Love the new SSX but miss SSX Tricky? You’re not alone. EA released two DLC packs today that brings Mount Eddie, three retro music tracks, and seven classic retro themed characters from the SSX universe to the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. Mount Eddie focuses on the classic trick based gameplay, full of rails, kickers, lights, fireworks, and billboards to explore. Elise, Mac, Zoe, Kaori, Psymon, Moby, and Eddie all make a return to the slopes, each sporting a unique snowboard in the character pack. Each DLC pack can be purchased for 480MSP/$9.95AUD / $ 11.50NZD each or be bought together at a discount for 640MSP/$12.95AUD / $15.50NZD.
The Razer Naga Hex Wraith Edition is a red variant of the Razer Naga Hex mouse which is being pegged for MOBA gamers. This mouse looks like it’s similar to its green variant which we have reviewed here.
Ideally, it looks like this mouse will be best for MOBA players, gamers who play spammy RPGs and hack-and-slash gamers. I think that DOTA, LoL and that other games players will probably favor this kind of mouse.
When fighting frenzied waves of enemies, there’s no time to think and no time for failure. With the Razer Naga Hex – Wraith Red Edition, bind your skills to our 6 mechanical thumb keys and make sure that every attack is executed to perfection.
Devastate hordes of enemies with lightning fast combos, as our high performance buttons register and accurately execute up to 250clicks a minute, ensuring your enemies are kept at bay, even in the heat of battle.
Fight frenzied wave after wave of enemies with the Razer Naga Hex.
Be sure to check out the official page for more information. The mouse is currently available in the USA and will be made available in Q2 internationally.
With iOS 5’s new features, many iPhone users have noticed their battery life butchered. Thankfully there are better solutions than never being more than 100 meters from a power outlet and hauling a sync cable and USB charger everywhere. Enter Incipio’s new offGRID PRO Backup Battery case. The case is constructed from slim black polycarbonate and sports two rechargeable and interchangeable lithium ion batteries. Each battery is rated at 1600 mAh and 3.7v output. The case can be charged via micro USB port or the external battery charger. There are generous holes cut out for access to the camera and the vibration switch. Included in the case is a 3.5mm headphone adapter to ensure that no matter how big the plug on your headphones are, they will work with your case.
The case costs $99.99 on Incipio’s site and is available in black, gunmetal, and white.
kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- Volume 2 Premium Edition Studio: Production I.G Publisher: NIS America Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo Release Date: April 10, 2012 Price: $55.99 – Available Here
Overview: Having a meaningful relationship with anyone can be difficult for some, especially in high school. Now while many anime series will take a high school setting and immediately drop a romance into the main characters lap, there are also a select few series which will slowly develop a touching romance between two characters.
kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- has so far been a perfect example of the latter, with the slow moving developments between characters being one of the highlights of the first volume, the review of which can be seen here. Now that NIS America has brought us the second half of the first season of kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- in Volume 2, does this romantic anime continue with what made volume one so endearing?
Story: Sawako Kuronuma may be just a normal looking high school girl to some, but it just so happens that she bears a striking resemblance to a memorable movie character. The problem with this is the fact that the movie character she resembles just happens to be the terrifying Sadako from the Japanese horror movie “The Ring.” Because of her outward appearance Sawako has never had any friends as she always terrified those around her.
However this all changed when she met a boy at her high school named Shota Kazehaya who treated her like a normal person and spoke to her kindly. Over the course of the first volume of kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- we watched as Sawako slowly began to come out of her shell and even make friends with two of her classmates, Chizuru Yoshida and Ayane Yano. Sawako experienced many firsts in her life with her new friends and slowly began to develop feelings for Kazehaya who also slowly started to realize he was beginning to develop feelings for her.
However when we last saw Sawako and Kazehaya, a new girl named Ume Kurumi had begun circulating rumors about Sawako and her friends, trying to sabotage the relationships that Sawako was finally beginning to develop and hold dear. Not only was she trying to break up her friendship with Chizuru and Ayane, but even try and convince Kazehaya that she held no feelings for him. However bonds of friendship are hard to sever and Kazehaya isn’t about to stand by and let Sawako fall for anyone else. Will Sawako’s newfound bonds hold true and deepen as the story continues in Volume Two?
kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- continues to provide a down to earth romance that slowly develops between two people who are too shy to speak to one another about what they are feeling, with the mere mention of dating Kazehaya sending Sawako into a stuttering state of confusion. As the story progresses we continue to see Sawako experience many more firsts in her life and continue to fall deeper in love with Kazehaya, even admitting it to her friends. The amount of character development found in this series is hard to come by as the development isn’t limited to only Sawako and Kazehaya.
In fact, Volume Two of kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- also explores the feelings of two of the supporting cast as well, creating a story arc in the latter half of the volume that shifts the focus to Chizuru and Ryu. Similar to Sawako and Kazehaya’s budding relationship, Ryu simply is unable to express his feelings properly to Chizuru. To top it off, Chizuru has feelings for Ryu’s older brother Toru. What is interesting about kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- is the fact that despite the potential for conflict and number distressing situations the cast faces, the story never becomes hectic or convoluted in the slightest.
Instead of jumping forward in leaps and bounds, the simplistic plot of kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- continues on its very slow pace as we watch Sawako experience new things with her friends and slowly become closer to Kazehaya. This is far from a bad thing however as the lighthearted tone of the series is enjoyable to experience and provides viewers a chance to watch a socially awkward girl try to become closer to others and succeeding in her own charming way. Perhaps the biggest highlight of the entire series is the slow boiled romance between Kazehaya and Sawako.
It is worth noting that NIS America has already picked up the license for the third season of kimi ni todoke -From Me to You-, so viewers can also expect to continue to watch Sawako and Kazehaya’s relationship develop.
Visuals: Throughout Volume Two, Production I.G continues to use an extremely soft color palette with down to earth coloring. This is especially true with the artistically detailed backgrounds which usually feature pastel-like coloring. As before there are also plenty of moments where the background will change to highlight the mood of any specific scene, such as bubbles or sparkles for romance and happy scenes.
The character’s themselves are highly detailed up close and they often appear in a number of different outfits as well. As before, the characters in kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- will easily end up deforming into “chibi” states whenever something funny or surprising occurs. These deformations in character design are stylistic however and don’t degrade the series’ quality, in fact they are often precursors to either comedic or touching moments.
Audio & Subtitles: As per standard with an anime release from NIS America, kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- Volume Two only contains the Japanese audio track and no English dub. Obviously this is a negative for those who would rather listen to the show in English, though the series is still more than enjoyable enough with the accurate English subtitles.
Sawako’s voice actress Mamiko Noto continues to excel with her soft voicework and the rest of the Japanese voice cast also performs ably. Volume Two features the same exact opening and ending songs from the first half of the series, which means the opening song is still “kimi ni todoke” by Tomofumi Tanizawa and the ending song is still “Katamoi” by Chara.
Extras: With the release of kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- Volume Two we also see the same premium edition inclusions that NIS America is known for. The series itself comes on both Blu-ray and DVD discs inside two slimpak DVD cases. Considering Volume Two features the same opening and ending songs as before, there are no on-disc extra features besides trailers for past NIS America releases which is a bit of a shame as some commentary would have at least been nice.
Included in the premium edition is a 28 page hardcover art book that is called “Our Memories” which is a nice subtle change from the first Volume which contained an art book called “My Memories.” This subtle change is a nice reference to the fact that Sawako no longer has memories only of herself, but of her friends as well. The inside of the artbook reads similar to a scrapbook with images from each episode placed in chronological order along with a few sentences from the episode itself to match the images. The themed artbook is another nice touch though it is worth noting that it contains barely any extra content besides the aforementioned images, as it simply contains two pages of character design and a few pieces of scenery, meaning those looking for extra behind-the-scenes content will be left hanging.
These are contained inside of an oversized hard-slipcover case which features the five main cast members, Sawako and Kazehaya in the front with Ayane, Chizuru and Ryu in the back. On the flipside we see various images from the show itself inside of bubbles which are similar to the backdrop shown during romantic scenes from the show itself.
Overall: kimi ni todoke -From Me to You- Volume 2 continues to deliver the same charming experience found in Volume 1. The premium edition itself may be a bit light on extra content but still delivers a charming themed artbook, though the lack of any on-disc extras is a bit of a negative. With a likable cast of characters, especially Sawako and her two female friends, and an enjoyable storyline the show’s slow progression doesn’t harm it in the slightest. In fact, with a third release on the way, the great impression Volume 2 leaves on viewers will leave them eager to see more of Sawako’s life and interactions with those around her.
With their M14x, M17x and M18x model gaming laptop computers. In fact, they are pegging their M14x and M18x machines as being the most powerful 14″ and 18″ laptops in the entire Universe.
These devices come in both nVidia and ATi flavours and feature THX 7.1ch sound, which should be the standard in gaming soon, and Klipsch brand speakers – which I assume are quality speakers. Each device is also looking like a powerhouse for gaming, the minimum RAM is at 16GB and a minimum GPU of a 650M Mobile.
A perfect balance of performance and mobility, the Alienware M14x allows gamers on-the-go to experience uncompromising gaming performance. The M14x features optional dual drive configurations, up to 16GB of memory[ii] for extreme multitasking, a Blu-ray combo optical drive, and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M graphics engine with GDDR5 graphics memoryii – the most advanced GPU in a 14-inch form factor and the first time Alienware is offering GDDR5 graphics on a laptop of this size.
The Alienware M17x immerses the customer in the game with every dimension, pixel and sound, for a bigger, richer gaming experience. The M17x delivers the latest NVIDIA and AMD graphics card options, up to 32GB of memoryii, optional 17.3-inch 120Hz WideFHD WLED 3D display, and THX 3D surround sound. It is one of the first laptops to offer the AMD Radeon HD 7970M graphics card and the latest GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 660M and 675M graphics solutionsii.
Alienware’s flagship gaming laptop, the Alienware M18x, is equipped with technology capable of matching high-performance gaming desktops. The M18x delivers up to 200w of mobile graphics power when configured with the optional Dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675M graphics enabling an NVIDIA SLI experience and up to 4GB of GDDR5 graphics memoryii. An 18.4-inch Full HD 1080p WLED backlit LCD, up to 750GB 7200RPM SATA hard drives[iii], support for a triple solid state drive option – 768GB SSD (3 x 256GB SSD), and a stylish, anodised aluminum shell all combine to make the M18x a gaming and entertainment powerhouse like no other.
Taking a look at these specifications, it’s hard to imagine holding such a powerful laptop. To make things even better, each machine will be running Intel CPUs and utilising the Intel TurboBoost technologies, which will surely make these the fastest operating laptops in the Universe.
On the laptops, Alienware had this to say –
“Our customers want the most immersive gaming experience possible, and we’ve taken the all-powerful M14x, M17x, and M18x laptops and made them even better, delivering the latest technologies for almost every need,” said Frank Azor, General Manager, Alienware. “We’ve always offered the latest technology for the best gaming experience possible, and our enhanced lineup will provide the sensory experience that we know you crave.”
These new devices are available now at JBHi-Fi, with the cheapest model being $1,799 and the most expensive being $3,299 (Prices are Australian). Be sure to check out the Alienware Storefor more info.
Dirt Showdown is finally upon us, as the Demo has gone live, unleashing demolition style derby racing as well as a full destructive solo campaign across XBox Live, Playstation Network and Steam for PC users. To coincide with the Demo’s release, Codemasters have also released a new gameplay video giving a glimpse of whats to be expected within the Demo Derby mode. Featured within the downloadable demo is the 8 Ball race, a frantic mix of speed and adrenalin through San Francisco which must be completed in order to unlock the Rampage multiplayer mode. Rampage is where the real destruction begins, in a frenzied 8 player race to the death.
Downloading Dirt Showdown will get you an invite to Racenet in its beta form, allowing you to track your progress across all Codemasters racing titles. Resistering also gives players access to join community races and challenges and once the full title launches will open up a new world of interactivity for players to track and monitor their own and others stats.
Dirt Showdown will launch on May 24th for XBox 360, PS3 and PC
Australian and NZ residents remember to pre-order the Hoonigan edition for heaps of bonuses and extra content
Even though Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 may have just been announced yesterday but that doesn’t mean that GameStop can’t jump on the hype bandwagon and reveal their pre-order bonuses for the game way ahead of the game’s release in November.
Those who go to GameStop to pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 will receive four bonus waves though not all of them will be available right away. Those who pre-order now will receive what is being described as an “exclusive, limited edition two-sided poster,” as well as a Prestige token to be used in Modern Warfare 3. The next three pre-order bonus waves have not been detailed but are expected to be revealed over the next few months.
Today Square Enix released the below trailer for Hitman: Absolution and with it comes a bit of older footage as well as a slew of new content. This includes areas we’ve never seen before, violent “assassinations” and deaths we haven’t seen before and more.
The focus of this video is to introduce us to longtime Hitman protagonist Agent 47 and is the first in a series of videos which will give gamers a brief rundown of everything in the series with the next video offering a glimpse at the tools Agent 47 will be using for his trade. Currently Hitman: Absolution is set to be released sometime this year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
Atlus revealed early today that they will be bringing Persona 4: Golden over to North America this Fall. This is obviously great news for fans of the franchise but also great news for anyone who owns a Vita as the platform will finally be receiving another great RPG franchise.
This PlayStation Vita version of the game will include a number of upgrades from the original PlayStation 2 release of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4. These range from obvious visual and audio upgrades, new in-game events, better team attacks, a brand new character and even new Personas for the main cast to use. Alongside this reveal, Atlus released a handful of Japanese screenshots of the game which can be seen below.
Fans of Vanillaware’s RPGs will be extremely disappointed to hear that, despite the announcement last year that XSEED Games would be bringing Grand Knights History over to North America, that will no longer be happening.
Siliconera reports that XSEED will no longer be able to publish Grand Knights History, apparently because the resources to localize the game are no longer available. As such, XSEED had to make the difficult decision to cancel the title. Currently XSEED is still planning to release Unchained Blades, Way of the Samurai 4, Ys Origin, and The Last Story in 2012. As for Grand Knights History, let us hope that perhaps some other Western publisher picks up the localization rights from XSEED and finishes the job.
Atlus revealed early today that they will be bringing Persona 4: Golden over to North America this Fall. This is obviously great news for fans of the franchise but also great news for anyone who owns a Vita as the platform will finally be receiving another great RPG franchise.
