyline and scenario, scenario is specialized maps with harder enemies and higher loot drops. There are level requirements but it is a great way to gear up. There will be multiplayer modes that include games you can start or join but those aren’t currently available in closed beta. Hopefully this will be set up very similar to Diablo.

First Round:
I played the closed beta a few times to get a feel for the game and so far I like what they are showing us even if it is less than an hour of play. The classes look nice, the graphics look great and the play is great with funny touches added to the quests. The Incredible Adventures Of Van Helsing 2 is a game to watch for to get a Diablo style dungeon crawler with it’s own feel and it’s own $14.99 price tag.
(note: the graphic below is a nice comparison but is somewhat dated with six character classes available in the new Van Helsing title)

Yaiba Ninja Gaiden Z Review (PC/Steam)

2014/03/22

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Windows PC News, Windows PC Review

I’ve always had a soft spot for the Ninja Gaiden series – I remember sitting in a very cluttered bedroom with no concern in mind but the next level for a little side scrolling ninja (ed. note: Jaquio!!!). Luckily, this is a series that instead of fading away has adapted and managed to stay fresh even after its many installments over the years. There always seems to be another story to tell and, in this game, the story is of Yaiba, a ninja master gone rogue with a less straight and narrow approach to his arts.

Description:
The ninja are the most elite of warriors, exercising unparalleled skill, precision, and lethality for centuries. Only the most deadly candidates are given the rare and coveted opportunity to join the clan.

The final test of a ninja’s training is to face a true ninja master in combat. For years, Yaiba was that final ninja. But after suffering the indignity of serving a clan led by the weak-willed and spineless, he decided he had had enough. It only seemed natural to him that he should claim the spines they had no use for. Among his confederacy of cowards, the weakest of all in Yaiba’s eyes was the “legendary” Ryu Hayabusa.

Fifteen dead ninjas later and Yaiba found himself face-to-face with the straight-arrow poster boy. A vicious battle ensued and when the dust cleared, Ryu Hayabusa stood victorious — for the moment. But that’s only where the story begins…

What Hayabusa took from Yaiba with the Dragon Sword — his eye, arm, and life — technology restored. Due to the intervention of the mysterious benefactors, Yaiba reawakens as rage-filled as ever. Only now, a zombie outbreak threatens to plunge the world into darkness. Literally and figuratively armed with cutting-edge technology, he’ll have to carve a path through legions of grotesque and deformed undead to reach Ryu Hayabusa. With Hayabusa racing against time to determine the source of the infection, Yaiba must leave his own parallel trail of destruction if he’s to exact his revenge.

Hands On:
This title had brought up some controversy back when it was still just a trailer at electronics shows. Some praised its sense of humor, some denounced it as sexist but just about everyone saw it as a departure from the series. There is adult language, suggestive propositions and mature gestures which all scream that this is a game that is not for kids and does not take itself seriously. The developers wanted to make a game with the elements of swordplay and action you have come to expect from the Ninja Gaiden but with all the commentary of a bunch of (possibly drunk) guys sitting on the couch joking around. The jokes aren’t politically correct, they glorify sex and violence so if these are things that you might find bothersome this is definitely not the game for you.

Now if four letter words and crude humor don’t bother you, there are a lot of things Yaiba really has going for it. The game’s graphics are the place really to start, every second of it is gorgeous to look at and seems to step right out of a comic book. To enhance this feeling, the cutscenes are comic book like panels, and when you receive video messages the video doesn’t move it instead just shows a still panel of the person whose voice you hear. More often than not this is Miss Monday, a techo genius with physical attributes that tend to bring on much of the adult discussions as they are barely contained in a catholic school girl uniform. Don’t be surprised if she becomes a popular cosplay replacement for Lollipop Chainsaw. She’s your guide as well as hint giver so definitely listen close when she shows up, she isn’t just there to be more eye candy. This game in a lot of ways feels like you are controlling a full length anime movie which is pretty sweet.

You start out with a couple moves and build up combos as you go with a customizable skill tree that allows you to tailor the gameplay to your personal style. The moves show off more and more swordplay and techo prowess from your new arm, which with it’s chain and hook system makes me think fondly of the comic book character Lobo. I found myself using it every chance I got. Killing bosses rewards you with a temporary weapon, usually ripped right off of or out of the boss themselves. The first boss doesn’t have much in the way of skills so you use his arms as nun-chucks, then the bigger the boss the bigger the bonus weapon.

The fact that this game takes place during a zombie invasion really adds to the diversity of enemies that Yaiba faces on his hunt for Ryu, add to this a corporation with secret experiments and the enemies become down right creative. You have your standard stiffs but then you have just about everything under the sun from bridezillas to sidesplitters which are zombie clowns with meat cleavers and balloons. You learn to dread when certain enemies come on the screen because even though you develop techniques on how to fight them during initial battles with them there is usually a new twist that makes them a fresh challenge next time around.

This is one of the places the game could have done with some different working, even if it was simply in the save locations. I’ll give an example of an actual fight in the game without giving any details to spoil the story. Two spawns of bridezilla show up right after a save point. Nearby also in striking range is three spawns of mini bosses you have faced. So you are fighting five tough opponents which all have powerful range and melee damage, the bridezillas even have stuff they put on the ground that you don’t want to be in that can cause damage over time. After a number of trials and plenty of deaths you get yourself through this section. You think that you will get a save point but you don’t, instead two bosses of one type and a sidesplitter spawn with a bunch of grunt zombies. Unless you manage to keep your health pristine against the bosses before these ones take you down and you have to start all over again with the previous ones. One of the things that could have made this situation tolerable would have been a save point between the two waves, the fact that there is no save point and instead of giving a new powerful boss the game heaps on old bosses in a dog pile gets frustrating quickly as you spend time trying to tighten up the already hard battle of the first wave so you can have a decent chance at the second. If this was an isolated incident or even if a check point was between the waves this wouldn’t be a biggie, but it happens throughout the game where instead of getting a new boss you get a dog pile.

The other issue with the Steam/PC version of the game is that it is an obvious port, one where all the instructions tell you what button to press on your controller no which one to press on a keyboard. If you go in and check the control choices you can find out what the keyboard choices are but when the hints on the screen are telling you to push down on the right and left sticks to perform a move in the middle of a boss fight and you have to pause the game and scroll through the control options to figure out what you need to do it can throw you off a bit. At one point I tried to do some acrobatic moves as part of the game and I couldn’t land on a platform. I kept thinking I was hitting the wrong button combination and kept checking the control menu only to eventually realize it had to be a glitch in the game, a reboot was the solution. The game can be played using a controller and seems to actually have a much more fluid gameplay but that brings up the point of possibly buying it on a console in the first place. PC gamers experience this type of porting issue from time to time and most dedicated gamers are used to rolling with it.

Last Call:
Yaiba Ninja Gaiden Z was a true departure in it’s more mature and at the same time immature approach but has many of the strong fun parts that makes the series great. The graphics are amazing, the gameplay and developing combos is fun and the creativity with the enemies is terrific. The game is not perfect and I’m not sure I would recommend it on a PC as opposed to a console, but Yaiba is a great ninja game that only takes itself serious when it comes to the gameplay itself.

[easyreview title=”Yaiba Ninja Gaiden Z Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3″ ]

X-Doria Defense 720 Hybrid Phone Case Review

2014/03/10

Ripper71

Mobile News, Mobile Review, News, Reviews

We hear at Gamingshogun.com love to bring you cell phone case reviews because we know that nowadays just about everyone uses them. They are our desktop from ten years ago shrunk down to fit into our pockets and carry such vital information as our medications to whether or not Lindsey is flaking out on dinner tonight. In the case of techies like our team it is even taken up tenfold, we might do final drafts on Word Press on our mobile wonders or try out the latest port to iOS or Android while we wait at the DMV. We can choose our seats and pay for them at our local theater, tweet about the great new seats and check our FB events to see if anyone else planned to catch that showing of the Lego Movie. In short plenty of us wake up reaching for the phone and listen to it while going to sleep at night. It needs protection and in the case of klutzes like yours truly it had better have a screen guard too. That’s why it is a safe bet that the X-Doria Defense 720 Hybrid Case would catch my eye.

Features:
– Full screen protection, full touch control
– Protects your device, front, sides, and back; with an added bumper for drop protection
– Two-piece shell design easily snaps on for a secure fit
– Patented polycarbonate front shield provides maximum protection for your screen

Hands On:
At first glance this case isn’t that exciting to look at, but that is because it’s key is in potential. It is designed to protect 720 degrees of the phone so it has a thicker colored bumper around the outside with transparent casing on the front and back. Created with the color schemes of the iPhone 5/5s in mind so that you can show your phone’s color through the case while accenting it with bumper I see the real possibilities in the clear case being customization. Instead of just having your phone show through the back you can put one of your favorite photos or shrink down a print of your favorite poster and put it in there. You can save your favorite fortune cookie messages in there or tuck stickers that you don’t want to stick to your phone inside it. What these cases really represent with their clear back is self expression however you choose to do that while at the same time keeping your phone safe.

In the area of keeping your phone safe the bumpers are solidly designed to help protect from edge impacts which can really ruin your phone and your day and have a simple pattern carved into them that accentuates the edge just a touch. Almost as importantly though is the removable front shield which is very solidly designed and I can’t stress the enough, the front screen has excellent connectivity. Being a phone gamer as well as needing to do social media I can’t tell you how frustrating a front shield can be if it lowers the touch response. If it is a little you might weigh the value of the protection versus the frustration of response issue typos or game mistakes, if it gets so that you audibly are hitting your screen for each letter of a tweet you may get as aggravated as I did the time I ripped the shield off the case and actually cut it up with scissors so that it would no longer darken man’s domain.

Last Call:
The X-Doria Defense 720 Hybrid Phone case is simple in appearance and design but solid in construction and possibilities. If you use your imagination this case could easily be the one that shows who you really are, it is a blank page simply waiting for your touch.

[easyreview title=”X-Doria Defense 720 Hybrid Phone Case Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

Turtle Beach Ear Force XP Seven Headset Review

2014/03/10

Ripper71

News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

Turtle Beach has long been a benchmark in the consumer audio market and among gamers as gear to strive for. Their headsets are famous for their quality and customization, there are people out there that just buy the headset interchangeable plates to mount them on the wall as art, Turtle Beach even had them displayed at CES 2014 in a shadow box artfully done. Looks mean nothing though if the product itself isn’t effective and comfortable so the question of the day is whether or not the Turtle Beach Ear Force XP Seven Headset is worthy of being the Major League Gaming official headset.

Description:
The Ear Force XP SEVEN, our newest premium console headset, offers the ultimate in game tournament and lifestyle performance. The official headset of Major League Gaming (MLG), the XP SEVEN is the perfect headset for the elite e-sports player or any gamer seeking a pro-audio gaming experience, featuring Dolby Surround Sound and a fully programmable digital signal processor (DSP). The programmable DSP allows gamers to enhance and personalize the entire audio experience with fully customizable game, chat, and mic signals. On-the-fly audio preset switching, independent game and chat volumes and more are now at players’ fingertips thanks to the Audio Control Unit. With a sleek and distinctive new design, gamers can now also customize the look and feel of the XP SEVEN thanks to its removable mic boom and easily interchangeable speaker plates; it’s the ultimate audio weapon for competitive console gamers.

Features:
· Programmable presets that change your sound environment and allow you to hear sound cues you’d normally miss the Advanced Sound Editor tool to download, manage or create presets for your headset.
· The XP SEVEN uses Dolby Digital surround processing technology – the industry-standard format for encoding multi-channel game audio. Dolby Digital processing recreates 5.1 channel surround sound using the XP SEVEN headset so you can hear the sound all around you, as if you were listening to a 5.1 speaker system.
· Adjustable surround sound angles for the optimum surround sound experience.
· Auxiliary line input for use with a digital music player or mobile phone.
· The Audio Control Unit (ACU) is fully compatible with the Turtle Beach TM1 Tournament Mixer facilitating multiple player communication.
· Durable 4-pole, 3.5mm breakaway cable connects to the Control Unit, portable game systems and mobile devices for great sound across all your gaming and digital media.

Hands On:
The Ear Force XP Seven puts us in one of the strangest but probably most wonderful situations we at GamingShogun.com have faced when it comes to a headset review: this product is designed to go with pretty much every system. If it has a stereo jack or USB output, odds are this system will work with it. To try and try and give this product its due justice we will first do an overview of what you get with the XP Seven then break it down on how it works and how well it works with different systems.

The Ear Force XP Seven System:
To make it compatible with all these different systems it comes with a bunch of varying cables, but breaks down into three distinct sections. The first section is the console interface, this part is used exclusively for the console you are playing. I found when trying it out on the PC, laptop, iPad and iPhone I just left this section plugged into the last console I was using it on. At this point in time a majority of games I am playing or reviewing console-wise are on the Xbox 360 so that is where it is, especially with the XO Seven hitting the market soon for the Xbox One. The console section basically serves as an adapter between the console and the rest of the system.

The main diversity and interactivity with the system lies in the next section, the Audio Control Unit. This is a small device with buttons ringing it and a knob on the top. The back has a clip to attach it to your belt or shirt while playing as well as some small peg legs to rest it on a surface if you choose. The audio control unit is used in all interfaces except “portable/mobile”, it is also the only section that requires a learning curve. If you start off using this system with a PC the accompanying software and more detailed user’s manual help this curve a lot. If you jump in on a console, this will take a little bit longer. The Audio Control Unit does what its name implies, controlling the levels and routing of audio to and from your game, your chat, your mobile phone and to your stereo speakers. It has 8 presets so that you can have saved audio configurations for different games and systems and with a push of a button you can configure how the surround sound “speakers” are set up around you.

The final section is the Headset and headset cable. This can be used and plugged into anything with the right size aux output jack (or adapted). The cable has a mic in it so that you don’t have to use the detachable boom mic if you are on the go as well as a breakaway cord so that you can disconnect the headset from the system about six inches from the ear to enable you to leave the headset on when you need to leave the system or in case you forget you are wearing it and get up and walk away it won’t be torn off your head (hence the name “breakaway”).

There is also detailed software involved with the hardware but that will be covered under the PC section.

Console Use:
The console interface system allows for optical audio cable use as well as a digital input, USB input and digital input with a nine pin and USB going to the Audio Control Unit. This makes it adaptable with with all the systems and since we have most of them I was able to give it a run on them. The Xbox 360 was one that had digital out (earlier models didn’t) and the game sound was absolutely amazing. In shooter games where it is crucial to know where the enemy is by listening for footsteps or opening fire, this headset performed like a champ. The padded and sewn headset arch and memory foam ear cushions were extremely comfortable even after long periods of use (exceeding eight hours) and blocked out any external noise very well. I found when someone wanted to talk to me and I didn’t want to take the headset off, I would point the boom mic in their direction to hear what they were saying as long as I wasn’t in team chat. Opening and closing your mic is as simple as brushing a spot on the control unit and mixing game sound versus chat was a matter of turning a couple of dials while adjusting the overall sound involved cranking the main knob. After a little getting used to, it was easy to do on the fly in case you had your chat turned up to listen to a quiet spoken teammate and suddenly a burst of obscenities came screaming through the channel from a dead team member.

If you do feel like taking off the headset and you have a speaker system hooked up to the control unit you can hit the mode button and make it so that the sound starts playing through the speakers. If you are worried about a phone call or text or want to play your own music you can plug your mobile into the control unit. This can be used with any audio source with an aux output but if you decide to pick up a call the phone mic on your cord can be handy and used to talk both to the phone or in team chat. Personally I liked the boom mic for each since then it can be adjusted directly to your mouth and give perfect speaking clarity.

The PS3 was a similar experience though I have it on a different part of my entertainment center so I was able to utilize the cable extenders provided to give me a little more length between the console unit and the audio control unit so I could reach the extra distance. The extender didn’t seem to weaken or degrade the audio quality any so it might just become a standard part of the console connection to give more leeway.

One thing to note about the system is that if you use it with the Xbox One you won’t be able to hear team chat except through your Kinect which by now you are probably used to yelling at anyways. Also the headset system can be used plug and play but for the best experience and control follow the directions in the manual and go into the console systems and perform a proper setup.

PC Use:
The XP Seven works great with consoles but it truly shines when on a PC with the proper software installed and a decent sound card. The software alone could be a 20 page story loaded with techno-babble, graphs, diagrams, and charts that would make the common gamer’s head spin and the professional gamer geek out. I know this because that is how long the user guide is for it and it has all that information. The real keys are you can adjust every aspect of the sound and how you hear it from every source, pitch, frequency, complete equalization. You can download audio presets the Turtle Beach community has come up with so that if you want to sit down at a game and play it without messing too much with the controls you can download a preset designed specifically for that game, and use it immediately. If you want to go in and build a custom setup you like you can save it to a preset or even upload it to the community for others to use.

If you are a gamer gal and are tired of all the smack talk you can morph your voice into a guy, a robot, a little kid, you can play with pitch to make yourself sound like whatever you want. This has been a particularly popular feature and I’ll admit to a certain fondness for robot voice, I blame the movie “War Games”.

Really when it comes down to it with all the things you can do with this headset the most important thing is you are getting amazing quality sound exactly how you want it whether or not you are plug and play or a Major League Gamer who has precise settings you have found the performance of this headset will only further the Turtle Beach name.

Mobile:
This is where the headset gets simple but still has some customization. You just need the headset and cable, remove the detachable boom mic, plug into your phone or other aux output device such as an iPod and away you go. It has a fashion style all its own yet fits nicely in with the popular full cup headset culture. Some might not be fans of the black and white subtle color scheme but with the removable speaker plates you have dozens of options on how you can make them look, jazz them up. Personally I love the Halloween Pumpkin speaker covers but I know Marvel fans who like those covers so much they are now wall decor.

Last Call:
The Turtle Beach Ear Force XP Seven headset never failed me in any sound tests I threw at it and gave absolutely outstanding performance on all devices. If someone is concerned about the possibly prohibitive cost, you just need to think about how the system can replace every other headset you use for all the devices in your house. That diversity should appeal to the common player as well as those who aspire to the MLG ranks!

[easyreview title=”Turtle Beach Ear Force XP Seven Headset Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”5″ ]

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